Why Writing to a Prompt Is a Vital Skill for New Writers

I have to admit I’m kind of prompt-obsessed, if you haven’t noticed. I run a bi-monthly newsletter, The Weird Circular, and in every issue are three prompts you can use to boost your writing skills. One thing I focus on in my prompts is craft: Every prompt is meant to help writers explore different skills like tone/voice, form/structure, character, story, and so on. The best writing prompts are open-ended, meaning that any writer can try them out regardless of genre.

I’m so prompt obsessed that it is pretty much the center of most of my writing workshops. In my workshop starting in October, I have four prompts—one per week meant to boost writers looking to finish a speculative novel.

Writing the Speculative Novel
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting October 7th, 2024
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-Paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
​Price: $299
Learn how to write (and finish) a speculative novel from outlining to revising to submissions.
Learn tips from a freelance editor who has worked with successful speculative writers to edit their books to perfection. With over ten years of experience in editing both self-published and big fiver writers, I know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to longform writing. In this class, we’ll explore techniques for outlining, critiquing, and revising the speculative novel. Learn how to create your own outline that you can re-use for future projects. Learn how to take on revision from the big picture to nitty gritty proofreading. Craft your book so that it has the best possible chance to get published!

The thing about writing to prompt, though, is that it’s a really important and valuable skill if your goal is to write long-term successfully. One of the reasons is that when you “level up” as a writer, editors of publications will start soliciting your work for anthologies and other themed submissions. So, being able to write to a prompt really prepares a writer for that.

When I saw the anthology call for “A Crack in the Code: Cybertronic Stories of Rebellion”, I knew my story “Paper Dolls” would be a perfect fit. While I didn’t write that story specifically for the anthology call, I often encourage writers to think of their stories in terms of themes because there are always new anthologies looking for writers.

I have a theory that readers are drawn to a writer because of their unique voice. Think about it: Why do you love your favorite authors? It’s probably because when you pick up their books, you may not know what the story or characters will be, but you have a sense of what kind of book you’re about to enjoy based on your knowledge of the author. Readers love watching a writer’s voice grow, change, and improve. When you read, say, a book by Holly Black, you know the book will have strong fantasy elements, a fascinating conceit, whimsical settings and characters, and hard-hitting emotions.

I like to compare this idea to movie directors. M. Night Shyamalan is known for his surprising twist endings. A Christopher Nolan film is going to have a big orchestral soundtrack and huge main characters who feel bigger than life. And a Greta Gerwig film is sure to be feminist.

How do you develop your style as a writer? The key is trying things out. And using prompts is a fantastic way to do that. It allows you to explore a theme and learn how to bring your unique voice as a writer to that topic.

As a teacher, I’ve learned that I can give an open-ended prompt like “Write a story about an accident told from three different points of view” and every single writer is going to take a different approach. Some may be more successful than others, but success isn’t the goal. The goal is to develop who you are as a writer.

Theme is often a difficult thing for new writers to understand. “What IS my theme?” You might be wondering. Well, to me, theme is the convergence of different ideas. Three ideas, in my opinion, make a theme. For example, a ghost story might be also about grief and generational trauma (if the ghost is an ancestor). That’s theme. As Pablo Picasso said, “If there were only one truth, you couldn’t paint a hundred canvases on the same theme.” Some writers stick to the same themes over and over again, and yet readers still love their work!

Prompts work well to craft short stories. Some ideas work better in a short story because there’s less space, so the constraints add tension. But prompts aren’t just for short stories. You can also use prompts to grow a novel in progress. For example, if you get stuck and can’t figure out where to go next, you might:

• Have a character do something completely unexpected

• Introduce a new character

• Introduce a new setting

• Create an obstacle that has to be surmounted

• Write a chapter in your antagonist’s point of view

and so on.

I encourage writers to save prompts like magpies save shiny objects. One of my favorite prompts is a simple found word prompt. Go to your bookcase, pick up a book you love. Flip to a random page and find a random phrase that stands out to you. Use that as the inspiration for your next story, poem, essay, or chapter in your book.

There are endless prompts online, but they aren’t all useful. I would say that when looking for a prompt, look for one that is open-ended. Avoid prompts that are essentially story ideas (“Write a story about a cowboy who goes into a bar…”) because you want to bring your own unique ideas to the page.

Prompts give writers a small seed to work from—which can bloom into a beautiful idea.

The last thing I’ll say about prompts is this: If they don’t work for you, that is totally fine. But please don’t disparage writers who enjoy using prompts. There’s no wrong or right way to write.

Love what you write, write what you love.

Read my story “Paper Dolls” in A Crack in the Code from Mocha Memoirs Press:

Upcoming Workshops from Holly Lyn Walrath

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