Thank You, Discover Prompt Participants!

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Last week saw the end of our monthlong Discover Prompts event, and we wanted to express our gratitude to the WordPress.com blogging community for the incredible energy and sense of camaraderie they brought to it.

Over the course of 30 days, we’ve seen so much creativity on display here — and so many new connections among bloggers all over the world. You’ve published almost 2,500 posts using the Discover Prompts tag, sharing stories, photos, personal reflections, and poems, and helped inspire each other to give voice to your experiences during a historically difficult period. Whether you published regularly or not, interacted with others or followed the excitement from a distance: thank you!

Missing your daily writing nudge already? Grab our (free) ebook, 365 Days of Writing Prompts.

It’s been equally heartening to read your thoughts about the event, and to hear that it’s been meaningful to many of you, too. Posts like these have really moved us:

I feel more welcomed at WordPress now as I have come across many beautiful people through Discover. They actually spent time on my writings and ramblings, and I feel obliged for that. Plus I got to read so many perspectives. It is amazing how a single word can ring up so many varied emotions in everyone.
— Jeevanjot Ghuman, “Grateful”

Stuck, scared, and stressed, I could barely write when the quarantine began here in Miami, Florida. Between cooking all the time and being ordered around like everyone’s personal servant, I found my mind full of chaotic thoughts and unable to focus on anything that mattered to me.

That all changed when the Discover Prompts started appearing on the WordPress Reader. I felt the same surge of energy that I’d experienced so many years ago when I created this website and began writing posts with the help of the writing prompts to keep me focused.
— Lisa Chesser, “Grateful for Discover Prompts”

While April’s daily prompts are over, blogging doesn’t stop. We hope you continue to use the designated tag to keep in touch with friends and to find new ones to follow. At least one member of the community, Sue at Jibber Jabber with Sue, is already starting a grassroots initiative to bring bloggers together around shared prompts (thank you, Sue!).

The team behind Discover isn’t planning to resume Discover Prompts at this time, but we wanted to open up a space for our readers to share their thoughts with us. If you participated in the event and have a few moments, thanks for leaving a comment below in response to these questions (if you only have something to say about one or a couple of them, that’s perfectly fine):

  • What was the thing you enjoyed the most about Discover Prompts?
  • If you could change anything about this monthlong event, what would it be? We’d welcome any and all suggestions!
  • If we were to run similar blogging events in the future, what would be the ideal cadence for you? Daily, weekly, monthly, or something else entirely?
  • If you followed along but didn’t participate in Discover Prompts, what might help you join the action in a future initiative?

Thanks again, everyone! We hope you stay safe wherever you are, and look forward to seeing you around Discover and the Reader.

53 Comments

  1. Discover prompts helped me to start writing again, after a gap of a few years – and though I’m rather medium-to-long read, I’ve enjoyed reading the quicker and often very creative responses. Somehow, prompts put pressure, a good kind of pressure – to start writing and to not save what’s written in the drafts for all eternity. What I felt was missing a bit was the competitive spirit the freshly pressed were providing awhile ago. But this is, of course, unrelated. Anyway, thank you for the revival!)

    Liked by 42 people

  2. Firstly a big thank you for running this event. I only discovered daily prompts half-way through the month but I thoroughly enjoyed taking part. It stretched my brain which can only be a good thing! I connected with loads of new people and really got a lot out of reading other peoples responses. Different perspectives are always so interesting. What would I change….nothing, except carry on with them Ha!

    Liked by 32 people

  3. Thanks for the shout-out Ben! I just wanted to see if I could somehow keep the momentum going since many of us have previously missed the daily writing opportunities and were so excited to see their come-back. I’m not sure that I know entirely what I am doing, but I’m giving it an honest try! I’m not sure for how long I can keep it up either, but other bloggers have begun to join in and it’s fun! Thank you for keeping the Discover Prompts page open–that also helps!

