Hello writers. I’m going to be honest with you–I’m not sure applying for jobs at the same time as writing a novel was the best idea, but here I am. Still unsure if the post-interview adrenaline helps or hinders my plot.

Today, I thought I would give a writing prompt based on the emotional journey of our stories:

Write a letter from your main character at the start of the story to their future self. Then write a letter from you MC at the end of the story, aimed at their past self.

Think about what your character feels. Do they like themselves? Are they proud of themselves? What information do they want their future/past selves to know?

The main idea behind this writing prompt it to get a sense of the emotional arc. You may already know the plot arc/character arcs, but thinking about the emotional tones can help make your story better. And if you don’t really have a concrete plot arc (like me right now), then knowing the emotional journey you want your characters to go on can really help.

I know that a lot of my writing prompts are more about helping to structure a novel or story, or to help you think up your own ideas. Let me know if you like this style of writing prompt, or if you would prefer something more actionable (i.e. write a scene about a dog stealing someone’s lunch, but from the point of view of the lunch).

Happy Tuesday!