As with most cliches, hearing “why don’t you try thinking out of the box” used as legitimate advice makes me wonder if I’m trapped in some Office Space nightmare. No doubt, this was an incredibly original thing to say the first time. But I wonder if it was good advice even then.

Success from the Nest posts on the benefits of imposing restrictions to your creativity. It’s a common belief that wide-open freedom is necessary to be creative, but how do you feel about a blank page? Imposing some restrictions can spark creativity by giving you something to build on. The Creative Adaptation series by Success from the Nest also discusses creativity based on inspiration from others. It’s true: no idea has ever been created in a vacuum. It’s also true that your grade school teacher was right: plagiarism is wrong. But there are many wide lands of opportunity between the opposing poles of the blank page and plagiarism.

Writing prompts are a great way to stretch your creativity by starting out with a limit. Here’s a list I wrote previously, or here’s a few to get you started:

• Pick an object to write about. Start with the table in front of you or the chair you’re sitting on if you can’t think of anything else.
• Copy down the first line of a poem or story you haven’t read. Write your own story or poem based on that first line and see where it takes you. Then discard the original line. If you use a piece with which you’re unfamiliar, you won’t be distracted by the original.
• Analyze a story you like. Finally, all those literature classes you took in college might come in handy. But don’t get too carried away trying to identify all the symbolism or the influences on the writer. Instead, think about what you like about the story. Is it the characters, the setting, the language? Pick one of these elements and hone in. What attracts you about the main character? Is she adventurous, rebellious? Does she have a quiet wisdom that draws people to her? Write a character with some of these qualities, but make sure you don’t just recreate your source. Change the gender, upbringing, location, job, or crisis for your character. Before long, you may have a whole story unfolding.

Sometimes imposing restrictions can provide a springboard by getting your own ideas flowing. Other times focusing on one topic or method can stimulate ideas you might never have had otherwise. Don’t feel trapped just because you’re in a box. Try exploring the corners before breaking out.

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