by Jennifer Gibbs

Created on: August 26, 2010

Let's face it... sometimes, as writers, we all find ourselves in need of a little inspiration. Whether the blank page or the blank screen is taunting us, when writer’s block hits, we need courage and creativity to overcome it and move ahead with our poetry or prose. Fortunately, there are literally thousands of ways that you can take courage and conquer writer's block. Here are just a few of them to help you get started...

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/ - This site contains HUNDREDS of different writing prompts, and every one of them is available to you 100% free. When you arrive at the homepage, you’ll find several different numbers written across the screen. Simply scroll over each number to uncover a prompt.

http://www.writersdigest.com/WritingPrompts/ - Writer’s Digest is the ultimate source of writing resources and inspiration. Here, you’ll find not only writing prompts, but the opportunity to post your jottings online (in under 750 words) and get interactive with other writers who will post theirs as well. It’s really interesting to see how the same prompt can prompt so many different ideas, characters, plots and stories.

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/prompts.html - While some of the writing prompts you’ll find here may seem a bit more elementary, you’d be amazed at what kind of frantic writing flow they can encourage. Some are more geared towards creating stories, while others are more along the lines of journal writing prompts. Either way, sometimes all you need to defeat writer’s block is a bit of writing, about ANYTHING!

http://www.creative-writing-solutions.com/creative-w riting-prompts.html - This comprehensive site full of creative writing prompts offers prompts that fall into all sorts of different categories, including: story starters, creative development, setting inspirations, point of view prompts and much, much more. Be sure to add this one to your favorites…

http://www.gkbledsoe.com/articles/process/writing_pr ompt_generator.html - Instead of offering a list of creative writing prompts, this is a writing prompt generator (actually, generators). To access the prompts, simply click on the buttons to insert random words into the boxes and, voila, a prompt is created! You can use these over and over again…

http://dragonwritingprompts.blogsome.com/writing-lin ks/ - This site is the KING of all creative writing prompt generators. Here, you’ll find links to just about any creative writing prompt or creative writing idea generator you can imagine. Visit here daily, or just any time you need a little kick in the butt!

While writing prompts and writing prompt generators are fabulous when you encounter the occasional bout of writer’s block, never underestimate the power of keeping your butt glued to your chair and your face glued to your screen or paper until something gets written.

If you have a tendency to freak out and just stare, invest in an egg-timer – a writer’s best friend. Simply wind the timer up to ten minutes and write something – anything. It can be a grocery list, a letter where you vent about something but never intend to send it, or do what you had to do back in school when you were in trouble and write the same sentence over and over and over again.

Regardless of what you do, taking action is often the only solution you actually need. That said, what’s not to say that one of the prompts you find up above won’t turn out to be the next big bestseller?

So, stop stalling and start writing…

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