think about madness. is there madness in anger, love, depression, etc? dive further into the feeling—maybe get into the mindset of someone who was mentally ill in the 1800’s-1900’s where they were shipped off to the sea sides to get better. have you ever experienced madness? to what degree?

(inspired by slutever) the band slutever wrote a song called “maggot,” in that song they use the lyrics “guilt in sinks, i feel you crawl under my skin. ‘cause after all, i can only blame myself.” think about what makes your skin crawl. is it an irrational fear, or maybe something rational? is it a traumatic event or some recurring nightmare?

do you believe in ghosts? write about a time you saw one. if you don’t or haven’t experienced the paranormal, write about a time you felt the presence of someone who walked out of your life but you still felt with you.

(inspired by jamaican queens) the detroit band jamaican queens used the lyrics “i’ve begun to think that love is an impossibility—do you agree? i’ve begun to think of sex the way i do money.” now think of what feels like a possibility & what doesn’t to you anymore. do you compare the way the song uses sex & money in the way things can longer be achieved?

(inspired by adventure time) the hit tv show adventure time had a brilliant song called “love in its place.” think about what would happen if love is in its place. what does that feel & look like to you.

​write a list of everything you want to scream “fuck you” or “i hate you” to. do you feel better after this? worse? elaborate on the feeling after the list.

(inspired by the movie swiss army man) the a24 film swiss army man has a parodied song of “cotten eye joe” called “where did you come from?” think about someone who mysteriously entered you life. where did they come from, or where do you think they came from? where do you think they’re going to go?

​if your life was a board or card game, what would the instructions be? would you draw more cards? lose points? pay a fictitious fee?

look at your self in the mirror. look at pictures of yourself. examine your body (not in a weird or medical way tho - m) then write about it. give the reader a tour of your body. write about your feet & where they’ve traveled. write about how your bones & muscles ache & what causes them to do so. write about your scars, your stretch marks, your tattoos, all of it. go from your head to your toes.

write a potion recipe for something. it can be a love potion, an immortality potion, a potion to kill, anything. what goes in it? are the ingredients tangible or are they something you have to mentally put in it?

write about a time you realized what the world was—how cruel but so full of love it can be. was it when you watched your first major international tragedy happen on the tv? or was it when a stranger did you kindness? 

write a letter or a poem about someone who has passed. how did you connect with them? was the relationship between the two of you healthy? do you believe they’re in a better place?

​think about touch. how does the touch of a loved one feel? what about the touch of someone who isn’t a loved one?

write something that’s GUT-WRENCHING for you to put on paper, something you’re not ready to fully share. then, using a dark marker, a computerized black highlighter, or something similar, cover up the parts you aren’t ready to share— leaving only the likes that stick out the most.

(inspired by the national) the hit band the national’s “squalor victoria” uses the chorus “raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens.” if you had to raise a crystal flute full of champagne, what would you be toasting? (bonus points if it rhymes.)

write from the point of view of an alien. would you be confused at the state of this planet? sad? impressed? (bonus points if you use space lingo or make up your own lingo!)

fall is a time for change. the weather, the leaves, schedules sometimes. how does the change affect you? start by diving in with something simple, like how the new colors of the leaves guides you or the cooling temperature brings out a new mood in you. then swim deeper. explore why these changes affect you & whether you think it’s positive, negative, or in between. have you changed? if so, how?

think of something painful without a thought behind it. now, was it a physical or mental pain you thought of. while taking care of your mental health, ponder this thought for a little longer. was this pain something you had experienced before, or just witnessed? or maybe it’s a recurring intrusive thought? further into why that’s the first thing you thought of when you thought of pain. be as vague or descriptive as you’d like.

it’s cutout poetry time! cutout poetry is taking a work that’s already written (a song, a poem, a story, etc.) & cutting out then rearranging the words/sentence fragments to form an entirely new poem but still recognizable from it’s original work! (search up cutout poetry for examples if you’re stuck!) make sure that if you use somebody else’s work you credit them!

poems? art? why not combine them?! create a concrete poem/story or a mixed media piece! (a concrete poem, for those who don’t know, is a poem put into the format of a shape. mixed media is when you combine unique materials that don’t often go together (like photos & paint or digital artwork & scanned in text on paper, etc. to the side are examples.)

​ the attention towards mental illness has increased greatly over the years. people are finally starting to see just how important it is. that being said, write about mental illness. is there a clear-cut definition of it/the diagnosis you have like the one in the DSM-V or is it more whimsical like a funny statement? what does it affect in your life? is it minor or major things? maybe both? what about your loved ones? how does it affect them?

write a letter to a furbaby in your life! whether it’s a past one, current, or even a future one. really touch on the connection that you have with them.

love comes in many forms. through physical, emotional, & mental expression. it even comes through skills & hobbies. write about a love you feel passionate about. whether it’s for a person, an activity, an activity you like to do with a person, etc.

[this poem requires you to use a recording device.] it’s freestyling time, baybees!!!!! pull out your phone or anything else that has a recording device. before you start, take a deep breath & allow yourself to overthink (just a little bit though! -m). then, hit record & start talking. allow yourself to word vomit. go on & on, even if the topics are changing. even if it sounds more like a rant. just get it all out. [optional step.] when you’re done & have the time, listen to it & write it down. edit out any parts you wish to take out or censor. 

​think about the last time you lost something. if you remember what you lost, write it down in the corner of your paper. dwell on the thought some more. do you remember where you lost it/if it was found? (if so, write that down as well.) continue to think about it; how you felt during it, what the environment was like, etc. until you have a good couple of fragment starters. use those to write about what you lost. if you have a good flow going, continue going down the line of those that are lost. it can be items, people, skills, hobbies, etc.

(from rupi kaur’s healing through words.) start your piece with “the thing i am most scared of people finding out about me is” then finish it by freewriting your thoughts. remember, don’t censor yourself & don’t worry about formatting.

[this prompt involves looking through your most recently used emojis.] look through what emoticons you have sent recently. try & think or track down why you used most of them. write about why you used them. is there a funny or a sad story attached to them? do you use certain ones for ironic reasons or is really just your favorite emoji to throw everywhere? continue further about how you’ve used them. don’t be afraid to change up your style too! maybe tell it in a series of texts & narration or even in a list!