Do you ever think “Ugh, I’d totally write a new blog post, if I just had something to say?” Or maybe, “I’m sick and tired of writer’s block but I don’t know what to do about it!”
We’ve all been there — those days when the light bulb seems dim, if not burned out. To give you a little creative push and get that writerly mojo flowing again, we’ve added a new service called Plinky.com.
Each weekday, Plinky provides a prompt — like a question or a challenge — and you type in an answer. To keep it interesting, prompts are a mixed bag of fun commands (“Write a haiku about the last meal you ate”) to more thoughtful questions (“What is your favorite summer memory?”)
To get started, sign up for a new account at Plinky. Then, add your WordPress.com blog to your Plinky account, which will let you share your answer. We’re excited to see what you’ll create, and we hope to feature some of the best Plinky answers on WordPress.com. But we can’t feature your Plinky posts without your help: You’ll need to add a “Plinky” tag to your blog post, so that it appears on the Plinky tag page.
Support instructions for using Plinky on your WordPress.com blog.
WordPress.com News 
Awesome…finally something to keep my mind going. Thanks for making my life easier…lolol =)
I’ll give this a go 🙂
Thank you for that.. very nice
Hi! I just tried to sign up and it said ‘sorry we can’t assign you an plinky account at this time’ – did I do something wrong or is the system maybe just overloaded right now?! Thanks! 🙂
Hi there — thanks for letting us know! We’re looking into it and one of us will get back to you.
i’m not a one of those who have to produce at least 1 interesting entry per day to entertain the public. but i appreciate the way you guys always have ideas to spice up our lives. thanks heaps! (;
{this is why i :heart: WP}
Twitter comes to WordPress, eh?
I am not sure that Plinky will help for business blogs.
hmmm…may have to check this out. ^_^
I only blog once per week myself due to time constraints and not for lack of ideas, but always appreciate the advice on how to unleash the creative flow! Brightest and Best>M.
Plinky is great when writer’s block is caused by true lack of topics to write about. Many are using “writer’s block” as an excuse for themselves, being afraid to write about stuff they *really* care about.
Does everyone get the same lead everyday? lol You’ll have hundreds of us writing about the same thing! lol
This is what I’ve been needing for a while now. Hopefully I’ll be able to spark myself back into gear.
Oh I could have used this today. Off to check it out. Thanks!
Hmmm…interesting but doesn’t that mean that we are all writing about the same thing if we are all given the same topic? I’m not criticising this at all in fact I think this is splendid.
Yes, it’s the same question for everyone, but because we’re all different, the answers are often amazingly varied.
Will this be available for self-hosted sites as well?
Yes, it is already. You’ll want to go to your settings and add your blog, using the WordPress.org option.
Sorry, can’t get enthused over this idea! Why do I blog? Because I think I have something to say. If I have nothing to say I generally keep quiet. “Wise men, when in doubt whether to speak or to keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent.” or “Keep quiet and people will think you a philosopher.”
Of course we can always rely on “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all possible doubt!”
It’s not a bad idea as such, but maybe if you can’t think of anything to say, it’s a sign that you shouldn’t have to write just anything for the sake of writing. It’s not like there’s a shortage of reading material out there for people to keep up with. If you need inspiration, how about seeking it from an external source, instead of getting prompts from the internet on what to write on the internet? We wouldn’t want to end up with an entirely inwardly-focused blogosphere.
What people are calling “writer’s block” is mostly just a natural inability/disinclination to keep up with this sudden requirement to blog all the time about everything. It’s not a problematic blockage from where I’m sitting.
That said, if it really works to kickstart some interesting thoughts, then more power to you…
Thanks for the comment, Dan, but there is absolutely no harm in letting people try creative writing even if they don’t have something immediate to say. What would collegiate creative writing programs be without prompts?
I think your last sentence is the whole point of Plinky — to kickstart some interesting thoughts.
I think its a great idea and as you can see ive used it quite often in the past few days and find it really handy to prompt me to blog more. I do however wish it would remember what questions I have asked and only show me prompts for the ones I haven’t.
meant to say answered not asked..hehe
What a good idea. It’s a great way to get your brain started some times and it usually leads to a whole other place. Thanks for the new feature. I’ve already tried it out. I haven’t been able to get the sharing part to actually work yet though.