    When I first joined WordPress four years ago, one of the most motivating aspects to keeping up with my blog was connecting with others in thought and likeness. This is a very unique community with such supportive people. For many of us, I think it has been a safe environment in which to express ourselves and get our feet wet so to speak. Daily prompts and various other challenges that you have all put forward keep us going. Putting our work out there for others to see can be a a little intimidating at first, but one simple like, comment or follow can be a game-changer–a sense of validation, if you will.

    I personally think that the Daily words are great. For those of us who are wanting to write or post photos daily, at least the opportunity is there; if a person is unable to contribute that often, that’s okay too. No pressure, just opportunity. It might be neat if we could all take turns challenging one another to come up with one prompt; similar to ‘tag, you are it’ with one of our followers perhaps. For example, I contribute one day and at the end of my post, I pass on the torch to someone else, and it really can be as simple as having them choose a word for us all to use. In return for contributing, maybe their post would make it the Discover page for all to see or something like that?! Just a thought.

    Anyway, thank you for all of your hard work and for asking us for some feedback. As an aside, I now know a little better of the time and commitment it takes to put something together, so I apologize for silently wondering why you all just couldn’t keep it going, as in ‘What’s the big deal?’ Oops! I was a little naive. Sorry about that, but my offer to keep things going has been an excellent learning opportunity. Greatly appreciated once again.

    Liked by 30 people

  4. Thank you to all the WP editors for this month of discovery–discovering new bloggers and their ingenious takes on the prompts, and re-discovering my blogging practice. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting isolation (with three very hungry people!) has upended my writing practice. But upended isn’t ended. So long as I keep writing, I’m alright. Thanks also to all the bloggers who joined in. It’s been fun to find new writers to get to know and follow.

    Liked by 34 people

  6. Hi, absolutely loved the exercise even though I wasn’t regular. I had got stuck in a rut but the Discover Prompts initiative was like a breath of fresh air. I typed with renewed vigour. Will miss you is the understatement of the decade. Please start again

    Liked by 30 people

  7. 1) One issue that I have faced as a beginner blogger is the initial resistance to write or let’s call it a bloggers block. I have many topics to write in my mind and have many unfinished ones in draft as well.But, Discover Prompts gave me a timeline and renewed enthusiasm to create content which helped a lot.

    2) I wouldn’t want anything to change at all. You guys did a pretty good job to ensure that.

    3) My ideal cadence would be daily or at least two days. I feel long deadlines only cause procrastination.

    4) Thank you team discover for this wonderful experience.
    Check out my blog and do judge them.
    https://aconfusedbeing.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 22 people

  12. WordPress has given us a voice that I think became more powerful because of the Discover prompts in April. I think our collective voice could help reshape the way we see our future. In the past, I loved the weekly prompts because it gave me time to think then write. I don’t like just writing to write. If someone’s going to read it, I want them to feel like I thought it through, like they’re going to read something worthwhile. Because our worlds have changed so much in this last month, I suggest at least a weekly prompt to help us move forward. Last night, we heard what sounded like gunshots in our neighborhood, then we heard sirens. Normally, our neighborhood is fairly peaceful, but now my son keeps saying it’s the end of the world. My daughter gave up on college and only goes outside with our dog. I refuse to be afraid. But, I do get very sad thinking about our future world, especially when my children warn of a second wave of COVID-19 and spend the majority of their days staring at screens. We need to find strength to deal with what’s ahead of us. I have always found strength in writing. What was confusing became clear, opening my eyes to different possibilities and pathways.That’s what we need to do here, together.

    Liked by 31 people

  13. I love the camaraderie it creates. For me, even though I didn’t post daily, I still checked in as it helped with my morning journaling. I would love a weekly challenge. Thanks for doing this again.

    Liked by 29 people

  14. One thing I enjoyed most in Discover Prompts is the challenge to write anything, whether a poem, a one- or two-liner post, and a detailed story. The daily word prompt is a good exercise too. I welcome a new challenge, although I hope you can make it on a weekly basis. It will allow us to expound more! And not to mention the people I get to “meet” and “know” through their posts.
    Thank you!!! 🙂

    Liked by 23 people

  16. I loved all of the prompts although I haven’t gotten then all done yet I plan to keep those and finish when I can. What I loved best was finding new blogs to follow and even got a few of them to follow me. Getting feedback from others is just another bonus. I know I’m not the only one reading what I write and that encourages me to write even more. Thank you!!

