Think Hard & Dig Deep Prompts For September

If you dig deep enough, it could be the grave of what you thought you believed.

Welcome to crazy town, Prompt Warriors!

Whether you dabble in these prompts or push yourself to do them all, you’ve probably noticed they’re slightly different than other prompts out there in the Mediumverse.

If you’re new to the twisted mind of Ruby… well… these are slightly different than other prompts out there in the Mediumverse.

Not better or worse — just different. (Really, they’re better but I try to be humble… kidding… probably).

These prompts, even when they appear easy, are not always what they seem. They’re crafted using psychology, philosophy, criminology, and a few about animals but all of them are designed to make you think. If you look at them and give a knee-jerk automatic first-thought that comes to mind response… you probably missed something.

Nothing I do is accidental and nothing is ever quite what it seems. What looks like a prompt could very well be a social experiment. With me, you never truly know… but I can say that every single one of them will reveal something about you. And if you think about them, really think about them, it may just surprise you. Most people do not actually believe everything that they think. The point of this is to go beyond what you’ve been taught… and use only your own mind.

So… my usual utter lack of rules and regulations…

I do not provide you with a word minimum or maximum. Whatever it takes for you to work through the ideas and thoughts and questions I present — is what it takes. I fully encourage and support the idea of arguing with yourself in writing and publishing that argument. There are no right or wrong answers. There may not be an answer at all. Twist your mind and show us the result.

I can be found in the publication Read or Die! as can most of the responses to my prompts… however you are under no obligation (that can be pursued in a court of law) to publish them there. I encourage it but you can publish your responses anywhere you’d like that accepts them or you can self-publish them. I only ask that you tag me in your responses so that I can read what you made of them.

I will not be analyzing you or judging your responses. That’s never the point of this. But you probably should. That might be the point of this. 😉

They are numbered but not ordered. I provided you enough to write one daily but you do not have to go in the order I put them in. Jump around as you see fit. Combine them if you’d like — they’re designed to allow for that.

No one is forced to do anything so if a prompt really bothers you — skip it. But personally, I’d say that’s the prompt that is calling for you to respond to it the most. Challenge yourself to examine what you think, why you think it, and what things really mean. For this month — we’re going to do a lot of introspection so be prepared to really look at yourself… and criminals and animals because I’m still me!

If one or more of them offend you in some way — I genuinely do not care. They probably were meant to. Instead of whining about it, write about it! It’s so much more fun that way.

There is always at least one about murder and at least one that has no answer at all no matter how hard you look for one — this is to push you out of your comfort zone and typical writing boxes.

It’s meant to challenge the way you think. Playtime in my sandbox often leaves you feeling dirty 😉 but tag anyone you think might enjoy a chance to write a little differently. Please be sure to add a link to this post so that others may join in the pure insanity!

OH… and if you’re not already following me… maybe you should be. 😂

Happy writing! 😎😂😈

September Prompts.

