Splash Pond

Choose one or more of the prompts below and have fun splashing around! The more you create and explore with a sense of delight, the more pleasure will naturally blossom in your writing.

1. Write about your research as if you're telling an exciting story to your best friend.

2. Spend 15 minutes writing about what fascinates you most about your current project.

3. Try "morning pages"—three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing before starting your day.

4. Write with your favorite music playing and notice how it affects your thinking.

5. Give yourself permission to write badly for one full session—focus only on getting ideas down.

1. Write in a beautiful location and notice how the environment affects your thinking.

2. Try writing by hand for one session and see how it changes your process.

3. Use colorful pens or different fonts to make your writing visually interesting.

4. Write while taking a walk (voice memo), then transcribe and see what emerges.

5. Create a "writing playlist" that matches the mood you want for different projects.

1. Write about your research from three different perspectives: skeptic, enthusiast, curious outsider.

2. Explain your most complex idea using only simple, everyday language.

3. Write your argument as a dialogue between two characters who disagree.

4. Describe your research problem as a mystery you're solving.

5. Write about why your work matters using only emotional language, then only logical language.

1. Start your writing session with five minutes of gratitude for the opportunity to think deeply.

2. Write in 25-minute bursts with 5-minute celebration breaks in between.

3. Try "writing dates"—schedule writing time like you would social time with a friend.

4. Experiment with different rewards for writing sessions (tea, chocolate, favorite music).

5. Keep a "writing wins" journal where you record daily accomplishments, however small.

1. Write a letter to someone you care about explaining why your research matters.

2. Connect your current project to something you loved learning about as a child.

3. Find three ways your research could make life better for real people.

4. Write about how your work reflects your deepest values and beliefs.

5. Imagine your research being featured in your favorite magazine—what would the headline be?

Do you have a Splash Pond experiment to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email your ideas for splashing with Pleasure to writespace@helensword.com.