    Liked by 24 people

  18. 30th of April 2020 suddenly came upon me. It felt like one of my limbs was being amputated as daily Discover prompts grind to a halt! Although I mentioned briefly how it got me back into the groove of writing regularly while at the same time giving me a global audience, the one thing which Discover Prompt did was connect me with incredibly talented artists all around the planet. For this, I can never be grateful enough!
    To meet complete strangers who could relate to (with) articles I created from my imagination is simply divine. Another miracle (It truly is a miracle!) was that my ordinary, meaningless gibberish expressed on the pages of a common unattractive blog space appealed to some persons somewhere!!!
    Receiving likes and followers are great but they were never the intention of any of my blogs. So, when more and more folks passed by and left comments, liked and followed, it felt weird. A reason for this strange reaction could be because prior to recently, my blog was my safe hiding space. I could be whoever I decided to be and pour out my heart infinitely. It is still safe only other people get to share the space and be safe with me.
    With Discover prompts, an entirely novel dimension to writing was revealed to me. I could liken it to the feeling that comes to a learner after their test paper or script had been graded an A+. This emotion pointed out fresh territories and awaken a different penchant towards this favourite past time of mine – writing.
    Ooops, apologies; I tend to be rambling on again.
    The one thing I enjoyed the most was not knowing what the prompt would be for each day. Yet, I was able to create a little piece about it. I began to look forward to the prompt daily even though I joined in halfway through. Reading through various people’s interpretation as well as looking at photo representations of a particular word was out of this world. The human mind is truly a fertile soil that if supplied with the right nutrients, any seed sown will sprout and flourish. Another blogger and I wrote akin ideas on one of the prompts. That was simply fantastic!
    Writing daily brought me such delight probably because I had too much time given the circumstance. As a result, I will not mind doing it exact same way in the future. However, given that life outside of writing must go on, I think it might be best to make it a weekly prompt.
    My gratitude goes to all those superb writers out there who have connected with me. I hope you continue to derive pleasure in writing, and we can maintain the link even as life progresses into the unknown. May our paths be guided by The Everlasting Light. May His peace be with you all. May His presence comfort you as you desire in your respective locations.
    Sincere appreciations to the brain/mind behind Discover prompts. Thank you for letting minute me be part of something great. I cannot wait to join in again whenever you introduce another series. Continue to be safe everyone. God bless you!

    Liked by 21 people

  19. This was an exciting challenge for me and the most fun I had for a while—sitting at home bored until the Discover prompts started. i met so many other writers with superior skills, and am so happy I made new friends. Thank you .Paula Perron

    Liked by 22 people

  22. Hi, I have started doing the WordPress courses and find them very good. My experience has been positive so far – much different and more friendly environment than other social media sites. Hopefully soon I will explore/discover prompts also. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 19 people

  25. 1. Discover Prompts gave me a muse for the day and a commitment to myself. I often felt like I let myself down when I did not use the discover prompt that day.

    2. If the upkeep of daily prompts was difficult perhaps doing a bi-monthly event or once ever quarter. I feel that the prompts brings a sense of community to the WordPress world. It also allows us to see what others are doing.

    3. I wasn’t able to keep up daily, however I did check in each day to see what the word was and read other people’s posts which was nice.

    Thank you for doing this challenge once more.

    Liked by 17 people

  26. The prompts inspired me to write even when I wasn’t feeling it, and to connect with bloggers outside of the ones that I typically come across. I often find that WordPress’ Discover algorithm isn’t very creative and I end up with the same 4 blogs every week, and rarely get to “discover” new content without using the search function which takes me to some strange places. This really allowed me to find some refreshing (and hilarious!) reads, which is just what I needed.

