Writer’s block: the dreaded enemy of authors, journalists, and writers everywhere. Sometimes, it can seem like a monster too big to face, some unvanquishable giant that stops you at every turn. I, for one, went through a huge bout of writer’s block a year ago, unable to write for like three months (with the exception of school-related stuff). The writing prompts below are a way to break through the writer’s block! Think of them as your weapons of choice to defeat the terrible demon called self-doubt and creative blockage. I hope they can be of use!

Writing Prompts

1. Make a story out of a song. It can be any random song, but listen to the vibes and the lyrics and build a narrative out of it. 
2. Find a painting, photograph, or any other piece of art online. Build a story based on what you think is going on inside the piece. 
3. Write a story including the words blue, spray bottle, and chicken. 
4. You wake up one day only to discover that you can no longer feel pain.
5. You summon a demon because you want to make a deal.
6. Write a story about a monster. Be creative about the psyche of the monster and what they are thinking. 
7. Write a short fairy tale starting with, “Once upon a time…”
8. You look out the window to see someone staring back at you. This is the third time this has happened this week, all with the same person. 
9. You are reading as reality begins to unravel.
10. Write a story where two characters are talking to each other, but one character wants something from the other. 
11. First, write a story with only dialogue. Then, write the same scene again, but only with description and no dialogue. 
12. Write an interaction between two characters that hate each other with a fiery passion. 
13. Write a letter to someone or something you miss. (It doesn’t have to be in your point of view. It could be entirely fictional.)
14. Write a story from the point of view of the killer. Then, in a crucial moment, switch to the victim’s point of view. 
15. Write the backstory of a random household object. 
16. Describe a room. What’s in it?
17. Describe a mundane moment in your life in a very interesting, special way. 
18. There is an evil witch who lives in the forest, a witch that curses and eats people. At least… that’s what she wants you to think. 
19. Make a random name in a random name generator. Create a character behind the name. 
20. You find a strange book, shoved into the wrong place in the library stacks.