Fight Club (writing prompts!)

And some inspiration from artist Yayoi Kusama.

May 06, 2025

Your Daily Creative Inspiration

We will start with some inspiration. This is artist Yayoi Kusama:

"My wish was to be a painter one day. So I started painting a lot of pictures from the age of 10. My mother told me that I was not allowed to paint, that one day, I would have to marry someone from a rich family and become a housewife. When I was a girl, she took away all my inks and canvases. When I first arrived in New York, I went to the top of the Empire State Building. Seeing this big city, I promised myself that one day I would conquer New York and make my name in the world with my passion for the arts and mountains of creative energy stored inside myself. In New York, I devoted myself to my work. I drew every day and started painting ‘nets’. Eventually the canvases were up to 33 feet long and I painted ‘nets’ from dawn to dusk. When I was drawing, the pattern would expand outside of the canvas to fill the floor and the wall. So when I looked far away, I would see the hallucination, and I would get surrounded by that vision. That is how I became an environmental artist."

A Little Announcement

Okay, before we get to today’s prompts, I have to share that I *just* received the galleys for WRITE A ROMANTASY: 99 Prompts to Write a Tale of Heart and Heroism and you guys OMG. It’s so gorgeous. I feel so lucky to be working with Adams Media and Simon and Schuster on this book. I cannot wait for you to start using it. Are you ready to write your own romantasy???? You are going to eat this book up.

Your Daily Writing Prompt

Today’s prompts were inspired by the movie Fight Club:

EXERCISE #1:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Think of a time when you were awake in the middle of the night when you shouldn’t have been or didn’t want to be. Write it out like you’re telling a story to a close friend.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist and another character get into trouble. Let’s say it’s after 2 a.m. Include a moment of song, a joke, and a broken bone.

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EXERCISE #2:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a time when you felt comfortable and safe. Think of at least five personal definitions of “comfort.”

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite about your protagonist’s creature comforts. What are the things that give them physical ease and well-being?

BONUS THOUGHT: How does STATUS affect your comfort or your character’s comfort?

EXERCISE #3:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Think of one object from your past that you no longer own that you miss. Write an obituary for this object. Remember all the happy times.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where one of your characters eulogizes an inanimate object.

EXERCISE #4:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about something that makes you feel guilty. It can be a fresh guilt or an old festering one.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist confesses to a wrongdoing.

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EXERCISE #5:

PERSONAL PROMPT: What situations make you feel out of place? Where do you find yourself out of your comfort zone? Pick an uncomfortable environment about how it affects you both physically and emotionally.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, put your character in the last location they would ever want to be and write a scene there. Give them a task – something important they need to get done before they can leave.

EXERCISE #6:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write a story about one of your ancestors. Whatever you know about them.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite everything you can about your protagonist’s extended family. Figure out as much as you can about the people they come from right now.

EXERCISE #7:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write out the gayest experience you’ve ever had.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist has an unexpected flirtatious moment with a surprising character.

EXERCISE #8:

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a time when you said YES to a big life decision (a job, a move, a partner, etc.) – what would your life look like now if you had said NO?

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, think of a scene you’ve already written. Now write that scene again, but make your protagonist do something different this time. Something that changes how the course of the rest of your story might play out.