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Tried a 'character first' prompt versus a 'plot first' one for my last short story
The 'character first' prompt gave me 'a librarian who hears books whispering', and the story basically wrote itself in about two days. Has anyone else found one type of prompt works way better for them?
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the_dylan9d ago
Oh, absolutely. I had the same thing happen with a prompt about a gardener who could see the colors of people's moods. Starting with that person just made the plot grow naturally out of who they were and what they'd do. It felt less like building a story and more like following someone around.
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river_hart189d ago
Totally. I read an article once that called it the "person with a weird problem" method. Like @the_dylan said, you give someone a specific, odd trait and then just ask how they get groceries. My best one was a guy who could taste lies. The whole plot became him trying to find a decent restaurant because he could taste the fake reviews, and then a health inspector showed up who was lying through his teeth. It just unfolded from his dumb breakfast choices.
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