What makes a writing prompt fertile for you? What are the prompts that have inspired you? All of us are different..and I believe this would be a good time to open up a discussion about what has worked in the past.. My goal is to make Pokrass Prompts as helpful as possible for everyone here. And hey.. I write to these prompts as well! For me, a strange photo and random words seem to be the charm.. But they aren’t for everyone. Would love to get your thoughts in the comment section!
One of the most inspiring prompts I've ever written to came from you, Meg. I incorporate it in my own teaching too (I love it so much). You asked writers to think of an animal or insect they were attracted to or repelled by and then include it in a story in which they do not belong. It remains one of my personal favourite prompts and continues to inspire so much of my current fiction.
Your prompts are fantastic, Meg. Quirky photographs and random words work really well for me. A striking image gives my mind something to 'chew' over, while the suggested words help take the story in unexpected directions. Thank you.
This is a tricky question. I probably find it easiest to write to picture prompts... but now I'm wondering what prompts produce the best results. Sometimes constraint exercises, and other prompts that initially seem forced or unappealing can trick your mind into producing delights.
Not all prompts are created equal, and I've given some thought as to why yours almost always work for me, and why sometimes others from other sources don't. For me, open-ended prompts -- such as word prompts or picture prompts -- are usually (but not always) preferable to specific prompts, such as "write a story involving a puppy and a step-dad." Despite what I just said about specific prompts, I find that very abstract picture prompts don't do much for me -- a picture of an antique spoon will do less for me than a picture of a person gazing out a train window. Word prompts, for me, require a level of randomness, and a mixture of parts of speech. One thing I really love about yours is you also mix in one or two words that are fairly specific -- tangerine comes to mind -- but the rest are general / common enough that a story can go in any direction. I have written many successful stories to your prompts, so IDK... you have some magic.
This is a hard one because so many things can spark a piece but I would say visual prompts for sure. A photograph, a painting? Anything that feels like the beginning or ending of a story.
One of the most inspiring prompts I've ever written to came from you, Meg. I incorporate it in my own teaching too (I love it so much). You asked writers to think of an animal or insect they were attracted to or repelled by and then include it in a story in which they do not belong. It remains one of my personal favourite prompts and continues to inspire so much of my current fiction.
Your prompts are fantastic, Meg. Quirky photographs and random words work really well for me. A striking image gives my mind something to 'chew' over, while the suggested words help take the story in unexpected directions. Thank you.
This is a tricky question. I probably find it easiest to write to picture prompts... but now I'm wondering what prompts produce the best results. Sometimes constraint exercises, and other prompts that initially seem forced or unappealing can trick your mind into producing delights.
Not all prompts are created equal, and I've given some thought as to why yours almost always work for me, and why sometimes others from other sources don't. For me, open-ended prompts -- such as word prompts or picture prompts -- are usually (but not always) preferable to specific prompts, such as "write a story involving a puppy and a step-dad." Despite what I just said about specific prompts, I find that very abstract picture prompts don't do much for me -- a picture of an antique spoon will do less for me than a picture of a person gazing out a train window. Word prompts, for me, require a level of randomness, and a mixture of parts of speech. One thing I really love about yours is you also mix in one or two words that are fairly specific -- tangerine comes to mind -- but the rest are general / common enough that a story can go in any direction. I have written many successful stories to your prompts, so IDK... you have some magic.
This is a hard one because so many things can spark a piece but I would say visual prompts for sure. A photograph, a painting? Anything that feels like the beginning or ending of a story.