Writers Block Prevention: Prompts, Soundtracks & Pure Creativity

Maybe you are burnt out and just need a break, or it’s been so long that you feel like you have forgotten how to write. You’ve been sitting, staring at a blank page for an hour and nothing has happened. You might even have the idea right there at the edge of your mind, maybe it’s clear enough it plays like a movie in your head but the words just refuse to flow onto the page.

It’ll be okay. I’m here to help. Your magical writing prompt fairy here to share the ideas that won’t stop lately. First, set the mood. Get in the right state of mind and ignore all those anxious thoughts telling you that you aren’t good enough, that nobody is interested anyway. Forget all that. Write for you first, everyone else can come after once you’ve put on a thick enough set of armour to take the criticism. So, back to the mood. Get comfortable (but not too comfortable), stock up on liquids and snacks. I like to keep a jug of water within arms reach to remind myself to stay hydrated and a bowl of something tasty close by because I will undoubtedly forget that it takes time to prepare a delicious meal and I need a snack to prevent the hanger pains.

Get your writing tools primed and ready. I know there are a bunch of fancy (and not so fancy) tools out there to help writers stay organized and on track but for me, I use good old Microsoft Word. Or the notes app on my phone for when I get the blue circle of death on my laptop—she’s sensitive. It’s okay.

Next, since I am a respectful roommate, I plug in my headphones and pick out a soundtrack that’s going to help me reach my writing goals. Usually, when it comes to writing I need something that doesn’t have any words otherwise it will interrupt my flow. My top choices are:

Lofi: There are loads of lofi channels on youtube. Beats to relax/study to, chill lo-fi hip-hop, coffee shop radio, and one of my personal favourites—Star Wars lofi. Some can be streamed live; others go on for a couple of hours.

The Legend of Zelda: Another personal favourite of mine that might be a bit too niche to apply to you. This can be anything from the Ocarina of Time Soundtrack to the newest Breath of the Wild Soundtrack (which I highly recommend whether you love video games or not).

Hans Zimmer: Quite possibly the best soundtrack creator of all time. He’s done most of my favourite movies including Interstellar, Inception, Gladiator, The Dark Knight films, and so on. Emotionally powerful and bound to be classics for a long time to come.

Classical Music: This can be anything from Beethoven to Chopin. I usually go for gentle piano since it keeps me relaxed but you should pick something that will help you. Maybe you need something sad to write your love story, or something more up-beat for your new satirical comedy where the spoken language is elephant noises. Whatever you are into.

Ambient Noise: This might be helpful if you are having trouble setting a scene and really imagining yourself or your characters there. Maybe your characters are walking in the rain, so you turn on rain sounds to get into the moment. Try out some forest sounds, traffic noise, or coffee shops.

Lastly, and this is only when I’m getting really crazy, I’ll pick a vapour soul soundtrack or something of that nature that does have words. Maybe a line sticks in my brain that will inform a portion of my writing.

So, you’ve got the snacks (I usually go for fruit if I’m being healthy but lately crunchy cheezies keep finding their way into my grocery cart). You are comfortable, hydrated, have the soundscape set and still, the words just won’t come. That blank page with the little blinking cursor is taunting you. It’s okay to take a day off from writing if you really aren’t feeling it but if you are in the mood still maybe you just need a good writing prompt to get the ideas flowing.

The simplest prompt (it’s not even a prompt but I’m going with it) is to free write. If there is a word or thought coming into your head write it down. Write everything down and keep writing it down, don’t you dare stop to edit that typo. You might end up with a ridiculous rambling jumble like this article. Maybe it won’t make any sense or have any structure. That’s okay because you did it! You wrote something! Hopefully, you can pull at least a sentence from the jumble and turn it into something you want to share.

Now, maybe there just aren’t any thoughts coming at all. Maybe you just don’t feel inspired. I used to have a Twitter account exclusively for writing prompts but lately I’ve been sharing prompts on the Vocal Creators Saloon Facebook group. The list that follows is from a long combination of sources and inspirations. Pick one that jumps out at you and get writing.

Since we have the entire Unsplash photo database at our disposal let’s make use of it! It can be hard to settle on an image so if you find yourself forever scrolling try this exercise out:

A. Pick an animal (don’t get too specific here).

B. Pick a number between 1 and 10.

C. Enter the animal into the search and use the corresponding number to select your photo.

D. Write something about that photo (fiction, nonfiction, whatever genre you do).

For example: Tiger, photo number 3. The “animal” can be subbed out for anything. Try an item, place, colour, name… You get the idea. Next, we have more classical “write the story” fictional prompts:

1. Your character has just discovered a mythological creature, what is it and what do you do?

2. Your character calls down a well, listening to the long echo but when their friend does the same thing there is no echo. (Numbers 2-4 are from Tales from the Loop I believe).

3. Your character and their friend discover a device in the woods that allows you to switch bodies. What happens?

4. There is a glitch in your character's life--a brief instance of déjà vu. Gradually it gets worse over time.

5. Your character has been sharing dreams with a stranger for years now. One day they look up and see the stranger there in front of them.

6. Everyone has one super-power that is paired with one weakness. Ex. Turning invisible causes extreme exhaustion.

7. In this world heaven and hell occasionally become visible to the naked eye. One day your character looks down and sees their relative down in hell when they were supposed to be in heaven. (This came from Ted Chiang’s collection of shorts, Story of your Life.)

8. A recently turned werewolf meets a recently turned werejaguar.

9. The world is populated by humans and anthropomorphic animals.

10. Your character was on a plane that goes through a wormhole in time. When they land it is 20 years in the future but they haven't aged at all. (From the podcast DUST: Flight 008)

11. Couchsurfing on another planet gone wrong.

12. A man runs away to an alternate dimension but everything he wanted to leave behind is right there.

13. You and your team have just landed on a planet—turns out it is prehistoric earth.

14. You live on an inverted planet.

15. What exists at the edge of the universe?

16. You forgot to bring your towel. (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

17. You have just gotten off a plane—20 years in the future or 20 years in the past.

18. Every night you dream the same dream.

19. If you build it, they will come. Write about fantastical builds.

20. You have just awoken in your past life.

21. What came before Earth? Don’t be factual about it.

22. Pick a figure from history, bring them into the present day and write about how they adjust (or don’t) to the changes.

23. Randomly pick a location anywhere in the world. Write about traveling there. Like Iceland for example.

If you feel jaded that you read all the way to the end of this article and still don’t feel inspired to write, go outside and get some fresh air. Then, when you are ready, search the hashtag writingprompt on social media, search for other writing prompt articles on Vocal Media or check out the numerous other writing prompt resources in the world. You can even purchase books filled with writing prompts. How many times did I just write writing prompt?

This list is by Kay Husnick:

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Happy writing! If you enjoyed this, please support my work with a heart and check out my other articles! Share your writing prompts and stories with me on FB, Twitter, or Insta @akelseyreich.

Everything is connected. Written by Kelsey Reich on February 18/2021 in Ontario, Canada.