Looking back at my old writing notebook from three years ago in my Chicago apartment

Last week, I dug it out of a moving box and saw the first prompt I ever tried: 'A character finds a key that opens nothing they own.' I wrote a single page. Last month, I used the same idea for a full short story about a locksmith. It's funny how a simple start can grow over time, just by sticking with it. What's the oldest writing prompt you've come back to years later?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt7714d ago

Actually, I find lost letters kind of boring now.

hart.ryan1mo ago

Wow, a prompt about a lost letter.

sandralee1mo ago

Yeah, a lost letter prompt can go so many ways. I read this short story once about a letter that never got sent and it changed everything for the characters. Makes you wonder about all the real ones that got stuck in a drawer or lost in the mail. You're right to point it out, hart.ryan, it's a classic idea because it's all about missed chances. I always end up hoping someone finds it years later, even if it's too late.