If You’ve Ever Struggled With Writing Prompts

Writing prompts have never quite made sense to me.

Whether it's a list of prompts from a writers’ centre, suggestions shared by an author, or even - and maybe especially - the structured prompts for short story competitions. 

I understand their intent - free your mind, get writing flowing, loosen the gears - but for me they’ve always felt like I was being handed someone else’s starting point and told to make it mine.

It always turned out as a 'square peg, round hole' situation, resulting in a piece of bland writing and a feeling that my time was wasted. 

Because, if I’m honest, even the ideas that do come from within me sometimes feel difficult enough to shape into something interesting or credible. 

So, being told to write a story that includes the word “shambolic” and features a sandwich? It doesn’t spark anything. It just sits there staring at me, a little ... artificial.

For a long time, I took that to mean I just wasn't a competent enough creative writer, that prompts were for cleverer writers who could thread any disparate strings of yarn into a fully fledged tapestry.

But recently I realised something.

It's not the prompt itself I dislike - it’s adhering to the way I was told to use it.

I was treating prompts as instructions, trying to stick to what the outcome should be - a short story, a poem, something concrete that met the criteria. 

Now, I have a different approach. I pivot the prompt.

If the prompt says “use the word shambolic,” I don’t wedge that word awkwardly into a sentence. I ask, "how would my character say it?". Would they say shambolic at all? Or would they call it a mess, a disaster, a circus? 

I write ONE sentence in their voice instead.

If the prompt says “include a sandwich,” I don’t build a plot around a sandwich. I drop my character into a moment with one. Maybe they’re ordering their usual. Maybe they’re eating one with an ingredient they hate, just to be polite. Maybe they’re halfway through lunch when the fillings fall out. How do they handle that? What does it tell me about them?

And suddenly, it’s not about the prompt anymore. It’s about character.

It's moments, fragments even, that focus on voice, point of view, and characterisation, rather than plot or scene.

That’s the pivot.

I’m no longer wasting time trying to carve a story out of something external (and definitely not submitting those stories to competitions anymore). I’m letting the prompt orbit the character, not the other way around. The result is infinitely more helpful to me. And just occasionally, it starts me on a piece I actually want to keep writing!

So, if prompts have ever felt a bit contrived or unworkable for you, it's not a failure on your part - it might just signal you need to pivot your approach. 

Let the prompt be a nudge, not a rule.

Let the character lead.

And see what happens from there.

Cheers,

Klaire

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