Falling for Prompts

An October Prompt Challenge

Note: This post has been adapted from a 2019 blog post I wrote on the benefits of writing prompts.

To Everything There Is a Season

It’s fall. Each November, one of the local universities here hosts a writing festival called Winter Wheat; the idea is to plant seeds/generate new writing that you can work on over the winter and then, if all goes well, “watch” it grow into something in the spring.

Perhaps that’s why, each fall, I’m drawn to generating new drafts. It somehow feels right; it’s the season for it.

And when I’m eager to generate new work, I turn to writing prompts.

I love writing from prompts, the way they can take me to unexpected places and help me uncover unexpected ideas.

The beauty of a prompt, particularly if used in conjunction with freewriting,¹ is that it allows your pen (or fingers, if you’re typing) to lead you—instead of you leading your pen.

Why is this important?

Because our subconscious knows more than we do.² And when we try to control our creative thoughts, what can sometimes happen is that we second-guess or edit ourselves. No, that’s dumb. That’s a silly idea. I’m going to erase that.

But what if it’s not “dumb”? What if it’s not “silly”?

Prompted to Challenge Myself

My favorite prompts (as I mention in this video) are those that can be used over and over again. In fact, what prompted this post was that I decided I wanted to do another month-long challenge (as I typically do each November), but in October this time (inspired by my friend Elizabeth who is doing something similar with poetry).

Using the same prompt each day of the month, I plan to write a no-stakes flash draft. With the word draft, I intend to emphasize the unfinished-ness of what I’ll write each day. The idea is simply to generate some new work quickly. As with freewriting, I don’t typically spend much time on each piece. When I’ve previously done these challenges, my drafts often end up between 200 and 600 words (the ideal length for what I write). The last few Novembers, I ended each November-long challenge with 30 drafts of flash-fiction stories. Winter wheat, indeed!

It’s important to note that not all of these drafts will end up being revision-worthy, and some will sit for years before I dig them out and decide to work on them.

I like to reiterate that so much of what we write is simply practice. Not everything is meant to be published. In this way, it’s similar to practicing a sport or any other skill.

Benefits of Prompts

Writing—and creativity, in general—is a muscle to be toned and maintained.

And just as doing thirty minutes of exercise each day benefits your body, there are many ways prompts can benefit your writing muscles. Below are just a few.

Prompts can encourage “non-writers” to write.

When I was teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), students would come into my ESL Academic Writing class reluctant to write. Writing is hard enough, but it can be even more daunting for those not writing in their native language. Many of the students in my ESL writing classes didn’t want to be there. And they certainly didn’t want to write.

But it was actually amazing what my students could come up with when there was no threat of being graded or judged in some way. At the beginning of each class, I simply provided them with a prompt and a set amount of time to write (usually about ten minutes). By the end of each semester, several students would tell me that they actually learned to like writing in my class and that it became easier over time. A few even signed up for elective writing courses!

But it doesn’t matter if it’s academic writing or creative writing (or something in between).

Like many things, you have to make it a habit to sit down and write for five or ten minutes a couple of times a week. (And for those of us who write flash and microfiction, five or ten minutes is often enough to get a solid start to a first draft of a story!)

Writing prompts help you find (or hone) your voice.

Because of the low stakes (or “no stakes”) of writing prompts/freewriting, there’s a sense of freedom that allows for automacy.

You might write in ways or about subjects that surprise you. Where did that come from? Again, this is your subconscious at work.

And after you do this enough times, you may begin to find that there’s a specific form, voice, or subject that’s calling for you—that wants to be heard. Your true writing voice begins to emerge.

Sometimes my own most natural work comes from this automatic writing in response to a prompt.

Both freewriting and prompts—especially when used together—increase one’s writing fluency.

I never used to like to write “on the spot.” And it wasn’t just writing. In high school when we’d be given free time to work on assignments, I hated it. I wanted to do my work in my own space. Maybe I was intimidated by people working diligently around me. But also, I processed things differently than most people. I liked to think about things and had a whole routine for doing homework that often allowed for a lot of “breathing room” (aka idle time) that in-class work time didn’t.

