Overheard a line at a writing workshop in Columbus that flipped my approach to prompts

I was at a small workshop last Tuesday and a facilitator said 'a prompt isn't a cage, it's a springboard.' That really stuck with me because I've been treating prompts like strict rules to follow instead of starting points to play with. Has anyone else found a specific phrase or piece of advice that totally changed how you use creative writing prompts?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_thomas9317d ago

The real move is treating prompts like a dare not a guide.

miles_sanchez27d ago

Ngl that line hits hard because I've definitely sat there stressing over prompts like they're a test I had to ace. A facilitator at a local writer's group once told me 'your first draft is just you telling yourself the story' and it clicked that rules come later. That springboard idea is gold, prompts should open doors not lock you in a room.

king.derek27d ago

My high school English teacher told us 'the prompt is a suggestion, not a summons.' That one sentence gave me permission to start a horror story from a romance prompt once, and it ended up being my best piece that semester. The trick is realizing prompts are just keys to unlock your own ideas, not handcuffs to hold you down.