Daily Prompt – December 19, 2025

List your top 5 grocery store items.

I’m gonna be honest this has to be the silliest writing prompt I have ever seen. I’ll throw my list in here somewhere but first I need to talk about what this prompt inspired that has absolutely nothing to do with this list.

4 mornings a week I watch my favorite art streamer, NinaJaneArt. Her stream is one of the few that I feel comfortable chatting in. It’s also full of creative types of all kinds. So when I saw this prompt, I asked “how is ‘List your top 5 grocery store items’ supposed to be a writing prompt.” The responses are how it became a writing prompt for me.

People chimed in with their lists real or silly. One person put ”Potatoes” for all 5 because of the current LOTR themed piece Nina is working on. Another, my personal favorite described about how they would pick 5 cheese and write a thesis. They even listed the chapters! When I emphasized that my concern wasn’t creating the list but how it doesn’t inspire writing, I got suggestions there too. I’m not using any of them because to me the best part of this non-writing, writing prompt is the fun conversation it inspired.

I also asked my partner the same question and got some humorous response about liquid cheese. Yes, theres a lot of cheese in my life today apparently (it’s also on my list).

I think that is the lesson here, not all prompts are good for writing but can prompt great conversation. And some prompts that are great for writing would be horrible at prompting conversation.

And for those who are really curious here are my top 5 grocery store items:

• Salsa
• Chips
• Deli Honey Ham
• Swiss Cheese
• Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m curious to see if this will prompt any questions or conversation which this prompt seems to be better for than straight writing.