I used to think every prompt needed a full setting and character sheet before you could start.

For about three years, I'd spend an hour building a world before writing a single line, until a workshop in Austin had us start with just a single object, like a broken pocket watch. Now I just pick one odd detail and let the story find the setting as I go, which feels way more alive. Does anyone else find that less planning upfront actually leads to better, weirder stories?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_mitchell8d ago

Oh man, that hits home. I used to get so stuck trying to map out every single rule of a magic system first. Now my best stuff starts with something dumb, like a fridge that only hums show tunes. The weird little detail pulls everything else along behind it.

riverdavis8d ago

Totally! I got so much better once I stopped trying to build the whole house before I even had a door. My last idea started with a guy whose shadow waves at him when he isn't looking. That one weird thing made me ask all the right questions to build a world around it. It's way more fun to chase a cool little mystery than to write a textbook first.

foster.tessa8d ago

Remember my buddy who wrote a whole book because his cat only sneezed in threes?