It’s been years since I started making monthly lists of writing prompts but I never used them much myself. I’m going to change that this year. I bought a discounted journal that was perfect for it. With two days on one page, I’ve got enough space to write but not enough to feel overwhelmed. So starting this month I want to do some writing exercises using these prompts.
January’s prompts
My approach
January is already nearing the end and I’ve only done a handful of the prompts but that’s okay. I know from previous experiments I don’t do well with daily challenges. I do a few at once and then take a break for a few days. I don’t want to make this a daily habit but I do want to create a habit of writing flash fiction (which is what this would be). I don’t have any other rules besides using the prompt for the day somewhere in the story. It doesn’t matter if it’s in dialogue, thoughts, or action. I might try to use the prompt in combination with something new I learned, or another topic I want to explore. Maybe I need to find a character’s voice and I’ll use the prompt to explore their reaction to the prompt.
Doing this with pen and paper gives me another chance to use my pens and practice my penmanship. As you can see, I love using colours and will gladly use contrasting colours to highlight the prompt for the day.
I hope that by the end of the year I’ll have a journal full of small bits of writing. Maybe I can even re-use some of them. I’m curious if there will be a pattern or any recurring characters I hadn’t planned for.
What would you use writing prompts for?
