Creative Writing Challenge Intro
Transcribing my vows to paper on the morning of my wedding. (Photo credit: Photo Landmark LLC)
As a kid and teenager, I wrote all the time. My mind was constantly writing, even when I wasn’t. I wanted to be a famous author, and go on book tours. I once wrote over 50 pages (typed, single spaced) of a fantasy novel when I was in middle school. That was before my tragic error of not having a backup and I accidentally deleted it all (I cried so hard!). Later, in high school, a friend of mine and I who rode the bus together wrote an entire fantasy novel. We wrote in spiral bound notebooks, each writing a paragraph from our character’s perspective and then passing it back to the other. (Thank goodness for you Shelby, I don’t know how I would have survived those otherwise agonizing school bus rides without another introverted nerd I could be myself with!). I don’t know what happened to those notebooks, but I think back on it fondly (even though I’m sure the writing was complete garbage).
Sadly, I have not made time for creative writing as an adult, though it once brought me so much joy. So my new year’s resolution for 2022 is to reignite my creative writing spark!
To make the challenge manageable, I am breaking the lofty resolution (reignite spark!) into a bite-sized chunk: my actual goal is to follow a creative writing prompt every day of January. After that, and we’ll see how it goes. I have gone to the trouble of compiling two writing prompt options for every day of the year (because we all know the key to achieving goals is removing barriers!).
Here’s the spreadsheet of all the prompts I’ve compiled, in case anyone wants to follow along or join in with me!
The rules I’ve set for myself are this:
I have to use one of the two prompts for the date listed, not one from previous or upcoming days that looks more fun.
I don’t have to follow the chosen prompt as written, but I have to be inspired by it.
My writing has to be posted here.
The third rule is intimidating and feels a little exposed, but it will help keep me accountable (another key to achieving a goal). Although ideally every word I type will become prose worthy of classic hard-bound publication by the likes of Penguin/Random House, I know that’s not realistic. I’m writing for my joy and gratification, which means I’ll be doing damn little editing. Some prompts may inspire nothing I would normally think worthy of putting pen to paper on. But that’s okay. I’ll take inspiration from the quotations below, from much more prolific and accomplished writers than myself.
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L’Amour
“The first draft of anything is shit.” ― Ernest Hemingway
Wish me luck!
