YES, YOU CAN WRITE!

101 PROVEN WRITING PROMPTS THAT WILL HELP

YOU FIND CREATIVE IDEAS FASTER FOR YOUR
JOURNAL, BLOGGING, WRITING YOUR BOOK
AND MORE

BRYAN COLLINS
 GET A FREE BOOK

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iii
 INTRODUCTION

I felt delighted with my prize until I climbed to the top of the

crane and looked down.
The grey, jagged rocks lurched upwards towards me, and
my head began to spin. I stepped back from the edge of the
crane seat, and I held onto the thick, yellow bungee jump
cord as if it were life itself.
“I’m not doing it,” I said. “I won’t jump.”
The bungee jump instructor smiled and raised the palms
of his tanned, oversized hands.
“You can’t climb back down.” He shook his head. “You
must jump.”
“No, no, no,” I said.
The day before, I had won a swimming competition in
the Greek resort where friends and I were spending our
summer holidays. My prize was a bungee jump from the
crane overlooking the rocks on the beach. At the time, I felt
delighted. Now, my pale legs were rattling against each other
like twigs in the wind.
Our stand-off lasted for twenty long minutes, all the

v
I NT RODUCTION

while me holding onto the crane rails and my friends calling

from down below:
“Jump! Jump! Jump!”
“That guy is a coward,” someone shouted. “He’ll never
do it.”
That was enough.
I sat down on the edge of the metal crane seat, closed my
eyes, and using two hands, I eased myself off the seat and
into the air...
Down I went.
Writing can feel a little like bungee jumping. I’ve perched
myself over the blank page for hours at a time, unable and
unwilling to get started.
When I tried to write my first book, I brewed a cup of
coffee and pulled a chair up to my desk in my bedroom and
arranged a notebook and pen before me.
My hand hovered over the blank page, but sitting in a
chair in front of the blank page was an alien experience.
Eventually, I put my pen down, stopped to refill my coffee,
played some music and filled a bowl with crackers and
cheese.
It went on like this for an hour... I’d sit down, try to write
and then get back up to open the window, walk around the
room, call the dog and do anything but write.
I just didn’t know what my book was about or how to
begin – or even where to begin. Finally, I threw away my
notebook and pen, feeling like a failure and that I didn’t
know what I was doing.
The painful truth is I didn’t know what I was doing.
Like the reluctant bungee jumper who worries about
being embarrassed in front of his friends, I needed a prompt.
If you haven’t written much before or you’re unsure what
to write about, writing prompts can help you improve your

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 INT RO D U C T I O N

craft and get into the habit of spending more time in the
chair, in front of the blank page.
A writing prompt should encourage you to write. It could
be a single word, sentence, phrase, question or even a picture
that you focus on. It should encourage you to jump.
In this book, you’ll find 101 examples of writing prompts
that you can use for various types of non-fiction writing.
These prompts should help you to overcome common prob‐
lems like writer’s block, to find ideas for your books and to
become an author.
I’ve broken the book into seven sections to cover seven
different types of non-fiction writing, and each section
contains around 10 to 15 writing prompts. It’s best to use the
writing prompts in this book without fear or expectation, as
a warm-up for the main event.
Now, let’s strap in.

vii
 PRACTISING YOUR CRAFT

“
O ne of the main aims in writing practice is to learn to
trust your own mind and body; to grow patient and
non-aggressive.” – Natalie Goldberg

Some days, I like to close the door, open up a blank

document on the computer, set a timer for 30 minutes and
write about whatever comes to mind.
I start by writing about an idea I’m wresting with or
something that’s bothering me, but I never know where I’ll
end up.
I don’t expect to publish what I wrote, although occasion‐
ally I pin a creative problem to the page.
Ultimately, free writing is a form of writing practice.
In 1986, author and artist Natalie Goldberg introduced
the concept of writing practice in her book Writing Down the
Bones: Freeing the Writer Within.
It involves turning up and writing about a particular
topic, theme or idea for a pre-determined period. If you want

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to free write, avoid editing yourself, overthinking your work,

or worrying about spelling punctuation or grammar.
It’s an expressive, exploratory type of writing that almost
every type of writer can use to improve their craft. It’s also a
useful way of finding ideas, stories and interesting argu‐
ments for your books.
Natalie says, “Don’t try to control it. Stay present with
whatever comes up, and keep your hand moving.”
So set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes, open up your
favourite writing application and use the writing prompts
below to practice your craft:

1. Look out the window. What’s happening outside,

and how have things changed since you last sat
here?
2. Write about an everyday or intimate object and
what it means to you. It could be something on
your desk, in your bedroom or in your fridge. It
could even be an item of clothing. What does it
look, taste, sound and smell like? What does it
mean to you?
3. What do you do when you’re alone? What keeps
you up at 3 a.m. and how do you handle these
worries?
4. Draw upon a memory. “I remember the first time
I...”, “I remember the last time I...” and “Can I trust
this memory?” The more visual the memory, the
better.
5. Consider a painful moment from your past. A job
you didn’t get. A relationship that broke down. Use
this as the starting point for what you write next.

