Writing Practice 1.22

January 22, 2024

Welcome to Writing Practice. The idea is simple: I send out a daily prompt to paid subscribers, 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, or 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 TWENTY-TWO

Hello writers, and congratulations: You are in the home stretch! Just ten days of Writing Practice are left. If you’ve written every day this month, wow — excellent work. That is a lot of commitment, and you should feel very proud. If you haven’t written every day, so what? You can write today, and you can let that be enough.

In week one, we examined the self: Who we are as writers, and how our backgrounds shape our creative work. In week two, we considered the balance of pleasure and power in our work. In week three, we explored emotion, vulnerability, honesty, and tying the head to the heart. Now, in these final ten days, we will hone our clarity and purpose as writers and as humans in the world; consider the tone and the “music” we bring to our writing; enhance our perception and our abilities to express those perceptions on paper; embrace our own wisdom and intuition; and explore memory and imagination. It’ll be fun! Stick with it.

Today’s prompt:

What do you sound like when you talk? Are you slow and languid? Quick and direct? Wordy? Efficient? Poetic? Emotional? Factual? What is your accent (everyone has one), where does it come from, and how has it evolved throughout your life? Do you find it easy to say what you mean, or do the right words often evade you? Do you find that people understand what you’re trying to say, or do you often struggle with misunderstandings or miscommunication? When you’re in conversation with others, how much do you listen versus speak? What about the way you communicate feels good? What about the way you communicate makes you self-conscious? As you write, can you include specific examples and small anecdotes that illustrate your experiences? Reflect on anything else that comes up about the way you communicate with other people.

xx Jill