To assist you with the creative process, below are writing prompts designed to help you avoid or overcome writer’s block.

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Writing prompt #1: Describe the first time you…

a) fell in love.

b) drank a cup of coffee.

c) actually felt connected to someone for the first time.

d) you changed a baby’s diaper.

e) made out in the backseat of a car.

f) got into an argument with your parents.

Writing prompt #2: Write a letter to (for)…

a) someone who has passed away and that you miss dearly.

b) your first grade teacher

c) your child to open when he is thirty

d) the child you once were.

e) your favorite celebrity.

f) your local butcher.

Writing prompt #3: Begin a story with the one of the following sentences:

a) We are going to need wine – lots of it.

b) I can hear you, you know.

c) She’s sick. She’s dying.

d) The judges have made their decision.

e) He’s her sugar daddy.

f) I’ll be fine. Go to work.

Writing prompt #4: Write a story from the perspective of a(n)…

a) shoe.

b) money.

c) eyebrow.

d) eyeglasses.

e) computer.

f) corpse.

Writing prompt #5: In 300 words…

a) write about a time you acted like a coward.

b) describe a time you let someone go whom you loved.

c) write down your deepest secret.

d) jot down a time you needed someone in your life.

e) illustrate a time when you were humbled.

f) recall the first song that touched you.

Writing prompt #6: Below are general writing prompts.

a) If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, which charity would benefit and how would you want your money spent.

b) Write a clever phrase you’d like to see as a bumper sticker or as a company logo.

c) Write an apology to a person you wronged.

d) Jot down a story where the first letter of every sentence starts with the letter A.

e) Start a story with, “Shut up. I like that kid.”

f) Start a story with, “It’s easy work. If you can get it.”

Writing prompt #7: Begin a story with one of the following famous movie lines.

a) I just wanna say one word to you. Just one word.

b) Have you got the nerve to tell me you don’t want to marry my son for his money?

c) Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!

d) Greed – for lack of a better word – is good. Greed is right. Greed works.

e) Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

f) You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Well, who the hell else are you talkin’ to? You talkin’ to me? Well, I’m the only one here. Who the f–k do you think you’re talkin’ to?

When you feel out of touch with your inner writer, reread the aforementioned prompts. There you will find the motivation to write your next big story.

About the Author:

Bella McPherson runs CreativeWritingSite.com.

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers. Available @ Amazon.com

Brainstorming was originally created for groups, working together to find solutions to specific problems. Authors can utilize solitary brainstorming techniques. This mental exercise is a fun and easy way to begin generating hundreds of great new ideas.

DO get yourself a new notebook and pen, or use a tape recorder.

DON’T think you will remember everything later–trust me, you won’t!

DO make yourself comfortable before you begin. Find a quiet room, free of distractions–television, telephones, and background noise. You may want to listen to your favorite music, though, especially if you routinely listen to music while you write.

DON’T try to brainstorm when you are tired, hungry, overly stressed or ill.

DO plan to spend as long as it takes to get started. If you’ve never tried this technique, you may feel temporarily stuck. Once the ideas begin flowing, let them continue as long as possible. Creativity knows no time limits!

DON’T worry if it takes a while. Setting a timer will stifle your before you even get started, so relax and start off slow. Never stop the idea flow to judge or critique your ideas. Save sorting out the notes for later.

DO use a “theme” for each session, especially if you are trying to generate ideas for a current project. If you’re planning to write an article about fitness, think of anything that could even remotely relate to that topic. If you are developing a fiction short story about cats, focus on feline traits and behavior.

DON’T wander too far away from your theme!

DO try using ideas from hot topics in the news. Utilize what people are already talking about and you’ll gain a bigger audience for your finished writing project.

DON’T get distracted. When you completely open up your mind you may feel overwhelmed. If you find yourself wanting to stop the session to go do a load of laundry, then narrow your focus a bit and begin again.

DO allow your ideas to branch off one another. If your theme is to find new story ideas for your main character, try sending him or her on a trip. Once you select a location, branch off with situations that might take place in the new, unfamiliar setting.

