Finally tried that 'show don't tell' prompt trick I always rolled my eyes at

I did a 10 minute warmup where I wrote a scene without using any emotion words like 'angry' or 'sad' and it turned into the most real dialogue I've written all month. Has anyone else had a writing exercise they hated actually work?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake74710d agoMost Upvoted

Is it weird how the stuff we're most skeptical about usually ends up helping the most? I had the same thing with timed writing - thought it was just for people who couldn't focus but it actually shut up my inner critic for a bit. Really makes you wonder what else we've been brushing off that might actually be useful.

murray.robert10d agoTop Commenter

Honestly that bit about "shutting up the inner critic" really hit me. I think we build up this mental wall against stuff because it sounds too simple or gimmicky, but then it ends up bypassing all the noise in our heads. Like I was dead set against journaling prompts for the longest time, figured they were just for people who couldn't think for themselves. Tried one on a whim last year and it actually helped me sort out a mess of thoughts without getting stuck in loops. Makes me wonder how many other little tools we write off just because they sound lame or too easy.

troychen10d ago

Right? It's wild how we get so stuck on what we think something is supposed to be. I did the same thing with those phone apps that give you a random one word prompt to think about for a minute. Figured it was just some silly fad. But then I tried it once on a break and it actually let my brain relax without spiraling into a full argument with myself. Makes you wonder how many of these simple little tricks we'd actually like if we just gave them a shot without all the judgment first.