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Back in 2012, I had to choose between a sci-fi prompt about a sentient library or a fantasy one about a cursed blacksmith.
I picked the blacksmith, and that single choice led to the first novel I ever finished, a 90,000-word mess that I still love for getting me started. What's a prompt that accidentally sent you down a much bigger path than you expected?
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james5332mo ago
Funny how the smallest writing choices can unlock something huge. It reminds me of how a random comment from a friend or a line in a movie can sometimes shift your whole view on a problem you've been stuck on. That blacksmith prompt clearly hit a deep vein for you. Makes you wonder what we're sitting on right now, just waiting for the right nudge to come along.
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xena_rivera632mo ago
But what if the nudge never comes? Sometimes you just have to start hammering on the metal yourself, not wait for a spark. Sitting and wondering can waste a lot of good daylight.
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Did you ever read that article about how our brains are wired to latch onto specific random details as creative triggers? It totally explains why a simple blacksmith prompt could spiral into a whole novel when a dozen other ideas would've just fizzled out.
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