avatarAmy Shearn

Summary

The website content provides a reflective take on writing advice, offering weekly prompts that encourage writers to confront the advice they often give but struggle to follow themselves.

Abstract

The article discusses the irony of dispensing writing advice while not always adhering to it. It introduces a series of weekly writing prompts that challenge writers to explore and share wisdom they find difficult to implement in their own work. The prompts encourage introspection on personal habits, procrastination tendencies, and the identification of topics that writers are deeply knowledgeable about without needing preparation. The article emphasizes the importance of community engagement by inviting writers to publish their responses on Medium with the tag #Writehere, fostering a collaborative environment for creative growth.

Opinions

  • The author acknowledges a disconnect between offering sound writing advice, such as taking breaks or writing longhand, and actually applying these strategies in their own writing process.
  • There is an admission that giving advice is easier than following it, particularly in the context of writing.
  • The author suggests that everyone has a piece of advice they value and share with others but personally struggle to adhere to, highlighting the importance of self-reflection.
  • The article identifies common procrastination behaviors, recognizing that certain tasks, including writing, can be particularly challenging to start or complete.
  • It is implied that writers have untapped expertise on certain topics that they could discuss at length without prior research, suggesting a potential wellspring of content ideas.
  • The author encourages a sense of community and mutual support among writers by asking them to share their work and engage with the Write Here initiative on Medium.

WRITE HERE

Writing Prompts: The Advice You Keep Ignoring

This week’s writing prompts tap into what you know (but sometimes forget that you know)

Sometimes people ask me for useful writing advice and I wonder if I have any at all. It’s as if everything I’ve ever learned about creativity whooshes out of my head the second they ask. Luckily I’ve read enough Medium stories that I can fake it: “Um, when you get stuck be sure to take a break,” I’ll say wisely, or, “Try switching to longhand to shake up your thought process.” Neither of which I ever do when I’m actually trying to write. I should though! Those are good tricks! In practice, I tend to squint at the screen and force myself to plow through until something starts to hurt, a terrible process that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Then again, it’s always easier to give advice than to take it. This week, let’s offer our readers (and ourselves) some advice about what we know better than anyone. Don’t forget to publish your responses to these prompts on Medium and tag them #Writehere so we can all find each others’ work on the Write Here page.

THIS WEEK’S PROMPTS

The Advice You Keep Ignoring

What’s the best piece of advice you think everyone should follow — maybe the bit of wisdom you’re always sharing with friends, your children, or mentees in your field — that you yourself are not great at following? Why is it so important? And why do you think you have trouble with it?

A Favorite Least-Favorite

We all have the thing we procrastinate the most. For some of us it’s a particular household chore, for some of us it’s a boring-yet-difficult administrative task, for some of us it’s for some of us it might be — ayo! — writing! What’s yours, and what makes it is very put-off-able for you?

Your 30-Minute TED Talk

A version of this was trending on Twitter recently: What’s the topic you could talk about for 30 minutes with zero prep or research ahead of time? Your professional field? Your favorite television show? Great moments in the history of hot sauce? Write a 30-minute read about it. (Okay fine it doesn’t have to be that long.)

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.

Write Here guidelines and last week’s prompts:

Writehere
Writing Prompts
Writing
Medium
Creativity
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