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PSA: I bought a $40 'writing prompt deck' and it actually got me unstuck
I was blocked on my fantasy novel for weeks, so I grabbed this box of cards with random phrases and images. The first one I pulled said 'a key that opens a door that shouldn't exist' and I wrote 2,000 words that same night. It felt silly to spend money on what is basically a bunch of random ideas, but it forced my brain in a new direction. Anyone have other cheap tricks for breaking through writer's block?
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nathan_barnes5mo ago
Totally get that, I bought a cheap set of vintage postcards at a thrift store for the same reason. Just looking at a picture of some random 1950s motel or a weird roadside attraction can spark a whole scene. Sometimes our brains just need a little nudge from outside, even if it costs a few bucks. What was the door that shouldn't exist in your story?
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emma_rodriguez345mo ago
Used to think you had to wait for inspiration to hit out of nowhere. Then I started keeping a folder of weird photos I find online, like that door. It was just a normal looking apartment door but the number was 13/13, on a floor that only went up to 12. The wrongness of it gave me chills and built a whole story about the people who lived behind it. Your postcard idea is the same thing, a cheap little puzzle for your brain to solve. Makes the blank page way less scary.
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casey_barnes4mo ago
That 13/13 apartment door idea is exactly the kind of thing that works for me too. I have a shoebox full of random junk I found at garage sales, like an old train ticket stub from a town that doesnt exist anymore. Looking at it makes my brain want to fill in the blank spaces around it, almost like a reflex. Its the same feeling you got from that postcard, just a cheap little hook for your imagination to grab onto. Good to know Im not the only one whos done this kind of thing.
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