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?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_barnes4d 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?

emma_rodriguez344d 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.