Writing Prompts Are For The Weak
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Write something. Do it. Dance. You are the puppet. Go on now, create. Create on command. Create when the mood doesn’t strike you. I expect a masterpiece, too, not some half-hearted attempt. I expected every word and line to be profound.
I have always found that the notion of writing–even when the writing mood is not in full force–to be easy. I don’t understand nor have I ever experienced writer’s block. Don’t misunderstand though. I don’t churn out the masterpiece. I can always consistently churn out garbage. The point here, though, is that I have never experienced a time when I needed a prompt to create said garbage. I have never not(yes, that’s a double negative, but stay with me, I’m trying to make a point, here) had something to write about. I don’t get it.
It’s totally possible that I’m missing the point of these writing prompts I seem to see everywhere. I view them as a crutch. I view them as an evil counterpoint to glorious creativity. Writing prompts are suppose to serve to get the creative juices flowing, but instead, I believe them to crush creativity. They help unimaginative people showcase fake creativity. Again, maybe I’m missing the point. If they serve to help one simply practice the art of story telling, maybe I can muster up the ability to give them a pass. After all, great musicians must practice scales to get a good understanding of different keys. But even then, I think the argument is weak. If I really use the musician reference correctly, practicing scales would be more like working on spelling and grammar and less like practicing the art of creating.
Writing prompts go against everything I believe writing to be. The whole point is to create from scratch, to use your mind to create something that is unique and new. Here’s a simile: writers who use writing prompts are like the chef who can only cook with the recipe in front of them. There is no creativity. A cup of sugar, two eggs, a cup of flour. Anyone can follow a recipe and come out with some pretty darn decent dishes. I can not accept this tamed animal. I want the wild one.
Again, I have come up with some really amazing garbage. But it’s mine. The idea of the story is mine. It is my personal content and belongs to me. They say (this is the collective they, as in a mass of industry professionals who believe that their beliefs are always the correct ones) that every story has been told, that every idea already imagined and written. I say (that is the singular me, a solitary and most likely incorrect individual speaking as if I actually know something) how dare They! Do not attempt to downplay creativity. They, in an attempt to discredit my creativity, challenge me to come up with an original idea. Challenge accepted! I shall not use writing prompts, no crutch to the creative promiseland!
Ok, reigning this back in….I think a truly creative person is the one who comes up with their own writing prompts. Realistically, we all write with a prompt in mind, but I can’t make myself use a writing prompt that someone else created. I almost feel a sense of fraudulence if I do that, a sense of plagiarism. I am–we ALL are–creative enough to come up with our own ideas. Let’s do that.
Written by
Bill C. Castengera
Author of Shift!
Purchase Shift! on Amazon!
