I used to think writing prompts were just for beginners until a workshop in Seattle

At a small library event last fall, the leader made us write from a prompt about finding a forgotten item in a coat pocket. I wrote three pages about a train ticket stub and it turned into a whole story about a missed connection. That single hour showed me how a simple start can unlock a bigger idea I didn't know I had. Has anyone else had a prompt surprise them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_moore1mo ago

Oh man, I felt the same way! I did a prompt once about a character buying the wrong groceries, and I ended up with this whole sad comedy about a guy trying to impress his ex. I was just trying to be clever, but it got real personal real fast, lol.

emma_ramirez1mo ago

Yeah that "real personal real fast" part hits home, @taylor_moore. I mean sometimes you just poke at a silly idea and it opens up a whole thing you weren't ready for. It's wild how writing does that.

nancy315d ago

Oh geez, same here! I once wrote a quick thing about a character finding a weird key in a drawer, and three paragraphs later they were crying about their mom who passed away five years ago. I was like wait where did THAT come from? It's like your brain hides stuff and writing is the thing that unlocks it.