Try this wonderful advice from Chuck Palahniuk in his book on writing Consider This, on building tension in your scenes.

What was the monster that occupied your imagination when you were a child?

A sense of space can mean different things: geographical space, physical space, emotional space, outer space and personal space. What story can you find here?

Memories of food can be significant. The food you hate. The food you love. Do you cook? Or is the microwave your friend?

Imagine yourself standing with the mannequins. What would the story be?

Write about swimming. Or sea creatures. Or your favourite swimsuit. Or your fear of water. It’s all good.

Write a letter a day over the next week, to your future self. Your future self could be one month from now, one year or thirty. You choose.

Try this notebook exercise by cartoonist Lynda Barry to help you find a way to start writing a scene.