“Begin here and move into a threshold of reversals… the unwinding… the counter-current…the counter-intuitive… this return to the days led by the dark.”
—Emily Stoddard, “Unwinding the Light”
Our dear friend Jan Haag, who blesses us every month with her “Writing As A Healing Art” workshops used these journaling prompts at our latest Wellness Retreat. (curated by Emily Stoddard). I wanted to share them with the rest of our community, because they’re simple prompts that can help even the most novice writer get started. Many of us unfairly believe we are not writers, but as Jan always says,”If you write words on a paper, you’re a writer!”
I invite you to find yourself a pretty little notebook and a pen that feels good in-between your fingers and try one of these thoughtful, simple prompts from Jan and Emily… And if you feel a slight satisfaction after your writing exercise, please consider joining us at our next writing workshop later this month! It’s free and powerful!
Choose a line and set the pen to the page (or fingers to the keyboard) and, without thinking too hard, let words flow from you as they will. Don't worry about making sense or whether it's "good." Just follow the thread and see where it leads you!
A word that remembers something old
A word from what you are harvesting now
A word that reminds you of yourself
A word that feels like kindling for more words
A word that feels or sounds quiet
A word that is giving something away
A word that can mean more than one thing
A silly word
A word that belongs to a question you have
A word that casts a shadow
A word that isn’t afraid of the dark
A word the river might say
A word that might have been in a dream
A word that wants to say more
A favorite word
A word from your ancestors~(inherited, imagined or otherwise)
A word you needed to write
A word that could be a candle in the dark
A word that loves you
A word that feels like the weather today
A word that feels new to you
A word that knows frost is coming
A word that most surprises you
A persistent word (one that comes to you again and again)
A word that is pulling something closer
A word that feels or sounds crisp
A word that is soft as moss
A word that a tree might whisper
A word that a flower might say
A word that wants to be repeated
A word of love you’d love to hear
A word that is ready to hibernate
A word that feels like an embrace
A word that feels healing
A word you like the sound of
A word a bird might say
An explanation from Jan’s website about why this method works.
Why prompts?
I (Jan) practice and teach a method of writing called the Amherst Writers & Artists method originated by Pat Schneider about thirty years ago in (not surprisingly) Amherst, Mass.—not incidentally also Emily Dickinson’s hometown. Pat believes that all people are born with creative genius, that we are all writers—some of us just don’t know it yet. It is the simplest, most encouraging writing method I’ve ever encountered in all my years of teaching and writing, and I am honored to lead groups in the method and teach it to others.
The AWA method (www.amherstwriters.com) is similar to others in that it offers prompts to writers in groups—writers can respond or write, as we say, whatever needs to be written. But it is unique in that if writers choose to read aloud what they’ve just written, all work is treated is fiction (offering the writer some privacy, particularly around sensitive subjects), and listeners are only allowed to offer the following comments:
• What they like about the writing
• What is strong about the writing
• What stays with the listener about the writing
I teach classes and workshops using the AWA method, and people are always looking for prompts, ways to jumpstart their writing. Some of my favorite prompts are the simplest, as you’ll see in the document in this section called “Gettin’ started prompts.” Some are more complex.
If you’re looking for a place to get started, choose a prompt. Write for ten minutes—or more, if you like. See what happens. Try not to judge your baby words, just born on the page, too harshly. As Pat Schneider says, “You wouldn’t point out the wart on the brand new baby’s nose.” I like to add that your voice is worthy of the page, and the page can take anything you put on it.
As I tell writers (and everyone is one, even you): Write it. Don’t fight it!
If you’re interested in writing with me, I’m now doing online writes using Zoom. For more information, write to me at janishaag@gmail.com.