Update: That recipe prompt crashed my workshop discussion

Honestly, I have to warn you about using cooking prompts without enough twist. Tbh, I gave my group a prompt about a family recipe with a secret ingredient. Ngl, every single story had a ghost grandma or a love potion. It made the whole share session feel repetitive and boring. We need to push for prompts that ask 'what if' in new ways, like a restaurant where the food changes memories. Try focusing on the conflict around the food, not just the magic item itself. It could save your next writing meetup from going stale.

4 comments

4 Comments

jenny_robinson3mo ago

My group's ghost grandma stories were actually pretty fun last month. Sometimes a simple prompt lets people focus on telling the story well instead of figuring out a crazy new world.

caleb_fisher443mo ago

Six haunted recipe clones came from my group's chili contest prompt, totally stale.

davis.david3mo ago

Ugh, been there. My old workshop did a potion prompt and got seven "love at first sip" stories in a row. The magic thing just becomes a cheap fix. Like, try a prompt where the recipe steals someone's cooking skills, or the food only tastes good if you lie to eat it. The fight over the meal is always better than the magic salt shaker.

ray_martinez822mo agoMost Upvoted

So what's the worst magic fix you've seen in a workshop story? Like, a truly lazy one.