I used to think writing prompts were just for beginners

I was at the library last Tuesday and heard a published author tell someone, "I still use that 'write from the villain's grocery list' prompt to break blocks." It made me see prompts not as training wheels, but as tools anyone can use to find a new angle. Now I keep a list of odd ones on my phone. What's the weirdest prompt that actually worked for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

anderson.sandra1mo ago

Honestly, I've never gotten a single usable thing from a writing prompt. They just make me feel like I'm doing a homework assignment.

ellis.nina1mo ago

Wait, you've never gotten one good thing from a prompt? That's wild to me. I've found some of my favorite story starts that way, @anderson.sandra. Maybe it depends on the kind of prompts you're trying? The super vague ones do feel like homework. I look for the weirdly specific ones that give you a strange detail to work with. Those can spark something totally new.

-1

beth_sanchez471mo ago

Honestly, the homework feeling is the whole point for me. Tbh those vague prompts force you to build everything from scratch, which is where the real work happens. Ngl @ellis.nina, getting a weird detail handed to you feels like cheating, like the hard part is already done. Starting with nothing makes you dig way deeper into your own ideas. The struggle to find a story in a basic prompt is where you actually get better at writing.