Hi, writer! Here’s your prompt for some creative practice this week.
prompt 001: The story of my writing
Why do you write? What made you a writer? Why is writing important to you? What experiences have impacted your writing and feelings about writing?
Technique notes: I suggest at least an hour of free writing or journaling in response to this prompt.
When I start working with a new client, I often assign “The story of my writing” as our first essay topic. The story of your writing may include when and why you were first drawn to write, what books you first loved, turning points in your interest or commitment, struggles, threats, moments of pride or delight, people who have supported you, how you have supported yourself, and wounds.
That last one might be key for you—we all have wounds around writing, and uncovering them will help you identify how those wounds are affecting your process today. Wounds often show up as things like perfectionism and fear of sharing or fear of judgment. These things came from somewhere—where?
In addition to understanding the origins of some of your writing blocks, reminding yourself why writing has been important to you will help you make a new commitment and feel greater presence and purpose in your practice now.
On Monday, I’m posting my technique for setting writing goals when starting a new project or ‘season’ of writing. You’ll see how being in touch with the story of your writing will help you create these goals.
Please email me at rachel@racheljepsen.com with questions, comments, and to share! I’d love to hear about your experience with this prompt.
Happy writing!
rach
Do your clients typically post their journal responses to the prompts? Or are those typically private and personal?