PSA: That $15 writing prompt book from Amazon was a complete waste of my money

I bought a book called "5000 Creative Writing Prompts" last month for 15 bucks. Figured it would give me fresh ideas for my fantasy novel. But every prompt was stuff like "write about a red door" or "describe a rainy day." Nothing unique or weird. I got better ideas scrolling Twitter for free. Has anyone found an actual good prompt source that doesn't feel like homework?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettywood7d ago

Is it really that deep though? Like you paid 15 bucks for a book, not a lifetime subscription to the creativity machine. I mean, "red door" and "rainy day" are kinda basic but they're prompts, not a whole plot.

jessica_ross387d ago

Bettywood's right about basic prompts, just pick one and write three sentences today without judging.

jana_fox507d ago

Take a highlighter and go through those prompts one by one, mark the ones that spark even a tiny image in your head. Then sit with just those three or four for a week, write two sentences a day based on each. That book's not gonna write itself, you gotta treat it like a tool, not a magic wand... bettywood's right that they're basic, but basic can be a starting line, not a finish line. I've seen people turn "red door" into a whole story about a haunted house just by asking "why is it red" and "who painted it that way". Don't overthink it, just grab one prompt and type whatever comes to mind for five minutes, no editing.