Write into the Week: January 4, 2026

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”
–Rainer Maria Rilke

Dear Writer,

I hope you’re having a good start to your week. In this newsletter:

• A writing prompt to inspire your creativity.
• Reading and listening recommendations in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
• Publishing, residency, and retreat opportunities available now.
• Join our free Monday and Friday write-ins, and meet our community of writers.  

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writer to Writer: A Gentle Start to the New Year

A new year often has a way of making everything feel full of possibility and oddly intense. We’re tempted to create lofty resolutions, set big goals, and name our desired outcomes for the entire year before we’ve even lived a single day of it. As I mentioned last week, I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I want to enter 2026 a bit more quietly and gently—but also with attention, curiosity, and a renewed willingness to show up to the page without demanding expectations.

That same approach applies to this newsletter as it moves into its second year. I’ll still be here weekly, offering writing prompts, publishing opportunities, and creative inspiration, while also giving myself permission to experiment. You may notice a few new sections appearing and rotating throughout the weeks. Nothing drastic—just my way of keeping this space alive, fresh, and honest about what writers actually need from week to week.

So consider this a gentle welcome back, even though many of us never left. Whether you’re arriving with a notebook full of plans or an empty page and no idea where to begin, you’re in the right place. I’m so glad we’re on this creative journey together. We’ll take this year one week at a time. We’ll take risks, try new things, and let the words we write surprise us!

Writing Prompt: The First Small Thing

Write a scene, poem, or short essay that begins with something small, ordinary, and easily overlooked at the start of a year.

It could be something like:

• an unknown sound drifting through a window.
• an object left behind after a holiday gathering.
• fragments of a conversation overheard in a restaurant,
• a casual ritual repeated without much thought, like getting your morning coffee.
• a moment that feels insignificant at first, but turns our to be very important.

Focus on the sensory details. Let the piece linger there longer than feels necessary. Let it move in and out of the details. Allow the emotional weight of the moment to emerge gradually. Most of all, let the meaning come to you. Don’t force anything. 

A Closer Look: Great First Lines

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
— Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

At first glance, this line barely seems like the beginning of a novel at all.  There’s no conflict or backstory. There’s just a woman who’s deciding to buy some flowers. Yet that’s exactly what makes it such a strong opening. Woolf starts with a choice, not an explanation of said choice. It’s an action that feels ordinary, but immediately gives us a sense of character and direction.

Pay close attention to how much work so few words are doing. “Said” creates a bit of distance, as if we’re watching this woman from just outside her own thoughts. While the word “herself” quietly signals autonomy and agency. With just one line, readers know this is a woman who wants to do things on her own, even in some small, domestic way. Readers don’t yet know who Mrs. Dalloway is, or why the flowers matter, but they can already trust that meaning will be found in the everyday decisions that might otherwise be overlooked.

As a first line, this is a reminder that you don’t have to start loud to start deep. You can begin with something simple, concrete, even seemingly mundane that is still powerful and revealing. 

Writer’s Tool of the Week: The Fabulous Fragments File

I keep something I call a Fabulous Fragments File—a living document where I collect new ideas as they arrive. It’s where I record words and sentences I’m intrigued by but can’t use (yet), images that won’t leave me alone, overheard lines, strange and beautiful words, and ideas that don’t belong to my current project, but still feel worth saving.

For me, this file is about keeping the door open to future possibilities. When I’m stuck, blocked, or unsure where to begin in a given writing session, I often return to my Fabulous Fragments File, and choose a single note to sit with, consider, and explore. Sometimes I expand it into a scene. Often, I can’t remember when or why I wrote it down in the first place, but that’s half the fun! The file is a tool that reminds me I’ve had ideas before, and that I’ll have them again.

Do you have a Fabulous Fragments File, or something similar? If not, try starting your own. You might be surprised by what you collect, and how it finds its way back into your writing.

Publishing Opportunities:

• The 2026 Colorado Prize for Poetry – Entry Deadline: January 31, 2026. The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international poetry book manuscript contest established in 1995. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $2,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing. You do NOT have to be a resident of Colorado to enter. 
• Salt Hill Journal – Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026. Accepting salty new poetry, fiction, essay, and art submissions for their next issue. Their submission windows only open twice a year. Submit!
• Chestnut Review – Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026 for their summer issue releasing on July 15, 2026. They are currently seeking submissions of poetry, flash pieces, prose up to 5k words, and original art. All writing must be previously unpublished, and original. 

Residency & Retreat Opportunities:

• Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residency – Application Deadline: January 15, 2026. Writers, visual artists, and composers are invited to apply for fall 2026 VCCA residencies. There are many residencies which are full-funded. Please see the VCCA website for more details. This is a wonderful opportunity to dedicate time to your craft, and meet other creatives. 

Monday and Friday: Free Group Writing Sessions

Come write with us! Community write-ins are a great way to meet other writers, and carve out space in your calendar for your writing.

Monday: Write Into the Week with Elle

Join me (Elle) for an hour of mindset support, goal setting, community, and dedicated time to write! We’ll meet on Monday at 11 AM Eastern time, at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83999379617

Friday: Open Write-In

Join the Writers.com staff for a 90-minute writing session each Friday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern time. We will write together for the first hour. In the last, optional half hour, we’ll share our writing with one another and connect.

To add yourself, join our newsletter using the join box above, and add yourself to the “Friday Write-Ins” list at the bottom of any email. We’ll send you a Zoom link the morning of the call.

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