Update: I used to hate writing short stories, but one prompt changed my mind

I always thought short stories were too limited, but then I saw a prompt that said 'write a 100-word story about a locked door.' That tiny constraint made me focus every word, and now I get why people love the challenge. Has anyone else found a prompt that flipped your style around?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith9437d ago

the ghost morning routine thing is actually kind of brilliant because it forces you to think about sensory details in a way that normal prompts don't. most writing exercises just say "describe a room" or whatever but that one specifically makes you think about what it feels like to not be able to interact with things. i wonder if the key to these prompts is finding one that breaks how you normally see the world instead of just giving you a topic to write about.

jana_lewis167d ago

My friend Sarah had the exact same thing happen! She hated writing anything short, always went for these long rambling stories that went nowhere. Then she found a prompt that said "describe your morning routine in 5 sentences but you're a ghost." It totally clicked for her. She wrote this weird, funny little piece about floating through her old kitchen and trying to pour coffee that just went through the counter. Now she's obsessed with microfiction and carries a tiny notebook everywhere, writing like 10 different 50-word pieces a week. It was wild seeing how that one silly constraint unlocked something in her brain.