Beat writer's block with our creative writing prompts and free your imagination

Whether you are new to creative writing or regularly put pen to paper, deciding what to write about is often the greatest challenge. That’s where our writing prompts come in. If you’re inspired to have a go but not sure where to begin, simply pick a prompt at random and use the theme or idea to get you started.

It's easy to feel intimidated by the blank page, so using these prompts can be very helpful – think of them as a warm-up exercise!

You can download the cards here or simply pick one from the list below.

Choose a creative writing prompt to help you get over writer's block

A postcard from an exotic location brings unexpected news.

Your friends keep seeing someone who looks exactly like you. Who are they and what do they want?

Write about your character’s ‘one that got away’. Do they still compare current partners to that person? Why did the relationship fail?

A long-lost relative leaves your character a fortune, but there are some strange conditions attached…

Social occasions are a great way to explore relationships between characters. How do they interact? What tensions come to the surface?

Pets are characters too! Your main character’s relationship with the animals in their life might also be important to their development.

Think about how changing your setting might affect your characters. Would Paris be a more intriguing location than Penzance?

If you’re stuck in a rut, try to have a little fun! Change the genre to turn your romance into a comedy or make your detective tale into sci-fi adventure.

Your character discovers a suitcase full of letters in the attic of their new home. What secrets do they reveal?

Your character needs to get out of here – fast! What’s their escape plan?

Pair up two very unlikely characters and see how they get on. This works well if your main character is travelling.

Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash.

About In The Moment Magazine

This article was first published in In The Moment Magazine issue 13. Unfortunately In The Moment Magazine is no longer available in print, but In The Moment Magazine back issues are available on Readly.