Appreciation post: The value of writing prompts that force a specific point of view

I tried using a prompt that only allowed a first-person antagonist narration, like a villain explaining their actions. After three attempts, the story came out sharper and more emotional than anything I'd written in months. It forced me to justify bad behavior instead of just describing it. Has anyone else found a narrow constraint actually unlocked better writing?

3 comments

3 Comments

joseph52928d ago

That line "two characters were arguing about groceries but it was really about their whole failing relationship" really stuck with me... I heard some writer say once that good fiction is always about what's not being said, and that dialogue-only exercise seems like the perfect way to force that.

oliver_fisher28d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, constraints really make you work harder!

torres.leo28d ago

oliver_fisher yeah I feel that. "Constraints really make you work harder" is exactly right. I remember I tried a prompt once that forced me to write only in dialogue, no narration at all. First couple tries were a mess, just people talking about nothing. But by the third attempt I had to imply everything through what they said and what they left out. Ended up with this tense scene where two characters were arguing about groceries but it was really about their whole failing relationship. Made me realize how much I lean on descriptive crutches when writing.