Vent: My whole writing week got derailed by one weird prompt

The prompt was 'write a story where the main character is a sentient office printer in a failing company,' and I just COULD NOT get past the first line for three days straight. Has a prompt ever just completely blocked you like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

derekhill3d ago

Ever get stuck on something so simple it makes you mad? I once spent an entire afternoon trying to write a birthday card for my nephew, just staring at a blank "Happy Birthday" because my brain shut down. It's the worst feeling.

kaimartinez2d ago

Yeah the blank "Happy Birthday" thing. Used to think that was just being lazy. Then my sister had a kid. Tried to write a note for his first birthday. Sat there for an hour. Brain just empty. Realized it's not about being lazy. It's pressure. Want it to be perfect for them. Makes a simple thing impossible.

jenniferb532d ago

Oh man, that prompt would stop me cold too. What finally got me moving was writing the absolute worst version on purpose. Just typed "The printer beeped sadly" and let it be terrible. Once the blank page wasn't blank anymore, I could fix it. The pressure to make the first line perfect is a killer.