“I love struggling, actually. It makes me feel alive.” — Alysa Liu
Welcome to the second day of Essay Camp.
I hope you’re getting settled nicely into your virtual cabins—there are extra blankets in the boathouse if you find yourself getting chilly, and a fictional fire that stays lit all night in the fictional main hall.
One of the major themes of Essay Camp has always been the principle of return. We return to our writing after an absence, we return to projects we’ve left unfinished, and we return today for this, the second day of Essay Camp, to write again together.
The word “practice” has multiple meanings. To cultivate a “writing practice” can have multiple meanings too. It can be a professional activity, a habitual endeavor, or something we do repeatedly to improve our skills.
To get good at anything requires practice. As I was preparing for this session, the 2026 Winter Olympics had just concluded, and I was reminded once again that we can find inspiration in the most unexpected of places. Watching the women’s figure skating program, I—like everyone else, it seems—was drawn to the whirling, glittering ball of joy that was gold medalist Alysa Liu. Watching her glide and pirouette across the ice, I found myself, unexpectedly, relating to what it feels like to be in that state of joyful flow, to be good at something, and to love doing it.
But in order to reach that place where we can feel like that—to experience a discipline like art or sport as though it were flying—it does indeed take lots and lots of practice and repetition, lots of moments when we fall down on the ice and then have to pick ourselves up again. Sometimes we need to take time away, and then come back again, perhaps on different terms.
For writers, this is where the writing habit comes in. A writing practice is not something that we establish just one time. We build it, we find something that works for us, and then, when things fall apart and we get distracted, we must start over and rebuild. We have to fight to get the writing back, every time we stop.
I know I always say this, but I say it for a reason: to develop a regular writing practice is like building a greenhouse. It’s a space that is protected from the elements, where tender things can grow. Each sentence, each paragraph, each page and half-formed thought are like germinating seeds that might someday take root and grow into something bigger. Later on, you may find yourself re-potting and replanting, pruning and combining, to form a garden. For now, all you have to focus on is shaking those seeds loose and getting them out of your head and into the soil.
No matter how out of practice, no matter how shaky or out of shape we may feel, all we have to do today is start again.
Let’s begin.
“What I like to share about myself is my story, my art, and my creative process. I guess messing up doesn’t take away from that. It’s still something, it’s still a story. A bad story is still a story, and I think that’s beautiful. There’s no way to lose.” — Alysa Liu
Writing Assignment, Day 2
If you enjoyed the five things prompt yesterday, please use it again today. Open up a blank document, turn to a blank page in your notebook, and write or type the number 1. Then start writing. Write about whatever comes to mind. Keep going until you’re done with that train of thought—one word, one sentence, a few sentences, a few paragraphs, a whole page or several pages—it’s up to you. Do not read back over what you have written. Just move on to the next number and do it again until you’ve completed all five things.
Alternate Option 1: Freewriting
If you still haven’t tried out the five things prompt, I encourage you to give it a try. See how it goes. If you’re not feeling it, proceed to freewriting instead. Set a timer for whatever amount of time you have, and write whatever comes. Try not to look back at what you’ve written. Keep moving forward, without worrying whether what you’ve written is good or not, and keep going until you’ve reached the end of your allotted time.
Whether working from the prompt or freewriting, do not worry about beginnings, or about the structure of your sentences. Focus only on getting the words down on the page.
For those who would like a specific prompt:
Write about the first time you did something “bad”—smoked a cigarette, stole, lied, broke the law, kissed someone you shouldn’t have, etc.
Write about the worst haircut you ever got.
Write about a time when you were happy.
Write about a time when you were cruel.
Write about the fact that you hate writing, have no talent, or cannot write.
Write about spring blossoms, and about how seeing them makes you feel.
Write about the most boring thing you can think of. Describe, in detail, just how boring it is.
Alternate Option 2: Rebel Mode
If you’re here for the camaraderie of the write-along exercise but plan to write something other than essays or creative nonfiction, go ahead and work on your project for as much time as you have.
Reading Assignment, Day 2
Set aside some time to read another essay today. The more you read, the more you will internalize the different structures and patterns that can make different kinds of essays work.
For Today
Please select at least one of the following essays to read. You can also choose an essay you haven’t read from yesterday’s list. With thanks to Katy Kelleher for her excellent new essay suggestions.
“Ghost Story,” by Maggie Smith, 618 words, 2.5 minute read
“The Smoker,” by Ottessa Moshfegh, 1,098 words, 4 minute read
“The Invitation,” by Barry Lopez, 1,758 words, 7 minute read
“Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant,” by Laurie Colwin, 1,673 words, 7 minute read
“Kevin Brazil,” By Kevin Brazil, 3,090 words, 12 minute read
“On Keeping a Notebook,” by Joan Didion, 3,052 words, 12 minute read
“Joy,” by Zadie Smith, 2,868 words, 12 minute read
“The Youth in Asia,” by David Sedaris, 3,294 words, 13 minute read
“The Terror of Love,” by Samantha Irby, 3,570 words, 13 minute read
“A Toast Story,” by John Gravois, 3,838 words, 15 minute read
“Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life,” by Yiyun Li, 3,948 words, 15 minute read
“The Curse,” by Alexander Chee, 4,924 words, 20 minute read
“My Instagram,” by Dayna Tortorici, 8,323 words, 33 minute read
Time To Write!
Happy writing!
xo S
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