I'm late to the party but love the idea of this. I'm on a camping holiday in the wild west of Wales with dear friends and whilst reading Dylan Thomas for the first time am inspired to write. Thomas lived here in New Quay between September 1944 and Summer 1945. 80 years ago!
I thought to check out your latest offerings as I thoroughly enjoyed your Christmas retreat. So I'm going to take two/three prompts a day and complete this little project during the week I'm here.
This wonderful community of writers brought to my awareness by Beth has been the biggest influence for me to simply get on with it !
But then there are all the other people who inspire me too . So many human beings who I have had the great fortune to have met.
Humankind are the people I wish to acknowledge. Those who share their aspirations and insights, who encourage me to reconsider, to reflect upon what I wish to say - in writing and speaking .
A little known fact is that I was dance captain at school - and I think that might have been an acknowledgment for myself of the importance of rhythm and expression that I loved to explore in my ‘choreographies’ .
Maybe the most tricky (and brief ) time I whipped out my notebook was while on a ski chairlift. I was trying to note down a haiku before I forgot it. My partner was not overly impressed as they had to hold my poles as well as their own while I hastily scribbled with my pencil. It was a most gorgeous blue-sky day passing over pristine snow and spotting ibex perched on slender rocky ledges as we swooshed smoothly by.
Which single object best represents where you are in your writing life right now?
A compass.
Not a map. Not a lantern. A compass—small, quiet, and deeply personal.
Right now, my writing is all about direction, not destination. I’m not trying to arrive anywhere fast. I’m listening for what feels aligned—following the magnetic pull of a sentence that feels honest, or an idea that stirs something beneath the surface.
I’m not charting grand outlines or chasing polished outcomes. I’m orienting. Recalibrating. Turning the page with intention, even if I’m not sure where it leads. My writing is my way of staying found in a world that constantly shifts.
And when I drift off course—which I do—my writing brings me back.
Where is the most unusual place you have whipped out your notebook to write?
The most unusual place I’ve ever journaled in is also the most unusable place I’ve ever tried to sleep: the Ottawa Jail Hostel.
Years ago, before its modern makeover, it was still raw—bare-bones and eerily true to its 19th-century origins. It wasn’t "cozy" in any way. The cell I stayed in had no privacy, no curtains to soften the lattice doors, no real bed—just a bunk with a mattress and sheets, more symbolic of comfort than the real thing.
And yet… I pulled out my notebook.
There was something haunting about being in a space steeped in so much silence and history. My pen moved slowly, tracing thoughts shaped by cold stone and long shadows. It wasn’t easy writing—but it was unforgettable.
I find it fascinating how if we look in any creatives note or sketchbook we will probably find just a few key themes with which we will be working all our life !
I try to focus on the seasonal elements of wood, fire, earth metal and water that follow the seasons of spring, summer autumn and winter ….
Interesting. I've pondered this a lot recently. The theme I keep coming back to is the past in the present. As a writer, I’ve written a novel about a son trying to understand his father, and realising how it has affected his identity, set in the aftermath of the Second World War. I’m writing a book inspired by an inscription on an old gravestone; a woman who died over 150 years ago, and exploring what her story can tell us today. As a screenwriter, many of my scripts were fictional with a basis in historical fact - for example, set in the Beslan school siege, the Cuban revolution or in Jonestown.
As a Somatic Life Coach, with my clients, I often find us exploring themes from the past, long-held beliefs that no longer serve, fascinated by their origin and how deeply they are embedded in our very tissues. I think it stems from studying history and my fascination with the past. In my writing, bringing a creative interpretation feels deeper somehow, going beyond the facts to what else we might discover.
Finding my way to the zone of writing can sometimes be quite circuitous- and some days I simply get lost on the way .
But I am realising that I need to consider the discipline of writing in the same way as any physiological training - where the regularity of practice develops good muscles and tones the body to work well ! So early morning pages will wake up the creative spirit and get the writer in me going . Prompts and being in nature offer a good re-source
I came to this late, cancelled out the ‘it’s too late to start’ gremlins and have caught up over the last day or so. I’ve just done today (day 5) and I’m absolutely loving the challenge. Thanks @bethkempton - they’re great words to mull on!
I absolutely loved participating in this writing challenge. So much so, it led to my first Substack post. Thanks Beth 💚
I'm late to the party but love the idea of this. I'm on a camping holiday in the wild west of Wales with dear friends and whilst reading Dylan Thomas for the first time am inspired to write. Thomas lived here in New Quay between September 1944 and Summer 1945. 80 years ago!
I thought to check out your latest offerings as I thoroughly enjoyed your Christmas retreat. So I'm going to take two/three prompts a day and complete this little project during the week I'm here.
Three words for today are
Inner, outer, together
You can find me on Substack
At One with Jos Hadfield
And on Facebook too ( Jos Hadfield)
Path - pilgrimage with paper and pen - the Dao , going with the flow
The Way.
