: Re: How can I answer high-school writing prompts without sounding weird and fake? Being given a prompt makes me freeze up immediately. Let me clarify. I'm talking about high school writing prompts.

@Kaufman555

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Answer: To answer these sorts of prompts, particularly in the case where example answers trigger a negative response in you, I recommend the following. 1. Look for the structure of the 'perfect answer' and apply that structure to your writing. 2. Identify the specifics that you dislike, in this case that make a passage sound like fan fiction.

The example answer:

Every kid in the neighborhood knew the Robinson house and avoided it
like a bowl of Brussels sprouts. Mr. Robinson was a notorious crank,
the house was always dark and creepy, and his dog was a terror—a mean,
fang-toothed creature that looked like she would love to tear you
apart.

...has all sorts of issues that make me cringe.'Every kid...' Really? Every last one? Even the weird-o chick that lives three doors down who you only see on Tuesday nights when she's prowling the neighborhood with fake blood on her face? 'avoided it like a bowl of Brussels sprouts.' I love Brussels sprouts. LOVE them. 'dark and creepy' ...cliche. 'mean, fang-toothed creature' ... hyperbole. The passage feels amateurish, and fan-fic-like.

But on the other hand, what that paragraph accomplishes is to take a universal point of reference (the Robinson house) and follow it with specifics to support the thesis (greatest fear). This approach is a trick used in writing, including non-fan-fiction writing. Begin with a relatable event and focus in.

As Chris said, embrace your own voice. But look to these sorts of provided answers to find the structure and commonalities. Read analytically, in addition to for enjoyment and creatively.

For what its worth, my voice would be less flowery than the example (no fang-toothed creatures) and would have no particular absolutes, though there'd be specifics.

Like many of my classmates, my greatest fear is going anywhere near
the vending machine on the south side of campus. That's where Mr.
Vogel, the Biology instructor, insists on stringing up all the
dissected fetal pigs each spring, as a morbid joke about what we could
expect on the lab final. It's worse on cloudy days, because the
formaldehyde really gets strong when it's damp, and even in the fall
you can't help but think about those corpses, little piglets, whenever it's
raining out. I don't know anyone who goes there alone, especially once April
rolls around."

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