I don’t like prompts

I don’t like writing prompts. Prompts are common in online fiction writing advice. You can buy analog writing prompt kits. Writing workshops and workbooks often use exercises (essentially prompts) to help develop skills. I bounce off of all of them. For me, coming up with ideas / getting started is not the hard part of writing. I think it’s great for writers who find themselves stuck on starting to use prompts to get past the blocker of the blank page — but I have come to realize I don’t enjoy using them. Creative constraints are extremely valuable, but this is not the type of constraint I like to work within — I’d rather choose my own. This is why I’ve largely stopped participating in the monthly IndieWeb Carnival. Blogging prompts are a type of online conversation, one that lowers social barriers to participating because they are explicitly open to all. But, I found myself bristling a little when I sat down to write. I think, for me, writing to a prompt can feel inorganic (this is…