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

6. Think of your childhood hero. What impact did

they have on your life and how? What would you
say if you could meet them now?
7. When was the first time someone disappointed
you? What did they do? And how did you react?
8. When you were in school, you were probably
asked to write about what you did on your
summer holidays. Now that you’re all grown up,
write your epitaph.
9. What was it like to revisit a place from your
childhood as an adult? Did the visit match your
memory of this place?
10. Take a photo with your phone of an occasion or a
memorable event (yes your memory will fade, so
photos are important), or find an old picture from
your library. Now, write about it.
11. Put on a pair of headphones, and listen to a piece
of music outside of your comfort zone. Now write
300 to 500 words about how it makes you feel.
12. Describe a physical injury. How did it happen,
what did it feel like and what was the result?
13. Consider a small private victory or, better yet, a
small, private defeat. Now write an honest account
of what happened.
14. Describe an experience, event or conversation that
you feel angry about today. What would you like to
do about it and say to those involved?
15. Do you have a secret that you haven’t told anyone?
Or do you know a secret about somebody else? It
should be something you don’t want your mother
to read. Now, start writing.

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 C O N Q U E R I N G W R I T E R' S B L O C K

“
W riting about a writer's block is better than not
writing at all.” – Charles Bukowski

Many successful authors go through unusual rituals before

they start writing. Roald Dahl, for example, wrote in a shed
behind his greenhouse. Before starting on books like Matilda
or The BFG, he got into a sleeping bag and pulled it up to his
waist. His biographer, Chris Powling, said:

He steps into a sleeping bag, pulls it up to his waist and

settles himself in a faded wing-backed armchair. His feet he
rests on a battered travelling case full of logs. This is roped
to the legs of the armchair so it’s always at a perfect distance.

So by all means, develop a personal creative ritual, such as

going to a set place or turning up at a set time, if they help
you start writing faster.
If you’re still struggling with writer’s block, you could
also read a great book, watch an inspiring film or visit an art

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

exhibition. Surrounding yourself with other people’s great

ideas often inspires fresh thinking.
Then, there are these writing prompts:

1. Like Charles Bukowski says, write about what

you’re blocked about...and why.
2. Skip the introduction. Start your conclusion
instead. Or start in the middle.
3. Take a great first line from a book you admire.
Write at the top of the page. Now, keep going.
When you’re done, delete the first line.
4. Write down the facts and everything else you
know about the topic you’re having trouble with.
Consider what it would mean if one of these facts
were untrue. What if the world wasn’t flat or we
weren’t the centre of the universe?
5. This prompt works better if you do it alongside
the previous one. Write down the weaknesses of
what you’ve written. Is it too long or too short?
Figure out what’s wrong with your work, and
fix it.
6. When you think about the topic you’re struggling
with, what do you feel in your gut? What does your
intuition tell you? Now, go.
7. Get into the habit of annotating important
sections in the books you read. Now, before you
start writing, review some of your annotations
for ideas, material and inspiration. If you’re
reading on a Kindle, use your device’s
flashcards.
8. Make a list of 10 things you want to include in
your current project. If that’s too hard, try 20. Or
100. The harder you make your brain work to

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B R YA N COLLINS

dump ideas onto the blank page, the more

outlandish ideas it will give you.
9. Instead of trying to write, just work on an outline.
Use single words and lists to identify key themes
or topics. If you’re a visual thinker, try a mind map.
10. Lower the bar. Instead of aiming for a word count
or a milestone, write whatever you want and
without any standards.
11. Keep a notepad next to where you sleep. If you
wake in the middle of the night, write down what
you were just dreaming about so you don’t forget.
Now the following morning, write about this note.
12. Write a letter to a friend and help them with
something they’re struggling with. You don’t have
to send the letter. Instead your goal is to get your
fingers moving over the keyboard and to relight
your creative spark.
13. Describe a favourite walk. Better yet, bring your
notebook and pen with you, and halfway through
your walk, sit down and write about what you can
see. You can try this with your commute too
(presuming you’re not driving).

6
 JOURNALING AND
INTROSPECTIVE WRITING

“
I t’s not my job to entertain anyone in my diary.” – David
Sedaris

I’ve kept paper and digital journals for 20 years, and it’s an
honest and expressive form of writing. It takes about 10 or
15 minutes to write an entry, and I do this three or four
mornings a week.
Journaling will help you document day-to-day life. It’ll
also help you identify negative thought patterns, set goals
and track your progress. Plus, it’s entertaining to read back
on old entries from several years ago, and it’s cheaper than
therapy.
Here’s an extract from a 2016 entry:
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m writing this journal with [my wife]
or one of my friends in mind, but there are times when the entries
are just for me. After all, they may never read these entries. Or they
might. I’m not sure which is worse. Although if they do read it they
either hacked the journal – it’s password protected – or I’m dead.