    Liked by 15 people

  27. Lots of gratitude to Discover Prompts. I discovered so many ways to roll out stories untold. My thoughts and experiences suddenly came to life. Plus I got to know other bloggers from across the globe who taught me so much about appreciating writing, in all its forms. There’s beauty in imperfection, for imperfection comes with diversity.

    Definitely taking a look at the 365 prompts e-book.

    Liked by 14 people

  29. I only participated in one of the prompts, but I really enjoyed it and it helped me with my own daily blog. I think the daily prompts are incredibly useful and I would like to see them return. Even for people like myself who dip in and out a daily prompt is available if needed. I also like the connections you can then have with fellow bloggers. And I love the Discover site anyway because it is great to read of various interesting sites to look at.

    Thank you Discover

    Liked by 15 people

  31. Im thankful discover prompts even its just a little bit i shared some writing of mine.im still proud because i got followers.and im a beginner.eventhough i cant write more .coz of busy working now…

    Liked by 13 people

  33. I loved the opportunity to discover and be discovered by many other fellow bloggers, and to see how one prompt took so many different and interesting directions. It would be great to have the Discovery Prompts back soon. Thank you for offering them, Discover Team!

    Liked by 17 people

  34. I love daily. I usually post three days a week. Daily was a great way to practice my writing as an artist I need to keep the creativity going. I had fun and would love another prompt for the holidays. Thanks so much for the fun. I got more readers and these prompts are a good way to meet others and oh yeah build a fan base.

    Liked by 17 people

  36. The daily discover prompts made me bold to publish. In the past I have saved a lot of my writings in drafts and rarely posted. I liked the informal and sensitive prologue encouraging us to write, the idea that there was a community attempting the same topic each day, the fact that there was a simple, new and very relevant prompt each day. The daily change of topic put a timer to my procrastinating. The optimism and community that WordPress has built through these prompts gave me strength in these despairing times.

    Liked by 13 people

  38. Discover Prompts got me back in the groove! Thanks for the nudge. The only way you could have made it better is to have chosen a month with 31 days… I didn’t want it to end on April 30th! 🤓 #BloggingNerdsForTheWin

    Liked by 13 people

  40. I really enjoyed it! It allowed me to unearth some lost creativity, gave me something positive to focus on each day. I took time to think throughout the day, sometimes over night too. My only negative is the run of music themed words, one after another. That was tough! Can’t wait til the next one though.

    Liked by 12 people

  42. Thank you for the writing promts download! I didn’t participate but would the next time. I think fear kept me from joining in. I won’t let that happen the next time. The bloggers I’ve connected with the last two years have been such nice people.

    Liked by 14 people

  44. Hi’ fellow bloggers. How I wish there’ll be another event like this, I would really love to join. I missed this event so, I wasn’t able to participate. It’s quite wonderful to know other people and how their mind work. How I wish I could mingle with you personally, it’ll be fun right?

    Liked by 12 people

  45. I enjoyed the Discover prompts very much. I used them as writing warm-ups and, although I didn’t share my own writing results, I did share the concept of Discover Prompts on my blog along with a link, of course, in order to spread the word.

    The only change I might make would be to suggest that participants don’t have to share all their writing responses or that they could present a ‘best of’ collection at the end of the month or for each week…

    As for the cadence, daily would be my ideal – for a week or a month – spread at regular intervals over the year -maybe seasonally themed or just random.

    Whatever you do – thanks for this most recent Prompt month and all the best.

    Liked by 9 people

  46. The month of April was a blast. I admit sometimes I don’t want wright anything but somehow I pulled through and completed all the 30 days. I’d really wish that you would continue hosting these types of events in the future also. Like, you can pick a week and a theme for that week and everyone has to write around that theme?
    Keeping all that aside, I really liked this event and I got to read other blogs too and got to see how people approach different topics! It was very fun writing for this community!

    Liked by 9 people

  47. I was very grateful for the Discover Prompts as it saved me a lot of time thinking of a subject! To answer one of the questions: I prefer a daily activity as it challenges me to be more productive, and a productive day is sure to keep me in a good mood! ☺️

    Liked by 10 people

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