DON’T worry if it seems you’re writing down wild and crazy things. Remember not to stop and critique anything during a brainstorming session.

DO take a break in between the session and the final evaluation of your notes. Set the notebook or tape recorder aside for a few hours or several days.

DON’T worry! When you read or listen to your notes you may feel silly. Many of your ideas might sound ridiculous, and you think they won’t work for any of your current writing projects. Seize the gems out of the dredges and make them sparkle.

DO allow for spontaneous brainstorming sessions. Once you’ve started using this technique, a relaxed state of mind can bring on a surprise deluge of ideas–while you’re taking a walk, gardening, vacuuming, or doing other household chores. This may become a regular idea-generating routine for you!

DON’T forget to keep a notebook and pen or tape recorder nearby, for these impromptu sessions.

Now get out your notebook or tape recorder, make yourself comfortable, and focus on your theme. As soon as ideas start popping into your mind, jot them down or dictate them onto tape. Keep going until you feel confident that you’ve covered every possible angle. Then set your notes aside.

Later, evaluate each idea as you transcribe it onto fresh paper or type it into your computer. Find the diamonds, and discard the rough. Use these notes to help craft new articles, stories, or chapters in your book!

Let Jenna Glatzer help you overcome writer's block. Available @ Amazon.com

I’ve heard all sorts of advice over the years about how to be a more productive writer and frankly, most of it makes me cringe. The idea of setting goals for writing X amount of words or for X amount of hours each day is much too rigid for my taste. After all, I’m a creative soul, not a corporate slave. Do I really need a seminar to develop efficient time management skills? I don’t think so. I’ve never missed a deadline in my life. Have I procrastinated? Sure. Like most professional writers, I spend more time on the hourly French Press ritual than actually writing.

I go for walks, lots of them, because it makes me feel self-righteous about taking care of my health. And occasionally I remember that I haven’t called my best friend back in Oregon in a while and well, that’s just rude so why not chat him up now while I’m thinking of it? But back to the matter at hand: Writer’s block. I figured out very early on in my career how to avoid the beast. It’s simple yet effective, just a little trick that I play on my own mind whenever: I resist sitting down at the computer, motivation eludes me, or writing feels like work. If you’re like most writers, you’ve left notes for yourself all over the place.

They may be story ideas or bizarre facts or snippets of conversation you overheard at the supermarket or great titles that just need a few hundred thousand words to turn them into best sellers. You never have any trouble scribbling these notes, right? So the next time you feel stuck, grab a mug of coffee and tell yourself you’re just going to jot down a few thoughts on the subject at hand. You’re not “really” going to write anything today and you’re not going to work. Tell yourself that tomorrow you’ll look over the notes before you buckle down and get to work. So what happens now? While you’re relaxed and not paying attention, your inner writer escapes his cage. He’s doing the work for you and it’s brilliant! Tomorrow, you’ll see what I mean.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scribbled my notes while telling myself that I’ll clean it up tomorrow, thinking it’s just a mess of disjointed thoughts. And on the following day when I take a look at my ramblings I’m blown away by what I’ve done – without thinking! More often than not, I don’t even have to do a rewrite. You’ve probably heard the advice, “never let the reader see you at work.” That’s because the harder you try, the more you shut down the natural writer within. So loosen up. Pour a fresh cup. Go for a walk. Chat up some strangers on the street. Scribble some notes. And don’t even think about working today. Tomorrow you’ll see what a writing genius you truly are!

Most romances only deal with the new romance. The couple meets, falls in love, get separated, gets back together, and lives happily ever after.

But not all romances have to be about first love. Rediscovering love is a wonderful theme for a romantic tale. A couple who are going through a crisis of love and faith would make an interesting, and romantic, story. Even if the couple decided to not get back together at the end.

Want more tips for writing a great romance novel. Get Writing the Great American Romance from Amazon.com

You can use all of the usually reasons to keep your couple apart that you would use in a regular first meeting romance. But there are other ones that are more long term relationship specific.

