Ah, such a peaceful scene. Or is it? There is always more to the picture and what makes picture writing prompts fun. This one picture says so much more than you think at first glance.
What is a Picture Writing Prompt?
A picture writing prompt is exactly has it sounds. It is a pictures that prompts writing. The intent is to find a story within just one picture. It’s to be inspiring and not the whole story. Think of it as the launching pad. The rest of the trip comes from you.
How to Use This Picture
When are using picture writing prompts, you start off by just looking at the picture. Study it. Look at the foreground and the background. Then put it away for a few hours or even a few days. When you come back to it, study it again. As yourself these questions:
- what is happening in the picture?
- What just happened?
- What happens right after the picture is taken?
- Who is in the picture and what is their story?
- what secrets could the person have?
- What secrets could be hidden around the scene?
These are just starting questions. If you have a particular genre, you can create more specific questions. For example,
- Where does the character meet their romantic interest based on the picture?
- What could turn up missing for a mystery?
- How can drama occur with that location?
Once you get that started, you can start formulating your short story or novel.
Mystery Ideas
- A man wakes up on a boat with no idea where he is or how he got there.
- An object falls on a boat but there is no plane above it.
- A boat is in drydock for weeks but shows signs of being on the water.
Drama Ideas
- A family goes out on a sailboat and have to face their own feelings for each other.
- When an uncle dies and leaves his sailboat to one family member, all the others want it, but why?
- A man is fixated on building his own sailboat after watching a show where the main character did that. The family can’t understand why. The man doesn’t even fully know.
Horror Ideas
- A couple venture out on a sailboat only to find themselves stranded in waters full of terror.
- Every owner of this sailboat has either ended up dead or mentally unstable. What happens when this happens to a private eye?
- A sailboat is cursed. All owners start to see things and end up murdering all those around them.
Have Fun
Always have fun when you write. If you are using a writing prompt, have fun. Explore all possibilities. Use my ideas as springboards or just start off on your own.
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