Part of it was probably the expectation of perfection I was conditioned to. But some of it was simply habit.

During the pandemic, though, when online workshops popped up all over the place, I found myself regularly in spaces where I was “tasked” with writing creatively for five, ten, or fifteen minutes. At first, I often did what I’d done before. Froze.

But the more I was exposed to that writing-on-the-spot environment, the better I got at it. I’d remind myself that nobody was reading what I was writing, and although many times we were invited to share in these workshops, this was not a requirement. These were literally no-stakes drafts.

And before I knew it, I was regularly turning out “useable” drafts in five-, ten-, and fifteen-minute time frames. Some never got past the draft stage, but some did!

I am no longer intimidated by writing in a short amount of time—on the spot. In fact, I often relish it.

Which brings me to the next benefit.

Writing begets more writing.

Just like the way creativity begets more creativity, writing also feeds upon itself. The more you write, the more you want to write. Now after a generative writing session, instead of feeling relieved it’s over, I often want to keep writing! (And this is the goal, especially if you’ve been feeling blocked creatively.)

Writing prompts promote creative thinking.

As I did in my previous post, I regularly make the connection between writing (or art, in general) and critical thinking/creative thinking. In a recent interview with a local newspaper, in fact, I was asked why I thought art was important. My answer: It promotes critical thinking and it promotes empathy.

The best prompts, in my opinion, allow for interpretations that might go far beyond one’s imagination. The idea is to push beyond what’s being prompted. Perspective is often learned. That is to say, there are so many different ways to look at the world. If you’re dead set on only one way of doing things, you’re going to be disappointed—most likely. But if you look for alternative interpretations, you’re better able to see what could be. You discover different realities. Your mind opens up, and then your world opens up. I’m always so tickled to see someone interpret a prompt in a way that had never crossed my mind. And I learn from it!

In one of my early YouTube videos, I talked about crossword puzzles and creativity. When you read a clue and the first thing you think of clearly cannot be the answer, you have to consider how else the clue might be interpreted. You’re forced to consider different parts of speech, puns, alternative meanings, etc. And it changes your brain—yes, you can change your brain!—and suddenly these alternative interpretations start to come much easier to you than before. The brain is highly flexible (neuroplasticity), but you do have to help it along.

And writing from prompts is one way to do that.

Writing prompts can help with writer’s block.

This is similar to the above point, but slightly different.

I don’t believe in writer’s block, per se; I believe that what most people call writer’s block is more of a creativity block. That is, you can’t find your way into—or out of—a story. Sometimes it’s simply a lack of drive or energy; writing, as most writers know, can be exhausting. So using writing prompts can take some of the pressure off, possibly helping you find a different approach to a piece.

Me at around age 3, already looking like an English teacher or writer! 🤣

Remember: A prompt is simply a prompt, something to get you started. A jumping-off point. If you stray from it, that’s okay.

Prompt: General to Specific

Sometimes general—ambiguous—prompts can be enough to jumpstart your imagination. These are often the prompts you can use over and over again because you have the chance to get specific in very different ways.

My prompt challenge to you is to see if you can use the below—very general—prompt multiple times, creating specificity in vastly different ways each time. You can alter the sentence however you see fit, and you can use it at the beginning of a piece, make it your last sentence, or put it somewhere in between. Whatever works—because it’s just a prompt!

Prompt sentence: Every day there was another one.

Just let your pen (or fingers) lead you—and have fun!

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P.S.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I encourage you to check out my recent interview with Margaret Montet, in which she talks about her writing habits as a nonfiction writer. Her third book, Music Lessons, is due out in 2026.

1. Freewriting, sometimes called automatic writing, involves writing without thinking—without censoring yourself—often for a set amount of time, e.g., five, ten, or fifteen minutes. A freewrite is what I call a no-stakes draft.

2. I will talk more about how to tap into this subconscious and how trusting what comes can make you a stronger—and more consistent—writer in my upcoming (Oct. 9, 2025) workshop, Hitting the Trail: Using Your Intuition for Writing and Self-Editing, which is currently open for registration.