15 Powerful Writing Prompts To Clear the Noise From Your Head
The thing about change is that we adapt. We might head into it kicking and screaming but eventually, give in. The resistance to change is actually ego. To be able to gracefully navigate change, the ego needs to go.
Change is the underlying theme in my memoir and self-development book that I published in 2021, Unfussy Life: An Intuitive Approach to Navigating Change.
I believe that embracing change is about acceptance & surrender.
Acceptance in the face of all things happening can sometimes feel challenging — and maybe that’s an understatement.
At the beginning of every writing session inside the Writing Community, we set a timer, take a deep breath, and do some freewriting.
If you’re new to freewriting, it might also be called automatic writing, morning pages, journaling, stream-of-consciousness writing, and even brain dumping.
Getting the gunk out of your head and onto the page clears the way for a creative day.
All that brain scramble needs a place to go, so let’s put it on a page. This writing is just for you; you don’t need to share it with anyone. You can keep these words in a journal that you never revisit. You can tear the pages out and light them on fire every day, or you can crumble them up and toss them into the recycle bin. I like to burn them in a bonfire.
You might uncover some brilliant nuggets when you shut up your thinking brain and start writing. You might very well write a bunch of crap — as is the case with most of my SFD writing. Which I now call “Surrendered First Drafts” and not “Shitty First Drafts.”
Sometimes, you come to a blank page and don’t know where to start.
How do you begin writing? Is there a “right” way to journal?
No. This is where I see a lot of clients let perfectionist tendencies creep in. There’s no right way to journal. You can’t do free-writing wrong. You can even come to the page and start by writing, “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to write about. I’m supposed to be journaling, so I’m just going to ramble.” Even if you start there, that’s great.
Whine, complain, let it all out on the page. It’s not for anyone else to read but you. It’s your space to process, unpack, and clear your mind.
This is where having a container for your writing to go can help. A writing container could be a five-minute timer, three pages of journaling, or a specific question to guide you. Without a container, creatives can freeze up or spin in circles. This is where some good writing prompts come in.
Follow a juicy writing prompt to see where it goes.
Here are some writing prompts to help you discover more about yourself, learn about a part of you that needs some love, and, most of all, feel just a little clearer, calmer, and more like yourself than you did before you started.
Tips before you begin exploring the writing prompts:
Write fast.
If a blank page gives you anxiety, start scribbling at the top of the page. Once you see something there, blank page anxiety goes away. You can also set the tone for it to feel fun and write at the top of the page, “Here’s a bunch of crap.” Then, write as fast as you can.Take a deep breath.
Then, take three more.If you get interrupted, welcome that interruption.
Julia Cameron, the author of the book The Artist’s Way, says that interruptions are corrections in your trajectory. Welcome them. And if you have a family or pets, you’re probably experiencing hella disruptions!Stay open.
You might write something that surprises you. If this happens, think to yourself, “Oh, how interesting I wrote that.” Then move on. No overthinking. No judging. You can explore this later or keep exploring that thought. However you choose to explore your words is perfect.Keep a second blank page nearby.
When I start journaling, I suddenly remember all the things I need to do — schedule a dentist appointment, follow up with that client, buy bananas. I keep a blank page to put all those other random to-do’s as they pop up. Then, I return to journaling.
Alright, here we go! Use this list of writing prompts as a menu. Choose the ones that feel good or even the ones that trigger you most — there may be something for you in there to explore.
15 simple and powerful writing prompts to help clear the noise from your head
What do you want from life? Work? Relationships? Experiences? Dream big; what do you want? No judgment if your wants feel “too big” or “too small.”
What’s important to you? What do you value? What’s your purpose?
If you got to create a billboard with a message for your life, what would it say?
What songs feel like theme songs for your life? Or your fight song? Or your arena song? Consider making a playlist of these later.
When you get to live your purpose, what will this do for you? What will this do for others (your family, friends, clients, and the community?)
What’s working really well in your business right now? How can you go deeper?
What do you believe to be true?
How can you look after yourself today?
What things could you do that feel so fun and pleasurable that you lose track of time? How do you feel every time you sit down to do just that?
You wish everyone knew this…
What makes you compassionately angry? This is anger that propels you to do something helpful, awesome, or of service.
Turn on your favorite song with your notebook closed. When the song is done, open your notebook and write down whatever comes to mind.
Pretend it’s the end of the day or, this time, tomorrow. Write about how your day went, in past tense and in positive, uplifting terms, imagining the day you want as if it’s already true.
Write an affirmation or revisit a list of your favorites. Journal what you see in your mind.
Write a grocery list of only your favorite foods and ingredients.
If you enjoyed these writing prompts, you might like these too:
15 Writing Prompts for End of Year Reflecting and Manifesting
A free daily practice to fill your creative well (that's also like therapy)
For even more writing prompts, get my 2023-published book, Intuitive Writing.
Need a nudge (or kick in the 🍑) to get through writing resistance?
