Rant: My writing group's prompt challenge went completely off the rails

At our Tuesday meeting in the local library, our leader gave us the prompt 'a character finds a key that unlocks nothing.' I wrote about a janitor finding a strange key in a school. Another member, Dave, got mad, saying the prompt was 'too vague' and that it wasted his time. He argued we should only use prompts with clear genre and conflict, like 'a detective finds a key at a murder scene.' I think open prompts spark more unique ideas. The whole 90 minute meeting turned into a debate about rules versus freedom. What kind of prompts work best for your group, tight ones or loose ones?

4 comments

4 Comments

derekjenkins17d ago

Dave's the one wasting time by arguing instead of writing.

kimr1016d ago

Dave getting that mad over a key prompt is the real story here. It's a writing group, not the UN security council. If a vague prompt wastes his time, maybe he should just write a bad story and move on. The debate sounds more dramatic than anything anyone wrote.

thompson.nathan16d ago

Tbh you're right about the debate being the real drama. Honestly, some people just need to hear themselves complain more than they need to write. If a prompt is that bad, write a silly story about a key that opens nothing and call it a day. Spending twenty minutes arguing is a way bigger waste of time than any prompt could ever be.

chen.casey16d ago

Honestly, loose prompts are the whole point of a writing group in my view. Tight prompts just make everyone write the same basic story. That janitor idea sounds way more interesting than another detective plot. Maybe suggest a rotating prompt style where each meeting someone else picks, so Dave gets his turn with a specific prompt next week. Sometimes you just have to let people complain for a minute and then gently point out the timer and get back to writing.