If you’ve been writing picture books for a while, you may have noticed that ideas sometimes arrive in bursts—and sometimes they don’t arrive at all.
When inspiration feels distant, a playful prompt can often reopen the door. The goal isn’t to produce a finished manuscript right away. It’s simply to spark curiosity.
Here are a few prompts I often share with writers:
1. The Unexpected Pairing
Combine two elements that don’t normally belong together.
A pirate who hates water.
A dragon who collects teacups.
A tree that grows marbles.
Unexpected combinations are fertile ground for story ideas.
2. The Emotional Opposite
Take a familiar emotional arc and flip it. Instead of a character overcoming fear, what if the story explores feeling the fear and doing it anyway?
Small shifts can reveal entirely new story paths.
3. The Rule of Three Twist
Picture books often use the Rule of Three for structure. Try creating three attempts—but let the third surprise both the reader and yourself.
4. The Object Story
Choose an ordinary object and imagine its secret life.
What does a lost mitten experience during the summer?
What adventures might a runaway ball have?
How does a dog toy feel about being played with?
The wonderful thing about prompts is that they free you from pressure. They allow the imagination to wander. And sometimes that wandering leads to exactly the story you were meant to write.
So if your creative well feels a little dry, try approaching the blank page with playfulness. You may be surprised at what bubbles up!
