PSA: The writing prompts on this sub have gotten way too dark lately

Six months ago, most prompts were about fun stuff like finding a magic key or talking to animals, but now it feels like every other one is about surviving an apocalypse or a character with a tragic secret. I think the trend started after that popular 'write from the villain's view' thread blew up. What happened to just wanting to tell a good story without all the gloom?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_fisher17d ago

Have you thought about how the news cycle might be leaking into our creative spaces? When the world feels heavy, it can be hard to write about light things. Maybe people are using these dark prompts to work through real worries in a safe, made up way. It could be less about a trend and more about a shared mood that's hard to shake. I miss the fun prompts too, but this might explain why they've dried up.

abby_wilson5117d ago

You might be onto something there. My own writing has gotten so gloomy lately that my main character's happiest moment was finding a slightly less damp cave to sleep in. It's tough to imagine fun adventures when your brain is stuck on real world problems. Maybe we're all just processing the same heavy stuff through fiction. I do hope the balance swings back eventually, because writing constant misery is exhausting.

the_cameron12d ago

Totally get that. Last year my own stories were just wall to wall dread. What finally helped was setting a dumb rule: every chapter had to have one genuinely nice thing in it, like a character getting a perfect cup of coffee or seeing a cool bird. It felt forced at first, but it slowly let a little air back into the room.