I’d like to share the story behind the story I posted yesterday, “Traffic Jam,” because I really enjoyed the process of writing it—and the process was quite unique in my experience.
It started when I asked ChatGPT to give me some prompt questions to help me (more quickly and deftly) create story ideas that incorporate my real-life experiences and learnings.
It took some doing, but finally it gave me a set of six questions that were exactly what I was looking for. I’ll list the questions below, and then I’ll show you my specific process in using them to create this story.
1. What truth am I trying to explore?
2. What small slice of life naturally contains this truth?
3. What disturbance enters that ordinary day?
4. What impossible choice does it create?
5. What changes?
6. What image closes the story?
Here was how I answered these questions in my notebook (photos below), which led to the creation of this story.
1. What truth am I trying to explore?
I’m learning to stop unconsciously co-dysregulating for others (taking their dysregulation onto myself) and start regulating myself first so I can consciously, healthily co-regulate for others.
2. What small slice of life naturally contains this truth?
staying subdued, cowed, and on alert when someone else is mad, triggered, and/or dysregulated …
Ok, so maybe we see this in a friendship between two women … maybe on a road trip… or maybe just riding together to an event…oh, a wedding?
3. What disturbance enters that ordinary day?
They get into a traffic jam and are going to be late. Main character (MC) was navigating and friend blames her.
4. What impossible choice does it create?
Stay in that cowed state or speak up/move back into her own emotional space.
5. What changes?
MC realizes she doesn’t have to be ruled by others’ feelings…and maybe the friend, after more rage, eventually calms down…and maybe MC realizes she doesn’t want to spend as much time with that friend anymore.
6. What image closes the story?
She finds and holds onto something in her pocket.
This process felt helpfully straightforward for me, in a way that inspired me to want to do it again and again!
Another aspect of the process of this story was the practical logistics: I just wrote it in my same notebook I use for everything these days, marking each entry with a long “SS” symbol (for short story, or to look like a road). This gave the writing of it a very relaxed and fun vibe for me!
Some notebook photos:
I look forward to more attempts with more stories to come!
And please feel free to borrow this story-creating process if you so desire!