8.1.26 | ✍️ The writing prompts I give myself when I’m in a slump

Happy Saturday!

I’m so happy to welcome Emily McGowan, our Editorial Director, as today’s curator of The Weekend Edit.

Emily was one of the first hires here at The Good Trade and has been a key part of shaping the publication’s editorial voice for nearly a decade. Not only is she a joy to work with, she is an all around delight to be around in every way.

In her free time you’ll find her cuddling up with her kittens, practicing her creative project du jour, writing at her newsletter Pinky Promise on Substack, making friends in unlikely places, and mentoring budding writers at WriteGirl. She is a wealth of knowledge in writing and in life, as you’ll see below.

Warmly,
Kate

💛 Welcome, Emily!

In the spring of 2022, I received an email I’d been waiting for for months — the subject line read “Matching you with a mentee for weekly mentoring”. I was thrilled, and little did I know that the next four years I’d work with the same young student, working on creative writing prompts each week, sharing our work, and seeing her through her first day of high school to her graduation. (Big shout out to WriteGirl, the organization I work with, and highly recommend you look into if you’d like to get involved as a mentor).

As someone without children or nieces and nephews, my heart practically exploded with pride and joy as I watched her grow, and her dedication, talent, and outlook on life strengthened my hope in the future generations.

Over that period of time, I pulled writing prompts from various places, but found the most impactful (and fun!) ones were drawn out of my own experiences and curiosity. We wrote poems, short stories, submitted to literary magazines, and even worked on college essay brainstorming together. I eagerly jotted down idea after idea for us to work on, and eventually found myself creating prompts just for me.

These all came at a pivotal, transitional time in my life. My ten-year marriage was ending, I was grieving the loss of my dear house rabbits, I was learning to travel solo, my career was growing, and I was setting up life for the first time ever as a single adult. It was a slump. Everything changed in just a short year, and so while I was working up age-appropriate writing prompts for my mentee, I was also generating new ways to dig deeper into who I was as a person and where I was going next.

I began to understand a little better what I wanted out of life as I continued to prompt myself further — including in areas like my career, my home, my finances, my friendships, and my romantic endeavors. I’ve always had a tough time getting super-specific about my goals and values, and while I can’t say I’ve got it all figured out, I have gotten closer and closer to the heart of who I am. Plus, as a neurodivergent person, my constant flood of thoughts can be so overwhelming and difficult to structure (anyone else feel me? 👋), and these prompts introduced more intention into my daily habit tracking and journaling practice.

So this week, I wanted to share some prompts that helped me navigate this season of immense change (and that are still helping!). Some I shared with my mentee, but others have never seen the light of day beyond the pages of my journal — so consider this a tour of my journal and creative process as well. 📝 👀

Of course, I want to pair this with a reminder that self-discovery doesn’t exclusively happen on the page. For me, attending events and workshops in my city, meeting new people, reading and learning, prioritizing rest and wellness, spending time with my friends, spending time in nature, and moving my body have all helped me move further into myself. So if you’re in a similar moment in your life, I encourage you to take a comprehensive approach — but one that also offers grace and compassion for yourself.

Writing prompts for fun & creativity