Would this work for a movie blog, too? 🙂
@deepbellylaugh
Absolutely – couldn’t agree more.
There’s a whole world out there – and the whole Internet – if you can’t derive inspiration from any of that, you’re probably doomed.
Thanks, Joy. You’re absolutely right – the beauty of blogging is that it lets people find a voice they might ordinarily have kept to themselves. But calling it “writer’s block” suggests some sort of intellectual crisis that must be immediately rectified, when it’s usually just a natural lull in the brain’s creative turnover. Away from my scrappy little blog, I write “professionally” (and still have to laugh out loud when I hear myself saying so), and sometimes you just have to step away and stop and come back to it after a break that could last for days, hours, whatever.
But what happens when the people who write the Plinky prompts run out of ideas? Who do they turn to for a prompt?! That’s going to keep me awake at night…..
Having trouble seeing the point of this, to be honest. Dan makes a great point: if you need help figuring out what to say, then you probably don’t have anything to share with other people (contrary to the myth, not everyone does). If you have a blog and can’t think of anything to say. . .well, there may be a lesson there. Writer’s block, however, is just the opposite. You have something you really want to say, but you are having trouble saying it for any one of a number of reasons. I also don’t see Plinky as being anything like a creative writing program. In such a program, you would be encouraged to develop an idea. Looking at what has been tossed up on Plinky so far, it’s mostly just tweets, for all intents and purposes. And the gods know we don’t need more of that.
Looks like I will be the one to break the love wagon, but what is the point ? If you don’t have anything interesting to say then DO NOT WRITE. Last thing we need is even more posts that carry no opinion and are just space-fillers It’s that simple, if you cannot form a creative opinion about current events (read reuters/look thou the window), your hobby (any source) or a product you just used (be it new email client or mobile phone) then you may just not have what it takes to be a writer.
A very handy tool
amazing! thumbs up to WP!
Excellent idea! I love this. As a new (somewhat) blogger, I have struggled with writer’s block. Even wrote a post about it – http://joyandlife.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/195/
This is a great solution! Thanks!
problem with me is not writer’s block rather organizing writing materials that keep piling up. I have so many ideas and leads but feel lost when it comes to organizwe and publish. I write in my native Indian “kannada” language with 50 million speakers. I do have an english blog but my skills in written english is not that good.
Actually I need to be in the mood to write or what some would say, “Write it on paper if you can’t speak what you want to say out loud”. Some people with a hearing problem express themselves with writing because it is easier for them to understand how people feel. Lip reading or sign language doesn’t always carry through the subject clearly. Reading someone’s writing can help those with difficulty in speech to see what they cannot hear correctly. Works better for me and at 63 was able to get my Associate’s Degree because of On-Line learning. Plus research can give you a whole new outlook on a subject by searching both negative and positive answers giving you more to choose from to clear your own perspective. When blogging or senior moments occur, having a suggestion of something to write about is a great idea. I may not need to use it but will if it is necessary for me to stick to a subject.
Cool. Usually stuff just comes to me though XP. Really good site. Just started using it to blog recently BTW.
Great idea ; i am an artist and not a writer…at this point everything helps
Thanks
That site is really fun. Thanks for the suggestion!
Not bad. It like you’re reading my mind haha…
Fantastic. Does the name have anything to do with short sounds – ‘plinks’? 🙂
Plinky looks like the next big wave.. the missing thing in facebook and twitter
Hi Joy… I thought you would like to know that your post helped me overcome ‘BlogBlock’. I had a blog before but quit due to lack of time and direction. I was thinking of trying again when you suggested ‘plinky’. The suggestion of the day was ‘My Favorite Summer Memory’. That made think…’what was it?’. So, that started my blog again. Plinky has a few good topics and I’m sure I will use it again. So far, No Writer’s Block, just time to do it… but, I guess you make time for what you want… Thanks!
My writer’s blog is more specific; I usually know what I WANT to say, but not HOW to say it…
I need two keyboards so I can be typing http://www.plinky.com at the same time as I type here. What a cool feature 🙂 My blog is deliberately full of random musings so Plinky is going to be really helpful. WordPress – you rock my world!
What a good idea. My problem is actually the opposite – I have a long list of things I want to write about but don’t have the time to do them all! I’ll go and have a look at Plinky, though. I really like the concept.
i love you! *showers you with kisses*
cool, something to write about when I feel like writing..
