Should creative writing prompts include price tags or is that just bad writing advice?

I spent $150 on a fancy writing prompt generator tool that promised fresh ideas and it gave me nothing but cliches, but then I used a free community prompt about a broken vending machine and wrote 3,000 words in one sitting so which side are you on with spending money on writing resources?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee8473d ago

That whole situation tracks with something I see all the time in real life. People drop cash on expensive workshops or fancy notebooks thinking the price tag means quality, but the best stuff comes from random, free sources that actually spark something real. It's like paying for a top shelf cocktail when a cheap beer with friends leads to a better night. The price doesn't unlock creativity, the weird, unexpected hook does, like that broken vending machine thing you mentioned.

miles_hall3d agoTop Commenter

Double down on that cheap beer idea because it's so true. The most creative thing I've stumbled on this year was a crumpled up list of "100 random questions" someone left on a bus seat. Used it as a prompt for a dumb little project I was tinkering with (never panned out, but the process was fun). Meanwhile, I've got a $60 "creativity workbook" sitting on my shelf that I opened once, felt sick looking at all those blank boxes, and closed again. There's something about the complete lack of stakes with free stuff that lets your brain breathe, you know? No pressure to justify the cost, so you actually play with it.

milarodriguez13h ago

...and honestly I've been down that exact road. Poured like $80 into a "masterclass" prompt series and ended up getting more mileage out of a random tweet someone posted about what your fridge says about your personality. The trick I've learned is that expensive stuff tries to sell you a system, but cheap or free stuff gives you a hook. If I'm spending money on writing tools now, I'll grab a $5 zine from a local zine fair before I touch another online course. Those blank boxes in paid workbooks are just guilt traps waiting to happen.