the_wade•2mo agoProlific Poster

My writing group prompt went sideways in the best way

We were doing a 10-minute sprint based on the prompt 'a character finds a key that doesn't fit any lock' at our local library meetup. Halfway through, my pen ran out of ink completely. I had to grab a crayon from the kids' corner to keep writing. The weird, waxy feel made my character's thoughts get way more frantic and desperate, which actually fit the story better. I ended up reading that crayon-scrawled page out loud and everyone loved the shift in tone. What's the most useful writing mistake you've ever made?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie6022mo ago

Ever try to write a grocery list with a crayon? It's all downhill from there.

wren2172mo ago

Okay but "all downhill from there" feels like a stretch. It's just a crayon on a scrap of paper. I've done it when a pen died and the list was fine. The milk and bread still made it into the cart. It's not like the crayon makes you forget how to spell "eggs.

evangarcia7d ago

Crayon-scrawled page" yeah that's the real win here. Sometimes the tool forces you out of your usual rhythm and that's where the good stuff lives.