And now for something completely different … using @valentine.195’s Dice Roller plugin to generate writing prompts!
Roll out writing prompts like dice
The newer versions of the Dice Roller plugin allow “rolling” text components and table content from other notes. This inspired me to (mis-)use the Dice Roller to generate writing prompts.
In one file, Writing prompts with dice roller, I keep the dice: … commands that generate random writing prompts, in a second file Writing prompts - Blocks some tables that describe
- Character (protagonists),
- Place,
- Event,
- Conflict, and
- words that must be used.
A simple example looks like this:
Writing prompts with dice roller.md
# Writing prompts with dice roller
`dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^character]]` `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^place]]` `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^event]]`. `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^conflict]]`
*Write a piece of flash fiction (500–1000 words) that describes the action he or she takes to overcome the conflict and reach the goal!*
It must contain the words `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^word]]`, `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^word]]` and `dice: [[Writing prompts - Blocks#^word]]`.
Writing prompts - Blocks.md
# Writing prompts - Blocks
| Character |
| ------------------- |
| A sailor |
| A bartender |
| A teacher |
| A musician |
| A robot |
| A group of children |
| A young couple |
| A middle-aged woman |
| A space pirate |
^character
| Place |
| ------------------------- |
| on an ice planet |
| in the jungle |
| in a bar |
| in the distant future |
| in a spaceship |
| in a galaxy far, far away |
^place
| Event |
| ---------------------------------------- |
| discovers a dead body |
| becomes orphaned |
| discovers a ghost |
| breaks up a relationship |
| unexpectedly bumps into his/her soulmate |
| runs into the path of a psychopath |
| contacts an old friend |
| urgently needs to contact an old partner |
| contacts an old lover |
| wants to become anonymous |
| wants to avoid getting arrested |
| inherits a mysterious gem |
| finds a mysterious blinking device |
| falls into a deep cave |
^event
| Conflict |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Unfortunately, the bus breaks down in the middle of the night. |
| By ill luck, a tire runs flat. No one is there to help, and the spare wheel is missing. |
| The most important meeting in the protagonist’s life—missed! |
| Regrettably, the most important secret has now been let out. |
| This has been the greatest misconception ever. |
| The protagonist gets attacked by the evil villain. |
| An angry swarm of alien bees suddenly attacks. |
| A large brown bear suddenly appears and rises threateningly. |
| Out of the blue, a deep fear grips the protagonist. |
| There is no means of communication. |
| Desperately looking around for any tools that could help, he finds … Nothing! |
^conflict
| Word |
| ---------- |
| eel |
| stone |
| meltdown |
| quantum |
| warp core |
| light year |
| battle |
^word
You can of course add your own prompting texts, additional tables and whatnot.
Let us know your inspirational ideas for writing prompts!