A prompt, a hefty poetry prize, and more 💖

here's a prompt to spark your imagination

Steph Coelho

Jun 27, 2025

A train of thought in someone’s head as they:

a) go for a walk

b) have an argument

c) go skydiving

Think: stream of consciousness. Before starting, close your eyes and visualize. Then, GO. Do your best to roll with it. Don’t stop to edit. You can do that when you’re done getting it all out.

If you’re struggling to write this week, working on this prompt might help unlock things for you.

» Did this week’s prompt inspire you? Submit to Prompted!! You’ll get featured and get paid!

Happy writing!

musings

I’m going to be changing the format a bit. Subscribers will still get a prompt every Friday before the weekend rolls in. But the musings section will now appear once a month or so. My hope is that it will let me really sink my teeth (😉) into a topic. And potentially do some reporting, something I really miss doing!

Interested in me covering something specific? Leave a comment.

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things that caught my eye

Recent read: I’m still not done The Queen by Nick Cutter, but it’s SO GOOD.

✏️2025 Rattle Poetry Prize ($15,000 prize) — deadline July 15th.

📢 Is the Decline of Reading Poisoning Our Politics? — via Vox. (I mean, yeah, among other things!!!) 🫠

👀 Letting A.I. Do Our Writing Reduces Our Capacity for the Best Kind of Human Thinking. The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse — via Slate.

memesforwriters

A post shared by @memesforwriters

💛 I’m Obsessed: On the Importance of Getting Lost in Your Writing — via LitHub. (My current WIP is the first time I’ve become obsessed. 3+ years later and I’m not even a bit bored with what I’m working on. Can confirm, that’s the flow state, baby!)

✏️ Tractor Beam is open for submissions (pay is $1,000 per accepted piece) — deadline July 21st.

👯‍♀️ “Your Main Character Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect But They Must Be Relatable”: Brilliant Writing Advice From a Top Literary Agent — via Good Housekeeping UK.

🧠 Reading Fiction Fights Loneliness and Builds a Healthier Brain — via PsyPost.