Writing Prompt:
Write yourself a letter
Letter writing is such an important genre, and yet it is becoming a lost art. Rarely do any of us send out hand-written letters in the mail; most often we all give into the ease and efficiency of an email or a text. But there’s something about writing our thoughts down in letter form. It requires time and space; it forces us to keep the recipient of the letter in full focus the entire time.
The end of summer is meant for reflection; for many of us, September ushers in a new rhythm of life and perhaps even an entirely different schedule.
So go ahead and make some time on this Friday to write yourself a letter. Here are some choices to get your started, or if you want, go in a direction that is completely your own.
- Write a letter to your June self from this year. Tell yourself about an upcoming moment or day that you must simply slow down and treasure more.
- Write a letter to your June self from this year about a regret you had over the summer. Tell yourself how you should have said yes, made the plan, stayed longer, enjoyed the moment more.
- Write a letter to your current August-summer self about the upcoming fall. How do you want to approach the change of pace, of schedule, of weather? What does your summer self want to say to your fall self?
- Write a letter to your June self from next year. Offer your future self a goal or a challenge. Provide yourself with wisdom and encouragement so that summer 2026 can be your best ever.
Story Starter:
Living in Michigan, I realize that I am privileged to have some of the best beaches in the world. There’s endless stories that could be written at the beach. but today’s beach story starter involves a mysterious element to it.
Walking along the beach, my toes sinking into the soft sand, the wind gently blowing my hair, I almost stepped onto the mysterious object. I had never seen anything like it before, let alone at the edge of the water. What was this object, and who put it there?