1. Let’s kick the month off with a Battle of the Sexes. Literally. There are many studies on the differences between the male and female brains. While they certainly do not hold true for all humans of either gender, in general, it has been found that women have a larger corpus callosum — the middle of your brain that connects the right and left side. This makes it possible for women to argue using both logic and emotion at the same time whereas men — generally only argue with one or the other. Do you think this is an accurate representation of how men and women argue? Do you think that sexuality alters this in any way? What do you argue with more — logic, emotion, or both? Defend your position with examples and details.
2. Take something seriously negative and give a list of positive things that came from it (the pandemic would be one potential example, and Trump’s presidency would be a SUPER challenging example). Use any negative you want but it must be negative. It can be something that happened to the world, the country, or in your own life. But make a list of at least 10 positive things that came out of it. If you really want to push yourself — make it two lists. One that affected a wide scope of people, and one that is personal. You can go over 10 things but you may not do less. Push yourself to see the positive in something negative.
3. Redesign the sentencing structure of the justice system. What would you factor into criminal penalties? For example, would recidivism statistics play a role? Victim impact? Intent? Would you have the death penalty and if so for what crimes, if not — why not? Go in-depth and think about specific crimes. Do you care about white-collar crime or is the only thing you want to punish violent crime? Is there any such thing as a victimless crime and if so — is it actually a crime? Should criminal penalties be federally enforced or determined by the state? How do you think the criminal penalty structure should be determined and how should it be run? This will take thought to answer completely and cohesively.
4. Look over the Endangered Species List and choose any animal that catches your eye and write about them. Give as much information as possible about the animal, why they’re endangered, and why their conservation is important. Try to stick to the critically endangered and endangered categories as much as possible but keep an eye on who is responding. Doubles are okay but the more animals featured the better! It should be an animal you can write about with passion. Make people WANT to save them. * For this prompt I used the World Wildlife Foundation list instead of the IUCN Red List because the WWF is only animals. But please keep in mind that it is NOT as up to date as the IUCN Red List and some of these species may be in far more danger now than the last time it was updated.
5. Rejection is a huge part of the writing world. How do you handle rejection? Would you prefer to self-publish than risk it? Give examples from your life of times you’ve felt rejected and how you responded. Do you think you can keep fighting for publication after being told ‘no’ repeatedly or would you give up? Or if you’ve already gone through this — or are going through it — what was/is it like for you and what motivated/motivates you to keep going? How does your writing on Medium play into that? Does it help or hurt you in terms of feeling rejected? Explain.
6. The Butterfly Effect: the impact of small changes. Think about everything you did yesterday. Write it as a list — whether that’s hour by hour or just a string of what you did, write it out. Now, imagine if one thing early in the day was altered — what would that change do to the rest of your day? Reimagine your entire day just with one slight difference and create an entirely new timeline. Think outside of the box for this one. You can take this in a lot of directions — your only limit is yourself.
7. Serial killers come in all skin colors, all ages, all genders and sexualities, exist in every country, and all have their own victimologies (mostly). However, the most common — by far and beyond question — is a white straight male, in his late 20s to early 30s (at the time he begins killing), who lives in America and preys on prostitutes. I guarantee you can all think of serial killers that don’t fit this mold. In fact, most of the world’s most well-known serial killers do NOT fit this mold yet it is a statistical fact that it’s the most common. So — two-part prompt: why do we hear more about the ones that deviate from this standard AND what makes this standard happen? Things to consider: Why is America the world’s leader in serial killers? Why are they most often white men? Why prostitutes? Why that age? There are theories on this and you can look into them but they’re only theories — there is no concrete answer and I can list the theories in my sleep, I want to know what you THINK. I’m giving you carte blanche to be a profiler. Give me a detailed profile of what forms the most common archetype of a serial killer.
8. Why do people say that they’re “fine” when they’re not? Why do we hide our emotions? Is this something that you do in your life? Do you do it with specific people but not others? Who do you tell the truth to about how you feel at any given time (if anyone)? Do you think the world would be better if all people said what they were truly feeling at all times? Explain.
9. A look a Darwinism in modern times. There has been (in my opinion) a strangely large number of people who have died taking selfies. The price of a perfect photo is… life? Seriously? This boggles the mind. If we truly lived in a world based on survival of the fittest humans — who would die off? An entire generation? The uneducated? Republicans? Democrats because the Republicans have all of those guns? The elderly? The young? The unhoused? The morbidly obese? The poor? Would we actually eat the rich? You can take this prompt in a lot of directions but I want you to view it in terms of survival of the FITTEST. I’m not telling you that you have to kill them off (for a change, you’re welcome), I’m asking you essentially — who SHOULDN’T be surviving right now in terms of Darwinism? Explain your reasoning.
10. Do you think we will ever see a world without racism? Or that such a thing is even possible? Be detailed and put a lot of thought into why you chose your answer. I’m giving you very little to kick off with for a reason.
