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young writers

Creative Prompts for Young (and not so young) Writers

Melinda Tognini January 5, 2021 No Comments
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Are you having trouble getting back into your writing after the festive season?

I know I am, especially after days of binge watching my latest favourite TV show—which is so much easier than trying to kickstart my creative brain into action!

Stephen King believes that ‘Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work’.

So here are some prompts to help you get to work!

1. Five random words

Start writing a story, poem or even a piece of artwork incorporating the following five words/phrases:

  • microwave beeps
  • beginner
  • pen
  • poppy
  • gel pen

2. Images

Choose one of the following images and ask ten questions you would like to know about the person in the image—obviously you will not know the answers simply by looking at the image.

Now, use your imagination to create the answers to your questions.

Let these answers help form the beginning of a new story.

[Photo by Tien Vu Ngoc on Unsplash.]
[Photo by Juli Kosolapova on Unsplash.]
[Photo by Kenny Luo on Unsplash.]
[Photo by Dan Senior on Unsplash.]

3. Fire and Flood

Create a poem or story about a fire or a flood.

Alternatively, look up the words to Vance Joy’s song ‘Fire and the Flood’ and write a story based on these lyrics.

[Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash.]
[Photo by Nazrin B-va on Unsplash.]

4. Last Sentence

Pick up a book you haven’t read for a while. Turn to the last sentence of any chapter.  Use this as the first sentence of a new poem or story.

5. First Sentence

Diana Rahim’s short story ‘A Minor Kalahari’ (which can be found in the anthology In This Desert, There Were Seeds, edited by Elizabeth Tan and Jon Gresham) begins with the following phrase:

It all started when …

Write your own story that starts with this phrase.

Over to You

Which prompt will you start with first?

Remember: just begin.

 

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Previous 6 Degrees of Separation: From Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to The Muddleheaded Wombat
Next Discovering your Family History Goals
Melinda Tognini

story-gatherer & mentor

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    Thanks, Davida!
    In 6 Degrees of Separation: From No Friend But the Mountains to Hero on a Bicycle
    Ha Ha - great pun!
    In 6 Degrees of Separation: From No Friend But the Mountains to Hero on a Bicycle
    Hi Margaret, the book by Shirley Hughes would probably be classified as young adult, so it's a fairly easy read, but it was still interesting. Another one (aimed at an adult audience but still fiction) is An Italian Affair by Caroline Montague.
    In 6 Degrees of Separation: From No Friend But the Mountains to Hero on a Bicycle

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    • Creative Prompts for Young (and not so young) Writers
    • 6 Degrees of Separation: From Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to The Muddleheaded Wombat
    • 6 Degrees of Separation: From No Friend But the Mountains to Hero on a Bicycle
    • Creative Writing Prompts: Stories of Childhood
    • Six Degrees of Separation: From The Turn of the Screw to No Friend but the Mountains

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