How often do you get stuck in your story and go to search for writing prompts as inspiration? And how often does that search actually result in inspiration?
Like I mentioned in my first blog (which you can read here!), when I started writing again, I realized that all of the prompts I was finding were similar and boring and infuriating.
Like: "What's your character favorite color?"
While there's an argument that could be made here about knowing everyday trivia about your character can help flesh them out and make them feel more real, these prompts aren't going to help you decide where to take your story when you're stuck with plot.
Although, I would love to read a story in which the main character's favorite color DOES have a significant impact on the plot. But I digress.
More than likely, whether you write high fantasy, magical realism, or young adult fiction, your plot is driven by character motivation, their wants and needs, desires and choices. These are the lifeblood of your story. They drive everything. So when you're stuck, these are the things to turn to.
So what if I don't know what my character wants?
That's where I come in! I mean, hopefully you'll agree...
You need prompts that mean something and help you dig into your characters. So I've come up with some of my own. Like this one:
What DO they keep closest to them? Tools that are important to their craft and/or purpose for being in the story? Things that remind them of home? Can they afford such luxuries? Do these items take up precious resource space? Do they only keep near them what is absolutely necessary? Name these things and why they are important.
To dig a little deeper: what do the supporting characters think about these items? Do they know they exist? If they do, do they know the main character treasures them so much?
You can easily create tension with these prompts.
Maybe the items are something simple like a photograph. It could be a picture of a deceased family member, a target, a landscape shot of the promised land. Maybe it's folded up and safely hidden in the breast pocket of their jacket. Maybe it's taking up a spot on a desk that really should be taken up by textbooks. Maybe its been shoved in the front of a frame to hide the picture behind it.
When using this prompt, just write and worry about it making sense later. These items may not have massive impact on the endgame but it can give valuable insight into your character and inform their future choices.
For example, if the picture is of their family, maybe they value family and connection above all else and are even willing to overlook core beliefs in order achieve said connection. If the picture is of their ex, they're probably not ready to move on to a new relationship, no matter what they themselves think. If it's the character's daughter who was killed by the Big Bad Evil Guy, that character may be willing to risk absolutely everything to get revenge and make sure the BBEG can't hurt anyone else.
Bottom line: Have fun with this! Let loose a little and explore all the possibilities. I hope it's useful. And I'll be back here regularly with more and more prompts.
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