Spent a whole weekend trying to write a story from a 'write what you know' prompt

I kept trying to force a story about my job, but it felt boring and flat every time. I finally gave up and wrote about a character who finds a weird key in a library book, and the whole thing just flowed in about two hours. Has anyone else had a prompt that just wouldn't work until you ignored the obvious idea?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellat871mo ago

Totally get that. Read an interview where a writer said the "know" part can be a trap, like using just the facts. The feeling of being stuck in a boring office, that's the real thing to use, not the daily tasks. Your key story probably grabbed that feeling of finding something strange and new.

brooke5331mo ago

My friend had that happen with a "family secret" prompt. She kept trying to write about her actual grandma, got nowhere. Then she wrote about a kid finding out his dad was a retired super villain's henchman. Just clicked. Used the feeling of a hidden past, not the real people.