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B R YA N COLLINS

[My wife] went to Birmingham with work last night and is not
back until later tonight.
When I finished cleaning the house, I slept on the couch for an
hour. I woke up with a headache and took two paracetamol. It is
still lurking in my left temple. When I die, it will involve a massive
headache of some sort!
Sometimes what I write in here is just therapy and not an accu‐
rate reflection of how I feel.
I’ve been reading more about stoicism lately. There are some
fantastic mental strategies in the writings of Seneca et al. for
dealing with the demands of this modern materialistic life. He put
forward the idea of picturing the worst happening and... using the
realisation that this hasn’t happened to be more grateful for and
present with what’s in front of you.
So I should be grateful for my headache… passing.”

Famous authors like Vladimir Nabokov, Virginia Woolf and

John Cheever all kept journals. At the very least, you can
journal your progress while writing a book and document
your ideas as they unfold.
That said, there’s no wrong way to journal. Your entries
are for you and you alone. If you need help journaling, ask
yourself:

1. What did I do today, and what would I like to do

tomorrow?
2. How am I feeling right now? Is this emotion
affecting me physically in some way?
3. What one thing must I focus on this week, and
how can I go about doing it?
4. What should I stop doing and why? What should I
start doing more of and why?

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

5. What could I have done better this week, this

month or this year?
6. When I think of a private or embarrassing mistake
from my past, did I tell anyone about it, and what
did I learn from it?
7. What did I learn from the last book/article I read?
Now, how can I put these lessons into practice?
8. How did or could I help my friends and family?
9. In a month, a year or five years, where would I like
to be, and what would I like to have accomplished?
10. What would I like to say to somebody who
angered or wronged me in some way from my
past?
11. What three things am I grateful for right now
and why?
12. What would I like to say to the person who wrote
an entry in my journal 12 months ago?
13. If I had more courage, what would I do?
14. What unpleasant or difficult conversations am I
postponing?
15. What scares me most about death and why?

9
 WRITING ABOUT THE SAME
T O P I C I N D I F F E R E N T WAY S

“
W riting nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter
of shaping the research into the finished thing.” –
Joan Didion

Trent Hamm has been writing about personal finance almost

every day since starting the Simple Dollar in 2006. His focus
on a single topic helped him discover what he was good at.
He explains,

What I ended up realizing I had a knack for…a particular

flavor of half-memoir half-advice articles that I could write
quickly and relatively well. Is the writing great, the kind
you’d find in The New Yorker? Nope, and I don’t claim that it
is. Is it earnest and clear and helpful and always there with
new topics and thoughts? That’s what I’m striving for.

Today, the Simple Dollar is one of the biggest personal

finance blogs in the world.

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

Many non-fiction writers, like bloggers, specialise in a

niche. Like Trent notes, there’s pleasure in going deep rather
than wide, but some days you may feel like you’ve said all
you have to say... and yet your publication deadline looms
like a guillotine.
What’s a committed blogger or non-fiction writer
supposed to do?
Try these prompts:

1. What’s the one thing you know now about your

topic that you wish you’d known before you got
started? Alternatively, what don’t you know about
your topic or niche, and what would you like to
learn? Document your experiences.
2. List posts are the staple of the blogosphere, and
readers love them because they’re quick and easy
to read and digest. Use proven formats like “99
Reasons Why X is Better Than Y”, “The Top 100
Tools of Savvy [Insert Your Audience]” or “The X
Things Every [Insert Your Audience Type] Should
Do Before...”
3. Blog readers love learning how to achieve specific
outcomes. So share your expertise by writing
articles like “How to Accomplish More By...”, “The
Ultimate Guide to…” or “A Step-by-Step Guide
to...”
4. Instead of reinventing the wheel, why not trawl
through your archives and give some old articles,
opinions and ideas new life in the form of “My 5
Most Popular Posts of the Past Year,” “An Always
Up-To-Date Guide to...”, “An Introduction to
[Insert Topic]... Revisited” and so on.

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B R YA N COLLINS

5. Take a complicated topic you understand and

break it down into simple steps your readers can
follow. You could cover “How to Accomplish
[Insert Outcome] Faster Checklist”, “A Weekly
Checklist for...”, “Your Post [Insert Topic]
Checklist” and more.
6. Ask one of your readers, “What are you struggling
with?” Then, answer their question in your next
post or article.
7. Feature a reader in one of your articles as a case
study. Reveal how they put something you taught
or recommended into practice and what happened
next.
8. Type your topic or idea into Google News or a tool
like BuzzSumo. Study what’s trending or in the
news. Then write a reaction.
9. Go to a Q&A site like Quora and search for your
subject matter. Pick the question with the most
replies and views. Write your answer.
10. Go onto Goodreads and search for a book you
enjoy. Look at the most popular quotes. Pick one,
and use it as your prompt.
11. Repeat the same exercise as in #10, this time
searching BrainyQuote for a quote from an
influencer or expert that you admire. Use it as your
prompt.
12. Describe a recent personal accomplishment or
failure for your readers. Write about what you set
out to achieve, what challenges you overcame or
what went wrong?
13. Find a scientific study or research, pull out a
compelling statistic or quote and write your
reaction or opinion. I use sites like Harvard Business
Review and Psychology Today to do this.

