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I tried a 'write what you know' prompt about my own job and it was a disaster
Our writing group met last Tuesday, and the prompt was to write a 500-word scene about your own workplace. I'm a dental hygienist, so I wrote a detailed, realistic scene about a routine cleaning. I thought the specificity would be great. The feedback was brutal. Two people said it was boring and clinical, and one person actually fell asleep reading it aloud. I learned that 'write what you know' doesn't mean just transcribing reality. You still need to find the conflict or the unique character angle, even in the mundane. Has anyone else taken a 'real life' prompt and had it totally flop? How do you make the ordinary interesting?
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the_mary2d ago
Disagree, that prompt just needs teeth. My barista scene worked because I focused on the rude customer, not the coffee.
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