Writing isn’t always a product to consume or be consumed. Living in the consumeristic culture that we live in, we can unconsciously begin to view our writing through the lens of “good” or “bad”…Best Seller! or unknown thing that no one wants or cares about.

There is so much value in writing, just from the act of doing it and sharing it when we want to. For me, I write to understand life. I write to gain insight and clarity. I write to get the story down, to observe and experience more closely, to remember moments, to expand my view of myself and others. I am reminded of Natalie Goldberg who says, the writer lives twice; once when they live the situation, and again when they write about it.

Often, almost always, we must allow ourselves to step outside of the idea of “good and bad” when we write and create, giving our writer selves the freedom to write badly, knowing at least that we are aiming to write something true. If only for our own selves.

Don’t let consumeristic culture wilt your writing spirit. Why do YOU write?

I offer this prompt in the spirit of poet Rosemary Wahtola Trommer, “You can only do this right. There are so many ways to do it right.” It helps so much to approach our first drafts with this attitude, and if you get stuck, here is another secret: simply lower your standards.

The prompt: Write a childhood memory without leaving the child’s experience of the moment.

Here is the prompt in video form, with some additional explanation.