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Shoutout to the 'object in the room' prompt trick
I mean, I used to get stuck trying to build a whole world first, but after a workshop in Portland, the teacher said to just pick one thing, like a cracked mug or a dusty lamp, and write from its point of view. It bypassed all my overthinking. Anyone have a different simple starter that works for them?
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avery_smith223d ago
Got to disagree with derek a little, calling it just tying shoes misses the point. The magic is in forcing yourself to ask why about the normal thing, which is the exact opposite of making a mountain out of a molehill. It's more like finding the whole story hidden in the shoe lace. That object prompt works the same way, letting the small detail build the big picture for you.
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That "bypassed all my overthinking" part is so real. I love that trick. My go-to is writing a really boring, normal sentence about the character doing something simple, like "She tied her shoes." Then I force myself to ask "why" three times in a row about that action. It always leads somewhere weird and specific I wouldn't have planned.
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