As you probably read, I’m going to (try to my best to) write every day this month. So these are the writing prompts and also links to what I wrote.
Happy writing,
Angie Moore
Day 1 (25 May)
- Jung’s character archetype The Hero (i.e., Hercules, Aragorn from LotR; wants to change the world, afraid of being weak or failing in the process)
- Think of a lesson you learned recently and apply it to a memory. How would your behaviour have changed if you had applied the lesson then?
The Result: The Hero
Day 2 (26 May)
- Jung’s character archetype The Caregiver (i.e., Mary Poppins, Samwise from LotR); wants to help others, afraid of being selfish
- Carl Jung’s 12 Character Archetypes
- What physical object or family heirloom ties together your grandparents, your parents, and yourself? Describe this object in great detail, and what it has meant to generations of your family.
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #27
The Result: Family Heirloom
Day 3 (27 May)
- A birthday
The Result: A Birthday
Day 4 (28 May)
- Jung’s character archetype The Orphan (i.e. Harry Potter or Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame; seeks belonging and acceptance, afraid of exclusion)
- Carl Jung’s 12 Character Archetypes
- Write about a road trip you took, and about where all your fellow travelers ended up in life versus where you ended up. How do you feel about it?
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #19
The Result: The Orphan
Day 5 (29 May)
- Jung’s archetype The Creator (i.e., Remy from Ratitouille, Willy Wonka; seeks to realise vision/dream, afraid of mediocrity)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Tell the story of the most important person that has shaped your town and its culture (you might have to do some research). How did the activity of that person influence the way you grew up or currently live?
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #37
The Result: The Creator
Day 6 (30 May)
- Fill in the Blank (and keep going): “In the ___, they tell the story of the great ____–how it was ___ and how it was ___ again.”
- Inspired by The Pearl (John Steinbeck)
The Result: Fill in the Blank
Day 7 (31 May)
- What are you feeling or thinking about right now?
The Result: What’s on Your Mind
Day 8 (1 June)
In honour of my favourite month (and birth month)
- Happy June
- Happy Summer
The Result: Happy Summer
Day 9 (2 June)
- A long need letter of apology or forgiveness
Day 10 (3 June)
- Rewrite a notable event from history
- In honour of the OG Harriet Tubman (read more)
- Write about the most pivotal scene in a relationship with someone in your extended family–uncle, aunt, cousin, grandmother. Describe the tension or happiness you shared , and how that came to affect your relationship from that point onward.
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #49
The Result: A Historical Event
Day 11 (4 June)
- Jung’s archetype The Sage (i.e., Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid or Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars; seek knowledge, but afraid of being deceived)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Scientists have wondered for years how nature and nurture plays into the development of human minds and their choices. Explore where you and your siblings are today and the choices that brought you there. Would you like to trade places with your sibling? Would you be happy living in their shoes? How have your personal choices differed over the years?
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #38
The Result: The Sage
Day 12 (5 June)
- Jung’s archetype The Rebel (i.e., Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games or Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter; they seek revolution and are afraid of not having power)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Describe the biggest epiphany of your life, then backtrack and tell the lead-up to that scene or the aftermath. In the lead-up or aftermath, show how the epiphany was either overrated or every bit as valuable as you’d previously thought.
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #42
Day 13 (6 June)
- Jung’s archetype The Lover (i.e., Romeo and Juliet)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Recall a name you’ve given a toy, a car, a pet, a child, and tell us the story of how you and your family selected that name. Who fought over the name? What was the significance of that name? What happened to the animal or thing you named?
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #35
Day 14 (7 June)
- Jung’s archetype The Jester (i.e., Loki; desire is to live fully in the moment with full enjoyment and afraid of being bored or boring others)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Tell the nonfiction story that you don’t want your mother to read. You know the one. Don’t censor yourself.
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #2
Day 15 (8 June)
- Jung’s Archetype The Innocent/Child (i.e., Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird or Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz; their goal is to be happy, and afraid of punishment)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Recall what stressed you out most as a child. Was it the creaking stairs leading to the basement? Or being lost at the store? Explore your current relationship to that stressor. Did you ever move past that fear or anxiety? How do you interact with it now?
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #17
Day 16 (9 June)
- Your ideal Sunday
Day 17 (10 June)
- Jung’s archetype The Explorer (goal: find a more fulfilling life through exploration; fear: beings trapped, conformity, and inner-dissatisfaction)
- 12 Character Archetypes
- Choose a commonplace or otherwise unremarkable memory and describe it in the most dramatic and absurd way possible. For inspiration, I’m leaving you with some quotes from Douglas Adams. “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.” “He leant tensely against the corridor wall and frowned like a man trying to unbend a corkscrew by telekinesis.” “It was a deep, hollow malevolent voice which sounded like molten tar glurping out of a drum with evil on its mind.”
- 50 Creative Non-Fiction Prompts, #14
Day 18 (11 June)
- Write about the people around you right now.
