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I used to hate writing prompts with strict word counts
Last month at the library writers group, a lady handed me a 100-word flash fiction challenge and I nearly walked out. Then I tried it with a scene about my grandpa's old fishing shack on Lake Champlain and the limit forced me to cut every useless word. Has anyone else found a rule they thought they'd hate actually made their writing better?
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kim.jake1mo ago
That 250 word limit thing your buddy Carlos went through is exactly the kind of story I needed to hear. You said he had to pick one coolest moment from each hike, which is basically what happened with my flash fiction piece. The old fishing shack had this one window where the afternoon light would hit the dust floating in the air and make it look like tiny gold flakes. Every other detail had to go. Forcing yourself to choose the best single image or moment instead of just piling on descriptions is honestly a skill that needs practicing. Not everyone will love strict limits, but for some of us they're like training wheels that actually teach you how to ride.
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Man, that's exactly what happened to my buddy Carlos! He used to write these rambling blog posts about his hiking trips that went on forever. Then his editor made him cut every single post to exactly 250 words for a travel website gig. He was so pissed at first, told me he was gonna quit. But after a few weeks he said it was the best thing that ever happened to his writing. He had to pick the one coolest moment from each hike instead of listing every rock he stepped over. Now he swears by it and even does it for his personal journal just for fun.
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knight.felix1mo ago
I dunno, that sounds a little extreme to me. Like, is a 250 word limit really life changing or is it just a random rule someone made up?
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