“Your departure crashes like a thunder, and the timbers of the house shake with the force of the space you left behind.”

― Nghi Vo, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain

Writing Prompt

Write about heart break. This can be a non-fiction piece about a time someone left in your life, or a fiction piece if you need narrative distance. It doesn’t have to be a lover to cause heartbreak. Sometimes we lose friends and family. Sometimes they leave literally by walking away, ghosting you, or breaking off a relationship, and sometimes they leave unpredictably by dying or moving away. Ask how you or your character feels when this person leaves. What is their immediate reaction vs. how they feel in a few days/ weeks/ months? Write about the healing process.

Writing Advice

Writing something with heavy emotion can be difficult. Sometimes this brings up events, trauma, or emotions we’re not ready to process. For your own mental health, never push yourself. Give yourself enough space and time to heal before you start to dig in and interpret your reaction. Writing in the heat of the moment can help let off some steam and often leads to good literature. However, writing after you’ve had time to reflect and grow gives you the opportunity to heal with your narrative. Ask yourself, what can your reader gain from your hardship? What are your trying to teach?

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Thanks for the read! I know I’ve been saying this a lot, but I’m trying to get back into the habit of posting more regularly. Sometimes, I slip off into the void and forget I exist and this blog exists, and it takes me a little while to get back to myself, but with NaNoWriMo coming to an end, I’ve been trying to focus in on my projects. This blog not only functions as a place for me to release my ideas, but a place where I can learn and share in that learning, so I appreciate that you’ve come to visit today! Happy writing, and remember that you’re always welcome to share your writing if you want advice or to be showcased on the website. Also! I’ve added a new section on the website for Book Lists where I will compile a list of titles that I highly recommend based on a monthly theme. This month is in honor of American Indian and Indigenous peoples. Happy reading!