Losing Kate

Because I am submitting a piece of short-fiction for my grad school application, I have been searching for writing prompts. I have some already written pieces, but none of them feel right. Especially within a 500 word limit.

However, most of the prompts I’m seeing are downright goofy. They may be fine for an angsty teen imagining their first breakup, but not for a sophisticated and professional adult.

So if you, like me, are trying to get unstuck, here are some fiction prompts for the serious writer.

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You wake up, and what?! You’re a lizard.

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That’s it… That’s all I got. This shit is kinda hard.

I genuinely intended to write a list of prompts and not sound like an idiot. But I couldn’t come up with anything that felt different, original, literary.

I think there is an inherent cliche when turning to a prompt. I don’t think that means you can’t create originality from a place of commonality, but it’s not an attractive place to start.

It’s similar to how brilliant books can be wrapped in poorly designed covers. I know the best words can be written in the worst font, but that doesn’t mean I don’t cringe when I see it.

So maybe my next story should be about waking up as a lizard. If Kafka can write about transforming into a bug, then why not?

Maybe a strong sense of taste can get in the way of true originality. Maybe the point of the writing prompt is to be deleted once written.

What do you think happens on a dark and stormy night?

What happens after you wake up with blood on your hands?

When your third eyelid flutters open, coldness rushing through your veins, scales flexing as you sit up, what will your first thought be?

We’re told that cliches are true for a reason, and also that we should avoid them. So I propose that the prompt—no matter how corny—is a diving board, not a piece of art.

The value of the individual writer is the individual perspective. No one will write the same second sentence.