A writing group told me my fantasy prompt was too simple... I disagree

At the Seattle library meetup last month, I shared a prompt about a key that opens any door. Someone said it was 'basic' and needed more world-building details to be useful. I used to add a ton of setting info, but now I keep prompts short on purpose... I think a simple idea lets the writer's imagination fill in the blanks. Has anyone else gotten pushback for keeping their prompts minimal?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_brooke22d ago

Yeah, a writing teacher once said the best prompts are simple seeds.

rileynguyen21d ago

My old creative writing professor in college always gave us one-word prompts, like "bridge" or "silence." It forced us to build the whole story ourselves instead of following a complicated setup. That's exactly what @the_brooke is talking about with simple seeds. A big, detailed prompt can box you in, but a small seed gives you room to grow something unique. The best ideas come from having that open space to figure it out. Too much direction at the start just kills the fun of making it up.