In a sunken hollow beneath myriad dust bunnies and cobwebs lies the bony remains of my author account on Instagram.
My blog proves I can revive dead things (I spent loads of XP points on healing in the past few years 🤭), so it’s only fair that I attempt the same revival on my author page. And, armed with my new knowledge concerning time management and scheduling, I can return to regular posting while avoiding burnout.
To keep the pressure to a minimum, I’ll follow these rules:
- I’ll create and schedule content in advance.
- My mental/emotional capacity will directly determine whether or not I open the app on any given day.
- When I do engage, I’ll keep screen time limited to 15 minutes.
- The only exception is answering comments—I love connecting with readers and friends in the comment section and will always respond as soon as I can.
Using my Ideas for Writers of Instagram post as inspiration, I’ve curated a list of prompts for every day in September. And I’d love for you to join me on this challenge!
There’s absolutely no pressure, though. This will be the most laid back month of content ever. No shade if you miss a day, just love and calm vibes. And if you participate, remember to tag me in the caption so I can see your content.
Prompts
| Day | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction. Post a selfie/reel and a short bio. |
| 2 | My Biggest Fan. Introduce us to your most die-hard supporter and tell us about them. |
| 3 | Author Admiration Day. Tell us about an author/authors you admire and why they inspire you. Include a photo of them, your favourite book by this author, or anything relevant. |
| 4 | My Hobbies. Tell us about your non-bookish hobbies! Include photos/reels of you doing the hobby, complete projects, or the tools/gear you use. |
| 5 | The Magic Happens Here. Show us your workspace and share some interesting facts about it. |
| 6 | Sometimes, I Relax. Share a pic of your choice relaxation spot or show us how you relax. |
| 7 | My Go-To Bookmarks. If you use bookmarks, show us your favourites. If you don’t, show us what you use instead. |
| 8 | Follow Friday. Point us in the direction of Instagram accounts you love to follow. Content ideas could include: recreate your favourite pic/reel in their feed, a short video about why they deserve a follow, screenshots of their feeds, etc. |
| 9 | A Book I Did Not Finish. Share a pic/reel of a book you didn’t finish and tell us why. |
| 10 | Calling All Fangirls! Show us a book/series by an author who has escaped notice and deserves more love. |
| 11 | My Dedication Page/s. Show us your dedication page/s and tell us what/who inspired your dedication/s. |
| 12 | All About Brainstorming/Planning. Show us how you brainstorm or plan your work (or both!) and talk about your process. |
| 13 | Bookish Pet Peeve. Show us something in/about the bookish community that drives you insane. |
| 14 | Recommendation CEO. Introduce us to your friend/family member who recommends the best books. Include a pic/reel showing us this person, or show some of their best recommendations. |
| 15 | Here We Go Again. Show us a book/series you love to re-read. |
| 16 | I Made Dis. Show us a selfie/reel of you and your book/s. |
| 17 | Review Squee. Share an excerpt from a great review someone wrote of your book. |
| 18 | Writing Fuel. Show us what you like to snack on while writing. |
| 19 | My Biggest Distraction. Talk about what hinders your writing and how you overcome. Show us what distracts you or, if the distraction isn’t a physical thing, share any pic/footage that could symbolise the distraction. |
| 20 | Instagrammable. Show us where you take your Instagram content, the props you use, or tell us about your favourite filters. |
| 21 | Retake an Old Pic/Reel. Tell us about how you’ve grown since you posted the original content. |
| 22 | No Sequel Needed. Introduce us to your favourite standalone novel. |
| 23 | My Favourite Book/s. Show us the book/s you love the most. Arrange them by colour, display them in a flat lay, do cool transitions in a reel—anything goes. |
| 24 | I Changed My Mind. Tell us about a book/series you loved/hated when you first read it, but changed your mind about when you re-read it. |
| 25 | My Kid and I Love OR My Favourite Read in an Alternate Genre. Show us a book you love to read with your child, or introduce us to a read outside of your typical genre. |
| 26 | Auto-Buy Authors. Introduce us to those authors you always support, regardless of blurbs or covers. |
| 27 | The Ship I Hate. Tell us about a bookish couple you just don’t get. Include a pic/footage of the book in which they live. |
| 28 | Bookish Confessions. Tell us about the books you haven’t read, books you didn’t like as much as everyone else, or confess anything else regarding the bookish community. |
| 29 | My Favourite Quote. Share an excerpt from one of your books/WIP’s, an amazing excerpt from another author, or your favourite quote in general. Tell us why this quote means so much to you. |
| 30 | We Made It! Let’s end off the challenge with a silly selfie/reel. |
That seems doable, right? 🤣 And with a week and a half to prepare, we’ll be totally fine.
Hope I see you on Instagram!
Yolandie
Yolandie Horak 
Let’s Chat!