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

14. Write about your creative process or your routine.

How do you find ideas, write about them and/or
create? How has your process or routine evolved?

13
 TELLING PERSONAL STORIES

“
S
Stein
ome writers squirm through the process, shifting
uncomfortably in their seats. That’s a good sign.” – Sol

I drank a large glass of green absinthe and smoked a badly

rolled joint of hashish. Then, I took the bus into Dublin city
centre, sipping on a plastic bottle filled with vodka and coke.
I was warm and buzzing when I arrived at Sarah’s 21st
birthday party. I ordered a pint of Budweiser and dropped a
shot of vodka into it.
“She looks hot,” I told Michael and his girlfriend. “I feel
like it’s Christmas.”
“Who does?” says Michael.
I pointed my thumb at Sarah.
Michael and his girlfriend look at each other and laughed.
At midnight, we gathered to wish Sarah happy birthday.
So I got in line behind the groomed, perfumed and more
sober college party-goers. I put both hands around Sarah’s
waist, pulled her close, kissed her ear.

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

“Haaappy birthday, Niamh. It’s Niamh isn’t it?”

She pushed me back and drew her hand back to slap me
across the face.
“It’s Sarah. How could you forget my name?”
“Absinthe,” I slurred.
Afterwards, I staggered to the bathroom cubicle, sat down
on the toilet and rested my head against the tiles.
I woke up when a barman banged on the toilet door.
“Get out! You must leave now. We’re closed,” he
shouted.
The bar was empty, and the lights were on. I looked at my
phone. It was after 3 a.m.
No missed calls.
Sarah didn’t say much to me in college after that. For
years afterwards, I panicked about getting people’s name
wrong after even a single drink.
I still squirm today even thinking of that night, when
people couldn’t wait to get away from me.
I almost left my embarrassing moment out of this book,
but there’s nothing more disappointing than the non-fiction
writer who looks away from their readers and doesn’t reveal
any personal details.
Even if you’re writing a non-fiction book, you must tell
personal stories if you want to connect with your readers. So
try writing about:

1. A surprising event or change of fortune. Was this

change for the best or the worst, and how did you
respond?
2. When you first met your mentor, teacher or guide.
How did you respond to them, and what did they
have to show you?

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B R YA N COLLINS

3. When you first met an enemy or antagonist. It

doesn’t have to be a person... it could be an inner
demon.
4. A rite of passage. How did the experience
change you?
5. When you went too far or didn’t go far enough.
What were the consequences?
6. When you dealt with a problem in your external
world or faced your inner demon. What did you
do, and what happened next?
7. An occasion when you felt like all was lost. How
did you pick yourself up off the dirt?
8. Something you did that makes you squirm even
today. The more personal the better.
9. When you faced a conflict with your surroundings,
friends or family. What was at stake, and how did
you respond?
10. When you were last provoked into action. What
did you do, and what happened next?
11. A difficult choice you faced. What were the stakes,
and how did you decide what to do?
12. A time you got completely lost or didn’t know
what you were doing. How did you find your way
back?
13. The aftermath of an unsettling, difficult or life-
altering event. What did you and those close to you
experience, feel or say?
14. Closure. What does it look like, and how did you
get there?

16
 BRINGING AUTHENTICITY INTO
Y O U R WO R K

“
W rite the truth” – Robert McKee

They say you should never meet your heroes; I disagree.

The author and creative writing instructor Robert McKee
is one of mine. In 2014, I attended his non-fiction writing
workshop in Kerry, Ireland.
For an entire day, I listened to him explain the art of
storytelling, but at the end of the workshop, I still wanted to
know: “How can a writer tell better stories?”
At 5 p.m, I asked Robert to sign my copy of his book and
pushed him for answers. He penned this advice, “Write the
truth.”
That night, on the train back to Dublin, I wondered about
his advice. So, I re-read his book Story, where he explains:

One of the sad truths of life is that there’s only one person in
this vale of tears that we ever really know, and that’s

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B R YA N COLLINS

ourselves. We’re essentially and forever alone. Yet...the truth

is we are all far more alike than we are different. We are all
human.

