Writing Practice
1.4.26
Welcome to Writing Practice. The idea is simple: I send out a prompt, often with links to related published pieces to help fuel creativity. Then you write. Free subscribers get the Sunday Writing Practice emails; paid subscribers get all of them.
Write as much or as little as you like. I would recommend not over-thinking this, and just using it as an opportunity to jot down some words. I would also recommend just writing through – don’t try to make it perfect (that’s for later).
Some of these prompts may resonate, and you’ll find yourself writing paragraph after paragraph. Others will fall flat, and you’ll roll your eyes, or come up empty and feel frustrated. This, too, is part of having a regular writing practice. On those days of frustration or blockage, try to write something down anyway – even just one sentence, even just one word. And then take heart in the reality that, if we are lucky, there is always tomorrow.
Writing Practice Day Four
This week, we’re thinking about how our own experiences, views, and perspectives shape our writing: What we write about, sure, but also how we approach the craft of writing and how we sound on the page. I would encourage you to think about where you sit in the world and what has made you you, not so that you can only write personal essays about what you’ve experienced, but so that you can make creative choices about where you write what you’ve seen, and where you write what you imagine.
This week, consider:
What kind of person do I want to be in the world? And what kind of person am I in the world? Do those two align? What values do I hold and what values do I actually live?
What are experiences that are to me mundane and normal, but to someone else (maybe down the block, maybe half a world away) would be novel, interesting, or weird? Are there stories there?
What is far outside of my realm of experience that I find fascinating, that I imagine, or that I’m curious about? Are there stories there?
Now, for your prompt:
What is your greatest inheritance? Consider your family and ancestors, going back as far as you know. What is something you see in yourself that you got from one or many of them that you’re proud of / is an important part of your identity?
Here’s a great piece to read as inspiration.
xx Jill