Write a novel

3 ways to find and use inspiration — Bonus: 21 prompts

Most of you know this situation: you're out of motivation, you can hardly find ways to procrastinate and you have no idea what and what to write about now.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the solution:
Prompts!

You can find them everywhere there are writers 😉 .

I present to you the three best ways to use them in a promising and motivating way.

1. SLACK IN THE BRAIN? - THE IDEA JAR HELPS

If you're a Pantser, you'll (probably?) already know this problem. You've written about 15,000 words, maybe as many as 20,000, and suddenly: lull. The climax comes later, the kidnapping, the kiss, the zombie attack or the flying elephant has already happened. And now?

You have two choices: give up and keep writing.

I hope you don't choose to give up.

I have two step-by-step guides for you that I hope will convince you.

1. Print out prompts or handwrite them on a sheet of paper.
2. Cut out each prompt.
3. Paint jam jars with opaque paint and label them 1, 2, and 3 or "Novel," "Short Stories," and "Other."
4. Sort the prompts into the three jars. You can use more, of course. Arrange them so that jar 1, for example, contains prompts that fit your book project, jar 2 contains those that can become short stories and flash fictions, and jar 3 contains all the others - those that fit both or nothing.

However, it may be that you'd rather not do anything elaborate. In that case, if you need a prompt, do the following:

1. Go to a website with prompts, e.g. the NaNoWriMo.org forum.
2. Blindly choose a prompt. Decide if it helps you. If not, choose another one.

Or it may be that you're just having a problem with your plot. Let's move on to the next step.

2. PLOT PROBLEMS - SOLVED IN THREE STEPS

Sometimes I ponder and ponder because I have a gaping plot hole in front of me that doesn't want to shrink.

I have some suggestions for this, I could certainly write a separate article on it. If this is desired, please let me know.

The three steps on how to shrink or eliminate a plot hole are quite simple.

First, you need to find the cause.

No matter how cleverly you distract the reader, there is no real hiding an absence of information. If your story currently requires an impossible event, then no amount of optimization will make what you ultimately choose as a solution work. What needs to be addressed is why it is currently impossible.

Then they should identify the facts.

What are the facts about your situation?
Suppose your characters are trapped somewhere; they need to escape, but for some reason they can't. Why? Write down the exact details of the situation. Do they have knowledge, resources, or help they can use to escape? What makes the situation so unchangeable?

Last but not least, shrink the plot hole based on the facts.

Look at the facts and rehearse - in your head or on paper - which ones you can change to close the plot hole.

This step is where you need prompts - or the idea jar.
You are now looking at a prompt. Just do it.

To add some variety to shrinking and erasing the plot hole, they implement the prompt if possible. It usually even helps close it if you don't have an idea.

To summarize:
1. find the cause
2. note the facts
3. change the facts and thus reduce the plot hole

3. CHALLENGES

As you know, you can do them with anything - challenges.

That's why you can make up your own version.

Here two or more participants get the same prompt and write a micro- or flash fiction, a drabble or a short story.

Everybody who takes part wins. But of course you can also publish the texts on writing.com and see after 1 week who has the better average rating.

4. PROMPTE

Now I'm talking about it here all the time and in the whole article not a single one has appeared yet?

So now come the prompts.
I tried to think up and choose them in a variety of ways so that there are concrete and non-concrete prompts.

Additionally, I have a website with some of my own prompts:
https://thestoryshack.com/create-your-own-generator/?id=63f3380fc70f842d0b496142...

Have fun trying them out!

1. You awaken one morning as a dragon in the present and are now faced with hiding from the government and ignoring the urge to reduce their cities to rubble.

2. You visit the grave of your best friend on the 7th anniversary of his death. The grave is totally devastated. The coffin is dug up and empty. You want to go back to your car and call the police. There's your best friend behind the wheel, alive and kicking, looking at you expectantly and saying, "Get in, we have to get out of here!"

3. You live in a universe where everything turns to color as soon as you touch your soulmate. The protagonist touches their soulmate when they were only a few months old and grows up thinking that the color they see is the "default color." They are now in adulthood and can't seem to find their soulmate. Will they ever find out and meet again?

4. Write a complete story that takes place in a single second.

5. You are a peaceful dragon in a fairy tale and are highly allergic to humans. Actually, you would like to be friends with the humans, but every time they send an armored spiked human to you, you start sneezing fire uncontrollably.

