Want to write, but don’t know where to start? Need something quick to get you started now?

Well, today I’m gonna share 3 quick, simple tips on how to jump-start writing!

1. Prompt Generators

The first thing I usually suggest is prompt generators!

There are a variety of websites that will spit out a prompt to write about. Some only give single-sentence prompts, while others have a bunch of topics to choose from.

They provide something quick to write about, giving you a chance to jump right in without overthinking too much.

I actually have a prompt generator list if you’re looking for recommendations. Here’s one of 17 prompt generators to choose from so you can start now!

Here’s a prompt from one of the generators. Feel free to use it right now:

“Miniature Dollhouse: Write from the perspective of the dolls.”

randomwordgenerator.com

2. Describe Everyday Objects

To learn how to draw, you have to look at everyday objects to understand how they’re shaped.

The same applies to writing.

If you wanna know how to describe things, you gotta understand them with your senses.

So if you find you’re stumped for ideas: look at an object, room, person, or whatever’s right next to you. Now describe everything with any of your senses (touch, smell, taste, sight, or sound). This is an easy way to practice describing your world, setting a scene, or illustrating someone’s character.

Also, it’s a nice warm-up to start a writing session.

Here’s an example I wrote based on my walls:

The walls were a pastel blue. Not too different from a color you might find in a baby’s room. Depending on your mood, the blue may resemble a serene and untouched sky, or the crayon you’d use to draw someone’s tears. Either way, it was painted over a bumpy texture that would take some work to scrape off.

Mariah Brewer

I learned this tip from pages 26-7 of Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine.

3. First Sentences

With this one, you want to take the first sentence from a novel and use it as a starter sentence.

For example, here’s the first sentence in my favorite novel, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer:

“The tower, which was not supposed to be there, plunges into the earth in a place just before the black pine forest begins to give way to swamp and then reeds and wind-gnarled trees of the marsh flats.”

The Biologist

Then from there, I would continue writing my story based on this first sentence.

You can also modify that first sentence if you’d like. The point of this exercise is to give you a starting point. If it helps you to modify your borrowed first sentence, then go ahead!

This tip is a fun and simple way to start writing right now, and you don’t have to use too much thought. Just think of your favorite novel or starter sentence, copy, and write!

I learned this tip from page 16 of Your First Novel (2006) by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb.

Conclusion!

Hopefully, these tips were helpful and got you writing.

I know writing can be tough sometimes, and having smaller writing sessions can help you improve without the pressure of a huge project.

Remember, writing isn’t supposed to be perfect, and no one starts out writing a novel from the get-go. If your writing isn’t the best yet, that’s okay! You gotta do lots of little practice sessions to improve.

Plus, not every project is gonna be your magnum opus. You can write insignificant little stories, and they can just be that.

I hope you all meet your writing goals, and if not, I hope you learned from what you couldn’t complete!

Thanks for reading, and happy writing!