11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — Would your life be better if there was a way to erase specific memories, events, people, or thoughts from it entirely? What would you erase if this were possible? What do you think would change? For the purpose of this prompt — I’m taking away “nothing” as an option. You MUST choose to erase at least one thing. We all have bad memories. You can erase as much as you’d like — but you absolutely can not maintain all of your memories. And then explain what that elimination would create in your world. Think hard about this. It isn’t the Butterfly Effect — your timeline remains the same. Everything still happened. You just don’t remember some of it.
12. There is a lot of psychological study on the theories of left vs right brain dominance in people. Looking over the link I provided you, are you more left-brained or right-brained? Most writers will be drawn to the right — but really examine the multiple facets of your life before you make a decision. And because I’m me and I like to torture you — for the purpose of this prompt — you can not be both or neither. You must choose a side that is more predominant in your day-to-day life and defend that choice through examples and self-evaluation.
13. Normally when I give a prompt about killing someone, I eliminate self-defense as an option. But today, we’re going to look at a very specific version of self-defense. Stand your ground laws. The link I provided you will give you a jumping-off point on where I stand on the matter but you can look at it from any viewpoint that you can defend. Is this law TRULY self-defense or just a slippery slope for legal murder? Do you live in a state with this law? What are your feelings about it? Do you think it should continue to be in place? Defend the viewpoint as though you were addressing the powers that be in order to either maintain or knock down the laws. Power to the people! Speak your mind.
14. We share this planet with some pretty strange-looking animals. Some of which you may have never even heard of. You can choose one from the link I gave you or go on an internet search to find an entirely different one — but choose a weird animal and write a feature article about them. Yes, I gave you Google powers. Use them wisely. And cite your sources so you don’t get zapped. Be super careful with photo copyrights as well. I would recommend using a link to the weird animal and a different photo as your main photo — but it’s up to you if you want to play Medium Russian Roulette. Find out as much as you can about the strange animal and teach Medium all about them.
15. Forget the actual number of years you’ve spent on this planet. How old would you think you were looking at your life from the outside? This is not based on how you look. Examine your behaviors, routines, finances, hobbies, interests, health, eating habits, energy level and activities, bodily aches and pains, and anything else you can think of that typically factors into age determination. Are you older or younger than your actual age? What does this tell you? Do you want to change it? Be very detailed in what factors led you to this decision and once you’re done — how does it make you feel looking at what you’ve written about yourself?
16. Define beauty. Your definition — not the dictionary definition. Do you think beauty is subjective or objective? Are there standards of beauty? Who do you think is the most beautiful person in the world and why? Be superficial and forget about their personalities or intellect and only look at them from the outside. What makes them beautiful? After you’ve done that — add in personality and intellect. Are they still beautiful? Who do you think is the most overall beautiful (including internal and external factors) person in the world? Are they the same person? What made you choose who you did? Where do you see yourself on the spectrum of beauty and is it based on internal or external factors? It’s not vanity to say both. It’s okay to see yourself as beautiful. But I want to know what MAKES you beautiful. Or what makes you think you’re not? There’s a lot to this prompt — take your time to examine it fully.
17. In August, I asked you what you would do on Purge Night if the movie were reality and for one night per year — all crimes were legal. I told you the prompt would make a comeback. Now, I want you to look at the concept. If The Purge became reality — do you think it would lower crime rates throughout the rest of the year? If people were allowed to legally commit crimes on a particular day, would they be lawful for the other 364 days? Why or why not? Think about this psychologically as well as in terms of crime statistics, crime deterrents, and criminal patterns…. but you know I’m not letting you Google, right? THINK. Would this make a difference? Why or why not?
18. Is ignorance truly bliss? Conversely — do you believe that people of high intellect are unhappy? Give examples and details on both ends of the spectrum. No one is always happy or always unhappy — but how does intellect factor into that? Can you be happier… if you’re less intelligent? Why or why not?
19. Draw parallels and connections in the mindset that leads people to join street gangs… and leads people to join the military. What makes them similar? What differentiates them? Then… do the same thing with the mafia… and the police. This may anger some people but there are actually similar mindsets involved. That is simply a fact. Where they take it makes one set illegal and the other legal but that doesn’t change that the motives are the same. Do you see them? Can you explain them? Can you do it in a way that isn’t offensive? Are you willing to publish it even if it is? I urge you not to avoid this prompt. Political correctness is boring.
20. My father used to tell me to never do anything I would discourage my best friend from doing because we are more protective of our friends than we are of ourselves. Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Is it true in your life even if not a universal truth? Who are you more protective of than you are of yourself? Do you think you protect yourself in general? If not — why not? If so — what do you protect yourself from? What led to that need to protect yourself? Explain.
21. What causes regret? The things we’ve done? The things we wanted to do but didn’t? Things we’ve said? Things we wanted to say but didn’t? What types of regret have you experienced? Do you believe that regret serves a purpose in your life? If so — what purpose? What causes the worst form of regret? Is there a way to live a regret-free life? Explain.
