c/creative-writing-prompts

Vent: My entire writing group hated my prompt about a sentient coffee machine, called it 'uninspired'

My writing group buddy told me to cut the first three chapters of my fantasy novel. I did it, and the story finally works.

Appreciation post: I found a book at the library that said the average person speaks about 16,000 words a day

I was looking for a book on dialogue tips at the local library last Tuesday. I pulled out this old writing guide from the 90s and flipped to a random page. It had a line that said studies show most people say around 16,000 words daily, but only a fraction of those are unique or meaningful. It made me think about how much filler is in real conversation versus what we put in stories. Has anyone else found a random fact that made you rethink how you write dialogue?

My writing group in Austin thinks flashbacks are lazy, but one changed my story

Three years ago, I wrote a story where a character finds an old photo. Last month, I added a flashback to show the day it was taken. My group said it was a cheap trick and told me to 'show, don't tell' in the present. I kept it anyway, grounding it with specific details like the 1998 Ford truck in the driveway and the smell of cut grass. That one scene made the character's choice in the present make complete sense. Has anyone else had a writing rule they were told to break that actually worked?

TIL that 'write what you know' is holding back new authors

Everyone in my writing group keeps pushing this advice, but it just leads to boring stories about office jobs and suburban life. I read a sci-fi novel by a guy who works in insurance, and his world-building was amazing because he researched, not because he lived it. What's a prompt that forces you to write something you have zero experience with?

Showerthought: I used to think writing prompts needed to be super specific to be good.

For about a year, I followed a prompt blog that gave you a full character, setting, and conflict. My stories felt stiff. Then I tried a simple one from a book, just 'A key that opens a door that shouldn't exist,' and wrote my best piece in months. Are we overcomplicating prompts now?

Can we talk about using a random word generator for a prompt?

Honestly, I typed in 'lighthouse, spatula, regret' and ended up writing a 2,000 word story about a chef who became a lighthouse keeper. Ngl, it was way more fun than my usual stuff. Has anyone else gotten a weird combo that actually worked?

My main character's motivation took me three months to figure out

I kept writing around the problem, adding subplots and side characters, but the story felt hollow. I finally realized I'd given her a goal but no real, deep reason to want it, which meant 30,000 words of rewriting. Has anyone else spent way too long fixing a core character flaw?

My writing teacher said to always start with a character's hands, and it finally clicked for me.

I tried it for a detective story and described her cleaning a revolver, which instantly set the tone better than any backstory. Anyone have other weirdly specific starting points that work for them?

Serious question, my writing group in Austin dared me to use a random Wikipedia article as a plot base.

I got 'List of unusual deaths' and wrote a short story about a guy who gets hit by a falling turtle, but it turned into my best piece yet. Has anyone else tried this kind of forced random prompt?

I dropped $80 on a random writing prompt generator app and it actually saved my novel draft

Just hit 100 story ideas in my notebook and it feels pretty good

I started keeping a small black notebook for random writing prompts about a year ago. I was just jotting down things like 'what if a lighthouse keeper found a message in a bottle from their future self?' I opened it today and counted, and I've got exactly 100 of those little ideas now. It's not a finished story, but seeing them all there makes me feel like I've actually been collecting something real. What's a small goal you've hit with your own writing lately?

Just found out how many writing prompts are in a single library book

I was at the downtown library last week looking for a book on story ideas. I picked up one called 'The Writer's Block' and flipped through it. I counted over 500 different prompts in that one book alone, which really surprised me. I guess I always thought those books had maybe 100 ideas at most. Has anyone else found a book with a crazy number of prompts in it?

The whole 'write what you know' advice is getting twisted into something boring.

I wrote a prompt about a talking houseplant and now my friend's fern is giving me side-eye

I spent a whole afternoon crafting this elaborate prompt about a sentient philodendron solving mysteries, and now every plant in my apartment feels like it's judging my life choices. What's the most bizarre character idea you've had that started to feel a little too real?

Remember when a writing prompt could just be a single weird sentence?

I spent a whole month trying to build a story from 'The last library book was a cookbook for ghosts'... I just couldn't get past the first page. Does anyone have a trick for unsticking a prompt that feels too clever?

Remember when writing prompts were just a list of random words?

I used to pull prompts from a big book of 1,000 story starters, and they were so vague I'd just stare at the page. Then I found a site that gives you a full scene setup, like 'a librarian in Seattle finds a note tucked into a book returned 50 years late.' Having that specific place and problem made writing so much easier. What's the best detailed prompt you've ever found?

Appreciation post: I spent $60 on a random prompt generator app and it actually unblocked my novel

I was stuck on a chapter for weeks, but the app gave me a prompt about a character finding a key that opens memories, which totally fixed my plot. Has anyone else had a tool or book that unexpectedly saved a project?

I thought those 'character flaw generators' were just lazy writing crutches until I used one for a stubborn protagonist.

It spat out 'fear of being forgotten' and that one phrase unlocked his entire backstory in my Portland-set novel. Anyone have a tool that actually helped you break through a block?

Update: I spent $150 on a 'premium' writing prompt generator app that just recycles old ideas

Honestly, I bought it last month thinking it would give me fresh, unique story starters. Tbh, after using it for a week, I realized it was just spitting out the same basic 'you wake up with a superpower' or 'a stranger knocks on your door' stuff you can find for free online. I feel like I basically paid for a fancy random word button. Has anyone else found a good, actually creative source for prompts that's worth the money?

My high school English teacher, Mrs. Ellis, told me to never write about dreams.

She said starting a story with a character waking up from a dream was the cheapest trick in the book. I argued with her for a week in 11th grade, thinking it was a cool way to set a mood. Twenty years later, I finally get it. What's a piece of writing advice you were given that you fought against but now agree with?

I finally stopped using random word generators for story ideas

For about six months, I was stuck using those free online tools that spit out three random words like 'clock, whisper, forest' and calling it a prompt. My stories felt flat and samey. Last month, I switched to a method I read about from a writer in Seattle: building a prompt from a specific, odd news headline. I used one about a town that banned the sale of spoons. That single, weird rule forced me to ask 'why?' and build a whole world around it, leading to a much better plot about a rebellion against a cutlery monopoly. The random words just gave me a setting; the real-world oddity gave me a conflict and characters with a goal. The difference in my output was huge. Has anyone else found a source for prompts that just clicks for them?

PSA: My writing group in Portland got totally derailed by a single prompt

We were using a prompt about a character finding a key in a library, and for 45 minutes everyone just argued about what KIND of library it was. It was a historical society archive versus a public branch, and the whole session about character motivation was lost. Now I always make sure the setting in a prompt is super clear before we start. Anyone else have a prompt that accidentally caused more debate than writing?

Rant: I spent $300 on a 'plot generator' website subscription that was useless

For a year, I paid $25 a month to one of those fancy writing prompt sites that claimed to have an AI that could build a whole story outline for you. I kept thinking it would give me that one spark I needed. Every time I logged in, it just gave me the same basic ideas, like 'a detective with a secret' or 'someone finds a magic door.' I could have gotten that from a free list online. I finally canceled last month after I realized I'd written exactly zero stories using its 'help.' It was just a crutch that made me feel like I was working when I wasn't. Has anyone else found a good, simple method for coming up with original story starters that doesn't cost a fortune?

Pro tip: I thought the 'write drunk, edit sober' advice was just a dumb cliche.

Tried it with a single beer last week and my dialogue for a grumpy wizard suddenly felt way more natural. Anyone have other weird tricks that actually work for getting past a block?