Update: I tried a new prompt trick for my sci-fi story set in Chicago

Last week I was stuck on a scene in my book, so I wrote the prompt 'What if the L train broke down because of a ghost in the system, not a tech problem?' I set a timer for 15 minutes and just wrote whatever came to mind. It led to a whole new character, a mechanic who sees signals nobody else can. What's a weird question you've used to kickstart a scene?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowank692mo ago

So what's the mechanic's name?

pipera502mo ago

You didn't even get his name?

richard_hall13d ago

Named him Eli. The mechanic, I mean. Reminded me of a guy I knew who could fix anything with a paperclip and some duct tape. @pipera50 I actually tried something similar with a scene about a broken air conditioner in July, asked myself what if it was sweating because it was scared of something in the house. Turned into this whole backstory about the building being built on an old cemetery. Did the mechanic in your story get a name right away or did you have to sit with him for a while?