I've never been a big fan of writing prompts, which is odd considering that the segment "Writing Workouts" on this blog is basically a writing prompt plus a greater purpose. But I bought Bryan Cohen's "1,000 Creative Writing Prompts" anyway because it was one dollar and I figured I might get a little practice out of it. Instead, I was reminded why traditional writing prompts bother me so much.
The problem with this book of writing prompts, and writing prompts in general, is that they are too often too specific. With the situation so detailed already, there's little room for the writer's own creativity. This is probably preferable to those who are trying creative writing for the first time, but most writer wouldn't want to be drawn to predetermined outcomes.
So what kind of writing prompts do I actually like? One of my favorites from my time in my school's Creative Writing Club was based on the web series, the Flipside, by the youtube channel, Soul Pancake. In the videos, the world looks like our own and the characters look like people we know, but one thing is off. A high school's debate team is more celebrated than its football team. Kids are the ones who have to raise their parents. The president of my school's club showed us a couple of these videos then gave us the prompt: "Write a story set in world that's exactly like our own but change one specific thing."* Vague. Simple. Open-ended. This is the philosophy I use when blogging my own Writing Workouts. Ready. Set. Go.
P.S. I really like the prompts on writeworld. You should check them out.
*I wrote about a world where eating was considered a taboo subject just like going to the bathroom was considered a taboo subject in Victorian England.
