In one of our previous Writing Prompts, I asked you to pick a favorite line from a book and use it as a starting point for your own story. Now, however, I’m telling you to use a “starting point” as a way to combat getting stuck in a scene or suffering through days of writer’s block.
No matter where you are in your story—beginning, middle, or end—if you find yourself unsure of how to proceed with the plot or a scene, just allow yourself to imagine for a moment that you’re starting at the beginning. Take everything about your characters and their situation now and break it down into its most basic, but intriguing layout. Remember that excitement you always have, putting down that first line of a story you know is going to be great? Bring that into play here. Remember how you want to hook your reader with a solid line that hints at strange and exciting things to come without giving anything away entirely? Bring that into play here. Let the idea of starting from scratch without actually starting from scratch alter your perspective on where to take things from this point forward.