I believe that one of the best times of the year for a writer is January. Why? Because January marks the time when the new year is still full of creative possibilities and, to me, a blank page doesn’t seem as scary in January as it does at the end of the year.
Thanks to the creative and thoughtful folks at Writer’s Digest, you can snag a free download titled “Writing Prompts: 365 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer’s Block” by Brian A Klems and Zachary Petit. (Keep reading for instructions on how to get your free download.)
In the introduction to “Writing Prompts,” the authors state that the best way to eliminate the dreaded writer’s block is to write to a prompt and see where it takes you. “The amazing thing about the art of writing is that it’s entirely possible to write yourself out of an hole: When you grab a prompt and pick up the pen, more often than not, you’ll find it opens up a universe of potential – it destroys writer’s block, sharpens your skills, gets your characters moving, and it might even lead you to an entirely new novel by taking your work in unexpected directions galore.”
The “Writing Prompts” download offers up a new prompt for every day of the year. For example, here are the writing prompts for the next seven days:
January 12: Neighbor + Pet = Bad News
Your neighbor has taken in an unusual pet, and it does something unpleasant to your house/yard. Confront your neighbor.
January 13: Matchup!
Write a story featuring an author, the ocean, and an antique weapon.
January 14: A Broken (Deadly) Resolution
Only two weeks had passed into the New Year and Tim had already broken his first resolution: Don’t kill anyone. Write this scene.
January 15: Lost Translation
She’d passed him the note years ago when he was studying abroad. He’d never had it translated. Until now.
January 16: One More Chance – Talking to Someone Who Has Died
You are given the opportunity to take to one dead person and tell him/her one thing that you didn’t get to before they passed away. Who would you pick and what would you tell him/her?
January 17: No Pain, No Gain
An unexpected injury leads to an equally unexpected family discovery.
January 18: Changing Your Childhood
Pick an event from your childhood that you wish would have gone differently. Write it as though it had happened ideally.
There you go! A week’s worth of writing prompts, thanks to Writer’s Digest.
Here’s how to get your free download: Go to www.writersdigest.com/prompts and you should see a pop-up that allows you to download “Writing Prompts”. If, by chance, you don’t see the pop-up, you can simply browse through fun, creative prompts that are posted to Writer’s Digest each day.
Happy writing!