Hot take: writing prompts need real conflict not just vibes

I ran a writing group at a library in Austin last month. Three people brought prompts that were basically just describing a mood. Like "a rainy street at midnight." No stakes. Nothing happening. One guy had a solid prompt about a delivery driver finding a dead body. The difference was night and day. Anyone else notice prompts with actual conflict get way better stories?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly.robin4d ago

The delivery driver prompt actually has stakes because theres a choice involved. Does he report it or not? Thats the engine that drives a story forward. So heres my question for those vibe writers: what happens if nobody actually changes or makes a hard call in the story you want? Like if the prompt is just a rainy street at midnight, do you really want someone to write about the street feeling sad for 500 words? Because thats what youll get, and itll be boring even if the description is pretty. And honestly I think a lot of people mistake atmosphere for plot because its easier to describe a feeling than to invent a situation where someone loses something or has to decide something hard.

rivera.simon4d ago

Yeah my prompts usually go like "a guy sits in his car" and then I wonder why nobody writes anything. Conflict is hard but vibes are easy.