6. The prota feels totally unrested after every night's rest, but nothing he/she does about it seems to help. What does he/she do to sleep better? Does he/she perhaps drink hot milk with honey to fall asleep or does he/she consult a doctor? What kind of help does the doctor offer? Does the prota perhaps even get the idea of filming his/her sleep and discover that he/she is sleepwalking or is haunted at night by a succubus/incubus? What can he/she do to sleep better again?

7. The prota receives messages from a person he/she believes is already deceased. Who is the person? How did they die and how long have they been dead? Is it possible that there was a mix-up and the person is still alive? But then where has she been for the last few years?

8. The prota has been taking a lot of pictures lately. When he/she looks at them now, he/she notices that on each picture, at the edge, one and the same person can be recognized. This cannot be a coincidence! Who is this person? Can the protagonist remember that the person was there, or not? How does the prota react to this? Does he/she seek out the other person? Can he/she find them?
The prota observes an asteroid falling to Earth. Does he/she go closer? Does he/she notice that all of a sudden all of the plants in the vicinity begin to die? Does he/she report his/her discovery to anyone?

9. The prota observes in a public transport how someone forgets his/her bag. Since he/she is a nice person, he/she wants to return the bag. So he/she runs after the other person, but he/she does not turn around, although the prota calls out. All at once, the other person disappears behind a corner of a house and is subsequently gone. The prota is left with a bag full of disturbing stuff. Make something out of it!

10. The prota is totally fascinated by a statue and looks at it for a while. What fascinates him/her about this statue? Is it rather a beautiful statue or rather repulsive, creepy,... Does it perhaps have magic powers? Does it even move? How does the protagonist react?

11. The prota is awakened by the shrill cry of a little girl. Does he/she run out to see what's going on? The girl is not hurt. However, doesn't know who she is, where she is, or how she got there. What does the prota do with the child?
The prota wants to be artistic. Where does this desire come from? Does he/she have talent? What art form does he/she choose? What does he/she create and will he/she perhaps even become famous with it?

12. A former classmate contacts the prota. What does he/she want from her? Are they meeting each other? Do they have something to tell each other or is there more of an awkward silence between them? How do they part?
The prota wishes someone dead with all his/her heart. What is the background? Is it a bitter enemy of the prota, whom he/she simply wants to get rid of, or a good friend, for whom continuing to live would be a torture? Describe in detail what the prota thinks and feels that confirms his/her desire.

13. The prota becomes traumatized and begins to hear voices. What voices does he/she hear? What do they want to tell him/her? Are they helpful or do they rather harm the prota even more?

14. The prota hears that a person wants to get married. However, he/she is absolutely sure that the person would never marry voluntarily. Who is the person to marry? Why would he/she never marry voluntarily and what led to the prospective marriage? How does the prota react? Does he/she want to help or does he/she think there is nothing he/she can do? What does he/she do?

15. The prota goes blind for a while. What has happened? How does he/she deal with it? How can he/she be cured?
The prota goes deaf for a while. What happened? How does he/she deal with it? How can he/she be cured?

16. The prota becomes lame for a while. What happened? How does he/she deal with it? How can he/she be healed?
The prota has a painting that has been passed down in the family for generations. What can be seen on it? Does the prota like the painting or find it terrible? One day, as the prota walks past the painting, something unusual happens. What?

17. Your superpower isn't anything special. You can make stuff disappear behind your back then pull it back out again. When a friend at a party asks you to do it to them it sounds like a great laugh. But when you pull them back out they look older, disheveled, and are frantic to be sent back.
You have a reputation for being a Master Thief. You don't understand why, you've never even borrowed anything without permission, let alone stolen anything.

18. You wake up in a chair in a padded cell. Someone else sits across from you. A voice from a speaker in the ceiling says, "One of you is a natural person. One of you is artificial. Determine which is which. The real person gets to go free." You can't remember anything before this room.
Let the protagonist sing karaoke! Where does he/she hang out where he/she can sing karaoke? Did he/she want to sing, or was he/she forced to sing? How does he/she feel about it? Does he/she get applause or is he/she booed?
Have a character climb a tree! Why does he/she have to? Does he/she do it skillfully? Is he/she having fun?

19. Your protagonist oversleeps! Where would he/she have to be on time? By how much does he/she oversleep? How much does this change his/her morning routine? Does he/she get naggy as a result? What are the consequences of oversleeping?
20. A character disappears for an entire chapter. Does anyone notice? Who notices? How do the other characters act? How does the protagonist behave?

21. An electrical appliance gives up the ghost! Which one is it? Does the protagonist need it urgently? Can it be repaired or does it need a new one?