Join Our Online Writing Community

Writing is a courageous act. You’re creating something where nothing existed before. Maybe at times you doubt yourself, like most creative people do. Can I do this? Will it turn out the way I want it to?

In our online writers’ community, you’ll find comrades when you’re lonely, and cheerleaders when you doubt yourself.

Receiving appreciation for your writing is more than just a pleasure. It gives you energy and confidence to let your imagination off the leash. And when you enter the darker realms, it’s a relief and a release to know that others relate to what you’ve been through and appreciate your bravery and honesty in writing about it.

Writing Prompt of the Week

photo of Allegra's stepmother Celeste Huston riding a lion

Free on Zoom: Every Saturday and Thursday

Saturday: 9 am PT / noon ET, Thursday 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET

We meet for an hour, write for 10 minutes, and then, if you like, stay for conversation. Each week we offer an image or video, and everyone generates a list of words: whatever pops into your head as you look at the prompt. We then collect one item from each person’s list to create a community list. In effect, we’re creating a collective imagination.

Then we all write for 10 minutes, using both word lists as much or as little as we like. There’s no way to do this wrong except by writing nothing. Write long or short, fast or slow, prose or poetry, coherent or incoherent. The only goal is to surprise yourself.

There’s no need to register in advance. Just click the link below.

We look forward to writing with you!

On YouTube

Every week we create a video of the Prompt of the Week: we give you the prompt, time you while you create your list of words, share our Saturday community list, then time you again while you write for 10 minutes.

You’ll find over 150 videos in this growing archive. We promise these prompts will surprise and inspire you. Plus, we’re always adding to our video library of writing tips explaining the Imaginative Storm method, discussing memoir and other genres, and more!

The Imaginative Storm on Circle

Read what others have written to our prompts, and share what you write

The Imaginative Storm on Circle is where we publish what we write to the weekly prompts, daily prompts, and prompts from our book and course Write What You Don’t Know.

In our writing community, we value surprise and exploration. Since the material posted on the Circle is raw and unedited, we offer appreciation in the comments, never criticism. When you’re first putting words on the page, all that matters is what pops—and you know it when you read it!

Click the button below and poke around. You’ll read some extraordinary writing—generated in just 10 minutes!

Daily Writing Prompt

On the last day of every month, we post a card of the next month’s prompts here. Click on the card to download it. Print it out and pin it above your desk, or keep it hidden so that each day’s prompt is a surprise.

If you’d like to receive the Imaginative Storm Daily Prompt directly to your inbox each morning, subscribe below. It’s free.