That’s what a friend of mine, a journalism student, said while drafting her grad school application. Her mind was blank—not because she couldn’t write, but because she didn’t know what to write about.
More precisely, she didn’t know how to start thinking about what to write.
We often associate the word prompt with AI these days. Writing prompts, to many, are just input lines for ChatGPT. But in reality, prompts have long been part of writing education, especially in opinion or argumentative writing. Whether it’s the SAT, GRE, or college essays, a well-crafted prompt helps spark perspective, structure, and voice.
Over time, though, the term has been co-opted by the AI world. Now, when people hear "prompt," they think: "Oh, that's for AI, not for me."
But here's the thing: prompts are more for people than for machines.
My friend’s problem was a classic case of prompt paralysis—not lacking skill, but lacking a starting point.
So I pulled up my stash of opinion prompts—things I’ve saved over time for writing practice or idea generation:
Should social media platforms be responsible for mental health?
Is university education still relevant in the age of AI?
Should public transport be free?
She saw the second one and immediately lit up: “That’s exactly what I argued with my classmate last week!” From there, her writing flowed naturally.
That moment reminded me how crucial it is to have the right spark before writing. A good prompt can be that spark—it doesn’t give you answers, but it gives you direction.
That's why I started collecting prompts more seriously. Whether for content creation, writing training, or personal reflection, a well-managed prompt system is like a creative compass.
If you often find yourself stuck at the starting line of writing, I’d suggest creating your prompt library. I use a tool called FlashPrompt (https://www.flashprompt.app/) to organize mine. It's lightweight, searchable, and helps you build a structured library of ideas—not just for AI use, but for human thinking.
Of course, you don’t need any specific tool. Some people prefer spreadsheets, notebooks, or even sticky notes. But one thing’s for sure: prompts aren’t exclusive to AI engineers or prompt engineers. They belong to writers, students, creators—people like you and me.
You may not be someone who “writes prompts for AI,”
But you are definitely someone who “needs prompts to write.”
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