22. This prompt was inspired by Brandon Ellrich. Last month — I asked you to answer a prompt about the person you did NOT become. Reread and link your response to who you did not become… then write about the person you DID become. This is NOT an About Me story. I want you to think about it in terms of your previous response. Who are you BASED ON WHO YOU ARE NOT. How did the person you did not become influence the person did become? Use the exact same factors but flip them around and make them the pathway to who you are. This will be harder than the last one. But there’s a massive point to it.
23. Two-part prompt (make sure you answer both) Part one: Is there a direct line between child abuse and criminal behavior? Are there specific crimes that are attached to child abuse? Which ones? Should the previous abuse be factored into how the crime is treated? Should the charge be brought onto the abusers as well? Part two: What can be done to stop this from happening? How do we help children of abuse? Is our current system working? What needs to be done to fix it? Can it be fixed? What do you think is a more financially efficient system — stopping abuse and helping abused kids, or dealing with criminal adults? Do you think that plays a role in how our system is run? REALLY think about every aspect of this and give a thorough response.
24. Freud’s main theory on psychoanalysis involves the idea that all humans have an Id, Ego, and Superego. Look over the descriptions in the link that I gave you. Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not? Which one of these do you think is the biggest driving factor in your life and what made you choose it? Do you think they occur in stages of development or are all three always present? Do we actively choose which one we use at any given time? Explain.
25. What are your standards? I want you to look at these in a very specific way before you tackle the questions. Make some lists. They must include no less than 5 and no more than 10 things each but they don’t have to be uniform. First, make a list of deal-breakers for romantic relationships. 2. Deal-breakers for friendships. 3. Things that would make you never shop somewhere (this can mean things that make you never return to a particular store, things that would make you never go there to begin with, or a mixture of both). 4. Things that would make you never eat at a restaurant (same thing — go there again, go there ever, or both). 5. Things that make you HATE a movie/tv show/book (you can make a separate list for each if they’re different). 6. Things you use to determine the clothes you buy. 7. Things that would make you change your doctor (can’t be based on insurance — must be YOUR standards only). 8. Things that would make you decide not to buy a house/rent an apartment. 9. Things you will not accept in terms of a car — either what it has or doesn’t have. 10. Places you would never visit. (Go back, or ever go to at all, or a mix of both) Now — look over your lists. How are they connected? What does it say about you? Do you think you have high standards? Where did your standards come from? Did you learn them from someone or develop them over time? What happens when your standards are not met — how do you react? That last question is important don’t skip it.
26. Serial killers will sometimes attempt to use an insanity plea when caught but to date — only two have been successful. Why? Can a serial killer be psychotic? What factors are involved in determining this in terms of serial killers specifically? David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) refused it — why? And do you think he was actually insane? Explain. Mass murderers are more likely to use this defense successfully. Why do you think that is? They’re also less likely to be taken alive. Explain that as well. I want to know what YOU think — not what Google says. Explain these from your own perspective.
27. Children are FAR more likely to be harmed or even abducted by someone they know than someone they don’t. Yet we still teach them Stranger Danger — why? What makes it important? There is a secondary teaching tool being instituted known as STEP — which stands for Secrets, Touching, Embarrassment, and Pain. — What does this teach children and why is it important? Again — I want to know your thoughts, not Googled responses. THINK. Don’t research. While this question and the one before both have actual answers unlike most of my prompts — I am using them as THOUGHT prompts for a reason.
28. Have you ever been bitten by an animal (not including bug bites)? What kind of animal was it and did it make you fear them? If it did — was it just that particular animal or the entire species/breed? What was going on when it happened? Whether or not you have ever been bitten — do you think it’s the animal’s fault? If so — explain. If not — whose fault is it?
29. How do you calculate risk vs reward? Which factors in more for you and why? Do you think you take enough risks? Too many risks? Have you ever taken a risk and had it end very badly? What about a risk that worked out extremely well? Explain all facets of your response. If you don’t have personal examples — give examples that you know of where you feel a risk someone else took failed vs when it paid off and what you think of them for taking the risk on. You can answer that for your own examples too — do you judge others/yourself for the risks taken to get a reward? What about people on reality television? What are they risking? What is the reward? What do you think of them? Be honest!
30. Design an ideal government. I like to end the months with something creative so get fun with this — go into detail and describe what an ideal governmental structure would look like. Would there even be one or should people govern themselves? How do you determine the leaders if there are leaders? How do you determine and enforce the laws if there are laws? Go nuts! Redesign the country. Or keep it but improve it. Make it FUN. Amuse me. That’s your challenge 😎

And that’s it for September! See you again for more things that make you say, “SERIOUSLY?” in October… ya know… tomorrow (by the time you get here). I’ve been a bit tamer the last couple of months. But October doesn’t usually call to the timid 😉

Don’t forget to tag me in your responses so I can judge… I mean read them!!!

If you’ve missed any of my previous prompts, they never expire, they’re all right here:

Copyright Ruby Noir 2023

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