Paperclips and Blank Pages by Wendy H. Jones

 

I know my blogs can be somewhat off the wall but you’re probably thinking, she's jumped right off the cliff with this one. After all, despite this being a writing blog, paper clips don't usually feature heavily. Maybe they are just there to tidy up those blank pages. If that were only the case, as my blog would now be written and I could retire for a well earned, restorative coffee. All this writing can take it out of a girl. But no, there is more to it than that. 

What I actually want to talk about is the evil monster that is the blank page. One sent to plague writers from the beginning of time. For blank page read empty cave wall.  Which of us has not sat staring at a blank page, a billion thoughts whirring around inside our head and not been able to think of a single thing to write. I may be a prolific writer but, trust me, I've been there. More times than I can ever remember. Often, I will crack out my phone, open a writing prompt app and use something I find on there to get me writing. One I particularly like is called, funnily enough, Writing Prompts. It does exactly what it says on the tin and is fabulous for words, phrases and even screenwriting ideas. I think it's one of the best apps I have. However, there are times when an app won't cut it, so here are some writing prompts from me. These can be used for fresh writing, short stories, flash fiction, poetry) or even in a WIP (some with a healthy dollop of imagination). This is where our humble paper clip comes in. See, I told you it was relevant. No cliff jumping here.

1. A day in the life of a paper clip. (I did say a healthy dollop of imagination for your WIP. In my case, paperclips are not known for their murderous tendencies.)

2. I had no sooner picked up my coffee cup than...

3. The phone ringing is not usually a harbinger of doom. At 3.03 pm, however...

4. One black pen. One blue pen. One red pen.

5. I stared at the list of email addresses.

6. The room was packed. A queue snaked out the door.

7. She picked up the phone and typed the text that would change her life forever.

8. Clutching the memory stick tightly, he had a slit second to make a decision.

9. Sticky notes covered the walls, a multicoloured homage to...

10. He reached out towards me and then, all the lights went out. 

11. Wisdom from the Proverbs.

12. One orange envelope.

All of these are from my head and all from objects I can see from where I am sitting at my writing bureau. Feel free to use them or make your own up. There's no need to stare at a blank screen. Write something; the old edict, you cannot edit a a blank page is true of every writing project. Now is the time to write; oh, and have fun with prompts. Even if you write down a few prompts it will give your brain a kick up the writing process and get you started. Before you know it you will, like this image, have gone from blank page to published book. 

Let's see how many writing prompts we can get together. Pop yours in the comments and we can help each other out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write a poem about a murderous paperclip.