Empty Nest Syndrome

Many couples experience problems when their children finally leave home. They think things will be better with the kids gone. Sometimes it’s the loss of purpose, sometimes it’s the realization they don’t know their spouse as well as they thought they did, but all can make great romantic fodder.

Cheating – Real or Imagined

When one, or both, spouses are believed to be cheating, whether true or not, it can really create tension and problems in a marriage. A spouse who believes their significant other is cheating might even try to even the score, so to speak.

New Job or Degree

Getting a better job than your spouse can cause some hard feelings, even if the new job is beneficial to the household. The same can be said of a degree, especially if the spouse doesn’t have one.

Long-Distance Love

Sometimes, during a marriage, one spouse will have to spend time away from their love. Whether it is business or family issues that keep spouses apart, this can create a lot of stress for a couple, even one that are very much in love.

Money

Money is the root of all evil, and can be quite a thorn in a married couple’s side. Especially the addition of a lot of money. Having a couple win the lottery is a great tension maker, as well as having them suddenly having nothing.

Religon

One side of a married couple finding, or losing, religion can be devastating and make keeping a relationship afloat even more difficult. Want to make it even more interesting? Research some of the lesser-known religions to use.

Children

Children can strengthen, or test, a marriage. Having to deal with an unruly teenager, or a child who is having medical or emotional issues can really test even the most solid of couples.

Health

Failing health is not uncommon in the later years of a relationship. Everyone reacts differently to health issues, and this can be used to help make a good romantic couple even stronger.

Romance stories can be about more than first love. Romances can be about love lost and found. About couples who have a crisis of love, before they realize they truly belong with each other.

1. Write about someone (an individual or a family) who tries to secede from their neighborhood.

2. Write about someone who, fed up, tosses their computer monitor out the window.

3. Write about someone who enjoys a good Jello bath.

4. Write about someone who tries to live like a cat for a day (or two or a week).

5. Write about someone who ends their sentences with an upward inflection in their voice so it sounds like they are always asking a question.

Today we are going to put words in our characters mouths and explore what happens when they say what is on their minds.

1. “Based on extensive scientific research, I have discovered that I really am the center of the universe.”

2. “I love you but I would sell you for a six pack of chocolate bars in a heart beat.”

3. “My great, great grandmother was from another planet.”

4. “It was so nice of him to die.”

5. “I’m king of the bathroom.”

So this week, we are going to salute those strange and odd people in the world who like to overshare and do a whole weeks worth of writing prompts involving interesting characters.

1. Write about a man who collects Barbie Dolls.

2. Write about someone who talks about themselves in the third person.

3. Write about someone who is a Fruitarian.

4. Write about someone who speaks obnoxiously loud whenever they are criticized.

5. Write about a right handed person teaching themselves how to write left-handed just because.

1. Write about an group of office workers that engage in an office war complete with paperclips, staples and post it note bombs.

2. Write about a person in their forties still trying to wear young fashions.

3. Write the scene of an adult throwing an out and out temper tantrum because a car rental agency doesn’t have the car they want.

4. Write about someone who pulls the “I’m the boss’s favorite” line to get others to do their bidding.

5. Write about a verbal confrontation that involves words like “cooties” and “mama’s boy”.

1. Write about a teen struggling against their parent’s pressure to overachieve.

2. Write about a teen working their first job.

3. Write about a teen dealing with the peer pressure to have sex.

4. Write about a teen facing the consequences from having an online gossip blog about their schoolmates.

5. Write about a teen forced to decide between being “popular” and doing the right thing that will cost them that popularity.

1. Write about a group of children who work to raise money to help their neighbor pay their mortgage so they won’t lose their house.

2. Write about a child who helps their friend cope with the news of their parent’s divorce.

3. Write about a child psychic who helps police find other missing children.

4. Write about a tween who gives her presidential father some advice that helps him make a wise policy decision.

5. Write about a child who creates a “Welcome” brigade that welcomes all new kids to their school.