Ten Benefits of Writing Prompts by Wendy H. Jones
I've been thinking about writing prompts recently, which got me wondering as to what the benefits of using these are to the writer. I am sure many of you reading this will have used a writing prompt at some point in your life, the reason being to generate ideas? Yes, generating ideas is a large part of why we use writing prompts but there are numerous others.
1. Deepening your creativity. Yes really. Many people feel they stifle creativity by forcing you into a specific type of writing. The opposite is true. If a prompt is given to a group of people they will all interpret it differently. A crime writer is likely to turn it into a crime story or book and a fantasy writer to fantasy. However, what might happen if you decided to push the creative boat out and try a different genre, or non-fiction? Where might that take you? Whilst that might never be used for anything in print, it does allow your brain to think in different ways. Even if you do still write in your own genre it will still give your brain a boost.
2. When starting out, writing prompts allow you to not only practice writing but allows you to do so in different genres. Exploring different genres allows you, the writer, to find your niche.
3. Prompts can be varied to the Nth degree so you never run out of ideas. I have a writing prompt generator on my phone which generates millions of prompts using words, scenarios etc. Yes, your brain could come up with this but the writing prompt generator does so much more quickly and it frees your brain up to be more creative.
4. One prompt can be used to generate more than one piece of work. It is possible to take one prompt and write short stories in numerous genres. That way, if there is a call for submission for a paid anthology you have something ready to go. Or you could do a short story, flash fiction, poem, non-fiction - the only limit is your imagination.
5. They push you out of your comfort zone. You may be thinking why would I want to do that? The answer is that stepping out of your comfort zone can make you a better writer. It broadens the scope of your writing abilities and allows your brain the freedom to be more creative as well as encouraging greater use of language and using words in different ways. Stretching yourself and your abilities is always a good thing.
6. Of course we cannot ignore the idea generation side of the equation. You never know, a writing prompt could spark the idea for a whole new novel.
7. They can help to get you out of a tricky bit of your Work in Progress (WIP). Or they can help develop your WIP with a whole new idea that will make the story zing.
8. If you don't know what to write about they can, quite frankly, help you to get started.
9. Helps you to be able to develop different ideas and expand on them in a way which makes sense to both you and others.
10. Can generate ideas for writing competitions. Let's' face it, we all need a little bit of inspiration occasionally and it allows us to focus on writing the story and polishing it to competition standard.
I hope you have found this useful. What is your experience of using writing prompts and how have they helped you? Let me know in the comments, it would be great to discuss it with you.
About the Author
Wendy H Jones is the multi award-winning, Amazon #1 international best-selling author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Her Young Adult Mystery, The Dagger’s Curse was a finalist in the Woman Alive Readers' Choice Award. She is also the retired President of the Scottish Association of Writers, an international public speaker, and runs conferences and workshops on writing, motivation and marketing. She is the Editor in Chief of Mom's Favorite Reads Magazine and is currently in the process of producing Writers' Narrative a new magazine for writers, the first edition of which will be published in August 2023. She is also a partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats an international publishing and writing retreat organisation. Wendy is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch Literary Services.
My new book 'Cuckoo in the Nest' started with one prompt: the colour yellow. That led to writing the first scene, set in a newly-painted bedroom. And the rest came from there. So, I'm a prompts fan!!
ReplyDeleteThat’s a pretty awesome example. Congratulations.
DeleteLovely post! Even pantsers, can make good use of writing prompts! Very useful tips here. Thanks Wendy. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sophia.
DeleteLots of good tips here. Thanks for an interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Thank you.
Delete