Update: Finally gave in and tried the "show don't tell" prompt after avoiding it for 2 years

At a writers meetup in Portland last Tuesday, someone read their piece using that prompt and the whole room went quiet in a good way, so now I'm asking has anyone else found a prompt they wrote off that actually worked for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cora42m ago

Honestly, "whole room went quiet in a good way" is such a powerful thing to witness at a meetup. I had the exact same thing happen with a "dialogue only" prompt I skipped for years, never thought it would work but someone brought a piece that was just two people talking in a diner at 3am and it hit so hard. It's wild how much our own stubbornness can keep us from finding something that really clicks.

blakem8232m ago

Has anyone else just sat on a prompt for years thinking it wasn't for them? I had the same thing happen with a "reverse chronology" prompt I swore I'd never touch. Took it to a group and the story came out way better than I expected.