How To Use A Writing Prompt

Say the word "writing prompt" and many "Writers", with a capital 'W' and a lot of pride, will sniff at you derisively and proclaim that they have ideas aplenty of their own and thank you very much.  Others, like me, see a writing prompt as nothing more than a challenge - a challenge to summon up the creativity necessary to write something you never would have envisioned writing otherwise.  

I was once part of a group of writer-type friends who often played little word games with one another. One of the things we enjoyed most was when we were given a prompt to quickly write about - and I mean quick, it was very nearly a race. These two or three word phrases were chosen at random by one member of the group and the rest would find a creative way to use them in a piece of writing. What made it fun was seeing how the same phrase spurred so many different ideas.  

A writing prompt can be used for nothing more than an exercise, a way to get the ideas coming and the creative juices flowing again.  You may find that a writing prompt is the right chisel to break you out of the doldrums and just get you writing again.  Who knows? It may lead to a bigger and better idea - one that ends up as a short story or even a novel. Writing prompts can be a valuable tool in generating ideas that can be used in many ways.

That's why I prefer to call it a writing challenge rather than a writing prompt.  It is the challenge that we rise to meet, it isn't just a reaction to being poked and prompted.

Recently, I took a challenge to re-write some English poetry. I might have gone too far in re-writing Shakespeare.  But it was a lot of fun and a good exercise in rhythm and meter.  Parody is the highest form of flattery, isn't it?

You can find my cheeky version of Hamlet's Soliloquy here.

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