Dear Chroniclers,
Today marks the official launch of the Monarc Chronicles; I’m so glad you’re here.
As I explained in this post, I created the Monarc Chronicles as a companion project to Raw Material, a separate wing or a chamber of secrets for you to hide and reflect (I’ll be spending time in there, too).
A few months ago, I had the groundbreaking realization that the only path to calling myself a writer was to be read.
Go figure.
So I created Raw Material as a newsletter in which I share my thoughts, questions, fears, experiences and insights about the world (and everything I don’t understand about it) with you, but the Monarc Chronicles are meant as an interactive set of journaling prompts for you to navigate big life transitions through self reflection.
This is your space to take, play and interact with.
*What…are life transitions?*
The term “life transition” might make you want to hide in an abandoned shed, compress your whole body into a fetal position and never move again. That’s how I feel sometimes.
I’m actually not a huge fan of transitions myself.
I either want my life to remain in the status quo or for everything to be different, like yesterday. My gut reaction to an arising transition is similar to the mild panic I experience on the street when I realize I’ve been spotted by a Green Peace solicitor holding a pile of flyers, and it’s too late to cross the street. No offense 🌳
But does it matter that I personally find transitions to be an inconvenience? Will they spare me for it? Nope; there’s an overly eager colleague with the exact same set of flyers waiting for me around the corner.
Transitions aren’t a choice; they’re not a preference. They come in all calibers and they happen all the time.
Also, my natural resistance to transitions (aka change) is pretty incompatible with life itself.
As I spoke with friends and family, I realized not only do we all experience life transitions at different points (think breakups, career changes, new parenthood, moving, retirement, grief…), but transitions are consistently HARD—and we don’t talk about them very often. The thought that some of us might experience the challenges of change alone made me sad.
Journaling is the only medicine I’d rather not taper off. It’s how I find my voice when I feel the most ungrounded (and I feel especially ungrounded when life changes). I wanted to share the medicine with you. That’s how the idea of journaling prompts for life transitions came about.
Maybe you low-key think journaling is for girls with a lot of feelings who speak in moon charts. But you’re a busy man with moon *ambitions*; and that’s very different important 🚀 If that’s the case, write to me!! I’m so curious to hear your point of view.
I really believe walking through transitions with ease and balance is an important life-skill we can all get better at.
First, because when the next transition comes our way, each of us can be like this guy:
Second, because if we all learn to accept transitions, maybe the world can be a bit more balanced.
Two of my friends recently recommended Martín Prechtel’s The Smell of Rain on Dust (why do I keep calling it The Sound of Rain on Dust ??). I started listening to it on park walks this week and I’m already thinking back on melees of wisdom I’ve heard in it.
One of the ideas from the book I keep coming back to is that by working on our own grief, we “save the world a lot of war and trouble.” The realization that our unprocessed grief has a ripple effect on the world around us is such a powerful one and I experience the truth in this more often than I’d like; when I choose to ignore the discomfort of a transition and the grief it carries with it, I act out. I carry rage that comes out as spurts of fire against the people I love the most or as impulses I know aren’t quite mine. Bricks of unacknowledged sadness pile up in the heart. And every time I stubbornly try to convince myself that I’m okay, that “that was nothing”, the bricks sink a little deeper.
I don’t want that for me; I don’t want that for the world. And I certainly don’t want that for you.
Wanna journal?
Before we begin
The Monarc Chronicles are yours for the taking.
Use them whenever and however much you need and want.
As you discover these prompts and start your journaling practice, I’d love to know what you liked, what you didn’t and hear any suggestions you might have.
Maybe there’s a prompt or a question that’s worked for you in the past, and that you’d like to share with everyone directly, or that you’d like me to include in the next post
Finally, you’re always invited to share your writing with me 🐝
About today’s prompts
Our first set of prompts explores the theme of letters 🪶
Sometimes, when I feel stuck in my writing, it helps me to imagine that I’m confiding in a different part of me or in a person I fully trust and whom I know will hold my words with care and without judgment. Like talking to an old tree.
Even though I might not read the letter again or send it to anyone, simply imagining that I’m addressing my words to someone else as I write them magically gets me out of my head. Maybe it’s because it adds purpose to my writing.
My dad passed away in 2021 and I’ve written to him a couple of times since then. I knew he’d never read these letters, but it didn’t matter. The process allowed me to release words and feelings I didn’t have time to share with him.
I also started to reconnect to a part of me that disappeared with him. That’s a quieter element of grief I forget about; the loss of who I was as my father’s daughter. I never had to remember to make room for her when my father was around, and I’m still learning to listen when she wants to speak. Writing letters to my dad is one of the ways I’ve found to give her space.
—
As to the other prompts, most of them are the result of conversations with friends (actual conversations; not the Sally Rooney kind where ships pass in the night). I sought extra guidance for the transitions I haven’t experienced yet, which I’ll continue to do for The Monarc Chronicles.
In drafting the New Parent prompts, for example, I spoke with two of my favorite new moms. I asked them what they thought of a letter prompt in which they’d imagine themselves as a baby writing to one of their parents. Did it sound interesting or distractingly meta? One of my friends was super excited by the idea. She just had her second kid and hadn’t thought to put herself in her baby’s shoes, at least in that way. My other friend was initially more skeptical. She said her baby, who’s only a few months old, probably doesn’t think about much since he’s had such a mini life. Basically, there still isn’t much going on up there. But she added that it might be an interesting empathy exercise to try and understand her baby’s experience.
For those of us who have less experience with journaling, I also thought the letter format could be a solution to the frequent “why am I doing this?” block that can come up before journaling.
