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Words Are Hard. But Not Writing Is Harder.

December 04, 2023 | 3 min read

“I’m a writer. So why am I not writing?” As writers, we’re known for our love-hate relationship with our craft. After all, who hasn’t settled down to write, only to feel the urgent need to wash the dishes or google an obscure urban legend — or do literally anything else — immediately.

We get it. Words ARE hard. But they’re fun and fulfilling, too. And arguably one of the most instrumental aspects of human existence. That’s why you love to write. And that’s why we’re dedicated to creating distraction-free drafting tools to make writing easier.

But what do you do when inspiration is nowhere to be found? When your muse is on vacation? When you open Traveler and stare at a blank screen?

That’s easy. You pick up the latest addition to your Freewrite arsenal: the Words Are Hard deck.

What Is It?

Words Are Hard is a curated collection of thought-provoking writing prompts designed to make you put down the remote control, or whatever the distraction of the day is, and get writing. Having a clear, simple, creative prompt is the easiest way to overcome the first, and hardest, obstacle of writing: getting started.

Each deck comes with:

150 prompts across 8 writing genres
Beautiful matte black case with gold foil accents and stunning genre illustrations by Matt Pamer (You’re going to want to hang these on your wall.)
A custom embossed wooden block stand to display the prompt you’re currently using

Crafted with care and precision, each card is a work of art. The durable, high-quality material ensures a smooth shuffle and a long-lasting companion for your creative endeavors. Let the cards inspire you for years to come.

A unique aspect of this deck is that the prompts span different genres, so that you can explore every corner of your imagination. Are you a Romance author? We highly recommend trying a prompt from the Science Fiction category to dig deeper into your creativity. Do you usually write Horror? Pick a prompt from the Children’s category to give your thinking muscles a new challenge.

How To Use The Deck

The Words Are Hard deck is designed to be easy to use and adaptable to your personal needs. Just follow these steps to get started:

Choose: Find a prompt that resonates with you. Choose a card that tickles your fancy, or close your eyes and let fate be your muse!
Set aside distractions: Find a comfortable space where you can focus, away from any noise or disturbances.
Set goals: Decide on a word count goal or length of time for this prompt. If you're unsure where to start, set a 10-minute timer and write until it ends.
Write: Start writing without worrying about perfect sentences or grammar. Let your imagination roam, exploring unique interpretations of the prompt. Let your ideas flow freely onto the paper or Freewrite screen. Avoid editing during this stage.
Stay free: Remember, the purpose of the writing prompt is to nurture creativity and generate new ideas, so don't be afraid to experiment, take risks, and explore the depths of your imagination! Let the prompt lead you into unexpected areas, whether it's a new protagonist, a wild plot twist, or a powerful emotion.
Finish & Reflect: How do you feel? Is your imagination alert, the creativity flowing? Keep writing if you're in the zone! Or change gears to whatever WIP (Work in Progress) you’ve got going on. If you’re looking for ideas for a new project, review what you've written and look for ideas or storylines that may be worth exploring.
Repeat: Next time you need a creative kickoff, pick another prompt! Try a different genre for a challenge.

Here are a few tips for exciting deeper creativity:

Experiment with different perspectives.
Blend genres and topics (pick 2 prompts and blend them!).
Engage the senses (and imagine what’s happening with each of your character’s 5 senses).
Commit to the full writing session to practice smashing through distractions and writer’s block.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the industry or a budding novelist, a hardcore journalist or a subway poet, the Words Are Hard deck will get your fingers flying and the creative juices flowing in no time. It’s up to you where you go from there!

Make Words Easier

The Words Are Hard pack is a fantastic gift for the writers in your life. It also makes a wonderful group activity for writers. Or, keep a copy of the deck on your desktop for easy access when writer’s block hits.

With the Words Are Hard deck, every shuffle sparks a new story, a fresh idea, and a burst of imaginative energy! Get your set here.

"In Ireland, novels and plays still have a strange force. The writing of fiction and the creation of theatrical images can affect life there more powerfully and stealthily than speeches, or even legislation."

So we decided to go on a mission to learn from some of Ireland's greatest writers.

Here are just a few of the quotes that struck us:

"A writer is someone who has taught his mind to misbehave."

Oscar Wilde cuts right to the heart of creativity here. What is creativity but the mind striking out of the grooves of regularity?

"I love communicative problems. They always introduce just enough friction for me to feel drawn into a scene, when there’s some slippage between what somebody is trying to say, or feels capable of saying, and what the other person wants to hear or is capable of hearing."

If you've read any of Sally Rooney's award-winning books, you'll recognize this device in her plots. Try the same in your work when things are feeling a little dry or slow.

"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again."

Nobody presents writing truths as concise and witty as Oscar Wilde. Who among us hasn't agonized over a comma for hours?

Sounds like Oscar needed a Freewrite.

"I don’t ever plot. And I do very little research, as little as possible. I prefer to use my imagination. Language is older and richer than we are and when you go in there and let go and listen, it’s possible to discover something way beyond and richer than your conscious self."

Claire Keegan's a freewriter! In this interview, Claire explains that the main character in her award-winning book, Small Things Like These, completely changed over the course of rewrites and revisions.

"The novel space is a pure space. I'm nobody once I go into that room. I'm not gay, I'm not bald, I'm not Irish. I'm not anybody. I'm nobody. I'm the guy telling the story, and the only person that matters is the person reading that story, the target. It's to get that person to feel what I'm trying to dramatize."

Colm Tóibín perfectly sums up the disembodied experience of writing here. The writer disappears and the characters take center stage.

"The important thing is not what we write but how we write, and in my opinion the modern writer must be an adventurer above all, willing to take every risk, and be prepared to founder in his effort if need be. In other words we must write dangerously."

James Joyce was certainly an adventurer, and though his notion to a "modern writer" predates ours by about a century, we don't think all that much as changed. Writers still need to take risks!

"I don’t say I was ‘proceeding down a thoroughfare.’ I say I ‘walked down the road.’ I don’t say I ‘passed a hallowed institute of learning.’ I say I ‘passed a school.’ You don’t wear all your jewellery at once. You’re much more believable if you talk in your own voice."

Maeve Binchy's own voice is apparent in every book she wrote. Her characters speak like real people, and that makes them all the more endearing.

"Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry."

What a poetic way to encapsulate the experience of writing poetry. Yeats certainly knew a thing or two about using that internal quarrel to create beautiful, timeless work.

Learn more