I just realized my writing prompts were all the same kind of story

I was cleaning out my old notebooks last week, and I found about fifty pages of prompt ideas I'd jotted down over the last year. Looking through them, I saw a pattern I never noticed before. Every single one was a variation on 'person finds a mysterious object' or 'character wakes up with amnesia.' I mean, I had three different prompts about finding a strange key. It hit me that I was stuck in a tiny box, recycling the same basic setup because it felt safe. I wasn't challenging myself at all. I think I got so focused on finishing a prompt that I forgot to make it actually interesting or new. Has anyone else dug through their old ideas and found a rut they didn't know they were in? How did you shake it up?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant_cooper5d ago

Found all my old songs used the same four chords.

masontorres5d ago

Actually, that's pretty common for a lot of great songs. Those four chords are a solid foundation, @grant_cooper. Think about "Let It Be" or "With or Without You." The magic isn't just the chords, it's what you build on top of them. Different rhythms, melodies, and lyrics can make the same four chords feel brand new. It's more about what you do with the tools than the tools themselves.