Writing Prompts to Develop Your Story
Prompt #1 - Starting World Building - Time: 22 Minutes
Part 1
Describe your novel’s world in 50 words or less. This quick exercise is designed to get you warmed up and thinking about worldbuilding as we go through our next series of exercises.
Time: 5 Minutes
Part 2
Make a map for your world. It’s okay if it looks rough. You can draw the map yourself or use an online mapmaker.
Time: 7 Minutes
Part 3
Write the origin story for your world. This story should tell how your world and all the creatures came to be. You can choose to write a more scientific story or a more mythological story. It’s up to you.
Time: 10 Minutes
Prompt #2 - Building Tension - Time: 22 Minutes
Part 1
Foreshadowing can help build dramatic tension in your story. Backstory or flashbacks can help with this. First, create a list of all the ways that you might foreshadow conflict in your writing. These might be objects, scenes, memories, etc. This prompt is supposed to be vague.
Time: 5 Minutes
Part 2
One great way to build tension in your story is to place a time limit on an action your character has to undertake. By adding the element of a ticking clock, you build tension and increase stakes. Brainstorm how a ticking clock can affect your story, or write a scene in which your character is under a time constraint.
Time: 7 Minutes
Part 3
Sometimes inner conflict and self-doubt can be layered in through character development and used to build levels of tension. In Hamlet, the main character wants to avenge his father’s death but is beset by self-doubt, paralyzing indecision, and mental strain. For the prompt, write a scene where your character’s inner conflict pushes against external conflict.
Time: 10 Minutes
Prompt #3 - Get to know your characters - Time: 30 Minutes
Part 1
Think about when you meet a new person. What would you want to know about them? Create a list of questions of things would want to know, such as favorite color, book, drink or food, do they have siblings, interests/hobbies, birth date, age, etc.
Time: 5 Minutes
Part 2
Even if its not used in the story, you should know what your character looks like from head to toe. Come up with a description of your character including race, age, skin color, eye color, hair color, hair style, facial features (eyes close together or far away, big or small nose, type of jaw line, wrinkles, etc.), any unique qualities (such as a birthmark or wears glasses), physical shape, etc.
Time: 10 Minutes
Part 3
Go back to your questions for part 1 and answer them. Include any interesting facts or talents about them and a generic description of their background.
Time: 15 minutes
