I finally caved and tried a writing prompt from a random generator app

I always thought those prompt generator apps were just for people who can't come up with their own ideas, you know? But last Tuesday I was totally stuck on a short story and out of desperation I pulled up one called 'Plot Twist Factory' or something. It gave me this weird prompt about a mailman who delivers letters from the future, which sounded so dumb at first. I actually spent 2 hours writing a 1500 word scene based on it and it turned into one of my best pieces this month. Now I'm wondering if I should just let the app pick my prompts for the next week straight. Has anyone else had luck using a random generator for a spark?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_ross517d ago

...and honestly I saw this article a few weeks back about how constraints actually boost creativity, not kill it. Tbh having a random prompt forces your brain to work in a totally different way than when you're just staring at a blank page. Ngl I've been using those writing prompt cards from that book 'The Write Thing' for years now whenever I hit a wall, and it's wild how often a goofy idea turns into something serious. I think you should totally roll with the app for a week, worst case you get some practice right?

jessica_hall497d ago

Goofy idea turns into something serious" - that's exactly what happened when I used a random prompt about a telepathic goldfish and ended up writing a whole short story about a detective who solves crimes by talking to fish in pet stores. Funny how that works, right?

alex_johnson6d ago

Honestly same, I tried one of those prompt card decks last year and the one that said "write from the perspective of a grumpy toaster" turned into a whole comedy piece I still use at local open mics.