Funny thing I overheard at a coffee shop this morning

I was sitting near two writers talking about prompts, and one of them said something like "I can't write about a door unless I know what the doorknob feels like." That stuck with me because I think I do the same thing when I'm trying to come up with story ideas. If a character walks into a room, I have to picture the floorboards or the smell before I can move forward. It's like my brain needs a sensory anchor before it lets me imagine what happens next. So now I'm wondering if that's a common thing or if I'm just weird about details. Has anyone else felt like you need a tiny physical detail to unlock a whole scene?

3 comments

3 Comments

lane.cameron20d ago

So do you have to know the door's brand before you can walk through it, or just the feel of the knob? Sounds exhausting, honestly.

robinj2919d ago

Wait, did you just equate opening a door to making a major life decision? Reminds me of the time I spent 20 minutes trying to figure out if a push door was actually a pull door. Felt pretty stupid afterward.

patriciareed1d ago

20 minutes trying to figure out if a door pushes or pulls? That's honestly wild, I would've just shoved it after like 5 seconds and moved on with my life.