Question about family holiday prompts missing the real stress

So every year around this time, writing groups flood with prompts like 'describe a perfect family Thanksgiving' or 'write about a cozy holiday meal.' Man, that just gets to me. Last Christmas, my aunt brought her new boyfriend who argued politics with my dad all night, my cousin's kids were screaming, and the turkey was dry. Trying to write a happy scene from that feels fake. Prompts always skip the awkward silences and burnt food, you know? They make it seem like families just hug and laugh, but real stuff is way more interesting to write about. I'd love to see prompts that embrace the chaos instead of ignoring it. Lmao, maybe I just need to vent, but it's hard to get inspired when prompts don't match life.

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_lewis871mo ago

Those perfect prompts can actually be fun to twist into something messy though.

val_kim1mo ago

Honestly not sure why you'd waste time twisting prompts into a mess. Seems like extra steps for no payoff. Like following a recipe wrong on purpose just to complain about the food. Kinda feels like people are trying too hard to be clever about something basic.

adam75128d ago

Ngl, @amy_lewis87, but is twisting prompts really that big of a deal?