“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
As I begin the second month of my 90-day writing challenge, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement, like I’m standing at the edge of something new. Month 1 was all about discipline, showing up every day and writing essays that refined my voice, clarified my thoughts, and built consistency. But now, I’m ready for something different; something more experimental, more artistic.
This month, I’ll be exploring the art of creating short stories and poetry.
- Why do I want to write short stories and poetry?
- Setting The Framework For This Month’s Challenge
Why do I want to write short stories and poetry?
I’ve always loved stories and reading poems. I loved my literature classes back in secondary school. Those books were short escapes for me at a time when I was dealing with so many changes and turmoil in my life; from school, home, and my hormones.
Anyway, there’s a certain beauty in the brevity of short stories and poems. They demand precision. You have to capture a world, a character, or an emotion in just a few words, and in that constraint lies incredible freedom. After reading pieces of great literature, I often catch myself thinking “How did that writer string those words together to make me feel all of these emotions?”
So, this is a chance for me to explore new dimensions of storytelling, experiment with rhythm and imagery, and distil complex emotions into something simple yet powerful.
Month 2 is going to be all about exploration. I want to step out of my comfort zone, play with different forms of expression, and discover new ways to tell stories; stories that resonate, that evoke, that move.
Setting The Framework For This Month’s Challenge
To guide my creative journey this month, I’ve designed a framework that centres around four themes, each explored weekly through short stories and poetry. By the end of the month, I want to have created a collection of pieces inspired by these themes. Each reflects a facet of the human experience.
Getting Started With My Framework
Week 1 will be about memory and nostalgia.
The theme: Reflections on the Past
This first week, I’ll explore memories; those moments from the past that linger with us, both real and imagined. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion that’s often tinged with both sweetness and longing. It has a way of revealing not just what we remember, but who we are because of those memories.
I’ll explore the moments that shape us: childhood memories, pivotal life events, and the echoes of past selves that still influence our present. Whether the memories are real or fictionalised, the goal is to capture that universal experience of looking back.
Memory shapes who we are today, and in exploring it, I hope to capture the way the past pulls at us, the way it informs our identity and growth.
Week 2 will be about dreams and fantasies.
The theme: The Power of Imagination
From the past, I’ll shift into the surreal in Week 2 by exploring dreams and fantasies, the worlds where anything is possible. This week will be about letting go of the constraints of reality and allowing my imagination to run wild. My goal for this week will be to explore the fantastical, bend the rules of logic, and create stories that exist in the liminal space between dreams and waking life.
Dreams are strange, often nonsensical, but always rich with meaning. As Africans, we tie a lot of meaning to our dreams. I want to explore that liminality—the way dreams blur the lines between what is and what could be.
The focus for this week will be on giving myself permission to step into the unknown and create from a place of pure imagination.
Week 3 will be about human connections.
The theme: Relationships and Emotions
Human beings are, at our core, relational creatures. So for week 3, I will focus on relationships; the bonds that connect us, whether through love, friendship, or even the pain of loss. This week will be about diving deep into the emotions that come with connection: the joy, the vulnerability, and the inevitable changes that relationships bring.
Whether it’s the closeness of family, the quiet distance between old friends, or the intensity of a new romance, I’ll aim to explore the universal truths about how we relate to one another.
In this exploration of human connection, I hope to create stories and poems that resonate on a deep emotional level, reminding us all of the beauty and complexity of our relationships.
Finally, week 4 will be about growth and transformation.
The theme: Personal Evolution
The final week of this month’s creative journey will be about transformation; the ways we grow, change, and evolve. Whether it’s a physical journey, an emotional breakthrough, or a quiet, internal shift, transformation is at the heart of every great story. This week will be dedicated to exploring the moments of change that define us.
Life has taught me that growth isn’t always loud or dramatic; sometimes it’s the smallest, most unnoticed moments that lead to the greatest transformations.
So this week, I will be honouring the process of becoming, the inevitable changes that shape our lives, and the beauty in embracing our evolving selves.
At the end of the month, I should have created a creative collection.
I’ll have a collection of short stories and poems that reflect these four themes, forming a narrative of creativity, growth, and human experience. Month 1 of my writing challenge was about laying the groundwork, building discipline and honing my craft. Now, in Month 2, I’m ready to explore new creative territories and see where this journey takes me.
If you’ve been following along with me so far, I invite you to continue. I appreciate all of the support that I’ve been receiving and do not take any of it for granted. So, follow along with me through this next month. Let’s explore this new chapter together where the boundaries of imagination stretch, and creativity flows freely…I hope.
I’m looking forward to another month of growth, discovery, and endless creativity!
P/s: If you have any questions about creating content and writing? Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram!
