Just realized prompt lists beat generators after 30 days of testing both

I spent a month using a random prompt generator for my daily writing and got maybe 2 usable stories out of it. Then I switched to a curated list I built from old writing forums and magazine prompts. Same time frame, I finished 7 drafts and actually felt like I was improving. The generator kept throwing nonsense like "a villain who is allergic to toast" which is funny once, not 20 times. Curated prompts had more structure and a clear conflict embedded in them. Anyone else ditch generators for a simple text file of hand picked prompts?

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nathan_foster6015d ago

Take that generator nonsense and throw it in a drawer. The best prompts I've found are the ones that force a choice or a risk, like "your character has one hour to leave town or stay forever" or "someone at the door knows a secret about your past". Those give you a starting point but still let you run wild. A curated list makes you dig for the good gold instead of sifting through a pile of dirt.