Yes, there’s multiple writing prompts residing in this article with one thing in mind: pictures! Though they are worth a thousand words, they are also worth countless prompts! Unlike my other writing prompts, this post will include three writing prompts around photos, but just know there are many, many more! In fact, leave a comment on this post of your own approaches to writing prompts from photos.
Random or Selected Photos from your Phone - If you ever find that you’re in a bind and you need a quick writing prompt, than this one is for you! Your phone’s photo gallery may may be field full of pic-based landmines of random and/or wild pictures, endless selfies, screenshots of memes, several group pics, some tasteful thirst traps, receipts, or even a poorly taking photo of the moon — but there’s a lot of rich writing inspiration there. Have your writing group select a picture from their phone to write about. To reduce the scrolling time, I often say “the very last photo” or I select a 1-10 number (or ask for a selection) and say “select the fifth to last photo you’ve taken” or even as identify a word (like “mural” or “people” or “theater” or a designated city or even a specific date) and see what photos pop up in the search — whichever photo is selected, they write a story or a poem or a scene about it.
Write on a Specific Photo You’ve Shared with the Group - There’s a bit of magic and charm to sharing a singular photo that others get to all explore. You may want to share something that offers complexity — my instagram is littered pictures of murals and pieces from exhibits or local vendors, so finding a piece that has many components or details or just a lot happening within offers options for your writing group. Folks may see the same thing and yet find differing stories for what they yearn to tell or even may find varying focal points. The context for it — either artist statement, background on the person, where you saw it — could offer insight into the prompt, but you could also just share the picture and see what resonates with your recipients. (If the artist statement or artist has any poetry of influence or music to accompany their piece, that could also enhance the prompt experience.)
Bringing a Picture into Focus - Inviting members of the group to bring a picture into whatever writing space you are in could also be a great way to explore a prompt. Ahead of time, instructing folks to bring a picture of something — it could be a picture of sky, it could be a landscape, it could be a mural, it could be a hectic scene, etc. — whatever you prompt them to bring, allow everyone to share the photo and open up an invitation for each participant to silent select one and write a prompt on it. (If you are concerned about leaving someone out whose photo doesn’t get chosen, you can have people claim a picture that calls to them or have people pre-assigned to others and be given a photo.)
External art can always be an inspiration for writing prompts — and we can’t discount some of stories that could be crafted from the intentional or random or chaotically captured or artfully achieved photos that exist within our phone gallery.
3 simple prompts with a LOT of options for outcomes that can easily be repeated with a multitude of creative outcomes. Enjoy! And share your own photo prompts if you have them!