December Writing Challenge: Write Your Story

It’s December, the last month of this year, and the time when we often gather together over the holidays and share stories. The writing challenge this month is to tell your stories: the story of the year that was and the year to come.

Prompt 1: Looking back

Here’s the first prompt.

This was the year that I …

How would you complete that prompt?

Write about it for a while and see what kind of story you tell.

Is it a tragedy? Are you perhaps a victim? Is it a heroic narrative of growth and change? Is it a comedy with you as a fumbling protagonist? (My life sometimes feels like that.)

Be kind to yourself as you write those stories.

If you find that you’ve been focused on the negative a lot, then your specific challenge is to look for the bright spots. Look for the growth, the change, the companionship, the connection, the humor.

Prompt 2: Looking forward

Now here’s your second prompt.

This next year is the year that I will …

How do you complete that?

Pick something that you’re looking forward to, something positive, some growth, some change, a new adventure, an experiment.

Now write these stories down for yourself.

By writing our own stories, we get to frame the narratives of our lives, and that’s a very powerful thing to do.

You might put them aside and review them next December. If nothing else, you’ll have a few stories to share at holiday gatherings.

Have fun and let me know how it goes.