As a creative writer, no doubt you have the ambition and intention to write all your own work.
You want to be proud of every word you write, and know that it comes from your heart.
You want each piece you write to be as wonderful a creative expression as you know how to produce, and for it to touch, move and inspire people.
This is all fantastic, and can act as great motivation and impetus to write creatively.
But what about those times when you feel the ideas have run a little dry?
So dry in fact that you're thinking of booking a holiday to the Sahara desert for a change of climate?
Those times when you're sat at a blank page or screen wondering where the next WORD is going to come from, let alone the next complete poem, story or novel.
How motivating are these kind of ambitions and intentions in times like these?
Don't you find they can actually increase the pressure?
This expectation you've put upon yourself actually adds to the feelings of being stuck and blocked?
It's during these difficult periods you can benefit most from using creative writing prompts.
Creative writing prompts are simple techniques or sets of words that give you a starting point to write from. They give you that little spark of inspiration, that gentle push forward you need to get your creative writing flowing again.
Where your writing goes after you've set off is entirely up to you. You might use a prompt to start writing, write 1000 words then edit the last 400 or so into a new poem.
Although in this case you didn't use the content of the creative writing prompt, you couldn't have got to your own piece of poetry without having used the prompt to get there.
Having a good stock of prompts available to pull out in those barren times is invaluable.
They can not only get you moving when you've ground nearly to a complete standstill, they can also help you supercharge your creative writing to new levels.
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