I’m a big fan of writing prompts especially those I get from others, or from books. Our subconscious works in mysterious ways and a word or a smell or a picture can trigger a story that we couldn’t have discovered just by sitting down in front of a blank screen.
I often solicit prompts from friends far away in time zone across the oceans so that the word they send me can conjure up completely unexpected ideas for me. Funnily enough, the person who gives me the prompt is surprised too. The flashing image they had when they sent me is so far from the story or poem I had written. One word, many different inspirations.
I also use images from paintings, phrases from poems and other literary novels to trigger my subconscious. I also use a list of random words given to me and try and fit them into a story, resulting in a story that I couldn’t have conjured up on my own.
Curious to try it? Check out the writing prompts!