Question about a piece of feedback I got on a prompt

I had a writing partner tell me my prompts were too open, like 'a person finds a key.' They said it gave them nothing to grab onto. So now I try to add one specific detail, like 'a librarian in Omaha finds a key that's warm to the touch.' Anyone else get told their prompts needed more focus?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisa_jones213mo ago

A writing blog I follow calls that a "seed detail." It's the one weird thing that makes the whole story start growing. Your warm key example is perfect. It makes me wonder why it's warm and what it opens.

felix_thomas731mo ago

Honestly, people get real deep about this stuff. It's a key that's warm, man. Could be the guy just walked from his car to the door and his pocket got hot from the sun. Not everything needs to be some big mystery.

craig.parker3mo ago

That's a good way to put it. You see that seed detail thing in old cars all the time, like a worn spot on the steering wheel. It tells a whole story about the driver before you even meet them.