Five writing prompts to help get you unstuck

It takes most of us a fair amount of time to finish writing a book.

When you're writing alongside a job or other commitments, it isn't a project you can sprint through in a weekend, fuelled by that initial buzz of 'new idea' energy.

When it comes to putting in the work, week after week, it's totally understandable to find that motivation flagging occasionally. Until your manuscript is finished and ready for some fresh eyes, it really is just you and your words, and over the course of writing your book you'll be reading those words again and again.

We get tired of it, the characters and plot feel over familiar and our attention starts to wander. The danger in this is that all those shiny new ideas that we've been having start to look more and more tempting, leading us to wonder if we wouldn't be better off giving up and starting a new project.

This is something I find happens with ALL projects; however exciting and interesting they are when you get started, your mind is always going to be drawn to the shiny new thing whenever you get too comfortable. The key to getting through this and actually finishing your manuscript (instead of building up a stash of hundreds of half-started ones) lies with finding ways to get inspired and reignite your excitement for your current WIP.

One way to do this is to take a break from your manuscript and try out some flash fiction. Give your mind a rest from the overwhelm of writing a whole book, and instead drop some of your characters into a quick scene with no pressure or expectations. You might find a new direction or interesting plot thread to follow, or you might just be able to scratch that shiny-new-idea itch for long enough to refind your focus for your manuscript.

Here are five writing prompts you can use to get inspired with your manuscript again:

(Tip: try writing from the POV of your antagonist or a minor character, or use the prompts to explore some backstory or worldbuilding that doesn't need to be included in your finished novel.)