Word list for writing stories

Writing prompts are a great way to inspire your creative process and generate interesting ideas for your novel.

Because I’ve been there: wondering what topics to write about or if your imagination is as cool as you think it is, and then coming up with… nada.

Not exactly a confidence-booster.

But as always, you are not alone in this. The pressure to produce is heavy, and a massive reason why writing is so difficult. You are literally creating an entire world, whether fiction or real, for a stranger to invest in. And your brain comes up with… nada??

Gimme a break.

A lot of people have told me they want to quit writing because of this pressure. Whether you’re in that same boat, want to explore new ideas, or are just looking for a solid creative writing exercise, you could definitely use a good ol’ writing prompt!

Writing prompts are effective because they remove the pressure of a blank slate. Although the blank page may be there, you no longer feel the pressure to come up with the ‘perfect’ idea from your very own brain. You’re no longer placing high expectations on yourself, but rather thinking, how can I make this cheesy line of dialogue actually sound good? I can write the hell out of that conflict! *brushes off shoulder and proceeds to be magnificent*

That’s the beauty of it: prompts allow you to formulate ideas from something external, not internal. And it changes everything about the creative writing process.

One line of dialogue, a scene flash, or just 4 little words, and your brain will automatically begin to fill in the blanks. I love word list prompts in particular because they give you the barest bones of a story and still your brain instantly wants to construct the context. Just like that, you’re no longer stuck at square 1.  

So, I invite you to surrender to the awesomeness of writing prompts. Sit down comfortably, grab a reservoir of chocolate and pat yourself on the back for already being magnificent. Let your expectations drift away, and write!

These are my 11 word prompts I wanted to share with you. Choose your favorite, pick one at random, or write out one every day, whatever works for you!

Just promise me one thing: explore your creative writing process and open yourself to the possibilities. No pressure here 🙂

Ready to boost your writing like a pro?

I want to give you a *free copy* of The Ultimate Descriptive Language Cheat Sheet! This descriptive writing word list has hundreds of interesting & unique words guaranteed to elevate your narrative, and make sure your reader is invested. Write on!

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Posted by on June 10, 2011

EDIT: [ This is the most-read post on this blog ]

“For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

It’s said Ernest Hemingway wrote that six word story. I checked my list of the 1200 most common English words and “sale” wasn’t there but “sell” was. “Worn” wasn’t there but “wear” was. All the other words were there except “shoes”. Not even “shoe” was there…

Of course, that particular list may not be definitive but there is another list of 1000 most common words that has “shoes”.

Even though I’m not the kind of person who actually takes writing challenges, I’ve noticed that many of my blogging buddies do

So, the challenge is on!

I got my first list of most common words quite awhile ago and saved it till I could figure out how to use it in a blog post.

This quote from Mark Twain gave me the idea for my challenge: “I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.”

And, even though the first list I’m going to give you may not be definitive, from the description given about its sources, it certainly sounds useful: “This list is from Rebecca Sitton’s “Spelling Sourcebook” {<— that link is a download…} It’s a ‘cross-referenced compilation’ of several massive word studies, including the American Heritage Word Frequency Study (Carroll, Davies, Richman), and several other studies, including the work of Gates, Horn, Rinsland, Greene and Loomer, Harris and Jacobsen.”

So, even though I doubt any of my readers will take the challenge, I’ll still spell it out:

You need to use the 1200 words in the list at that last link:

“The first 25 [words] make up about one-third of all printed material in English. The first 100 make up about one-half of all written material, and the first 300 make up about sixty-five percent of all written material in English.”

You can write a story of any length but I hope you’ll make it fit into the comments section of this post (or, send it to me at amzolt (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll put it in a follow-up post). And, finally, if you don’t see the exact form of a word (like there’s no “worn” but “wear” is on the list), you can change tense or plurality…

The Challenge Is Over
But…
Find out who the winner was and read her story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post
AND, Get A Free Copy of Our Book

Written by A Guest Author March 7th, 2017

Creating a story using a specific list of words takes not only imagination, but also skill. Whether for a class assignment, writing challenge or improvisational game, this tests the true ability of a writer to build a story based on unrelated word choices. Essentially, these tasks tell how effective you are as a communicators and help you learn to be a concise writer. The strength of a writer can be measured in the power of his words. This is determined by word choice. Simply put, extra words take away from your story or message. Weigh your words carefully or the weight of your story becomes too heavy to carry its meaning.

Writing Your Story

Step 1

Get your word list. Whether assigned or from an Internet search, find your word choices. For a challenge, you can find many word lists on the web or even in the back of a dictionary. All types of lists are available from commonly misspelled or confused words to homonyms and synonyms and other words for “said” in dialogue. You can even create your own list.

Step 2

Carefully review your word list. This is the time to choose a topic, theme or genre. Examine each word, looking them up in a dictionary if necessary. Search for a commonality. Do the words have anything in common? Do they describe a character or setting? Do they remind you of a particular experience or person? Does a theme come to mind? You have finally determined what you will write about.

Step 3

Brainstorm your story. Using the commonality you found in the word list, build your writing piece. Jot down ideas by diagramming or outlining your story, and list the appropriate words next to the concepts. In this step, you are determining how you will use your words as you write. You are carefully weighing them.

Step 4

Write your story in carefully crafted, concise sentences. Consult your list and story outline or diagram. Create individual sentences with words from your list. As you move from a word list to a sentence list, you will see lines from your piece beginning to appear.

Step 5

Thread your sentences together. After you have finished your sentences and used all your words, review them for structure and sequencing. Spot the common ideas and topics, and organize them into paragraphs. Use transitional words or phrases as necessary. You may have to reword or create new sentences to make sure they read well.

Step 6

Read over your story. Does it make sense? Have you carefully considered your words? Do you effectively communicate the message you are seeking? You may be using a word list, but you are still entrusted with the job of a writer—to tell a story.

Step 7

Edit and revise. Make sure you have included all of the necessary words. If your sentences do not flow while reading, try writing them again. Don’t hesitate to return to your original word list for inspiration or more ideas. Always correct punctuation and grammar.