My writing group in Portland shut down my idea for a story about a sentient toaster.

This was about three months ago. I pitched a simple concept: a toaster gains awareness and has an existential crisis about its purpose. One guy, Mark, cut me off and said, 'That's not a story, it's a Saturday Night Live sketch.' He said it with this total finality, like the case was closed. The whole room just nodded. I haven't brought a new idea to them since. Does anyone else have a group that just kills your weird premises before you can even explore them?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary3d ago

My friend wrote a whole novel about a haunted washing machine. Her group said it was too silly, but she sold it to a small press last year. Mark sounds like he's scared of anything that isn't boring.

the_leo3d ago

Mark shutting you down like that is a real gut punch. My last group had a guy who would just say "low stakes" to anything with a hint of magic. A sentient toaster wrestling with its purpose sounds like a great way to talk about bigger stuff, honestly. That room nodding along is the worst part, makes you feel totally alone with your idea.

price.linda3d ago

Ugh, that "low stakes" line is such a creativity killer. It's just a lazy way to shut down anything that isn't about saving the world from a dragon. The toaster idea is way more interesting than another basic quest.