It’s December, the last month of this year, and the time when we often gather together over the holidays and share stories. The writing challenge this month is to tell your stories: the story of the year that was and the year to come.

Prompt 1: Looking back

Here’s the first prompt.

This was the year that I …

How would you complete that prompt?

Write about it for a while and see what kind of story you tell.

• Is it a tragedy? Are you perhaps a victim?
• Is it a heroic narrative of growth and change?
• Is it a comedy with you as a fumbling protagonist? (My life sometimes feels like that.)

Be kind to yourself as you write those stories.

If you find that you’ve been focused on the negative a lot, then your specific challenge is to look for the bright spots. Look for the growth, the change, the companionship, the connection, the humor.

Prompt 2: Looking forward

Now here’s your second prompt.

This next year is the year that I will …

How do you complete that?

Pick something that you’re looking forward to, something positive, some growth, some change, a new adventure, an experiment.

Now write these stories down for yourself.

By writing our own stories, we get to frame the narratives of our lives, and that’s a very powerful thing to do.

You might put them aside and review them next December. If nothing else, you’ll have a few stories to share at holiday gatherings.

Have fun and let me know how it goes.