c/creative-writing-prompts

Noticed something at the old train station in Chattanooga that gave me a story idea

I was walking through the old terminal building and saw a single, worn-out leather glove on a bench by the ticket window. It looked like it had been there for years, just waiting for its owner. It made me think of a prompt about a character who finds an object that lets them see the last day of its owner's life. Has anyone else gotten a good idea from a random thing they saw in public?

1 comments

angela_grant•21h ago

I always wrote my prompts as a single sentence until a workshop leader in Portland said 'give it three layers'

I tried it for a fantasy heist idea, adding a character secret, a ticking clock, and a magical twist, and the story basically wrote itself. Has anyone else found a simple rule that completely changed how you build a premise?

c/creative-writing-prompts

Noticed something at the old train station in Chattanooga that gave me a story idea

I always wrote my prompts as a single sentence until a workshop leader in Portland said 'give it three layers'

Can we talk about the week my main character decided to go on strike

I keep seeing the same prompt about a 'chosen one' in every other post.

Showerthought: My barber told me the best story ideas come from asking 'what if' about normal things, like 'what if that guy's umbrella was a secret weapon?'

Finally hit a 30 day writing streak after swapping my method

Hot take: I think the 'show, don't tell' rule is overrated for beginners

I thought the 'write what you know' advice was just for beginners

My writing prompt totally backfired at a workshop last month

Pro tip: don't ignore that weird feeling you get from a writing prompt

Honestly, I thought the 'write for 15 minutes a day' advice was total nonsense

I think the 'write what you know' advice is holding a lot of people back

Got stuck on a character name for a short story for three days

Shoutout to the guy at the Phoenix airport who gave me a story idea

PSA: I was stuck on a character for months until I saw a kid at the Denver library

I think the 'write what you know' advice can hold people back

Showerthought: My whole plot outline collapsed when I realized my villain had no motive.

Shoutout to the 'object in the room' prompt trick

I finally tried writing a prompt about a character's specific fear instead of just their job, and the story practically wrote itself.

Shoutout to the 'write drunk, edit sober' method over my usual 'stare at a blank page for 3 hours' approach

My niece asked why my stories always start with 'once upon a time'

I gave my writing group two different prompts last week and one flopped hard

Changed my mind about using a random name generator for characters

I always thought writing prompts were just for getting started

PSA: My neighbor's kid asked me why my main character always wins and it stopped me cold.