Many of us want to become better writers, and the first step in doing so is to practice writing! In fact, Malcolm Gladwell, a Canadian journalist, claims that to perfect a task, you need 10,000 hours practice. However, it can be hard to figure out what to write about, and I know that writer’s block can be a pain. This is why I came up with seven writing prompts that will hopefully help.
Some prompts are inspired by others stories and such, but for the most part they are original.
One: They say that when there’s no one in the homes, someone on the streets comes in and passes through all of them. But when no one can be seen on the streets either, then the evidence of someone in the homes becomes more obvious. Usually there is a least one person who is always in their house, and that is you. But even you cannot resist the New Year’s fireworks. You leave your house along with everyone else on your street that night. But the last midnight of the year was a dire one. You are going home at three am on January 1, right after the party ended, and most people are passing out drunk on the streets on in their homes. However, you are sober enough to realize something different about your home. For one, you can sense your reflection looking at you when you are turned around.
Two: You are locked in a room with six different other people. You have all been accused of the same murder, and the seven of you all deny committing the crime. However, you know you are lying when you deny the crime because you did it, but the guy beside you becomes friends with you and eventually admits to you only that he is the murderer.
Three: Your best friend is facing a mental illness and you convince her to see a therapist. There are some days where she does not notice you being with her, and it seems a lot of the times she is ignoring you. You worry that this may be because of her illness, so they days when she talks to you are the days you spend convincing her to see a therapist. When your friend finally agrees, you happily notice her slowly healing. However, you soon realize that all along, you were her imaginary friend.
Four: You have the ability to smell a lie. Often, you say something you are unsure of just to see whether it is the truth or not. Test papers have become a walk in the park, and you can immediately tell if someone is lying to you. It was all fun and games until you said heard something you shouldn’t have, and you almost faint from the foul smell that came from it.
Five: In an alternate universe, a number is tattooed on every person’s wrist for identification rather than using a name. Being a tattooist, removing your tattoo, or changing your tattoo is illegal. However, one day you wake up and the number on your wrist is different. The same thing happens for the following days, and you run the risk of getting caught with a different number. Today is the day of finals, and the number on your wrist is always used for identification.
Six: You always jaywalk. Even if the traffic light is red and you can walk on the crossroad, you jaywalk just for the sake of it. One day, on the news, the reporter says that there is a new annual day that is opposite of the Purge, a day where every crime, even minor ones such as jaywalking, are punishable by death sentence. You don’t hear when the day is, and unbeknownst to you, that day is tomorrow.
Seven: A car has been tailing yours for the past ten minutes. You are on a common road used by many at this hour, so you don’t dwell on it. However, when you turn into your driveway, the car is still tailing you. That is when you slow down, and instead of stopping at your house, you drive further on. You look in your rear-view mirror, and to your surprise, the car parks in front of your house and someone gets out. The weird thing is, that person looks exactly like you from five years ago.