Tiny gratitudes as a writing prompt

Happy November, Reader.

I'm back with more writing inspiration to distract you from headlines and lure you back onto the page! Today, I've got:

This month's writing exercise
A talk I'm giving this weekend on workbooks
An invitation to help study AI slop

Ready? Let's start with the post/exercise.

Tiny, idiosyncratic gratitudes

I am grateful for the ink refills for my favorite pens. Every time I open one up, slide it into the emptied pen, and peel off the tiny bit of rubber at the tip, I know I have pages and pages worth of smooth-flowing ink ahead. Those first words I write seem extra vivid and pronounced.

I’d never share this particular gratitude at a Thanksgiving table. I’d lead with the big ones: family, health, friends, nature—I’d be boorish not to.

But this small, personal expression of thankfulness tells you a few things about me. For example, you might suspect that I like to write by hand and hate throwing away treasured pens.

The science tells us that gratitude is a powerful emotion. Focusing regularly on gratitude can apparently do everything from improving our sleep to lowering blood pressure. Okay, that’s great, but this month’s experiment tries to answer this question:

What can gratitude do for our writing?

Let’s find out, shall we?

The experiment: Write small daily gratitudes

Here’s the prompt: Name a few small things that you are grateful for that no one else would have on their list.

You might do this in your morning pages, Post-It notes, a gratitude journal, or anywhere else you’d like. Search beyond the obvious, big things like health and family — although by all means, write those down as well — and mine your experience for personal details and preferences.

Look for the cross-section of gratitude and idiosyncrasy. What are you grateful for that other people might overlook altogether, or not experience?

There's no "right" answer, of course. You can be grateful for objects, experiences, fleeting interactions with other people, or a visiting bird in the garden. Here's a list of categories to browse to prime the pump.

An animal
A recent social interaction
An object within reach at this moment
Part of your body
A plan
A time of day
Something a family member does
A colleague from the past
A color
A book or poem
A sound

For fiction writers: Doing this exercise on behalf of your characters might reveal small, telling details that bring them to life for the reader.

Here’s why it’s worth trying

This experiment tunes your observation—both internal and external. You might be more alert to possibilities of joy and satisfaction in your daily experience. This writing may spark a new insight into a character (fictional or yourself).

For bonus points, try shaping the words and expression of your gratitude as if you were going to share it in a greeting card.

If nothing else, you’ll get all of those vaunted health benefits.

Share your personal gratitudes!

Want to publish your gratitude here? Send me an example of your idiosyncratic gratitude and I'll spread a few in the next newsletter. (I'll make it first-name-only.) I can hardly wait to see what makes you thankful.

Saturday: A talk on workbooks

Perhaps you've already guessed that I'm a big fan of workbooks, or seen my offer for small-group coaching on creating your workbook. But if you'd like a lower-ticket option, sign up for my talk this Saturday, November 7 for the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA). It's entirely virtual, free for members and $20 for everyone else.

Learn more and register here.

Got anything for the "AI Slop" bucket?

My friend Josh Bernoff is collaborating withJessica Weber Metzenroth in Writing Without Slop to help individuals and organizations "write more effectively in an age of AI." What a worthy cause!

And, they're collecting examples of AI slop to analyze — the things that are clearly AI, although perhaps you cannot put your finger on exactly why.

Here's the Slop Drop link

That's all for this time. I'll be back in a couple weeks with another book give-away and more writing inspiration.

Anne