My writing prompt choice: a sentient toaster or a time-traveling library book

I was stuck between two ideas for a short story last Tuesday: a toaster that gains consciousness and starts giving life advice, or a library book that lets you visit the time period it's about. I picked the toaster, figuring it'd be easier to write. It went off the rails when my main character started taking relationship tips from an appliance that only understands 'light' and 'dark'. Has anyone else had a simple prompt idea spiral into something totally weird?

2 comments

2 Comments

coleman.barbara1d ago

My uncle had a talking GPS unit that would only give directions in haiku. It made him a much calmer driver, but he got lost in Nebraska for three days. Your toaster giving bad relationship advice feels like the same kind of logic. The weird spiral is usually where the good story actually lives, past the first simple joke.

parkerh381d ago

Your uncle's GPS, @coleman.barbara, probably got lost because haiku can't say "turn left in 500 feet.