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Have you ever found yourself staring at your computer screen, doing nothing more than watching the annoying blink of the cursor, desperately hoping that you'll find the right word or phrase that will kick-start your writing? I know I have; in fact it's a fairly common occurrence for me.

I often find myself sitting here really wanting to write something, be it a short story, a journal/blog entry or even the odd article, yet I can't seem to get started. I'm one of those that needs to have the first line before I can do anything; once I have that the words start to flow - they may not always make sense when I'm done, but it's usually a good starting point. Once I have the start I can continue on with whatever it is I'm writing - in fact I often surprise myself once I've finished as I've ended up in a totally different place than where I imagined I'd be.

If that sounds like you there is help available. A quick search of the internet and you'll find there are literally thousands of sites that offer writing prompts or story starters, there are even some that will give you plot outlines for you to use for yourself.

I got the start to my hopefully soon to be completed novel from a one line story starter (the actual sentence has now been deleted but it definitely served its purpose) sometimes all it takes is to see one word or line and the next thing you know you have pages of writing.

Some other quick tips if you're struggling to get the start you want:

Just type (or write) don't worry about your spelling, grammar or if you've chosen the correct word or phrase; you can go back and fix that later. Get the words down first.

Take a quick look through the newspaper or magazine: grab a heading and run with it.

Listen to what's going on around you: take a phrase you've heard and get your characters to use it in a totally different context.

Take a look out your window: describe the first thing you see.

Pick three totally unrelated objects and find a way to put them into a story.

Use the title of your favourite song as the first sentence (or try to incorporate each song title of your favourite cd/record into a story.)

Fan fiction: Take your favourite television characters and put them in a new situation

These are just a few quick ideas to hopefully get you started with your next short story, novel or other writing outlet.

Once last thing I'd like to say is this:

Don't force it. The words will come, but often the harder you try the worse it gets. Just make sure that you're ready because often all it will take is to see the right word or phrase and before you know it you're off and writing.

About the Author

For further information please visit Prompts And Starters

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