Sometimes, all you need is a little push to overcome writer’s block. One simple push is in your phone: your photographs.
You can create your own writing challenges with a photo and a probing question.
Step 1: Scroll through your photo album until you find a picture you like.
Step 2: Ask a question based on the picture. You’ve got six starters – who, what, when, where, how, why. Pick one and build a question with it.
Step 3: Now write a story that answers that question.
Step 4: Now that you’ve done the predictable, rewrite the story changing something so that the outcome is unexpected. For instance, if the picture looks like a romantic setting, write about a serial killer who goes there to bury his victims. The unexpected will grab a reader, shock them, engage them.
Here’s some writing prompts I’ve created from my phone album:
What lies around the bend?
Who brings the protagonist here, and why?
Why did the lights go out?
From where does the protagonist know the person they meet on this path? Are they happy to see them? Why or why not?
Share your stories and any pictures/prompts you create!