Whether you agree or disagree with Robert, he writes

about the truth as he sees it. And that’s authentic. As a writer,
it’s your job to find the truth as you see it and bring this into
your work.
So:

1. Give yourself or your subject a dilemma. It could

be a moral, professional, personal, financial or
something else altogether. But the bigger the
better. Now, open with that.
2. Go to a coffee shop, bar or restaurant. Listen
carefully and record a snippet of conversation you
overhear. Now, use this snippet in what you write
next.
3. Pick a piece of writing where you explain a topic
or idea. Now, inject dialogue or a real conversation
into what you just wrote or described. “I’ve got no
time for this,” he said. “Well, don’t come around
here complaining nobody reads your work,” she
replied.
4. Consider a great film you watched or book you
read. What’s the core idea behind this film or
book? Now, write about that.
5. Distil the core of what you’re currently writing
into a single sentence. Now, use this sentence as a
tool to decide what to write more of and what
to cut.
6. Insert a sensory detail into your work. Did the
coffee taste bitter? Was his skin cold to touch? Did

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

her voice sound like a cat being castrated? Were his

eyes bloodshot? Did he reek of gone-off tuna? And
so on.
7. Write about a single image that will give your
work more resonance. It could be an everyday
object, a place, a colour or a decorative design.
8. Interview a would-be reader, and ask them about
their biggest challenge related to what you’re
writing about. Now, use what they tell you next as
your introduction.
9. Go back and review your work. Now, rewrite a
section from a different perspective i.e., from the
point of view of an interviewee or a bystander.
10. Challenge your internal editor to… shut the hell up
so you can get some work done. It doesn’t matter if
you succeed or fail (at least for the purposes of
what you’re writing). It’s more important to write
honestly about what happened and without
holding back.
11. Every great hero possesses a flaw. Superman is
vulnerable to kryptonite. Han Solo is brave to the
point of recklessness. What’s yours?
12. Ask why. Now, answer. Ask why again. Keep
answering. Ask why again. Once more with
feeling.
13. What values do you (or the people you’re writing
about) believe in, and what risks would you/they
take to hold true to these values? Typical values
and their antithesis include justice/injustice,
freedom/imprisonment, honesty/deception,
love/indifference and so on.
14. Write about a time when you or your subject
compromised on what they believe in.

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15. Rather than telling readers how an event unfolded,

show them. Use dialogue and action. Dramatise it.
Instead of “I felt angry”, it’s “I threw the cup against
the wall.”

20
 INJECTING COLOUR INTO YOUR
WRITING

“
C haos in the midst of chaos isn't funny, but chaos in
the midst of order is.” – Steve Martin

Great writing often lies in rewriting. When you get to this

point, it’s time to spice up your work so that it becomes
more memorable.
Inject some colour and flavour by elaborating on your
stories, playing around with your prose and clarifying your
train of thought. These colourful writing prompts should
help you do just that:

1. Abandon logic. See below.

2. Insert a historical figure or celebrity into your
work. “Ernest Hemingway and I, we go way back.”
3. Count up the numbers from an everyday activity
you’ve described and have fun with them. “Today, I
dealt with 147 emails, 37 WhatsApp messages, five

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text messages, three missed calls and one angry

boss. Today, was a good day.”
4. Write an inappropriate response. “I gave my
boyfriend my first draft to read. He told me he
hated it. So I burnt down his house.”
5. Poke fun at some prevailing wisdom from your
area of expertise. Oscar Wilde said, “When I was
young, I thought that money was the most
important thing in life. Now that I'm old – I know
it is.”
6. Use the rule of three, remembering to save the
most colourful word or idea for last. Homer
Simpson said, “Bart, a woman is like a beer. They
look good, smell good, and you’d step over your
own mother just to get one!”
7. Put one of your characters in an unusual context.
In his poem, A Supermarket in California, Allen
Ginsberg wrote, “I saw you, Walt Whitman,
childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the
meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery
boys.”
8. Inject some self-deprecation into your work. “I
think writers should get paid what they’re worth.
So I wrote myself a cheque for a dollar.”
9. Take two opposite, disconnected or competing
ideas and mush them together. “After spending a
day writing, I love nothing more than unwinding
at a good book burning.”
10. If you’ve written a longer piece, pick an idea from
the start of your work, and write a throwback to
this idea at the end. Do you remember when I
compared writer’s block to bungee jumping in the
Introduction? Well, go read the Conclusion of this
book.

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 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

11. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, says, “Humour

writing is a lot like business writing. It needs to be
simple. The main difference is in the choice of
words. For humour, don’t say ‘drink’ when you can
say ‘swill’”. So peruse through your masterpiece,
pluck out an everyday word and in its place, leave
an alternative delight from your thesaurus.
12. Overstate your solution to a problem. “I didn’t feel
like I was getting much done, so I started getting
up early. After my alarm goes off, I meditate for an
hour, lift weights, brew coffee, write 2,000 words,
catch up on my email, make breakfast and read the
newspaper. Around then the sun is rising, so I
really need to get going.”
13. Increase the prize for success. “If you write your
book, you’ll be able to quit the job you hate, earn a
full-time living from writing and maybe even buy
your own island just like Richard Branson.”
14. Raise the penalty for failure. “If you don’t write
your book, you’ll have to hand back that fat
advance you spent on a trip to Necker Island, your
wife will leave you for the tanned pool cleaner
with a six-pack and J.K. Rowling will stop taking
your calls.”

