Debate: should a writing prompt tell you the ending or leave it open?

I tried two different approaches at my writing group in Austin last week. One prompt gave a clear ending like "the time traveler finds out they caused the disaster," and the other left it wide open like "a stranger knocks on your door at midnight." The open one got way more creative responses, but three people said they felt lost without direction. Which side do you lean toward for prompts?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora1841d ago

People get way too worked up over writing prompts. It's just a prompt, not a final exam. If someone feels lost without a clear ending, maybe they need to practice working with less structure. The open prompt gave you more creative responses, that says a lot. Three people felt lost, so what? They can just skip that prompt and find one that holds their hand more. This whole debate feels like making a big deal out of nothing.

ross.sean1d ago

Wait, only THREE people felt lost from an open prompt and THAT'S what sparked this whole debate? I thought there was a huge outcry or something, not a literal handful of folks. That's seriously wild to me, like you're telling me we're spending all this energy arguing over three random people's opinions. I guess the internet really will turn ANYTHING into a mountain, even a molehill with three ants on it.