eclectic begins 31/03

Starting on Tuesday (the 31st of March) I am going to provide the members of my Stanza group with a regular space for writing prompts (if you don't know what Stanza is, click here). These will then be available to anyone who wants to opt-into the mailings after May 1st, which will then be shared both on BlueSky and Instagram. These prompts will be suitable for poets or writers generally.

Here's what I'm aiming to provide with this project:

• to help writers in any genre establish a daily warmup / regular practice
• to discuss and share sustainable habits when writing and creating
• to establish a mental health positive environment when working

This moves a project on that stalled a few years ago on Substack, and reaffirms my desire to use mental health advocacy to establish the creation of sustainable practices within the creative industries. I hope this subsequently inspires those starting out, those with an understanding of their practice who wish to improve, whilst offering options to established writers looking for a different methodology.

The biggest single problem I have encountered with teaching writers to think creatively, apart from finding the time to do so effectively, is how ideas are born. My process has been refined over the last seven years, and the benefit of a scheduled routine should never be underestimated. Once that is established it becomes a great deal easier to allow processes to naturally take over.

What kind of prompts can you expect in the weeks that follow?

• Level 1: simple, one word prompts, a short sentence or quote to respond to, a picture to use as a starting point.
• Level 2: basic reading comprehension wrapped around current events, anniversaries or historical narratives: experimenting with forms.
• Level 3: specific topics, focussed ideas and responses. Using strict or experimental form to 'solve a problem'. Mental reflection and a response based on your own unique style.

In between all of this there'll be backup in particular ways: video, audio and practical exercises to ask you how you might unlock artistic, verbal and written ability within yourself.

If you're interested in opting in already? Please leave a comment below (and this also then makes me ensure comments really ART switched on!)