Heat and humidity are rolling through the Midwest again. If you’re lucky enough to be enjoying a break from the summer swelter, step outside and soak it in—no popsicle-melting today!
If you’re already stuck in the sticky grip of summer, stay cool indoors and dive into this week’s writing inspiration. Our latest newsletter features fresh lit mag issues, new books, indie bookstores to support, and more. But today, we’re spotlighting the writing prompt—one that’s inspired by revisiting Jane Austen, who masterfully explored the social constraints and quiet rebellions of women in her time.
Writing Prompt: It’s Not a Malady, Milady!
For centuries, women’s emotions, intellect, and resistance were dismissed as “hysteria,” “the vapors,” or “histrionics.” Pain was pathologized. Ambition? Called unnatural. A woman’s voice? Too loud. Too much. Too emotional.
This week, we reclaim those words—and rewrite the narrative.
What was once labeled a malady is, in truth, a mark of power. Your intuition, your fire, your refusal to shrink—these are not symptoms to be cured. They are evidence of your strength, your lineage, your legacy.
Write in honor of the women who were silenced, institutionalized, or ignored. Write for those who whispered their truths into diaries, letters, and poems that never saw the light. Most importantly, write for yourself—and for the future.
🖋️ Prompt Ideas to Explore
- What part of yourself have you been told is “too much”?
- How can you reframe it as a gift?
Create a poem, essay, or story that celebrates this part of you—not as a flaw, but as a force. Or craft a multimedia piece or collage that bridges history with modern expressions of womanhood. Reclaim what others saw as “flaws” and reveal them for what they truly are: your superpowers.
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