Fierce Encouragement: 201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times

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Feeling overwhelmed by the world, creatively stagnant, or simply ready to write Put down your devices, pause your downloads, and open this unusual collection of prompts.

Whether you have writer's block and need help generating new material, or are seeking solace on the page during a time of stress or uncertainty, these pages offer a resource for refuge, release, and realization.

Designed equally for those who write for an audience and anyone who turns to the page to process life, the premise of "Fierce Encouragement" is that everything counts. Don't have time Write for just 10 minutes per prompt and be amazed at how much emerges. Not sure where to begin Here are 201 ways. Start today then keep going.

Written over six tumultuous years and proven in hundreds of writing groups, these prompts reflect the author's personal practice as much as they invite readers to develop and deepen their own.

In the tradition of Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" and Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird," Jena Schwartz shares generously of her own stories as she guides readers gently to the page with myriad points of entry for writing. The prompts here range from playful to profound and can be returned to time and again.

Hundreds of writers across genres from poetry to memoir, personal essay to speculative fiction have turned to these prompts to seed, expand, stretch, deepen, and discover new edges in their work. At the same time, these prompts have equal appeal to those who have no intention of sharing their words with the world but rather use writing as a mindfulness practice and tool for self-exploration and self-expression.

Drawing on research about the psychological and spiritual benefits of writing, Schwartz leads by example by reminding readers that showing up with self-compassion is the basis for any practice. By shifting from judgment to curiosity and from outcome to process, these 20 mini collections of 10 prompts create an ease-full framework for writers of every kind to realize that writing doesn't have to be a struggle.

In the words of author Katrina Kenison, "Give her your hand, dear writer, and enter here. And be prepared: to surprise yourself, to tell the truth you never knew you knew, to find the treasure that is your story hiding in plain sight."

Reviews

"With this generous, beautifully conceived offering of questions both provocative and profound, promptress Jena Schwartz gently leads us from inchoate intention and vague desire to sentences accumulating on a page, and right down into the beating hearts and luminous souls of our own true selves. Give her your hand, dear writer, and enter here. And be prepared: to surprise yourself, to tell the truth you never knew you knew, to find the treasure that is your story hiding in plain sight. Here is a brilliant--dare I say magical--book that will not only inspire you to write, it will make you fall in love with the very act of writing." - Katrina Kenison, author of "Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment"

"Jena Schwartz truly has a gift for offering writers meaningful prompts to ignite and deepen their work. As a writer and workshop leader, I turn to Jena's prompts again and again. I am so excited to have this trove of one-of-a-kind prompts. I know it will be my go-to along with classic writing inspiration such as Writing Down the Bones, Bird by Bird and What If" - Andrea Jarrell, author of "I'm the One Who Got Away"

"Jena's prompts allow anyone to start exactly where they are, and somehow magically elicit exactly what needs to be released onto the page--all in the context of fierce, wise compassion and ultimately love of both the writer and the written word." - Monisha Vasa, M.D., author of Salve: Words for the Journey

"Crafted with warm intelligence, Jena's prompts create one hell of a framework for an exciting and sustainable writing practice." - Goldie Peacock, award-winning writer and teacher of DIY MFA: Creating Your Dream Course of Study Outside Academia

Author Bio

Jena Schwartz is a writing coach who emphasizes writing as a creative and spiritual practice. Author of three previous books, her poetry and personal essays have been widely published. Jena holds a BA from Barnard College, an MFA from Emerson College, and is now a rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion. A wife and mother, she lives in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Visit her website: www.jenaschwartz.com, and subscribe to her Substack, Dispatches from Daily Life.