Wordbound

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*Scroll down to see the prompts!

Hey everyone! About a month ago, I made a video talking about how I wanted to find a way to commit to myself to keep writing all year long, instead of just during November for NaNoWriMo. There was a staggering number of people who agreed with the sentiment, and seemed to be looking at for me the “but how?” I’ll be honest and admit I hadn’t thought it through that far, at least not when I first made that video. But for the past month my mind’s been churning, and I think I’ve come up with an idea that will at least somewhat help cultivate the feeling of community we all enjoy in November – in a way that will keep us all writing, and working together, and sharing progress.

Introducing, Wordbound Wednesdays! This is a project for bloggers, tumblr-ers, YouTubers – anyone who likes writing and wants to be held accountable! The idea is that each week, I’ll post a new writing prompt, which might be a more traditional idea you can work into a scene you’re writing, or more of a blog or video prompt about writing. Either way, it’ll be a way to give you something to work on each week, inspire new content about writing, and give us a way to see what everyone else is working on. Also, won’t it be fun to see how everyone answers the prompts in their own ways?

What I love about this idea is that it’s basically good for everyone. It might help you out of a writer’s block. It might encourage you to keep working on a project you put down. It might inspire a new project. It might just guarantee you have solid blog or video ideas 4-5 times a month. And it will help your own readers/viewers feel more connected to your writing!

The idea behind #wordbound is that as writers, we’re bound to our writing. We’re bound to the words inside our heads and the stories inside our hearts, whether or not they ever see the light of day. This project, and pledging to be #wordbound, is about committing to letting those stories out. Regularly.

Feel free to interpret these prompts in whatever way you’d like, and please make them your own! Post your writing/blog posts/videos/etc wherever you’d like, but please use the hashtag #wordbound and tweet your posts @_wordbound so I can keep track of and share what you’ve done! You can “check in” in whatever fashion makes sense to you – you can share all of what you’ve written, you can share just a sentence, or you can just tweet letting others know you’ve completed the challenge each week.

You can “check in” in whatever fashion makes sense to you – you can share all of what you’ve written, you can share only a blurb or a sentence, or you can just tweet letting others know you’ve completed the challenge each week. I know not everyone is comfortable posting their writing, so do whatever feels right to you.

There are 4 places where #wordbound will live:

  1. Here on this master page, which you should bookmark for quick access to all of the prompts once they’re announced. I’ll be adding a new prompt each and every Wednesday.
  2. On the Instagram account (@_wordbound). Follow this account to see pretty images of the prompts each week as I reveal them.
  3. On the Twitter account (@_wordbound). Tweet your submissions each week, or just let the world know you’ve participated for the week by using the hashtag #wordbound.
  4. Wherever you post your content. Share your writing on your blog, share a sentence on Twitter, or make a video about your writing progress. This is a community endeavor, so support your peers and let them support you as well!

I’m so excited for this project, and looking forward to seeing what everyone creates because of it. I love the idea that this project could grow over time, as well, depending on how it goes. Please leave a comment letting me know if you plan to join in, and follow the above social accounts to keep up!

Have fun, and check out the first prompts below:
(The corresponding date is when you should start thinking about that prompt. Be sure to complete the challenge before the following Wednesday!)

Week 1 – Jan 4, 2017: Blogging Prompt: What are your personal writing goals for 2017, and what does #wordbound means to you?
Week 2 – Jan 11, 2017: A character writes a secret message somewhere.
Week 3 – Jan 18, 2017: There is a door. It is closed.
Week 4 – Jan 25, 2017: What is your favorite word? Write a scene around that word.
Week 5 – Feb 1, 2017: Blogging Prompt: What is something you’re embarrassed to admit you’ve written?
Week 6 – Feb 8, 2017: Something gets broken beyond repair.
Week 7 – Feb 15, 2017: Put a character in an abandoned building or space.
Week 8 – Feb 22, 2017: A character realizes something as they look up at the night sky.
Week 9 – Mar 1, 2017: Blogging Prompt: Take an author photo and write yourself a bio.
Week 10 – Mar 8, 2017: Use numbers in an interesting way.
Week 11 – Mar 15, 2017: Write a scene inspired by something a character cannot see.

More prompts coming soon.