Write Your Life

03 November 2004

This is the final assignment.

You've written your life for one month. What have you learned? What have you learned about writing? What have you learned about yourself? Have you developed any new talents? How have you improve?

Write about the experiences you've had writing your life.

your choice

02 November 2004

What do you need to tell the world but haven't?

Do you have an idea for something to write about that hasn't yet appeared? Do you have several small ideas worth a few paragraphs apiece? Don't let that stop you. Write what's on your mind.

Choose your own topic.

your choice

01 November 2004

Look back once more.

Which topic of the previous week resonated with you? Where did you stop with so much more to say?

Return to your favorite topic once more.

unlimited

31 October 2004

What's your hometown like?

Did you grow up in only one place? Did you move around every couple of years? When you think of a hometown, when you feel homesick, or when you compare every city, what do you think of?

Describe a place where you grew up.

750 words

30 October 2004

What is the meaning of life?

Maybe you can't answer that right away. You likely have several similar questions. Where are you going? Why did that happen?

Write out the questions you can't answer and explain why they're meaningful.

1000 words

29 October 2004

Once in a while, you'll have an epiphany.

Did a talk with a friend or mentor set you down a new path? Did you read a book or an essay that made you think? Were they a correction or a suggestion? Did someone make a prediction that would come true? Did you believe them then or, reluctantly, later?

Tell the story of the words that changed your life.

1000 words

28 October 2004

Mishaps are part of life.

Sometime, somewhere, everyone has a mixup. Perhaps it's an embarrassing moment or a joke someone played on you. Maybe it's an odd coincidence that makes you wonder about the universe having a sense of humor.

Describe a funny or odd situation you've found yourself in.

1000 words

27 October 2004

There's more to you than you let on.

Do you have a surprising talent? Do you have a hobby or a goal people wouldn't expect?

This is your chance to go beyond the surface.

1000 words

26 October 2004

There must be something you haven't told the world yet.

Perhaps you have a secret dream or a secret fear. Maybe you think a deep thought that no one would expect of you. It may even be time to reveal exactly who pulled that prank several years ago. What if it's a guilty pleasure you wouldn't normally have admitted?

Whatever the case, come clean about it with all the simplicity and wit you have.

500 words

25 October 2004

Look at a topic of the previous week from a different direction.

Turn it around. Write the reverse. Reconsider what you wrote.

your choice

24 October 2004

Life isn't always easy.

Sometimes things don't go your way. How do you respond to adversity? Knowing who you are in times of trouble explains more about you than almost anything else.

Explain how you respond to and handle challenges.

1000 words

23 October 2004

Who are the people in your life?

What draws you to people? What do you notice and enjoy about people you meet? How do you identify with your friends, colleagues, and family members?

Explain what you see in the people you care about.

1000 words

22 October 2004

Every day has potential. Some days live up to it.

What would make a day perfect in your eyes? Is it a feeling? Is it circumstance? Is it the presence or absence of someone or someone?

Explain your perfect day in sufficient detail.

1000 words

21 October 2004

Your childhood shaped your adulthood.

Whether positive or negative, pleasant or unpleasant, your family, friends, and surroundings as a child affect the adult you've become. Write about a memory you have from those times.

Choose something not necessarily wonderful or traumatic but that will make a good story.

800 words

20 October 2004

A contrary streak runs through humanity.

Have you ever pulled a prank? Played a trick? Taken part in an elaborate joke? Held onto a secret to surprise someone?

Tell the story of some harmless mischief you've participated in.

1000 words

19 October 2004

Beauty is a point of view.

Perhaps it's a sunset. Perhaps the taste of your favorite food. Maybe a song or a sound has stuck in your mind for years.

Describe one or more moments of beauty in your life.

500 words

18 October 2004

Revisit your favorite topic from the past week.

Continue where you left off, start again from a different perspective, or explore another facet of the idea.

Whatever you choose, look at your favorite topic again and write something new.

unlimited

17 October 2004

Everyone needs a hero.

Who do you look up to? Who inspires you? Whose life do you think made the world a better place?

Introduce this person and why you find him or her inspiring. If possible, choose someone who wouldn't normally come to mind.

1000 words

16 October 2004

Given the chance, what would you change about yourself?

It's not just looks or circumstances, but who you are inside. Are there habits you want to break, hobbies you'd like to take up, or life changes you want to make?

Introduce the person who you would like to be in the future.

1000 words

15 October 2004

Change is part of life.

Despite our best efforts, plans change. Sometimes everything works out for the better. Sometimes regret a missed opportunity. Sometimes you decide to make the change and sometimes you have no choice.

Write about a plan in your life that changed and how it turned out.

750 words

14 October 2004

No one is born wise.

Gaining wisdom often means surviving painful experiences. Sometimes you can avoid this, but not always.

Describe a lesson you had to learn the hard way, how you learned it, and the changes that have come about as a result.

1000 words

13 October 2004

What do you fear?

Fear is a powerful motivator, as are love and duty. Your fears shape parts of your life.

Do you fear concrete things, such as spiders or public speaking? Do you fear abstract ideas, such as being alone or growing old?

Explain what you fear and how that has affected your life.

1000 words

12 October 2004

Everyone has a philosophy.

How do you look at the world? What principles do you use to make decisions? How do you evaluate people, ideas, and opportunities?

Start every paragraph that introduces a new belief with the phrase "I believe...".

1000 words

11 October 2004

Revisit your favorite topic from the previous week.

Pick up where you left off. Explore ideas you didn't have time to write. Start again from a different perspective.

Whatever you choose, look at your favorite topic again and write something new.

your choice

10 October 2004

Everyone has dreams. Everyone works toward some purpose or purposes.

You may never have called these goals, but everything you do leads to something.

What do you want? What would you like to do? What will you have accomplished in six months, one year, and five years?

Write what motivates you and why.

1000 words

09 October 2004

You are not your possessions, but they say a lot about you.

Choose something you own and explain how it reflects your personality.

Do you collect something? Tell how you started. Is everything in your house blue? Explain why. Do you have a concert poster hanging on your wall? Describe the band and the show.

Alternately, if everything you own fits into two backpacks, write the story of how you decided to simplify your life and what you've done.

1000 words

08 October 2004

Save your time.

Everyone has some job or duty that takes up time better spent elsewhere. Fix it. What would make your life easier? What chore do you dread that you'd like to forget?

Create a new invention, change your life circumstances, or somehow write away a difficult or time-consuming task. First define the problem, show how it affects you, and then invent it away.

1000 words

07 October 2004

What is your typical day?

When do you rise? Do you have a morning routine? What is your daily work or school schedule? How do you unwind after a long day? Do you have a night-time routine?

Write your schedule as prose, not a task list. Make it an idealized day, if you like.

750 words

06 October 2004

Where do you live?

Describe your home. Is it big? Is it cozy? Is it tidy? What do you see when you walk around? What do people learn about you when they see how you live?

Write as if you were seeing your home for the first time.

1000 words

05 October 2004

Describe yourself.

How do you look? What sets you apart from everyone else? How do people recognize you when they meet you?

Write from the perspective of a mirror — one that also reflects your personality.

1000 words