Prompts: Types of Prompt

The end of 2016 is nearly here, and with the beginning of a new year, many of us will be thinking about what we can change or improve in our lives for 2017. For those of us with blogs, it can be a chance to implement new additions to our blog, such as expanding it or posting more regularly. These are decisions that can be made at any time, of course, but the beginning of a new year often heralds the opportunity to make the changes we want to make. The obstacle for many of us is simple: how can I post good content more frequently than I did this year? One solution is through the clever use of prompts.

This month is all about prompts. I will be sharing some great sites that share encouraging prompts on WordPress with you. All of the blogs I share with you try to help writers to get into the creative mode when they have spare time to work on their writing. Some of them provide a new prompt every week; others every single day. Today, let’s think about why the type of prompt you use can affect your writing success.

When you were in school, you might have been introduced to the concept of different types of learner. Some people are visual learners; they learn things through pictures and diagrams. Others are auditory learners; they learn by listening to things. Others learn by reading and writing. And still others are kinaesthetic learners; they learn by doing. Why is this relevant? Well, our brains work in different ways, so we all respond differently to different types of prompt.

Let’s consider a few types of prompt that we might come across

Visual Prompt

An image might be a very useful prompt for a writer who often finds themselves building story ideas around the things they see every day.

Word Prompt

A single word can be enough to inspire a great masterpiece, if the right writer is around.

Finish the Story Prompt

You’re given a sentence or a paragraph, and you have to finish the poem or story. This one can be hard if you find it tough to finish something that has been started by somebody else.

Timed Prompt

3 … 2 … 1 … start writing! What about? Anything, just keep writing for the next X minutes to see what you can come up with. Then post it. Not everybody’s cup of tea.

What If? Prompts

What if aliens arrived tomorrow? What if zombies attacked us? What if puppies were free? A “what if?” prompt asks all the important questions.

Of course, there are many other types of prompt that you might come across, such as word limit prompts, or prompts that give you a form or technique to use in your piece. Try as many of them as you can – but take note of the ones that come more naturally to you. Those are your go-to prompts, the ones that will help you to create more solid pieces of writing and keep your creative mind busy.

---

This month’s theme is be PROMPTS. If you have written something about prompts or would like me to share your prompt, then please post a link in the comments or email me on lauramarieclark1@gmail.com with the subject: Prompts.