My writing group argued for an hour about whether a prompt needs a specific setting or not, and I'm still not sure.

Wren Kim · 2026-03-23T08:30:08.661751+00:00

One person said 'a good prompt is a locked door, the setting is the key you give them,' but another argued that leaving it totally open, like just 'a deal is struck,' forces more creativity, so which side are you on?

ryan_hayes26mo ago

My old workshop leader always said give them the haunted house, not just the ghost. A little setting gives everyone a shared starting point to get weird from.

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quinn_nguyen6mo ago

That "locked door" idea is spot on.

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quinn_nguyen5mo ago

Oh man, the "deal is struck" people are trying too hard. A prompt like that just makes everyone write the same vague, moody scene. Give me "a deal is struck in a flooded subway car" or "a deal is struck over a plate of cold fries at a 24-hour diner." Now we have something to work with. The setting isn't a cage, it's the first big shove. It gives the group a common language so the real creativity can start, instead of ten people staring at a blank page.

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