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That writing prompt app I laughed at actually helped me finish a story
A buddy sent me a link to some mobile app that generates writing prompts about a year ago. I rolled my eyes and figured it would be all generic stuff like 'a door appears in your kitchen.' But I was stuck on a short story for like three months and got desperate. I tried one prompt about a cashier who realizes every customer has the same receipt total. It kicked off a weird little noir piece I actually finished in two days. Has anyone else found a decent prompt generator that doesn't feel like it was written by a bot?
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michaelchen22d ago
The door appears in your kitchen" is exactly the kind of stuff I kept seeing in those apps. I downloaded one once that gave me "a man finds a key under his pillow" for like three days straight. I ended up using it to start a story about a guy who finds keys under his pillow every morning and nobody can explain it. Still haven't finished it though.
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loganl2222d ago
Yeah that's the thing with those generators... they give you just enough to get stuck without anywhere to go. The key thing works because it's a pattern that breaks reality in a small way, not some big flashy portal or monster. I started messing with that idea after reading your post actually, thinking about how the guy would start hoarding keys in jars, labeling them by date, trying to find some pattern in the brand or shape. There's something creepy about an object that shouldn't exist multiplying in your personal space, like the house itself is trying to tell you something but you can't read the message. I bet if you ever finish that story, the ending shouldn't explain why it happens, just leave the guy with a mountain of keys and no answers. That's always been the scariest stuff to me, the stuff that just keeps happening for no reason.
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gray622d ago
Man I gotta say that key under the pillow thing is actually a pretty solid start. I read somewhere that some of the best horror stories come from everyday objects showing up where they shouldn't. Reminds me of this article I stumbled on about how your brain automatically tries to explain weird stuff like that, which is why it hooks you. Your keys idea has that same pull, like you gotta know why it keeps happening. Take this with a grain of salt but maybe lean into the frustration of the guy getting tired of keys everywhere. That tension writes itself.
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