WRITE HERE

Writing Prompts: Gratitude, Plans, and Comebacks

This week’s writing prompts are about taking stock of important moments

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What are you grateful for?

Feels like a basic one (and maybe we’ve already used this as a Write Here prompt before) but I still think it’s a useful exercise. Take a few minutes and write down as many things you can think of that you’re grateful for — write them down quickly, without editing. Then take a look at your list. Which thing feels most surprising? Write about it.

What is your next task?

This is a useful thought exercise for anxious times, whether you write it down or not: When everything feels overwhelming, take it one step at a time. What’s the next thing you actually need to do? Plan dinner? Call your mom? Run a professional meeting? Write out your plan of attack, imagine an unexpected way it could go, or stage the best possible outcome.

Ride your own roller coaster

Here’s a trick a therapist once showed me: List out some notable lows you’ve lived through. Maybe this was the worst day at your worst job ever, or a giant fight with a partner, or the scariest historical event you’ve lived through. How did things get better afterwards? What did you learn?

Need to set aside time to write to these prompts (or to write something else?) My colleague Harris Sockel and I will be hosting open writing hours on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. ET, through March 31. You can use this meeting link to join. The passcode is: Medium. See you there!

QUESTIONS ABOUT WRITE HERE?

Leave them in the responses and we will try to address them all. Don’t forget to check back here every Monday for new prompts and tips. And check back on Fridays, when we post highlights from creators’ responses to these prompts!

Write Here guidelines and last week’s prompts: