Starting from the blank page is not the best solution. Sometimes, it might be difficult to start writing your academic paper because the blank page doesn’t give you anything to begin with. Prompts can help you because they provide you with a general idea of what you should write about, and sometimes, they can also be quite inspirational. On the other hand, you should know how to use your prompts properly, and we hope that this guide at College-writers.com blog will help you.
Getting Used to Prompts
1. Use your prompts as a starting place
There are many kinds of writing prompts. For example, your prompt may be about everyday life or something fictional.
- For example, your prompt may describe the background and setting of your story.
- Your prompt may also be a quote or even a fragment of someone else’s writing.
2. Don’t take your prompt too seriously
Although your prompt is your starting point, you should let your thoughts flow naturally while writing. If the prompt suggests the necessary genre, you should follow this recommendation, however, sometimes a science-fiction prompt may inspire you to write a great romantic story.
3. Write everything that comes to your mind
The first thing you should do is brainstorm because the more ideas you have, the better. Of course, not all of your ideas will be great. Some of them may be absolutely awful, but you shouldn’t think about it while brainstorming. Just generate as many ideas as you can, you’ll have an opportunity to evaluate your ideas later.
4. Your first draft shouldn’t be perfect
Your first few drafts shouldn’t be perfect. We recommend that you write your draft first, and then revise it, editing and proofreading your content to make sure that there are no typos and other mistakes. If you start fixing mistakes while writing, you’ll only waste your time and may even experience writer’s block.
5. Organize your writing
Once you’ve generated enough ideas and spent some time freewriting, think of how you can develop your ideas.
- You can take a short passage and turn it into a complex story, or you may have several ideas for a story that has several chapters. There is also a chance that you’ll come up with an almost complete story that only needs to be edited and revised.
- Highlight the ideas that you like. If you like some paragraph but it doesn’t fit your story, you may save it for later in a separated text document. You may use some good passages in your next papers.
6. Revision
Once you feel like your story is ready, take your time and revise it. Fix any typos and misspelled words, and think of how you can organize your sentences in the best way possible. We also recommend that you read your draft out loud to understand what sentences sound weird or confusing.
- Ask somebody to read your work. Any feedback is very valuable because it helps you detect mistakes that otherwise would remain unnoticed.
- The purpose of your prompt is to get you started, but a good writer should also be patient enough to revise their story. You can also order professional editing and proofreading on College-Writers.com.
Experimenting with Prompts
1. Use prompts in a group
Writing your story with a group of other people can help you generate some creative and unique ideas. Others can look at the same prompt from a different perspective, and such a kind of practice will help you improve your writing skills.
- Start writing a story together. Let everyone offer ideas and brainstorm together, or someone can read the prompt while others are listing their ideas on a chalkboard.
- After brainstorming, you can split up and write different ideas based on the results of brainstorming.
- One person from the group can start writing, with others making their contribution to different sections of the paper.
2. Choose another prompt if this one doesn’t work for you
People have different tastes so not all the prompts will be equally useful for you. Therefore, you can choose a prompt that looks best.
- If you have enough time, try to write your paper according to another prompt. Sometimes, it’s the chosen prompt that stops you from writing a good paper.
3. Use one part of your prompt
For example, if your prompt contains a quote, you can build your paper around this quote. We also recommend that you start as soon as you get inspired, getting right into the writing process.
4. Write several stories based on the same prompt
You can use the same prompt again and again, approaching it differently every time.
- Think about different senses (sound, touch, smell, etc.) and use narrative styles that you haven’t used before. Consider your writing prompt from different perspectives.
- For example, if your prompt suggests World War II as a topic, you may write a story of a soldier or a president who sends people to war, as well as about a wife who loses her husband. You can also write all these pieces and turn them into a series.