Your Writing Starts Here--I Made a Thing For You!

Prompts to keep your writing going all month

Mindset, motivation and inspiration for writers, with a dash of instruction about writing craft added in, from novelist, writing coach and workshop leader Charlotte Rains Dixon. I also carry on a lot about process, because: there’s no one approach to writing that works for everyone. But I can help you find what works for you. I love all of my readers, every single one of you and I’m truly grateful when you read my work and connect with me. Subscribe to get the fuel you need for your writing career. I truly adore all my readers, and a paid subscription helps my bring these words to you.

This image has absolutely nothing to do with prompts, I just like it. Photo by Crawford Jolly on Unsplash

I am at the beach with my family + lifelong friends from Denver + friends of the children + my sister and her family who will be arriving later in the week. Along with more friends. It’s wild. And fun. And totally distracting.

But last week I had an idea — to add a feature for paid subscribers which is a PDF of prompts, one prompt for each day of the month. All of them will be listed here, but the PDF will be handy to print out for easy reference. Free subscribers will get access to one week of prompts, the first seven on the list.

I told myself I had plenty of time to accomplish this new project, and last week I did. But then we had to euthanize our elderly cat and that took a lot of mental and emotional energy. And then get here to the beach. (It’s only an hour and a half away from Portland, but there’s the planning and the grocery shopping and the packing.) So yesterday I found myself sitting at the dining room table, books, games, water bottles, craft projects and coffee cups around me, dreaming up prompts. (This is actually fun for me. I have a long history with prompts. You can buy my prompt book here or visit my tumblr of prompts here.) The PDF is not pretty (hope to make it so in future months) but it is finished. Paid subscribers will find the download at the end of this post. So let’s go.

A few notes before we begin:

--I know you know the drill about prompts, but here is a reminder to choose how long you want to write, then set a timer and write for that amount of time. Five minutes is good for short spurts, fifteen to twenty to really dig in.

--The idea is to write. And by that, I mean, write. Like move your hand across the page or your fingers over the keyboard. This is not a thinking assignment.  It is not a gazing out the window assignment. It is a writing assignment.

--Sometimes the instructions refer to you, and sometimes, your proto. (I like to call the protagonist a proto because protagonist is one of those words I always misspell. Plus, I like the way proto sounds.)  In all cases, the prompts apply to either writing from your own experience or making it up for your proto.

--I use the pronouns he, she, and they, interchangeably throughout. Emend as needed. Or use the one given and try writing from a different point of view for a change.

--Another great way to use prompts is to first write out your own memories or experience and then do the same for your proto.

--Prompts do not demand allegiance to their original meaning. They are a starting point. They are a way to begin getting words on the page. Let your brain and hand determine what to write. The prompt may describe a tree, and you end up writing about tin cans. That is fine.

--Remember, not all writing must be in service to your WIP.  Writing something different can be fun. It’s okay, good even, for your writing brain to let loose once in a while and do something different.

--But prompts can also contribute to your understanding of your current project. You can use any of these prompts as starters for side writing to gain more knowledge about your WIP.

--Prompts are excellent warm-ups, a way to get yourself onto the page before your WIP writing begins.

--I’ve listed thirty-one prompts here, one for each day of August. You can use them in order, or pick and choose whichever appeals to you on a given day. I highly recommend printing these out so you have them available without opening a device. (So that you, um, write, as opposed to giving into temptation to scroll.)

Photo by Lê Tân on Unsplash

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And here are the prompts

1.

Write about your bedroom when you were a child. Use all your senses to evoke smells, textures, colors, sounds and how you felt when you were there. Now write about your current bedroom. Now do the same for your proto.

2.

What is the one thing your proto will not tolerate, the thing that is a deal-breaker for him?

3.

No matter what they did, they couldn’t get him to shut up.

4.

There was nothing she could do but quit worrying about it.

5.

Your proto is frustrated. How does she express her frustration? Cry, rage, meditate, do yoga, go for a run? Write a scene with this happening.

6.

Organization.  Not my strong suit, she thought as she surveyed the mess of the room.

7. 

Write a scene about a character you know well who does something that surprises you.