Pro tip: Pause before jumping into a writing prompt

Lots of writers say you should dive into a prompt right away to capture the inspiration. I disagree. I picked up the habit of letting the prompt sit for a day before writing anything down. For instance, with a prompt about a locked door, I waited and came up with a twist involving memory loss. Now my stories feel more complete from the start.

3 comments

3 Comments

piperschmidt2mo ago

Letting the prompt sit is the real move. The cheapest idea is always the first one that pops up, and taking a day forces you past it. Your brain keeps working on it in the background without you even trying. That's how you get past the door just being locked to why the character forgot it was locked in the first place.

paul_patel402mo ago

Don't you love when your mind solves problems while you're not even trying?

the_piper2mo ago

It's the best kind of mental freebie. Some of my clearest answers show up when I'm just out for a walk. Your brain does the work without you having to force it.