Creative writing projects are a great way to unwind and destress. Quite often, thinking of creative writing exercises might bring back middle school memories. However there are plenty of writing projects for adults which are designed for the purpose of good wellbeing and self-care.
The Covid-19 epidemic has affected people globally. Never before on such a massive scale, have people needed to collectively start prioritising self-care in order nurture their mental health. Understandably as the Lockdown eases in some areas, many of us are still cautious about going out and feeling restless and anxious at home
Below I have listed 5 creative writing project ideas for adults to help foster mental well-being. The benefits of embarking on what need not be more than 10-minute writing exercises, are endless.
These benefits include but are not limited to:
Easing stress
Allowing you to be productive
Improving your writing skills
Contributing to improved mood
Fostering a sense of achievement
Allowing for escapism
Below are some writing prompts to get your project underway.
1. Diary Writing
You could kickstart this project off by thinking about a really good memory or time in your life. The objective here is to give you a boost and build on your positive feelings. Dig deep to find a memory of a self-affirming or euphoric moment in your life which boosted your self-esteem and overwhelmed you with feelings of wellbeing. Once you have immersed yourself in that memory you will find yourself present in it. You might even laugh or smile.
Alternatively you could start a themed diary writing project which zooms in on one particular time in your life. It could be when you went to school or college. It could be around a time when you were socialising around a particular group of people. Think of that lived experienced through sounds, smell, sight and your feelings at the time. Now write about it!
2.Short Story Writing in a Genre you Enjoy
Ever wanted to write a short story solely for your own enjoyment? Now would be a great time to start to write on a pet project for the sole purpose of your own entertainment. Why not start now? As you’d be writing for yourself, you wouldn’t have to worry about reader expectations. Therefore the story can go wherever you want it to! Have fun.
If you are unsure how to start, check out these detailed tips here.
3.Write a Monologue
Think about a topic you are passionate about. Really passionate. Then write a monologue on it. Let loose- remember this is for you only, NOT an audience. Nobody has to ever see it. Be as cynical or dry as you want to. Take the time to express yourself. To take it a step further you could film yourself reading it.
Some topic ideas to consider…
Social inequality
Relationships
Sexuality
Finance
A memorable experience you had
A cultural reference
Music
4.Set aside your free time to write some affirmations regarding your writing.
Examples for writers might be:
I am proactive
I am productive
I am prolific
I engage my readers
And so on…
5.Write a blog article for yourself. The more random the better!
Here you get to let loose on the most obscure or mundane (to others) topic. It could be something as silly as why you don’t find ice-cream refreshing on a hot summer’s day or an unpopular opinion such as why you wish people would just leave the Friends sitcom in the 90’s.
Why not give yourself some reflective self-care that also sharpens your writing pen by embarking on one of the projects above.
Have you ever embarked on a personal writing project for yourself? Would you consider doing it? Let me know in the comments below!
I love these writing ideas! I have kept a journal for as long as I can remember, and it is soothing to go back and read over the things that kept me going through the years.
I have also taken up writing short stories within any niche that takes my fancy. So far I have done an historical piece and a contemporary piece and I want to tackle a fantasy piece next!
I’m glad you liked them! I love writing short stories too, though I mostly do Literary Fiction.
These are all great ideas for adults who might want to get more creative with their writing. I’m not a very creative writer so I’d like to try some of these.
Thanks Jenny, I love embarking on writing projects but they can get very time consuming!
5 worth while writing tasks. I’d like to throw writing a letter to your future self or past self into the mix as well
I love this idea, letter writing is definitely one to add!
I guess my creative writing would be my blog – although I do keep a gratitude journal as well. Great suggestions though, I like the idea of a monologue as well 🙂
Thanks, I’m accustomed to writing short stories but I want to give the monologue a go as well!
Thanks, I’m looking to do the monologue one myself at some point. I love your idea of a gratitude journal. I might take this up myself!
I love that all of these things vary enough that anyone could do at least one of these, regardless of how much skill or expereince they have writing. Something like a diary is a great idea for when it comes to connecting with emotions x
Sophie
Thanks Sophie, there’s definitely something for everyone 😉
Great ideas! I’ve wanted to get more into diary writing recently.
Thanks! Diary writing is really soothing. I’ve done it on and off for years and found it really rewarding. Especially when you can go back and see how far you have come.
Great post! Thank you for these suggestions! I really want to write a short story in the future!
You’re welcome! Writing short stories is probably my favourite out of all of these.
I always love reading about different writing prompts – we are often stuck in our own bubble that creativity is hard. I really like the idea of writing a short story. Maybe a fanfiction of shows you wanted to end differently! Or even an alternative ending. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ✨ exquisitely.me
This is a great post! I try to do all of these!