How my stubborn pursuit of 'unique' prompts almost ruined my writing

I used to swear by only the most bizarre and intricate prompts, thinking they were the key to originality. Then, during a timed exercise with a basic prompt about 'a lost key,' I produced my most heartfelt piece yet. It hit me that I was forcing complexity instead of letting emotion guide the story. Now I urge you to reconsider if you're overengineering your prompts too. Sometimes the simplest ideas unlock the deepest narratives.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina6d ago

Oh absolutely, my first year of workshops was just me stubbornly constructing these baroque, high-concept prompts that sounded impressive in theory. The week I finally caved and wrote to 'someone waiting for a bus' was the first time my critique group didn't look politely baffled. It's embarrassing how long it took to realize a simple, grounded scenario does all the heavy lifting for you by leaving room for actual people to show up.

the_brooke6d ago

Why did I write a story about a haunted fax machine?

oscar6976d ago

Exactly. Those high concept premises are like theoretical constructs, beautiful but empty rooms. The chipped nail polish while waiting for the bus, the expired transfer ticket held too tight, that's where the human stuff leaks out. We don't connect to the haunting of a fax machine, we connect to the person desperately needing it to work, hoping for a message that never comes. The simple scenario isn't a lack of ambition, it's the ultimate constraint that forces real writing.