I went to one of those "experimental" workshops in Portland last year and I'll be honest, I walked in rolling my eyes. Thought it was all just trendy nonsense for people who take themselves too seriously. But one prompt was "write a silent argument between two houseplants about the best spot near the window." I almost left. Ended up writing this weird little story about a fern and a pothos fighting over sunbeams and it was the most honest thing I'd written in months. It forced me to stop being so literal and just let words come out without overthinking. I still don't love the prompts themselves but they broke something loose in my head that day.

Oh man, you're spot on, I've chased my tail on the exact same thing before.

That "quick fix" lasting two years is the best kind of surprise.