What makes The Daily Prompts so special?

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 I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do -- the actual act of writing -- turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward. – Anne Lamott  


I know how hard it is to write every day. I also know how much it nourishes me when I do.

When I start my day with 10 minutes of creative writing, life is better. I feel calm. Curious about life. More receptive, more connected, more awake. More myself.

Writers are obviously more well-balanced when we have a regular creative writing practice. (I know you know what I'm talking about.)

The act of writing is the joy of writing. Indeed, this is the whole point of being a writer.

I want you to experience how good it feels to have a daily writing practice. I want to make it easier for you.

I created The Daily Prompts for you and for me. I wanted to experience the nutrition of a daily writing practice. They started as a Twitter experiment: what would happen if we wrote for 10 minutes a day?

After years of working with them, I am still awed by the magic that comes from these 140-character sparks.

Why are The Daily Prompts so special? This is why:

  • they get you to start writing in small amounts, regularly - and this adds up to a lot of writing

  • they demystify that epic "writers write every day" thing

  • they're so simple, and each one only takes 10 minutes to do

  • sometimes just looking at the prompt sparks an idea

  • they get you to see the world differently, with curious and creative eyes

  • reading them is irresistible, like reading clues to a mystery

  • you become more drawn to your writing than you are to your resistance - (this is huge)

  • they train you creatively by asking you to do seemingly impossible or illogical things

  • a new one comes every day, like weather - there's no need to save them "for later"

  • they're guilt-free opportunities for you to connect to your creative self

  • they teach you important skills and techniques in craft

  • they give you a community of other writers around the world


The Daily Prompts are magic seeds. When they're planted in the right soil, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

The Daily Prompts have inspired entire finished stories. Many of these stories have gone on to win contests, and get published in magazines and anthologies. Some of these stories have been collected into story collections and novels.

The paradox: when you work with The Daily Prompts, publication isn't the ultimate goal. The goal is to write with joy, depth, curiosity, and intelligence. The goal: to get out of your own way, and to enjoy the process.

Of course, the only way to write anything good is to stop trying to be good.

You must dive headfirst into your practice.

I want to give you a taste of what this feels like! Maybe you used to have a daily practice, and you stopped. Maybe you've never tried to have a daily writing practice. Maybe you want to get out of the cyclical writing you're doing in your morning pages, or your journal, and you want to start developing scenes and characters. Maybe you want to prepare a story for the Little Bird Contest. Maybe you simply want to try waking up with your writing notebook, instead of coffee. (Just kidding - you can have coffee too!)

Whatever your reason, now's the perfect time to try them out.

All you need is a notebook, a fast-writing pen, and a timer. Ready? Your first prompt will arrive tomorrow!

xo,

Sarah Selecky

Photo credit (top): Pedro Araujo on Unsplash.


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2 comments

Julia
 

I love reading your prompts. They often conjure up very specific and detailed memories from my distant past, ones I didn't know I remembered. Haven't written any down yet, just enjoying the ride. I AM trying to figure out how to offer my jewelry students a similar experience. I keep turning over rocks in my head, looking for the scurrying beetles that could become daily prompts at the jeweler's bench....
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Evelyn
 

I need the nudge these will provide.
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