The Promptly Written Monthly Theme for September 2023
Where will the muse take you this month?
Welcome to your favourite source of inspiration!
I’d like to start by saying our mission statement here at Promptly Written is to offer you inspiration on the days you find the muses have left your side. We hope to offer you new perspectives, questions and sparks to help you navigate the path into your imagination.
You can as always, respond in any way you wish, with any style of writing and at any time, though if you’d like to be selected for the Editor’s or Reader’s top picks of the month then soon would be better than later, after all, we’re all about striking while the flame of inspiration burns strong!
This summer has been a bounty of great writing and August kept up the pace with memorable pieces of poetry, fiction, personal essays, and articles. The changes to the platform have seen us welcoming many new writers from all over the world and a focus on claps and comments, so please don’t forget that this is an interactive experience if you want to best support your fellow writers.
The theme for September is change.
As the seasons flow, autumn or fall is a time in which we see change everywhere. The colours of nature, the feel of the cooler wind against our skin. The world is changing around us and it is inescapable.
The question is, do you want to escape it? How does the inevitability of change make you feel?
September for many is a new start and a new year of sorts. The academic year shapes family life and all those attached to the education system. Are your children moving from one school to the next, do they seem older all of a sudden, or are you yourself embarking on a new journey?
How does it feel to have to leave the more relaxed, extroverted feel of summer behind? Are you inwardly sighing in relief at the return to time spent indoors and with fewer people, or are you already wondering if you can squeeze in some summer sun?
Traditionally, this was a time of year to gather in the harvest, and while things are different in many ways in modern society, as we prepare for the winter ahead, what are you harvesting? What seeds did you sow in your life in spring that have come to fruition, what hasn’t had enough nurture to enable it to grow?
How To Use Monthly Themes
1. Write specific poems, fiction, essays, or articles related to the theme — try using the Writing Sparks.
2. Choose a Weekly prompt or select a Writing Spark, and center your piece around the theme.
3. Remember to tag your work appropriately (Poetry, Fiction, Essay, or Articles) and use ‘Monthly Theme’ if your work is centered around the theme.
Writing Sparks
1. What are the most significant changes that have happened in your life? Were you the one who instigated them or did they happen to you?
2. In hindsight, every change can seem like it happened for a reason but do you believe in chance?
3. What is something you would like to change about yourself or your life, and why don’t you?
Bonus Prompt — Consider the following quotes:
‘The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude’ -Oprah Winfrey
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” -Socrates
“Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” -Sydney J. Harris
Have a creative month, I can’t wait to see your responses!
Important Reminder
Write what comes to mind, don’t try to shape it or edit, let that first draft flow out of you like a stream of consciousness in direct response to wherever inspiration took you.
Only after that and perhaps a little time, should you reread and polish. We want to see your passion and excitement for your stories, and it’s what you write best.
Best Wishes & Have a great September!
If you are new to Promptly Written and would like to know how to get started, please read our submission guidelines below.