Using prompts
Sept 1, 2024 20:54:20 GMT -6
Post by ScintillaMyntan on Sept 1, 2024 20:54:20 GMT -6
Our latest contest made me think to ask: What do you think of writing to a prompt? Does it help you? How specific do you like your prompts, if so?
And how do you use a prompt? When you get one, do you use it as a starting point for brainstorming, or do you come up with an idea separately and then work the prompt in?
I find that with our contests, it's sometimes easy to tell when someone had a separate story they wanted to write, and then stuck the prompt in out of obligation. But then, I often feel it's hard to find a good, original story that actually appeals to you if you begin with the prompt.
Last year's "Hidden dark side" contest was an example of that. At first I was trying to brainstorm hidden dark sides, but I kept ending up with ideas that didn't go anywhere or were stereotyped and uninteresting. A new trendy practice has a downside, or someone moves into an apartment with a mysterious basement; now what? I thought of giving up, but maybe a week later, I spontaneously remembered something I had learned that would fit, which I had previously found emotionally striking and thought would make a good story.
Some of my contest entries really did come from the prompt as a starting point. But a lot of times, I start with a separate, ill-formed little idea, and the prompts are truly helpful with those.
"Uncaged" was perfect. I'd had a small inkling of the fantasy setting in mind for a month or two. I also knew I wanted to write about a high-achieving character turning out far below average at a new skill. When "Uncaged" came around, I realized I could combine the two, added a literal cage to flesh out my vague setting, and shaped the plot to make the character metaphorically uncage himself too. Basically, the prompt provided both details and structure.
My favorite prompts are the ones that can provide direction to a fledgling idea like that, which means they can't be too broad or too narrow, and they have to be helpful. I was once at a place where we were given prompts by some established author. Each prompt included several requirements such as having to describe a color or having to include instructions for a task. I didn't get much out of those. You don't take some existing small idea such as an overachiever underperforming and figure out where it's going based on having to describe a color. But I can see how those could help you build a story from the ground up in a puzzle kind of way.
You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
