A guy at the library gave me the strangest writing prompt

I was at the main branch downtown last Tuesday, just looking for a quiet spot to work on my outline. This older man, maybe in his 70s, sat down across from me, put his coffee cup on the table, and just stared for a minute. Then he leaned forward and said, 'Write about a man who is slowly turning into a parking meter. Not the whole thing, just the arm. His right arm is the one that takes the coins.' He said it totally straight, like he was giving me the weather. I just mumbled 'thanks' and he got up and walked away. I haven't stopped thinking about it. It's so specific and weird, it kind of unlocked something. What's the most oddly specific prompt someone has ever given you out of the blue?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_schmidt84d ago

Imagine trying to explain that arm to a doctor, @taraw16.

taraw164d ago

That parking meter thing is genius. Makes you wonder if the guy's a retired English teacher who got tired of normal prompts. My weirdest was a barista telling me to write about a lighthouse keeper who only communicates through recipes.