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Book details

  • Genre:self-help
  • Sub-genre:Creativity
  • Language:English
  • Pages:372
  • eBook ISBN:9798350989311
  • Paperback ISBN:9798350989304

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Fierce Encouragement

201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times

By Jena Schwartz

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Overview


Feeling overwhelmed by the world, creatively stagnant, or simply ready to write? Put down your devices, pause your downloads, and open this unusual collection of prompts. Whether you have writer's block and need help generating new material, or are seeking solace on the page during a time of stress or uncertainty, these pages offer a resource for refuge, release, and realization.

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Description


Designed equally for those who write for an audience and anyone who turns to the page to process life, the premise of "Fierce Encouragement" is that everything counts.

Don't have time? 
Write for just 10 minutes per prompt and be amazed at how much emerges.

Not sure where to begin?
Here are 201 ways. Start today – then keep going.

Written over six tumultuous years and proven in hundreds of writing groups, these prompts reflect the author's personal practice as much as they invite readers to develop and deepen their own.

In the tradition of Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" and Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird," Jena Schwartz shares generously of her own stories as she guides readers gently to the page with myriad points of entry for writing. The prompts here range from playful to profound and can be returned to time and again. Hundreds of writers across genres – from poetry to memoir, personal essay to speculative fiction – have turned to these prompts to seed, expand, stretch, deepen, and discover new edges in their work.

At the same time, these prompts have equal appeal to those who have no intention of sharing their words with the world but rather use writing as a mindfulness practice and tool for self-exploration and self-expression.

Drawing on research about the psychological and spiritual benefits of writing, Schwartz leads by example by reminding readers that showing up with self-compassion is the basis for any practice. By shifting from judgment to curiosity and from outcome to process, these 20 mini collections of 10 prompts create an ease-full framework for writers of every kind to realize that writing doesn't have to be a struggle.

In the words of author Katrina Kenison, "Give her your hand, dear writer, and enter here. And be prepared: to surprise yourself, to tell the truth you never knew you knew, to find the treasure that is your story hiding in plain sight."

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About The Author


Jena Schwartz is a writing coach who emphasizes writing as a creative and spiritual practice. Author of three previous books, Don't Miss This (2012), The Inside of Out (2013), and Why I Was Late for Our Meeting (2016), her poetry and personal essays have been widely published. Jena holds a BA from Barnard College, an MFA from Emerson College, and is now a rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion. A wife and mother, she lives in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Visit her website at www.jenaschwartz.com and subscribe to her Substack, Dispatches from Daily Life.
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Book Reviews

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Rachel
Best way to start my writing time I love flipping randomly through this book to land on a page with a short background story and a prompt. Each day, I think surely there isn't much left for me to say and then Jena Schwartz's gentle but powerful nudge in the form of a deceptively simple question cracks me open. 3 minutes later, I'm lost to the keyboard and the flow. I recommend this book to any level or style of writer. Read more
Laura
Just the words I needed Jena has crafted an encouraging, helpful book that gives us permission to release the inner critic and just write (don't we all need that?). This book is filled with helpful ideas, brilliant prompts, and kindness. Highly recommend! Read more
M.J.
Prompts for the End Times Schwartz is, at heart, an essayist. Her poems are essays. Her prompts are essays. In this book she uses her innumerable gifts to draw the reader (who is also, one hopes, a writer) into her world, while simultaneously making one feel as though they are understood and held as they write. Years of life and craft converge in this body of work. As always, Schwartz offers a sense of intimacy and generosity to those engaging with her books. Read more
Goldie
this book is so good I blurbed it I first encountered Jena's prompts and ethos of fierce encouragement six years ago, and they continue to transform and fuel me as a writer. While I don't usually leave ratings or reviews, I blurbed this book and am proud to have done so. The following is excerpted on the back cover and printed in its entirety on the first page: Crafted with warm intelligence, Jena's prompts lead the writer to terra incognita while simultaneously shedding new light on more well-worn paths. This varied exploration, supported by Jena's signature fierce encouragement, creates one hell of a framework for an exciting and sustainable writing practice. Read more
Melinda
Nourishment for your creativity Fierce Encouragement is a great resource for inspiration and gentle nudges along the way to nurturing your creativity. Substantial at almost 350 pages, It is visually beautiful as well. This is one of those books that you can pick up and open randomly, dip your toes in or dive in and submerge yourself. There is no right order. I have the author's other books and knew I would not be disappointed, but this one is so much more than I imagined. Interspersed with great quotes, poems, and warm , personal commentary, it's like having a friend by your side, rooting you on. Read more