Writer's Prompts | Love Unscripted | Riding The Four Horsemen

Welcome, scribblers, to the new prompt challenge, brought to you by the podcast where love goes to die - or at least ride a few emotional horsemen on the way down. This week, we’re exploring the magical relationship dynamics of criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. These delightful communication strategies may not save your relationship, but they sure make for some wonderful writing material. So, sharpen those pens, folks, and let’s dive into the dark art of barely-there hostility and total emotional retreat.

Keep your writing to 600 words or less - don’t overthink it, just dive in! Send it over to us, and if it’s really good (or if we just need a good laugh), we might read it out on the podcast. How’s that for motivation? Get those creative juices flowing!

Prompt 1: The Subtle Contempt – Love’s Not-So-Subtle Kick

Ah, contempt. It’s the little jab that makes you want to immediately reanalyze your entire relationship. Write a scene where two partners are having a seemingly normal conversation, but one drops a criticism that turns into just enough contempt to leave the other partner stewing in confusion. Is it really contempt? Was that a dig? Did they mean it, or is this just your partner having a bad day? Make it barely contemptuous - something that lingers but never fully blows up. Bonus points if one of them ends up questioning their sanity instead of just confronting the problem.

Prompt 2: From Criticism to Stonewalling – The Ultimate Relationship Retreat

Criticism is already a hard pill to swallow, but when someone immediately retreats into stonewalling, it’s like getting slapped with the silent treatment of death. Write a scene where one partner goes radio silent. No rebuttal, no defense, no trying to make things right - just a complete emotional shutdown. Make it subtle. It’s not about throwing up walls, it’s about the eerie, awkward silence that makes you wonder if you’re even speaking the same language anymore.

Quick Wrap-Up

And there you have it – the four ways to slowly, methodically destroy a relationship. Keep it subtle, keep it real, and send those masterpieces in. Ready to ruin a fictional relationship? We thought so.