Writing Practice

Day One: Jan. 1, 2023

Happy New Year, readers, and welcome to your first day of Writing Practice. Paid subscribers to this newsletter will receive daily Writing Practice prompts, related readings, and weekly tips and thoughts for how to structure your writing in the coming week. Free subscribers will receive weekly Writing Practice prompts on Mondays. If you’d like to upgrade your subscription, click the button below:

In my off-of-this-newsletter life, I teach writing courses. Those typically involve bringing a small group of people somewhere very lovely and hosting daily writing workshops that involve reading, reflecting, skill-building, receiving writing prompts, and then putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards). Most people who come to these workshops are not professional writers, but people seeking to establish more consistency with their writing, or hoping to make writing a more integrated part of their lives. The only way to do it is to do it – the only way to be a writer is to write.

But for many of us, writing every day is hard. So I thought it might be interesting for the first month of this new year to send around the kinds of prompts I offer in my in-person writing workshops for those newsletter readers who are looking to cultivate a daily writing practice. Every day in January, I’ll send out a newsletter with the title “Writing Practice” and a short prompt. Most of these prompts will encourage self-reflection; others imagination; others a look outside of yourself. Many of them will come along with links to pieces of writing that are related to the prompt and that I think are interesting and may be good sources of reflection and creative inspiration (creative output absolutely requires creative input). Hopefully you’ll like some of these readings and prompts. You’ll probably hate some of them. But the idea is to give each of you somewhere to start.

This is an offering for you to adopt a more regular writing practice, or to pop in and out of these Writing Practice emails and take the time to write and reflect whenever you have it. Maybe you never write a word; you may still find it useful to think through the questions posed by the prompts, or to read the many many excellent pieces of writing I’ll share in the Writing Practice emails.

Happy New Year, and happy writing. Your first prompt is below.

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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.

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 ONE

Write about a place that feels like home. This doesn’t have to be your actual home, although it could be that, too. Think of a time when you felt included, welcomed, warm, and safe; describe that place and space and the feelings it brought up. Perhaps, if you wish, reflect on what this space tells you about who you are at your core. [Looking for some creative inspiration? Here’s a great piece to read, and here is another].

xx Jill