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Friday, October 22, 2010

When All Else Fails . . .


We all have those days when we don't know what to write about. Call it writer's block. Call it laziness. Call it boredom with the whole antagonist-protagonist-plot process. Whatever it is, nothing's showing up in either your brain or your work in progress.

That's kind of how I felt about this blog post. Tired. The old "I've got nothing" feeling that hangs over you when a deadline's looming.

So I did what any desperate writer does--I started surfing the Internet. And I stumbled upon a fun Web site: Creative Writing Prompts, which was voted one of Writer's Digest's 101 Best Web Sites for Writers in 2006 and 2007.

Click on any one of the numbers 1 through 346 for a writing prompt or idea. Here's a couple of samples:
114: Write about a time your pampered yourself. (Hhhm--could I do some research instead of writing about this from memory?)
254: Why would an antiques dealer leave town?
311: Use the following words in your story: photographer, needle, dormitory. bicycle
340: Melinda Alcott and Dwayne Modderman meet in a bank. One of them is a loner. Describe how they meet.

You can also subscribe to CreativeSparks!, the e-zine of CreativeWritingPrompts.com and download a copy of the CreativeSparks! E-book (volume 1) for free.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go figure out how Melinda and Dwayne meet. But first, which one of them is the loner?

5 comments:

Roxanne Sherwood said...

Let me know what you decide about Melinda and Dwayne. Meanwhile, I'm researching #114 . . . ;-)

Beth K. Vogt said...

You deserve some #114!

Judy said...

Thanks for the link!

Jeanne Takenaka said...

I finally had time to read this today. I love it! I'm going to have to take a look at this site and e-zine, because I'm feeling a bit dry in the "writing department." :) Beth, I love how you share ways to spur creativity. They are a great help!
Thanks!

dtopliff said...

Beth, every entry I've read of yours is helpful and delightful. I'm beginning to think you are gifted with doing everything well!