This November Brave and Reckless, Go Dog Go Café, and Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen are teaming up to host An Unquiet Mind Writing Prompt Challenge. At the beginning of each week, we will provide daily writing prompts inspired by titles of memoirs and novels that explore life with mental illness.

We will also provide the Goodread links for the book prompts if you would like to explore any of the titles in greater depth.

Although these prompts are designed to inspire you to write a poem, prose piece, piece of flash fiction, or art in 30 minutes or less, we realize these prompts may be difficult for some readers. We sincerely apologize if any of the prompts are triggering for you.

The only rule is that you use the book title as your piece title OR integrate all the words in the title into your piece somehow.   

If you would like to have your piece considered for publication, please email your prompt-inspired pieces to Christine at her.red.pen.wordsmithing@gmail.com.

You are also welcome to share your response pieces in the comments below.

Wintergirls – Laurie Halse Anderson

When We Collided – Emery Lord

72 Hour Hold – Bebe Moore Campbell

All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness – Sheila Hamilton

The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives – Vanessa Hazzard & Iresha Picot, Eds

Awakening Kali – T. S. Ghosh

Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide – Darryl “DMC” McDaniels