The prompt jar at that coffee shop in Portland changed my writing block

I stopped at this little place called Sip City last month and they had a mason jar full of slips with prompts, each one tied to a local landmark. I grabbed one that just said "the bridge keeper's last shift" and it sparked a 500 word flash piece in under 20 minutes. What hit me was how specific they were, not vague like "write about loss" but grounded in place and job. Has anyone else tried using real locations or occupations as prompts instead of abstract ideas? I'm thinking of making my own jar for my writing group, but I want to know if it works for other people or if it's just me.

2 comments

2 Comments

paulschmidt19d ago

The specific ones hit different for sure. Vague prompts leave too much open and I end up staring at the wall. Might steal this jar idea for my own messy drafts.

wyattrobinson19d agoMost Upvoted

and honestly that jar trick is genius, I have like three sticky notes on my monitor for the same reason but they just blend in after a week. vague stuff makes me freeze up too, I'll write "chapter" on a prompt and suddenly I'm googling what birds eat in winter instead, so yeah, specific all the way.