the craft. the gift of prompts and writing exercises.

At times, I think there is the thought that as writers, you have to have amazing ideas at all times and that’s simply not the case. We all can use a little inspiration at times, and that’s where writing exercises and prompts come in.

There are an array of writers and entities that do monthly writing prompts, including my friend GG Renee. For someone like me who is thinking all the time, journaling tends to come naturally. But along the journey, many writers have expressed difficulty in knowing what to write when it comes to journaling and prompts can help jumpstart the process.

What I also love about prompts and exercises is how they stretch your own thought process. They can make you think of brand new ideas that don’t feel stale or overdone. It’s all about expanding as a writer. These types of exercises are a great way to do so.

Some time ago, I wanted to challenge myself to write a steamy love scene. I very much live in the realm of mid-steam. Ha! And while I believe that to be a creative choice I prefer, I wanted to test my own boundaries a bit. So I started with this idea below of a one night stand.

He was water. I was wine. He quenched my thirst, and I was his good time. We’d met on a night I was feeling particularly bold. I felt sexy in a slouchy knit top that hung off my shoulder and accentuated my collarbone. He was standing across the dark room emphasizing his points with his large hands. His lips looked like they had a secret to tell. I would catch him every time his eyes shifted from his conversation and lingered on my exposed skin. I smiled a crooked smile and excused myself from my colleagues. They looked on in shock as I floated across the room in my Givenchy heels and skinny jeans towards the group of gentlemen that held my night cap. He braced himself as I touched his arm softly and whispered in his ear that I’d love to stop playing long distance and wanted a closer look. He shook his head and said, “You’re trouble.”

It goes on, but I’ll keep it PG-13 here although hopefully you’re not in the habit of letting your children read your writing newsletter. Lol. But fast forward to 2022, I had the great opportunity to publish a short story called “Breakfast Dinner” on Heartbeat which at the time was run by writers Hannah Orenstein and Georgia Clark. It has since pivoted to Georgia’s personal author newsletter, but instead of starting from scratch, I was essentially able to expand the story from the writing exercise I started.

I’d like to note here that I had to pull back the steam a bit which solidified that I did the job of writing a steamy love scene.*winks*. But it was a lot of fun to explore the story and give these characters a real storyline.

I’m not a stickler for saying that you should be writing every day. But I do like to say that you should always be writing. Whatever that means for you. Whether it’s a newsletter, my random thoughts in a journal, or sitting down to actually tell a story, I feel like I’m writing all the time even if it’s not every day because duh, real life is a thing.

But I love the process of stockpiling ideas. When I tell you I have a good 2-3 notebooks with my next novel ideas waiting for me. I have journal entries that have often turned into personal essays or newsletters.

You never know whether that journaling prompt or writing exercise will have the ability to turn into something greater later. Count it all as useful to your process.

Writing/Job Opportunities

Naureen Kahn is helping to put together a package for Cosmopolitan about women’s sex lives after 60. She’s on the hunt for essays + opinion pieces, and would especially like POC and LGBTQ+ perspectives. Pitch at naureen.khan@hearst.com. Rate: $400+

The Guardian is hiring an Investigative Reporter. ($95-115k)

Bloomberg is hiring a Retail Reporter, Global Business Americas. ($115-140k)

The New York Times is hiring a Newsroom Generative AI Lead. ($180-220k)

Syracuse University is hiring an Assistant Teaching Professional - Journalism ($75-95k).