Just tried a 'bad idea' writing prompt to get unstuck and it totally worked!

I was stuck on a short story for like a week. The main character was just boring. On a whim, I used a prompt from a forum that said 'Your protagonist's only skill is being able to perfectly identify different types of cheese by smell.' It sounded so silly, but I wrote a 500-word scene where a detective solves a case because the thief left a unique Gouda scent at the crime scene. It was ridiculous, but it completely broke my block and made the character way more fun to write! Has anyone else used a totally absurd prompt that actually led somewhere good?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithg262mo ago

That cheese detective idea is hilarious lmao. Did you end up keeping that weird skill for the final story, or was it just a tool to get you writing again?

sage2862mo ago

Honestly, the best part is when a weird skill like that accidentally becomes the story's actual theme.

brooke4842mo ago

Spot on, sage286. It feels like finding a secret door in your own house. You start with a throwaway detail, like a character who can only sleep in moving cars, and suddenly that quirk is the key to the whole plot. It explains their restlessness, their job as a courier, and why they're always on the road during the mystery. Those odd skills stop being jokes and start holding real weight. The story becomes about that thing you never planned to take seriously.