Is the empty blank page staring back at you? One of these prompts should help you to put pen to paper. Specifically these prompts are inspired by women writers and activists. Sometimes motivation is low and looking at how others live can inspire you.
Virginia Woolf was one of the first to write in the style we now call stream of consciousness.
- Put on a timer and try to write for ten minutes. No pressure, write what you are thinking.
“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.”
Toni Morrison always worked a 9-5. She had to write before work and around parenting.
- Try journaling at a different time or place than usual. Take note if it was easier or harder for you.
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
Ruth Bater Ginsburg loved reading as it brought her closer to her dreams.
- Write about something you read recently. It could be an article, book, or even a tik tok comment
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.”
Maya Angelou would go to a hotel room, not to stay but to write during the day.
- Write in these pages in a place, away from home and away from other work.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Audrey Hepburn was always grateful to UNICEF as a child of WWII, and continued to be grateful for the opportunities in her life.
- Take some time and write in detail about one thing you are grateful for and why.
“I have learnt how to live…how to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch.”
Octavia Butler was a strong believer in focusing on habit versus inspiration.
- Write about which habits you have built over the years or would like to build.
“I’m learning to fly, to levitate myself. No one is teaching me. I’m just learning on my own, little by little, dream lesson by dream lesson.”
Frida Kahlo kept a diary, writing when not feeling well and in bed due to her health condition.
- Try to write when you aren’t feeling your best. No pressure to write anything amazing, try to leave space for your emotions.
“Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.”
Marsha P Johnson spent a major part of her life with homeless and transgender youth, bringing light to often dark places.
- Write a letter to your past self. What would you tell yourself, if you had the chance?
“How many years does it take for people to see that we’re all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”
bell hooks had a way of realistically looking at the present and then finding hope for the future.
- Write about who you would like to be in the future. What would you say to future you?
“The one person who will never leave us, whom we will never lose, is ourself. Learning to love our female selves is where our search for love must begin.”
Elenor Roosevelt understood how much the outside world and its pressures can effect people personally.
- Take the time to write about a social cause in the world or one that effects you.
“Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one. You cannot make any useful contribution in life unless you do this.”
Corita Kent encouraged experimentation with her students.
- Try to write on this page for three minutes without looking at the page. Write big, write small. The messier the better!
“Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”
Emily Dickinson wrote about endings more than beginnings, often which we have less control over.
- Write about a time where something in your life ended unexpectedly, a job, relationship, etc.
“Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.”
Hopefully at least one of these prompts speaks to you. If you would like to know more about these women, check out the 2023 Ponder Planner, which features the biographies of these women The planner will be on sale March 7th!