I created two prompts for each life transition category (Day 1 and Day 2). I do think writing both will be more helpful!
And if none of these transitions speak to you right now, please let me know and we can expand! The categories are a work in progress.
With love,
Clara C.
Journaling guidelines
For DAY 1 and DAY 2
Find a time and place where you won’t be disturbed for at least 20 minutes
Choose your medium–pen n’ paper or a computer. If writing is not an option for you, grab your recorder.
Set a timer to 20mns (if it’s on your phone, set it to Do Not Disturb Mode)
Once you start your flow, try not to stop. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or stutter.
On DAY 1
Read your prompt for DAY 1
Take a deep breath
Write away
Once you’re done, put Letter #1 aside without re-reading it
On DAY 2
Read Letter #1
Read your prompt for DAY 2
Take a deep breath
Write away
Once you’re done, put Letter # 1 aside without re-reading it
On DAY 3
Read Letter #2
Take a deep breath
Write about or reflect on anything you notice about Letter #2.
What did you learn?
Did this help?
What did you notice?
Transition Prompts #1
✨ The Job Seeker
Day 1
Write a letter to yourself as a child or a teenager, from your current perspective as a job seeker. Maybe you start by checking in on them. What are they up to these days? What do you want your younger self to know about the professional path that brought you here? Share the dreams you’ve fulfilled that would make your younger self proud, and how the challenges you’ve faced have shaped your strength and resilience. Reflect on the interests or talents you had early on that still inform what you're seeking now. What wisdom have you gained that your younger self couldn't imagine? What are some unexpected challenges?
Day 2
Write your younger self’s answer to your current job-seeker self. What does your younger self notice in the letter they received? What do they want to tell your current self? What wisdom does your younger self want to share with your current self?
✨ The Future Wed
Gentle reminder: no one needs to read these letters but you <3
Day 1
Write a letter to your partner about your hopes and fears for your shared future. Maybe write about the moment you knew this relationship and this person was special and what it has meant to you. Tell them how you’ve grown since you’ve met them. Explore your dreams for the life you’re building together and vulnerabilities or worries that arise when you think about marriage. Maybe tell them what you’ll need from them. What patterns from your past do you hope to carry forward or leave behind? What promises do you want to make beyond traditional vows?
Day 2
Write a letter from your partner's perspective back to you (as you imagine they might respond). What would they appreciate hearing in your letter? How might they address your fears? What hopes and dreams might they share in return? What strengths do they see in you and in your relationship that give them confidence for the journey ahead? What promises might they want to make to you?
✨ The Griever
Day 1
Write a letter to the person, pet or thing you've lost. Share what you miss most about their presence in your life. What conversations do you wish you could still have? What moments or memories continue to bring both pain and comfort? Tell them about how your life has changed since their absence. What questions would you ask if you could? Express the feelings you carry - both the ones you show to the world and those you keep private. What do you wish you had said or done differently? What would you want them to know about how you're navigating this journey without them?
Day 2
Write a response from the perspective of the person, pet or thing you've lost. What comfort might they offer about your grief? What memories would they want you to hold close, and what burdens might they encourage you to set down? What wisdom or perspective might they share about life, love, and loss from where they are now? What reassurance would they offer about the way you're carrying your grief? What hopes might they express for your healing and future? What enduring connection might they remind you remains possible even in their physical absence?
✨ The New Parent
Gentle offering: for this one, imagine your newborn is a genius / future Harvard PhD grad who can already read and write.
Day 1
Write a letter to your newborn. What have you learned, noticed and felt since they entered this world? What do you love about them? What’s hard? What annoys you? Are there fears, frustration and questions? What’s it like being their parent?
Day 2
Write a letter as your newborn child to their parent (you). What have they discovered about the world? What confuses them? What do they love? What are they grateful for?
✨ The Pregnant Warrior
Day 1
Write a letter to your changing body during this pregnancy. Acknowledge the incredible work it's doing in creating new life. What sensations and changes have surprised you most? Which transformations have been challenging to accept, and which have filled you with wonder? Express your gratitude for specific ways your body is adapting and growing. Share any fears or questions you have about the physical journey ahead. What would you like to better understand about the wisdom of your body during this time? What promises or commitments can you make to honor your body's needs as it continues this work?
Day 2
Write a response from your body back to you. What might your body want you to know about the complex process it's undertaking? How might it interpret the sensations and changes you've been experiencing? What wisdom might your body offer about patience, surrender, or trust during this time? What requests might your body make for more support, rest, nourishment, or understanding? What reassurance could your body offer about its capacity to grow and birth new life? What ancient knowledge does your body carry that your conscious mind might benefit from hearing?
✨ The Retiring Hero
Day 1
Write a letter to yourself as a fresh college graduate, from your current perspective as a new retiree. What would you want your younger self to know about the professional journey that's now concluding? Share career achievements that would surprise your younger self, unexpected turns your path took, and wisdom you gained along the way. What values remained constant throughout your working life? What risks are you glad you took, and what would you approach differently? What advice would you give about finding meaning both within and beyond work? What did you learn about yourself that your younger self couldn't have imagined?
Day 2
Now write a response from your just-graduated college self to your newly-retired self. What would your younger self be curious about regarding the career you built? What dreams or ambitions would they be proud to see fulfilled? What aspects of your journey might surprise or perplex them? What youthful enthusiasm, ideals, or perspectives might they want to remind you to carry into retirement? What questions would they have about finding purpose in this new chapter? What would they celebrate about the life you've created beyond your professional accomplishments?