A Guide To Writing

If your muse has gone on holidays and writer’s block is getting you down hopefully the new page I created recently will help.

Prompts And Starters

I will try to regularly add more ideas and if you have any suggestions of your own we’d love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment. Of course if one of these ideas proves useful to you we’d love to hear about that as well, how you used the prompt or a link to your writing if it’s published online etc
Have fun writing.

When it comes to writing often the hardest thing to do is to get the first sentence down, too many times we find ourselves with an idea we want to work on but end up sitting here staring at the blinking cursor because we can’t seem to bring forth the right start. If that sounds like you there are a few things you can try:

Let your mind wander and just type the first thing that comes to you, while it may not necessarily be relevant to what you planned on writing about it can either set you off on a whole new journey or it can sometimes be just enough to trigger the words you wanted in the first place – remember the delete key can be your friend the first sentence doesn’t have to stay there.

I’ve never been able to write to an outline – I’m one of those that needs to just get that first sentence down and see where I end up – often times it’s a completely different place than where I started – but perhaps you could try developing certain aspects of what you want your writing, story etc to be: If it’s a story pick a character and give them an unusual personality or habit, if it’s an article try writing it from the opposing viewpoint etc.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt when it comes to writing, it’s that I shouldn’t force it. No matter how great I think my idea might be if I try too hard it just won’t work, it’s better to put that idea on the backburner until the muse gives you the first sentence you need.

For some people the art of writing comes easy; whether they’re writing a non-fiction article or letting their imagination carry them away as they work on their full length novel. Unfortunately for others, we often find ourselves sitting here staring at a blank piece of paper or watching the cursor blink on the screen in front of us.

For those lucky enough to have never succumbed to writer’s block they probably have no idea of just how frustrating it can be: you want to write, you have the time to write, it seems though that the words just won’t come. For some it seems as if the muse has wandered off to greener pastures never to return again.

For those of us that often find ourselves struggling to get that first sentence down there are a variety of ways we can try to overcome our muse’s obstinance. Remember though that what may work for one writer may not work for you.

For me personally I find my ability to start writing depends entirely on me getting that first sentence. Once I have that, for the most part I can then just type as fast as the words pop into my mind, the problem comes though with not knowing how to start whatever it is I am writing, whether it’s an article or short story etc. even if I know where I want to take my words if I can’t begin it just won’t happen. In that instance I tend to look for a word or phrase that sounds like a good starting point (that particular phrase may soon get deleted once I finish, but usually it’s enough to get me going).

Others can kick-start their writing by outlining what they want to write about and then just picking a point and starting whether it’s the beginning, middle or end.

Some people find that if they just let their minds wander and write without thinking is enough for them to be able to turn around and start on their chosen subject, as if getting the creative juices flowing is enough to bring their muse home.

If you’re struggling with your writing or having trouble coming up with a subject to write about perhaps you can try some of these ideas:

Take a look out your window and just write, describing what you see outside.

Pick a favourite television show or movie and give it a new outcome.

Take some headlines from your local paper and give it a new meaning.

Find a site that lists some story starters or writing prompts (there’s many available)

No doubt there is many other ways to help you get pen to paper or finger to keyboard it’s just a matter of finding which one works best for you.