Oh Howard, I used to be exactly the same. There are times still when a fantasy prompt comes in and by sentence two I have pulled the story right back into my reality, but not always, so it is starting to lose it's power over me.
Some prompts work better for me than others, but I have always been able to use them to create a story, even when they're asking for something in an unfamiliar genre or words (I'm thinking of NYC Midnight contests!). I mean, I had to write a story with a submarine once and while that was incredibly challenging for me, I ended up with one of my favorite stories ever!
What I most love in a prompt is something that allows me to go deep into a character or setting, especially if I can hijack something from one of my existing worlds.
I was in a writing class a few weeks ago and the teacher gave three prompts. One was to write about a scene using different shades of one color, one was to write about a meal, and one was to write a scene that was all action. I am way more comfortable with descriptions than with action so I was leaning toward the color prompt when the teacher said "pick the one you are the least attracted to" !!! Panic inducing lol, but I ended up writing the action scene and I didn't die of writer's block.
How long is the meeting?
Typically about an hour. If we have a large turnout it will run a bit longer.
Thank you!
Yes, thanks for responding so quickly Heather! I've had my head in the clouds this week.
Fantasy would be my kryptonite. As soon as I read about a dragon or see one in a movie, I lose all interest.
Oh Howard, I used to be exactly the same. There are times still when a fantasy prompt comes in and by sentence two I have pulled the story right back into my reality, but not always, so it is starting to lose it's power over me.
However, in my latest novel Satan is a major character. Maybe I'm opening up.
I have such a hard time getting past the character names and place names in fantasy. Weird names always take me out of the story.
Yeah. All those drawfs in lord of the rings. Bumbo, Bombo, Hondo....
Some prompts work better for me than others, but I have always been able to use them to create a story, even when they're asking for something in an unfamiliar genre or words (I'm thinking of NYC Midnight contests!). I mean, I had to write a story with a submarine once and while that was incredibly challenging for me, I ended up with one of my favorite stories ever!
What I most love in a prompt is something that allows me to go deep into a character or setting, especially if I can hijack something from one of my existing worlds.
Looking forward!
Me too! We are going to be treated to one of Heather's prompts this month, so I can't wait to be surprised!
I was in a writing class a few weeks ago and the teacher gave three prompts. One was to write about a scene using different shades of one color, one was to write about a meal, and one was to write a scene that was all action. I am way more comfortable with descriptions than with action so I was leaning toward the color prompt when the teacher said "pick the one you are the least attracted to" !!! Panic inducing lol, but I ended up writing the action scene and I didn't die of writer's block.