23
 YOUR 101ST WRITING PROMPT

“
I need a beer to calm my nerves,” I said.
I crouched down on the ground, and while the
bungee instructor undid the cord, I pressed my shaking
hands onto the wet concrete.
“God, it’s good to be back down here with all of you,” I
said to a friend.
He slapped me on the back.
“I didn’t think you’d jump,” he said.
“Neither did I.”
To say ‘jump’ was a bit of stretch. I knew I’d just fallen
through the air like a white egg on a string, and although my
plunge lasted just a few seconds, I hated every moment.
Still, I felt good about proving my hecklers wrong. But
that night I told a friend, “I’ll never climb up a crane or
jump off one like that again. We’re not meant to fall
through the air at speed. And besides, I just realised I hate
heights.”
“Who knew?” said my friend.
“I did,” I said. “Or at least, I do now.”
Trying to write a book for the first time or overcoming a

24
 YES, YO U C A N W R IT E !

creative problem like writer’s block can feel terrifying in a

different way.
But you can use a writing prompt to overcome your fears,
and unlike bungee jumping, it’ll help you figure out what
type of writing you enjoy and what type of writing you
dislike. You’ll improve your craft too.
These days when I try to write a book chapter, an article
or blog post, I usually have a good idea of what it’s about in
advance.
I look down at the blank page, and I hesitate.
But sometimes the blinking cursor asks me, “What have
you got?” and I don’t have an answer.
But sometimes I wonder if I even know what I’m doing.
So I turn to my list of prompts, write one at the top of the
page, and I step out.
No fears. No expectations. No opening the window to
call the dog.
Just me, my prompt and the rapidly filling blank page.
Now, my list of writing prompts works for me... because I
wrote them. No, that’s not the sound of my over-sized ego
banging off the ceiling.
For your 101st writing prompt, I’d like you to create your
own list of writing prompts and add to it over time.
Whether you’re writing a journal entry, a blog post or a
book chapter, keeping a personal library of writing prompts
will save you hours of wasted time.
Use a notepad.
Use a digital app like Evernote. Use the back of your hand
if you have to... but build your personal library of writing
prompts.
Start by taking a great first line from your favourite book,
writer or story. You could go on to record snippets of
conversations, headlines you like and even ideas you come
across in great books. Use what works and discard the rest.

25
B R YA N COLLINS

If you do this, you won’t have to perch yourself over the

blank page and wonder if you’ve got what it takes to become
a successful writer.
Instead, you’ll be able to say, “Yes, I can write!”

26
 FURTHER RESOURCES FOR
FINDING WRITING PROMPTS

Bryan Cohen has written a series of books with writing

prompts based around events, occasions and characters, the
most comprehensive book being his boxset 1,000 Creative
Writing Prompts Box Set.
If you like using great first lines as prompts, The First Line
Generator will spew one up at random from a great book.
Musicians Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno created The
Oblique Strategies in 1975. These are a set of cards or prompts
for musicians, but they can be used for all types of creative
work.
Reddit has a comprehensive forum packed full of writing
prompts, with a heavy emphasis on fiction writing.
Ryan Andrew Kinder has gathered more writing prompts
than you shake a blank page at in his book 1,000 Awesome
Writing Prompts.
The Story Shack offers a useful writing prompt generator
for fiction writers.
The New York Times has a specific list of writing prompts
for narrative and personal fiction.
If you want to inject more colour into your writing,

27
F U R T HER RESOURCES FOR FINDING WRITING PRO M P T S

check out The Comic Tool Box: How to Be Funny Even If You're
Not by John Vorhaus.
If you want to write more jokes, read Comedy Writing
Secrets by Mel Helitzer.
Natalie Goldberg’s book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing
the Writer Within doesn’t cover writing prompts specifically,
but she goes into great detail about how to find ideas and
tackle problems like writer’s block. The audio version,
narrated by Natalie, is a particular pleasure.
Robert McKee’s book Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and
the Principles of Screenwriting is essential reading if you want
to tell better stories.
Evernote is a great place to build your library of personal
writing prompts. Alternatives include Simplenote and
Google Keep.
If you want to practice journaling, the app Day One is
purpose-built for just that. You can even include photos
alongside your time and location-stamped entries.

28
 DON’T FORGET YOUR FREE BOOK

I want to give you a free copy of The Savvy Writer’s Guide

to Productivity. It will help cut months off how long it takes
you to write your book, using my best tactics and strategies.

If you want to get this book, please visit http://

becomeawritertoday.com/yes

29
 TOP TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR
T O D AY ' S W R I T E R S

What follows in this section is a list of tools I use and rely on as an

indie author.
The list is relatively long, and (depending on what your book is
about) you won’t need to use all of these tools.
If you’re facing a technical problem, these tools can help.
Please remember, writing your book is more important than
mastering any tool. So pick a useful tool and get back to writing
and marketing your book.
If you’re reading this on print or you want more information,
you can find my always-up-to-date list blogging and writing tools
at http://becomeawritertoday.com/writing-apps/.

