<![CDATA[Creative Constraints Club]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.orghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!A6Vs!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfac2895-84de-470d-9eaf-61d0e49e9b8b_1024x1024.pngCreative Constraints Clubhttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.orgSubstackWed, 10 Jun 2026 08:12:59 GMT<![CDATA[Tuesday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/tuesdays-creative-constraint-dd7https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/tuesdays-creative-constraint-dd7Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:31:32 GMTWalking through Epping Forest, not far from home, I was struck by the birdsong. Such beauty resonates in those sounds. Robins? Blackbirds? A rare thrush? I’m not sure the species. All I know is away from traffic, deep in the forest, nature expresses itself.

But what are the birds saying? Do they speak about the writer listening to them? Or sing their love? Or simply discuss breakfast? Let’s have fun interpreting.

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT

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]]><![CDATA[Birdsong]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/birdsonghttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/birdsongTue, 09 Jun 2026 09:25:05 GMTSo you’re imagining what the birds are sharing with us.

I recorded this birdsong during a walk through Epping Forest in April.

Feel free to choose a bird you hear. What is it saying?

Happy writing

Rob

]]><![CDATA[Monday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/mondays-creative-constraint-c5chttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/mondays-creative-constraint-c5cMon, 08 Jun 2026 09:31:01 GMTWelcome to Creative Constraints Club week two. Step with me into NATURE.

In , we travel the world with my friend Olivia Sprinkel. In her wonderful company, we come to understand Olivia’s life, and our own, through relationships with nature. The book is so touching, and exquisitely written.

I especially love the title. Now I can’t walk without seeing faces in trees, like these. Read Olivia’s debut nature memoir and you’ll learn every tree has a character.

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT
SKILLS YOU’LL BOOST

Developing character
Building tension
Writing tight

Boost these skills and you’ll embrace the author within you. You’ll start to see characters and plots all around you. Readers will love the richness of your stories.

Happy writing

Rob

Club Member? DM me a response to any prompt you take on. I’ll pick and publish three each Sunday for others to enjoy. Only fellow Members can comment.

*Watch out: You’ll pay more than £7/month if you subscribe through the Substack app. Seems Apple/Google take a slice of your money. Sign up at creativeconstraintsclub.org/subscribe to save cash.
]]><![CDATA[Tree]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/treehttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/treeMon, 08 Jun 2026 09:15:26 GMTSo we’re writing a profile from a face in a tree.

I’ve spotted and photographed a few recently, in case you’d like to use mine.

Like this surprised character in North Wales:

Or this whistler beside the River Lea:

Or this poor mashed-up soul in the Epping Forest:

When developing a character profile, I find it helpful to reflect on three questions:

  1. What do they want?

  2. What stands in their way?

  3. What are they willing to risk?

Happy writing

Rob

]]><![CDATA[Sunday Showcase ]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/a-showcase-of-spacehttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/a-showcase-of-spaceSun, 07 Jun 2026 09:42:40 GMTEach Sunday, I publish a small number of pieces written by Club Members in response to our weekly theme. This week, our first week, we travelled deep into SPACE.

Reflecting on Wednesday’s creative constraint, Fiona wrote this beautiful tribute:

Wonderful, . Like Earth and our moon, how lucky you are to have each other.

See you all tomorrow as we head into NATURE.

Rob

*Watch out: You’ll pay more than £7/month if you subscribe through the Substack app. Seems Apple/Google take a slice of your money. Sign up at creativeconstraintsclub.org/subscribe to save cash.
]]><![CDATA[A gentle encouragement]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/a-gentle-encouragementhttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/a-gentle-encouragementSat, 06 Jun 2026 09:30:31 GMTHello everyone

Weekends are a bit different to weekdays.

No new creative constraint today. Instead, a gentle encouragement to explore something you wrote this week for Creative Constraints Club.

SATURDAYS

This is your free writing day. If you’d like to, and have time, choose one of your responses to SPACE and move it on to another galaxy. Perhaps you wrote the opening to a story, or the first few lines of a poem. See which new course they take.

SUNDAYS

Each weekday I invite Club Members to send me a response to one of our creative constraints. On Sunday, I publish three writers. Sundays will be quiet to start as we grow our community. One day, they’ll fill with lots of wonderful writing.

If you’re a Club Member and can’t find the messaging/DM button, email writing to robselfpierson@substack.com. I’ll typeset pieces so they look as good as they read.

Happy writing

Rob

*Watch out: You’ll pay more than £7/month if you subscribe through the Substack app. Seems Apple/Google take a slice of your money. Sign up at creativeconstraintsclub.org/subscribe to save cash.
]]><![CDATA[Friday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/fridays-creative-constrainthttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/fridays-creative-constraintFri, 05 Jun 2026 09:30:57 GMTProfessor Cox. Albert Einstein. Sir Isaac Newton. It’s safe to say, they’ll know more than my brain can ever take in. Though they’d be first to admit that science doesn’t have all the answers. Prof. Cox revels in this. All writers should – wonder is energising.

I smile when I think how we respond to life’s big everyday questions, like “How are you?” It’s huge! But how often do we get the time to reflect on our answer?

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT

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]]><![CDATA[Thursday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/thursdays-creative-constrainthttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/thursdays-creative-constraintThu, 04 Jun 2026 09:30:56 GMTI’ve been watching a series called Adventures in Space and Time. It’s presented by the bewilderingly intelligent smile-of-a-man Brian Cox. In it, Brian looks back at his BBC documentaries. Back, forwards. Space and time, I learned, are intertwined.

Of course, most of what Prof. Cox says whizzes over my head like the ISS. But I did get one thing. Sadly, we’ll never be able to travel back in time. Well, not in body.

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT

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]]><![CDATA[Wednesday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/wednesdays-creative-constrainthttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/wednesdays-creative-constraintWed, 03 Jun 2026 09:31:14 GMTDid you know Earth and the moon are in binary orbit? Instead of the moon going around us, like we’re told at school, we both orbit a point off our planet’s centre. I like to think of it as a dance. We’re twirling in each other’s arms, full of trust.

Without this dance, Earth would wobble so violently that life wouldn’t survive here. As strong as we think we are, someone’s influence is usually keeping us steady.

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT

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]]><![CDATA[Tuesday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/tuesdays-creative-constrainthttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/tuesdays-creative-constraintTue, 02 Jun 2026 09:30:39 GMTDuring my moonwalks, I fell in love with the moon. Leaving heartbreak behind me, the beauty of Luna drew me in. Luna, