Writing is my jam.  I love it.  In elementary school, I would write pages and pages for every assignment.  I was writing “chapter books” by 3rd grade.  Also an avid reader as a child, as soon as I would find myself nearing the end of a Boxcar Children or Babysitter’s Club book, you better believe I was also thinking about just what I would write for my own series someday.

Flash forward 26 years and here I am, writing away about that which I am most passionate about in my own little corner of the internet.  And while I definitely write to share mental health tips and tricks with the world, (because who doesn’t need a little encouragement in that arena?) I also write for me.  This blog is my happy place, the place where my passion for helping people and writing converge.  Thanks for stopping by; it really is an honor that anyone would take the time to read my musings on mental health, life, and self-care.  

A few of my friends and clients have recently forayed into blogging and it got me thinking:  more people should probably be doing this. I think for many people an immediate wall goes up at the mere suggestion of writing something, be it a blog or anything else.  “I’m not a writer.”  “I wouldn’t know what to say.”  “I’ve never been a good writer.” 

One of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott wrote a book (all about writing, no less) called Bird by Bird.  In it, she writes “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.”  The point is, there is no comparing in writing.  Much the same way that there’s no crying in baseball.   Writing is a way to create, to craft, to tell a story…to tell your story.  And there’s no right or wrong.  “You set out to tell a story of some sort, to tell the truth as you feel it, because something is calling you to do so.”  That Anne Lamott.  She’s so darn wise.

If anything in this post is resonating with you, if you find yourself with a story to tell, with truth to write, I encourage you to do it.  You can write a blog, a novel, a poem, or a journal entry.  But don’t ignore that urge, my friend.  Tell your truth.  This world will be better because of it.  Need a little inspiration?  Here are 20 writing prompts to get those creative juices flowing.  

1.  Write about the thoughts that would keep you awake if you were to try to fall asleep right now.

2.  Write about the most beautiful thing you have ever seen.

3. “You have your own voice and you can use it.” – Shauna Niequst  What do you most desire to use your voice to tell the world?

4.  Write about your biggest quirk.

5.  Write about your biggest fears, both rational and irrational.  

6.  Write about the lesson you learned from your biggest mistake.

7.  Write about your middle school years.  Who were you then, what did you care about?  

8.  “Anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for his or her life.” – Flannery O’Connor Write about some of your best material from childhood.

9.  Write about your first memory of school.

10.  Write about a decision you struggled to make.  What was so difficult about it?  How did you finally reach a decision?

11.  Write about a change you want your readers (if you wish to have readers, that is) to make after reading something you write.  How do you want them to be different because of they read what you wrote?  In other words, how do you want the world to be different?

12.  Write about what you care about passionately (another bit of advice from Anne Lamott).  What do you get in arguments about?  What can you not keep to yourself?  What are you driven to share with others?  Write about that. 

13.  If you knew you were dying tomorrow, what would you do today? 

14.  Make a list of ten things you love.  What do you love about them?  When did you first start loving them?  How can you incorporate them more into your life?

15.   You just found a journal entry from this day in your life 10 years ago.  What does it say?

16. Make up a scientific theory to explain something you experience regularly in your everyday life.  Convince your reader that this is a real thing.

17.  Write about a time when you wanted something but did not get it, and how it actually turned out to be for your benefit.  

18.  Describe the coziest scene you can think of.  Be as descriptive as possible.

19.  Write a letter to yourself 10 years from now.  Bonus points if you actually stash it away somewhere and read it in a decade.

20.  Write down your favorite quote of all time.  Why does it speak to you?  How has remembering it served you?  Why do you need to remember this quote more than any other?

One last Lamott quote because it’s probably my favorite:  “The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”  I couldn’t agree more.  Happy writing, my Besties!

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