How to Get in the Mood to Write: 5 Story Starter Lines to Inspire Your Creativity

Writing Hurts

For many of us, creative writing is the (abusive?) love of our lives. We stare at it from afar with love in our eyes and hope in our hearts, and we fantasize endlessly about how one day we will be a real writer. The problem with 'one day' is that, as James Bond rightly pointed out, tomorrow never comes. I'd also like to point out that there is no such thing as a real writer, if you write, you're a writer. So how do you overcome the sometimes crippling daydreaming and self doubt? If you're anything like me, you've gone in cycles for years of wishing you would just go for it, deciding to go for it, and then burning yourself out. I say this through a lens of ADHD as we tend to have 'all or nothing' attitudes towards things. When something doesn't go as smoothly as we'd planned, or when our goals become too lofty and we are slowly crushed beneath their weight...we back away. I've shared my self motivators on the wall, 'Write EVERY DAY (2000 words if you can manage it)' or 'Focus is a choice' are great on paper but...do they work? Jury is still out on that one for the long term, but I think if you can find a way to put these practices and more into your daily routine, you have–at the very least–a shot.

Writers Block

One of the most mentioned problems we writers face is the nameless monster called 'writer's block'. It looms around the corner and drools endlessly at our attempts to break back into a creative state of mind. It watches, waits, and stares at our cell phones hungrily as it knows what distraction lies within its luminous depths. When it strikes, we stare at the blinking cursor like the zombies we were trying to write about. 

(Speaking of cell phones, literally while trying to write this paragraph I distracted myself by scrolling social media. *cue internal screaming*)

Lets get back on track:

What do you do? How do you wipe the drool from your cheeks and reawaken your addled mind? How do you shoo away the monster?

Well...The sad truth is that there is no surefire way to do it. Everyone has a method, there's approximately a million articles on the internet telling you what the best way is, who you should listen to, what frequency the music should be at to inspire creativity, and telling you that writers block isn't real at all.

Screw that last one, what do they know?

My best bet, and my best personal method is to write a few lines or paragraphs of something new. Move away from your current piece and remember one of the many side projects you fantasized about while writing your main work. Write about one of those for a bit, you'll find that there's less pressure to pump out prose when it's for a half baked idea, and less pressure usually helps with the creative flow.

Or, utilize what I'm about to offer you:

1. "His blood mingled with whiskey on the floor, reflecting gasoline rainbows around the pools at his feet. His vision blurred, his fingers grew numb, and he wondered through the encroaching darkness if she'd ever know why he was there to begin with."

Why is this useful? It's open ended, you know there's a wounded character but you don't know anything else about him or the situation he's in. The line makes you wonder how he got there, how he's going to react, and what else is going on around him. It'll get your mind headed in those directions and before you know it, you'll be writing

2. "Fairies danced their way in bright motes around the Final Tree. Massive and ancient though it was...they engulfed it. There was no notion of consequence; they knew only hunger and desperation. It was nearly over now, and though they did not know it, they doomed us all the same."

This one sets up a fantasy feeling with an apocalyptic sense. Makes you think about the 'Final Tree' and what that could mean, and what the rest of the world could look like. It guides you into thoughts of world building and whether or not the fairies are antagonists, protagonists, or simply denizens of a world that no longer sustains them. 

3. "The reflection of the night sky against her beautiful eyes made him sincerely wonder what kind of universe lived behind them. She was everything he'd ever dreamed of...and maybe that was the problem."

You see the beginnings of a romance here, but it sets itself up for failure or conflict right away. Why would being everything he wanted be a problem? What is it about the narrator that makes it this way? Where are they that he's able to see such a clear reflection? What brought them there, and who are they to each other? Questions like this will inevitably lead you to all aspects of story writing.

4. "Her pocket knife was neither in her pocket, nor currently a knife. To be fair, her pocket wasn't a pocket anymore, it was ashes. The knife wasn't far behind it. How hot does metal have to be to become ashes? She choked out a sardonic laugh as the flames consumed her."

It's dark, gritty, and makes you want to know more about the character. You'll obviously be curious about this situation and you'll dig in to find more answers. The best part is that the answers are yours to create. Curiosity is the foundation of creativity, and we should foster it often. 

5. "His will took a form like water. Visible, tangible, and creating that same sense of deep wonder the trenches of the ocean evoke. He strode through the crowd with effortless grace and they swayed like anemone as he passed."

This one is atmospheric, filled with wonder, and full of potential. Who is this person? Is this metaphorical or is it magical? What type of world or society would house such a person? There are so many ways you could take this line, it almost hurts me to give it away but...I give it to you in good will. If you write a bestseller with it, just cite my name somewhere.

I wish you all the best in your creative endeavors! I hope these prompts can get you out of any creative funk you might be in. I give you all full permission to use these prompts however you see fit, I only ask that if it is published, you cite me. Good luck, have fun, and as always - keep coping, friends.