Part of any writer’s life is that we all experience a loss of inspiration exactly when we want to produce another fantastic story. When writing fiction, certain prompts can kick-start your creative genius.
Because the best stories center around tension, creating conflict is a necessary way to break free of that nasty writer’s block. What’s more entertaining to write than that breaking point in a character’s story where you can feel their deepest emotions? These three prompts encourage the exploration of tension to get you back into the groove of writing.
Two characters where one wants to stay in a place and one wants to leave
When writing, a setting can become critical to the conflict. A character who is scared of confined spaces might find being locked in a closet as horrifying, and a character who loathes the cold might find a voyage to Antarctica as the greatest form of torment. In this prompt, you can explore the different inventions of characters. Why does Character A want to stay at the party, and why does Character B want to leave? What motivation lingers within each character to drive their actions?
A character who keeps a secret from a loved one
Everyone knows the turmoil of withholding a secret from someone they care about. So why not express that stress onto your character? This exercise forces you to experiment with opposites. The character wants to tell their friend or family about this secret, but something stops them. Are they scared of what their loved ones will think? Did they do something unspeakable? Or maybe someone else swore them to silence? Their motivations for keeping this secret could be vast, and their guilt heavy.
From the villain’s perspective
Have you written a masterclass antagonist, but want to explore their character better? Try writing a conflict scene from their perspective. What are they thinking? How are they acting? And most importantly: what drives their wickedness? Discover being evil through the eyes of your villain as a way to break free of your comfort zone.
Writer’s block is the greatest source of my frustration. These prompts help me overcome this terrible state, and hopefully you can also find them useful!