Glad to know that there is new ideas from Plinky. 🙂 Within our Hong Kong community, we have “Two weeks one gathering” campaign. Bloggers could take turns to give an interesting and inspiring topics every two weeks, anyone who is interested can join [opens for bloggers from other blog hosts too]. Blog posts would then be “gathered” under the campaign blog. The latest topic for the end of June is “Your Dream Vacation”.
This is a very clever idea.
This sounds like an appalling idea. Blogging for morons is what it is. If you have nothing to say then go away and say nothing, don’t use some inane “service” to give you a brain.
And all you people squealing “oh how wonderful you are WordPress, think you WordPress” should just go get a life. Seriously.
Very cool, I’m not sure if I’ll be using it though. A lot of the time I like blogs to have substance and post maybe once a month rather than a bunch of random topics everyday. But thank you, it’s a great option to have open!
I really have to agree with the folks who oppose the idea. If you nothing to say, writing about it will be obvious to the reader.
I think on the flip side Plinky may nudge your creativity to help you think about something meaningful to the theme of your blog and help you produce something worth reading. I know sometimes I just need a spark of inspiration to get my mind going in the right direction.
Looking forward to receiving Plinky posts. Thanks!
Well, that’s pretty cool and is going to come in handy!! Thank you!!!
New to this blogging stuff, but I’ll give it a try.
Oh! I love it! Fab idea! 😀
wonderful, I love it too.
I did it. Wow! But where to find people to follow? Who will follow me?
Thanks! You hit the nail right on the head!
Does nobody else think that if you have no ideas and nothing worth writing about, maybe the world would be just as happy for you to stay silent?
excellent idea;-))
This sounds like an awesome service! I’m an avid fan of writing prompts and I’m always on the look-out for new places to find them–and not find just any old prompts, but good, quality prompts that truly inspire, not merely instruct. Thank you for bringing us this new opportunity!
Plinky? You are serious?
Sounds like the Author was suffering from writers block.
OK well I’ll give it a stab..although I never seem short of things to say…. just short of the time to say them.
But the Haiku about my last meal? Definitely not going to happen… that’s beyond scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
I’ll jump off a bridge first.
Xross that line.
I hate to break your bubble but… isn’t writer’s block a myth?
This is quite awesome! I’m sure there’ll be a lot of fantastic responses to these prompts and hopefully I’ll manage to write something good at some point 🙂 Thanks!!
Is it really THAT good? lol.
I might try to open up the account for this thing.
The day that i have my own writer’s blog-that is.
Great post Joy , I’m gonna check that new service in plinky
Thanks
Wow sounds awesome. It’s cool!
This is great. To be prompted to blog and it also gives you ideas what to blog and to comment on. Fantastic.
Will plinky help me achieve zen in the city?
sure i’ll give it a try – but my blog is about my Zumba adventure so not sure how relevent the plinky prompts will be for me
This is so apropos, my friends and I were just talking about easy prompts for our friend a new writer. I will tell her about your site. What a great idea.
This is a great idea. Always struggle for something to say first thing in the morning! Well done.
What a wonderful idea! Thank you so much for sharing this. Plinky is exactly what I needed and not to help with my writer’s block (I’m not much of a writer anyway), but to start of off a learning project. I’ll be staring it tonight. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is an excellent idea. Maybe this will steer me in the direction of more thoughtful posts eh..?
Interesting concept. Not sure if I’d use it but probably should
Oh thank you soo much Joy!
I have been having some serious writers block right now and this is really helping.
-Katie♫
I will be using these writing prompts often!
Innovative 🙂
I’ve tried it and it REALLY works. And it’s fun too!
I don’t know if its weird enough for what I write, but will take a closer look. Thanks.
Thank you for posting this. It looks fun and could help users stretch their imagination. Cool!
Cool idea. I just started my blog and I’m sure maybe in the future I will have writer’s block. My problem is I am not sure if I should really say what’s on my mind because I don’t sugar coat things. I guess I’ll see how things go and take some chances. 🙂
Or maybe if you don’t have anything to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. There’s already loads of drivel out there in the shape of a blog. =p
Love this site! The prompts truly get me thinking and helps me open my perspective when reading the other answers from subscribers! Thanks for the brain booster for my blog and writer’s block!
Always,
Annette