FOR EDITING AND PROOFREADING

Grammarly
This is my proofreading and grammar checker applica‐
tion of choice. It costs $29.95 per month, but there are
discounts available for quarterly and annual subscriptions.
Get a 20% discount https://becomeawritertoday.com/try-
grammarly-today

31
TO P TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY 'S WRITE R S

ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is a good alternative to Grammarly. As a
grammar checker, it excels at long-form content. Get a 20%
discount: https://becomeawritertoday.com/try-prowriting-
aid

FOR WRITING YOUR BOOK

Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking

I use Dragon software to dictate early drafts of blog posts,
book chapters and articles. This piece of software enables me
to write faster, and it also reduces the amount of time I
spend struggling with repetitive strain injury (RSI). In this
article, I explain how to get started with dictation http://
becomeawritertoday.com/speech-to-text
Evernote
If I have an idea for a book that I don’t want to forget, I
keep it in here. I also save articles I like into Evernote as part
of my personal swipe file. Sometimes, I take photos of mind
maps on my whiteboard with my phone and put them in
Evernote too. It’s my digital brain.
IA Writer
This is a useful minimalist writing app for Mac and iOS.
The font Nitti Light is worth the price of admission alone. I
use IA Writer for writing short articles on the go.
iMindMap
I’ve used these affordable tools to create mind maps in
the past. They’re easy to learn too. Alternatively, you can
create a mind map using pen and paper. To see how I use
mindmaps for writing, visit https://becomeawritertoday.
com/mind-mapping/
A Moleskine notebook
No, there’s no need to use a Moleskine notebook for
writing or capturing ideas, but I’m drawn to the build quality

32
 TOP TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY ' S W R IT E R S

of these notebooks and the feel of the paper. I’ve a box full of
these near where I write.
Scrivener
I can’t recommend Scrivener enough. I use it to write
blog posts and books. I’ve used Scrivener to write feature
articles for newspapers, reports, a thesis and books. Other
useful writing apps include Ulysses, Pages and IA Writer. Get
my free Scrivener blogging template at http://
becomeawritertoday.com/using-scrivener-blogging-ulti
mate-guide/
Vellum
This application enables indie authors to edit and create
professional looking books for every store and device with
ease. I write books like this in Scrivener, export to Vellum,
lay the book out and then create the relevant file for
Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and so on. Sorry Windows fans, it’s
Mac-only for now.

Kibin
Unlike many proofreading and editing services, Kibin
will edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence struc‐
ture and more. I’ve sent book chapters and articles to this
service. See http://Kibin.com.
ProWritingAid
This software integrates with popular writing
applications like Word and Scrivener. It costs $40 per year.
Hemingway Editor
If you’re not a confident writer, don’t worry. Hemingway
App will review your text and, in the spirit of Ernest
Hemingway, it will tell you what to remove or edit so your
writing is bold and clear.
Reedsy
If you want to find a book editor, proof-reader or cover
designer, Reedsy takes the hassle out of it. When you sign up,

33
TO P TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY 'S WRITE R S

you get access to a community of self-publishing profes‐

sionals that are ready to work with you and on your book.
See http://Reedsy.com.

FOR COMMISSIONING A BOOK COVER

Reedsy enables authors to find editors, designs and more.

The Book Designer runs a monthly competition
featuring some of the indie industry’s best book cover
designers. Find a cover you like and then contact them. Visit
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/
I’ve used 99designs to find a designer to create a book
cover for one of my books. If you want a professional design
(like a logo, business card or packaging) for your online busi‐
ness, 99designs is a good place to start too. See https://
becomeawritertoday.com/99designs-competition/
The Book Cover Designer offers a large selection of pre-
made covers that you can customise. Visit: thebookcoverde
signer.com.
Joanna Penn provides a list of book cover design
resources on at thecreativepenn.com.

OTHER TOOLS I R ECOMMEND FOR AUTHORS

A whiteboard
I keep a large whiteboard next to where I write. It’s a
great way of capturing and organising ideas. I also use it for
mind maps and for creating outlines for articles, chapters
and even books. I find a whiteboard less confining than
traditional digital tools.
Audible
As a writer, your inputs (what you read, listen to and
watch) are just as important as your outputs (what you write,
paint or draw). I spend at least an hour a day listening to

