Writer's Prompts | Love Unscripted | Fix It or Forget It

Writer’s Prompt 1: When Complaints Turn Into Full-Blown War (With a Side of Whataboutism)

We’ve all been there—sitting next to someone in silence, each of you pretending the other doesn’t know exactly what’s on your mind. And then, for some reason, one of you decides to break the silence... but does it actually lead anywhere? Cue a small, awkward attempt at connection. Will it be a romantic success, or just an awkward, cringey failure?

Write a dialogue where a couple is walking together silently, or maybe they’re sitting together without saying much. The quiet is interrupted by something, and one of them takes the opportunity to make a “bid for connection.” Does it succeed? Is it well-received, or does the bid fail miserably?

You’ll want to show the escalation of bids—those little moments of reaching out for connection. Keep it subtle and nuanced. Start with a small gesture or comment, and watch how it builds or crumbles. Does the bid work? Does it go downhill? Keep things complicated!

Writer’s Prompt 2: When Complaints Turn Into Full-Blown War (With a Side of Whataboutism)

Ah, the sweet, sweet art of the whataboutism—a perfect tool to derail any productive conversation. You know the drill. You start off with a simple complaint, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in accusations about something that happened three years ago... involving a completely different topic... and now you’re fighting about who didn’t take out the trash... but also, someone’s mother is somehow involved. Oh, and it’s your birthday that never gets mentioned, obviously. Classic.

Write a dialogue between a couple where the argument escalates from a simple complaint to defensiveness, contempt, and then, of course, the grand finale: the whataboutism. Don’t settle for the usual “you forgot my birthday,” “well, you forgot mine two years ago!”—this time, really stretch it. Let the complaint drift as far from the original issue as possible.

How far can you take it while still keeping it plausible? How far can the whataboutism stray in topic, time, and logic before it collapses under its own absurdity? The goal is to show the depth of hurt and contempt in the partner who throws the whataboutism into the mess of the argument. It’s like tossing gasoline on a spark—will it explode, or just sputter out in embarrassing silence?

Reminder

Keep it to 600 words or less. Send it to us, and maybe you’ll hear it live on the podcast! (And if not, at least you’ve got a good exercise in creative chaos!)

It's a Wrap... or a Cheeseburger

Alright, you’ve got the prompts—now get to writing, and remember: Relationships are complicated, messy, and full of surprise plot twists. So, get in there and start breaking hearts, making awkward bids for attention, and derailing the entire thing with a side of whataboutism. And when in doubt—just blame it on the cheeseburger that made a guest appearance on the podcast.