September Prompts to Help You Reuse Work and Tarot Class Reminder!
Heya! This is the first of two newsletters this week. On Thursday, I’ll be sharing my Game Hole Con 11 schedule and how I’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons. Don’t forget! If you’re keen on attending my Clarion West Tarot for Writers Workshop, there’s still time to sign up!
Today, it’s time to get back to journalling for our year of planting seeds! This month’s theme is inspired by what I’ve been doing in the garden lately—figuring out how to reuse what I grow and harvest. I got the idea for September’s theme from my clementine peppers. Instead of buying a new pepper plant next year, I’m going to try and grow one from seed—but to do that, I needed to harvest a pepper, remove the seeds, and dry them out.
The act of using what I had reminded me that, sometimes, a good way of producing new content—stories, games, etm.—is to review what I’ve already done to mine either for ideas or content. Rather than producing something brand new, I’m saving time by expanding on an old theme or title. For example, after I designed Pinching Tarts this year, I created two additional titles that tied into the game: Guard Cards and Creature Sheets. These free game aids allowed me to keep the game fresh in people’s minds while offering something new and useful.
I’ve also taken this approach with my stories and art, too. Sometimes, an old concept that didn’t work out for whatever reason has some value later on. I’m currently revising a short story I wrote a while ago, for example, because I’m ready to write it now—the concepts and style were beyond my skill set at the time. With art, I’ve finished a few monthly challenges, and I’ve accumulated quite a few sketches and paintings. I didn’t plan on doing anything with them at the time, but now that I have them I can think about selling them at a convention or choosing the best images for a portfolio.
In this way, I both challenge and encourage you to review your entire body of work—both unfinished and completed. Need help? Here are some journalling prompts to figure out what’s valuable, what to set aside, and where you have room to expand.
September Journalling Prompts
To start, you’re going to make a couple of lists. For each prompt, choose up to three projects you’ve worked on. You can draw from both finished and unfinished projects for this first step! Ask yourself questions like:
What are you the most proud of?
What did you have the most fun creating?
What was the most challenging to create?
Which projects did you want to spend more time on?
What project have you always wanted to revise?
The great thing about journalling, is that you’ll be able to reread your thoughts and feelings. Often, we tell ourselves what it is we want and know.
From your answers, you’ll figure out how to dip into your drafts and completed projects to make something new. You’re a genius! You might:
Create a new or revised edition of a prior work
Treat an old project as the first in a series
Combine two unfinished concepts into a new project
Refresh an old, unfinished project
Decide to go in a completely, new direction
As you follow this thought process and review your past efforts, you might feel uncomfortable. Maybe you’ve realized that you’ve stopped working on a project when it reaches a certain point. Maybe you’ve reviewed an older work and realize how dated it is. Please let me reassure you—uncomfortable emotions are all part of being a creator. They’re a sign you’ve grown and you’ve kept creating!
I’d love to hear how your projects are shaping up. You doing all right? Don’t be afraid to drop a comment below! Until next time!
Keep on, keepin’ on,
Monica