34
 TOP TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY ' S W R IT E R S

audiobooks that I purchased from Audible on my

smartphone.
If you sign up, they’ll give you your first audiobook for
free. To learn more about creating your audiobook, please
see https://becomeawritertoday.com/how-to-make-an-
audiobook/
BookFunnel
If you want to send copies of your book to beta readers or
distribute Advanced Reader Copies (ARC), use BookFunnel.
Once you upload your files, send readers a link. It automati‐
cally provides them the correct version of your book along‐
side instructions about how to open it.
Brain.fm
Brain.fm provides AI-generated music for focus, relax‐
ation and deep work. When I use this, I find I can enter a
state of creative flow faster. Plug in a pair of headphones, and
you’re good to go.
Buffer
I use Buffer to share articles, photos and social media
updates by myself and others on Instagram, Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. Buffer simplifies sharing
social media updates across multiple networks and enables
you to schedule your updates in advance. You can enable
others to manage your social media profiles… leaving you
more time to work on your creative projects.
Day One
For years, I wrote journal entries in a password-protected
file in my computer. When I last checked, the file was over
150,000 words long, it took several seconds to open and was
slow to navigate.
Now, I use Day One. It supports Markdown (a method
for converting plain text to HTML) and pictures. It also
simplifies finding older entries. There are versions for Mac
and iOS.

35
TO P TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY 'S WRITE R S

Freedom
If you keep getting distracted while writing, use the app
Freedom. It will disable your internet access for a pre-deter‐
mined period, allowing you to focus on writing and not on
cat videos!
G Suite
It’s time to put the hard-drives and USB keys away.
Essentially, G Suite enables me to send and receive emails
from the becomeawritertoday.com domain (bryan[at]Be‐
comeAWriterToday.com) using the Gmail interface.
I also get lots of additional cloud storage and can easily
collaborate with other writers, editors and designers.
Google Forms/Survey Monkey
Both of these tools are great for capturing the opinions of
beta and ARC readers. It only takes a few minutes to set up a
survey, and you can send it to members of your email list (if
you have one).
Kindle Spy
Kindle Spy is a great tool that will help you see what
books are selling on Amazon and how much they earn. Then
you can use this information to increase sales of your book.
KDP Rocket
KDPRocket is the other tool in my arsenal for doing
market research and checking out what sells on Amazon.
LeadPages
I use LeadPages to create landing and squeeze pages for
my books. I also use it to create sign-up forms for my
mailing list. See https://becomeawritertoday.com/leadpages-
review/
Logitech MX Master 2S/M510 Mouse
I use these wireless laser mice alongside gel-wrist
supports. They help me avoid RSI.
Web-hosting
For your author website or blog, I suggest hosting with

36
 TOP TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TODAY ' S W R IT E R S

Siteground. If you need help, check out my detailed guide on

how to start a blog: https://becomeawritertoday.com/start-
a-blog/
Screenflow for Mac
This is a great tool for recording video and screencasts.
It’s also relatively simple to edit your recordings and export
them to a format suitable for Facebook, YouTube or your
website. Also, consider Camtasia.
Upwork
No matter how talented or hard-working you are, it’s
impossible to do everything alone. Upwork is a great service
for finding designers, editors and more who can help you
with time-consuming tasks so you can spend more time
writing books.
I’ve used Upwork to hire video editors and also devel‐
opers who fixed problems on my website.
PickFu
This poll service is useful for A/B testing book covers and
titles.

37
 B E C O M E A W R I T E R T O D AY

Yes, You Can Write!

101 Proven Writing Prompts that Will Help You Find
Creative Ideas Faster for Your Journal, Blogging, Writing
Your Book and More
(Book 1)

The Savvy Writer’s Guide to Productivity

How to Work Less, Finish Writing Your Story or Book, and
Find the Success You Deserve
(Book 2)

The Art of Writing a Non-Fiction Book

An Easy Guide to Researching, Creating, Editing, and Self-
publishing Your First Book
(Book 3)

http://becomeawritertodaybook.com

39
 T H E P OW E R O F C R E AT I V I T Y

Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and

Change Your Life
(Book 1)

An Uncommon Guide to Mastering Your Inner Genius and

Finding New Ideas That Matter
(Book 2)

How to Conquer Procrastination, Finish Your Work and

Find Success
(Book 3)

http://thepowerofcreativitybook.com

41
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In this life, Bryan Collins is an author.

In another life, he worked as a journalist and radio
producer. Before that, he plucked chickens. He is passionate
about helping people accomplish more with their writing
projects, and when he’s not writing, he’s running.
At becomeawritertoday.com, Bryan offers new writers
practical advice about writing, creativity, productivity and
more. His work has appeared on Fast Company, Lifehacker
and Copyblogger.
Bryan holds a degree in communications and journalism,
a diploma in social care, a master’s degree in disability
studies and a diploma in digital media.
You can reach him on Twitter @BryanJCollins, via email
at [email protected] or join his Become a
Writer Today Facebook page.
Bryan is also the author of the novella Poor Brother, Rich
Brother and a three-part series The Power of Creativity.
He lives an hour outside of Dublin.

becomeawritertoday.com
[email protected]
 © 2018-2021 by Bryan Collins.

Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express consent is

strictly prohibited.

Yes You Can Write

101 Proven Writing Prompts that Will Help You Find Creative Ideas Faster
for Your Journal, Blogging, Writing Your Book and More

Become a Writer Today