How will this manifest ?
I commit to picking up pen/pencil every day and writing for a minimum of 10 minutes to keep these writing muscles flexed
I commit to not doubting (so much!) what it is I am writing nor why
I commit to show up in the writing community to support and be supported
And you are all my witness to these vows
This wonderful community of writers brought to my awareness by Beth has been the biggest influence for me to simply get on with it !
But then there are all the other people who inspire me too . So many human beings who I have had the great fortune to have met.
Humankind are the people I wish to acknowledge. Those who share their aspirations and insights, who encourage me to reconsider, to reflect upon what I wish to say - in writing and speaking .
What a gift they all offer
A little known fact is that I was dance captain at school - and I think that might have been an acknowledgment for myself of the importance of rhythm and expression that I loved to explore in my ‘choreographies’ .
Maybe the most tricky (and brief ) time I whipped out my notebook was while on a ski chairlift. I was trying to note down a haiku before I forgot it. My partner was not overly impressed as they had to hold my poles as well as their own while I hastily scribbled with my pencil. It was a most gorgeous blue-sky day passing over pristine snow and spotting ibex perched on slender rocky ledges as we swooshed smoothly by.
My contribution yesterday, day 9 in the US: https://open.substack.com/pub/birchandraven/p/mantra?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=9gmaj
✨ #meetthewriter Day 11: OBJECT ✨
Which single object best represents where you are in your writing life right now?
A compass.
Not a map. Not a lantern. A compass—small, quiet, and deeply personal.
Right now, my writing is all about direction, not destination. I’m not trying to arrive anywhere fast. I’m listening for what feels aligned—following the magnetic pull of a sentence that feels honest, or an idea that stirs something beneath the surface.
I’m not charting grand outlines or chasing polished outcomes. I’m orienting. Recalibrating. Turning the page with intention, even if I’m not sure where it leads. My writing is my way of staying found in a world that constantly shifts.
And when I drift off course—which I do—my writing brings me back.
✨ #meetthewriter Day 10: REVEAL ✨
Where is the most unusual place you have whipped out your notebook to write?
The most unusual place I’ve ever journaled in is also the most unusable place I’ve ever tried to sleep: the Ottawa Jail Hostel.
Years ago, before its modern makeover, it was still raw—bare-bones and eerily true to its 19th-century origins. It wasn’t "cozy" in any way. The cell I stayed in had no privacy, no curtains to soften the lattice doors, no real bed—just a bunk with a mattress and sheets, more symbolic of comfort than the real thing.
And yet… I pulled out my notebook.
There was something haunting about being in a space steeped in so much silence and history. My pen moved slowly, tracing thoughts shaped by cold stone and long shadows. It wasn’t easy writing—but it was unforgettable.
I find it fascinating how if we look in any creatives note or sketchbook we will probably find just a few key themes with which we will be working all our life !
I try to focus on the seasonal elements of wood, fire, earth metal and water that follow the seasons of spring, summer autumn and winter ….
#Meet the writer - Day 7
What are the themes in my writing?
Interesting. I've pondered this a lot recently. The theme I keep coming back to is the past in the present. As a writer, I’ve written a novel about a son trying to understand his father, and realising how it has affected his identity, set in the aftermath of the Second World War. I’m writing a book inspired by an inscription on an old gravestone; a woman who died over 150 years ago, and exploring what her story can tell us today. As a screenwriter, many of my scripts were fictional with a basis in historical fact - for example, set in the Beslan school siege, the Cuban revolution or in Jonestown.
As a Somatic Life Coach, with my clients, I often find us exploring themes from the past, long-held beliefs that no longer serve, fascinated by their origin and how deeply they are embedded in our very tissues. I think it stems from studying history and my fascination with the past. In my writing, bringing a creative interpretation feels deeper somehow, going beyond the facts to what else we might discover.
My contribution today https://substack.com/@jaygermany/note/c-115175688?r=1sss7q&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Finding my way to the zone of writing can sometimes be quite circuitous- and some days I simply get lost on the way .
But I am realising that I need to consider the discipline of writing in the same way as any physiological training - where the regularity of practice develops good muscles and tones the body to work well ! So early morning pages will wake up the creative spirit and get the writer in me going . Prompts and being in nature offer a good re-source
I came to this late, cancelled out the ‘it’s too late to start’ gremlins and have caught up over the last day or so. I’ve just done today (day 5) and I’m absolutely loving the challenge. Thanks @bethkempton - they’re great words to mull on!
Meet the Writer Day 4: Do I have a preferred season for writing?
Is it raining? I hadn’t noticed,
She said in Four Weddings and A Funeral.
Like Andy McDowell, I don’t bother about the weather
- Although my body wants to be Spanish
And write beneath an olive tree in the sun!
But since my health went awol
Along with most of my friends,
Opening the door for loneliness to creep in,
I will write in all seasons.
In the company of my imagination,
Season after season,
Day after day,
I bloom and bloom again.