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Story Ideas – Writing Prompts & Resources
By Deb Gallardo
Writing prompts are not every writer’s cup of tea, but I’ve found that there are writing prompts and then there are “writing prompts.” By that I mean that all writing prompts are not created equal.
My friend, author Donna Sundblad, has the best type of writing prompts, in my opinion. You can get regular inspiration on her blog Pumping Your Muse. (opens in new window) You won’t run out of ideas if you subscribe to her blog feed and read it faithfully.
In addition, Donna has written a book by the same title as her blog. The print version is in its second edition and is available at Pumping Your Muse (the print book) 2nd Edition.
Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ lists 329 prompts that vary between writing exercises and inspiration — just shy of a year’s worth of story inspiration. 1) Use them to get yourself writing — kind of “priming the pump.” (Does anyone actually know what that means anymore, since people don’t use the old metal hand pumps that needed a cup of water poured in to get it going?) 2) Use them to inspire a new project, or 3) incorporate the writing you produce using one or more of these prompts into a work-in-progress.
What I like best about her site is that all I have to do is hover my mouse over one of the numbers (1-329) and the prompt appears beside the cursor. Very cool. No clicking away and then having to come back to the main page if I want to try a different prompt.
Creative Writing Prompts.com was listed in the coveted Writer’s Digest’s “101 BEST Web Sites for Writers” in both 2006 and 2007. (opens in new window)
Shery also has a software program that will generate more than 1,000,000 story ideas or writing prompts for you. It’s reasonably priced and will offer you a creative shot in the arm with the click of your mouse. Access it here: Write Sparks! (opens in new window)
Related Posts
- Writing Prompts and Tools
- Writing Prompts: Jump-Start Your Writing When You Lack Ideas
- Creative Writing Exercises – 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts
1 Comment »
June 10th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Hi Deb,
Thanks for mentioning my blog. I hope it inspires, jump starts the imagination and gives your readers the desire to write it down.
Donna Sundblad