#WriteThroughTheHolidays Prompt #17: Release

Before we launch into resolutions, deciding
how we might grow or change in the new
year, I'd like to talk about release.

Tell me about something you or a character has recently let go of or is ready to let go of. You might explore how that thing was holding you/them back, what effort it'll take to release it, and what might arise in the newly cleared out space.
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#WriteThroughTheHolidays Prompt #16: Foreign

Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, a holiday I admittedly know little about, despite having sang a few songs about it in middle school chorus.

For today's prompt, I invite you to explore a tradition or occasion that's foreign to you or your character. It could be religious (like the one time I went to Catholic Mass) or cultural (like the dish called puppy chow I learned of in the Midwest). Use as much sensory detail as you can.

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Prompt #15: Last Minute

I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I do procrastinate! Today my thoughts are with all those who are trying to pull it together as time runs out.

For today’s prompt, tell me about doing something at the last minute, a time when you or your character were racing the clock. Did it work out? Was there any revelation in the midst of that scrambling?

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Prompt #14: Darkness

Today's prompt is in honor of Winter Solstice, the shortest day, and the longest night.

Tell me about a time you or your character were in the dark, literally or metaphorically. Think power outage, sadness, unknowing. It can be hard to write the dark stuff. And it can be liberating.

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Prompt #13: Illumination
Last night was the first night of Chanukah, two candles burning bravely on the menorah.

For today's prompt, tell me about a time you or your character stepped into the light, literally or metaphorically. Maybe you learned something. Maybe you were blinded. Go wherever it takes you.

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#WriteThroughTheHolidays Prompt #12: Disaster
This time of year can come with high expectations, standards, and stakes. And inevitably, despite our longing and efforts, things go wrong.

Tell me about a disaster, holiday-related or not, big or small, that befell you or your character. What went wrong? Was there any remedy? Who picked up the pieces? Was this a laugh-about-it or cry-about-it turn of events?
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Prompt #11: Peace
Peace: a small word with big meaning that's
thrown around a lot this time of year.
What does peace mean to you or your
character? Tell me about peace that's longed
for, short-lived, and/or high stakes. What
does peace look, smell, and taste like? Who
or what creates it? Diminishes it?
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Prompt #10: Surprise

Tell me about a time you or your character was surprised, caught off-guard maybe. Today, please make this surprise a positive one: charming, whimsical, or lighthearted. The world feels heavy these days. Tell me about a good, unexpected thing.

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Prompt #9: Rest
Often "Rest" is the last word that comes to mind this time of ear, despite the fact that winter is definitively a time to slow down.

Tell me about a struggle you or your character had with rest. Perhaps the struggle was caused by being incapable of resting or existing in circumstances that simply didn't permit it (e.g. 21st century USA). What does rest look like to you/your character?

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Prompt #8: Grief

While we often focus this time of year on celebration, there is a lot of grief lingering in the shadows & silences.

Tell me about someone or something that is missing from your or your character’s life. That might be somebody who is no longer at the table, someone who is there but absent, or some action or object that's no longer part of the routine. Grief can be difficult to meet on the page. Go as gently as you need.
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#WriteThroughTheHolidays Prompt #7: Ritual

We use ritual to mark time, remember, celebrate, and even guide our day to day actions, and this time of year is full of them.

Tell me about a ritual you/a character practice, or no longer practice, or wish to practice. What actions does the ritual consist of? Who participates? How long has this ritual been a part of you/a character’s life? What feelings are associated with it?

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Prompt #6: Gifts

You can’t think about this time of year without thinking of presents.

Tell me about the best present you/a character gave or received. That could be a tangible item or something abstract, e.g. the gift of time or space. If it’s tangible, tell me what it looks, smells, and feels like. Either way, be sure to explore the emotions associated with the gift.

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Prompt #5: Gratitude

This time of year there's a lot of dang pressure to be grateful. Gratitude has become a keyword in recent years, which has mangled its meaning a bit. Today, let's give it a shot—or not.

Tell me about what you/a character is grateful for OR tell me about what you/your character feels deprived of. If the word gratitude makes you or your character want to barf, tell me about that! Whatever you do, don’t forget the feelings.

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Good morning & welcome back to your life. Today's #WriteThroughTheHolidays prompt is for everybody who traveled in the last week or ever in their life, any distance at all. Tell me about a journey--yours or a character's--the texture, events, & emotions. Let's take off friends.

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Hello & happy Friday. It's time for #prompt #3 of #WriteThroughTheHolidays! In honor of this weird #American thing called #BlackFriday, I invite you today to write about a treasure, something valuable to you or a character. Maybe it was expensive, or maybe it carries a lot of meaning. Whatever you write about, have fun!

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It's time for #prompt #2 of #WriteThroughTheHolidays! In honor of #thanksgiving, a holiday with plenty of omissions/revisions, I invite you to write about a story you/a character were told that isn't exactly true and/or left a whole bunch of stuff out. Let me know how it goes!

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Good morning writers! The time has come--here is your first prompt for #WriteThroughTheHolidays. I hope it sparks some fun and surprising writing for you. Let me know how it goes!

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Hi #writingcommunity! I'm offering a series of prompts so we can #writethroughtheholidays, a time when we often get disconnected from our work and our creative community.

Prompts will be posted here starting Nov 21 and delivered by email to my substack list, writingisjoy.substack.com. Whatever the next two months holds for you, I hope you keep writing! #writingisjoy