That week my writing group turned a bad prompt into a whole book idea

So last month, our group got a prompt that just felt wrong, something like 'write about a happy ghost'. We all groaned, it sounded silly. But instead of giving up, we spent the whole Tuesday night talking about why it felt off. Someone said a ghost is sad by its very nature, being stuck here. That got me thinking, what if the ghost wasn't sad, but the living person seeing it was? By the end of the week, we had built out a full story about a man who sees cheerful ghosts, and it's a sign he's actually the one dying. That one stubborn prompt gave us more to work with than ten good ones. Has a prompt that seemed bad at first ever unlocked something big for you guys?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarb711d ago

Yeah, the part about a bad prompt giving you more to work with than ten good ones is dead on. The prompts that make you argue with them are always the most productive. My rule is to never dismiss a prompt until you've asked yourself why it bothers you. That friction is where the real idea is hiding.

skyler_adams1d ago

Honestly @oscarb71, I get where you're coming from but I've found the opposite is true for me. A bad prompt just kills my mood and makes me not want to write at all. That "friction" feels more like a wall than a starting point. I'd rather have one clear, good prompt that gets me excited right away. Arguing with a bad idea just wastes time I could spend actually making something.