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Spent a whole weekend trying to write a story from a 'write what you know' prompt
I kept trying to force a story about my job, but it felt boring and flat every time. I finally gave up and wrote about a character who finds a weird key in a library book, and the whole thing just flowed in about two hours. Has anyone else had a prompt that just wouldn't work until you ignored the obvious idea?
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stellat876mo ago
Totally get that. Read an interview where a writer said the "know" part can be a trap, like using just the facts. The feeling of being stuck in a boring office, that's the real thing to use, not the daily tasks. Your key story probably grabbed that feeling of finding something strange and new.
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brooke5336mo ago
My friend had that happen with a "family secret" prompt. She kept trying to write about her actual grandma, got nowhere. Then she wrote about a kid finding out his dad was a retired super villain's henchman. Just clicked. Used the feeling of a hidden past, not the real people.
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