Don’t worry.
I’m not going to make any 2020 puns.
But with the new year comes new WIPs, at least for some of us. Or maybe projects that need a re-boot. In the vein of new writing goals and fresh starts, there always has to be something that gets you thinking about what to write. Sometimes that idea is stimulated by a snappy piece of dialogue you come up with in the shower. Other times it’s a random stranger you see in public or a song lyric you hear on your morning run (which we’re all starting to do this year, right?).
One of my favorite ways to get ideas is through photographs. Even the simplest of photos have a story in there somewhere, whether its about the people in the image or the feeling it gives you or any other detail you see. I like looking at photographs and using them as a setting. Not necessarily the literal place, but the emotional place. What kind of vibe does the photo give off? What is the tone? What kind of person would take this photo?
This kind of prompt works well for if you’re just starting (a la mood boards) or if your story needs another layer of something that you aren’t quite sure what it is yet. A simple image can spark any number of ideas, so I encourage you to find some photos and just write about them for a while. You don’t necessarily have to forget about your story and your characters (if they already exist), but feel free to just describe for a while and see where it takes you.
Here are some photos I found that inspired my current WIP, so you can try the exercise with these or find your own pictures.
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this prompt! Comment below how it goes!
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Celestially Created 