Prompts and Questions - 5 Ideas to help your writing practice be consistent

Developing a Rhythm and Practice of Writing - Part 11

How do you overcome writer’s block? 

It’s hard to keep writing consistently especially when writing is not our work and there are no “consequences” to not writing.  The ease to stop is so much greater than the discipline to keep writing. 

Here are five ideas to help you overcome writers' block:

1. Talk to yourself
2. Write in Bullet Points
3. Prompts and Questions
4. Rewrite & Edit
5. Writing Challenges

Prompts and Questions

At the end of the year, I have a practice called Envision. It’s a time of review, reflection and renewal. An outcome of the practice is a presentation document called the “Field Guide”. It’s a summary of the answers to my life’s essential questions, the guiding principles that direct my life, and clarifying questions I need when I get stuck or lost. It’s the compass that helps get back on the journey when I feel lost, confused or stuck.

It also helps when you don’t know what to write about. So here are the essential questions and clarifying questions to serve as a prompt or question to keep your writing practice going.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

1. What do I want? Why is it important?
2. What is my mission? What is my purpose?
3. Who is my vision? Who is it for?
4. Who am I? Who am I becoming?
5. What is my craft? What is my contribution?

CLARIFYING QUESTIONS:

In times of uncertainty or disruptive change:

1. What am I assuming?
2. What am I avoiding?
3. What am I afraid of?

In times of reflection - Daily Evening Examen:

1. What progress have I made (today)?
2. What have I learned or discovered (today)?
3. What have I shared (today)?
4. What have I co-created (today)? With Whom?
5. Who have I deepened my relationship with (today)?
6. What’s a moment worth remembering (from today)?
7. What or Who made my day difficult (today)?

In times of evaluation - Strat Ops Questions:

1. What’s right?
2. What could be better?
3. What’s confusing?
4. What’s missing?

This entry is for Month-long writing challenge for our The Beautiful Future Members. Every weekday, we write and share with one another to build and strengthen our practice of writing.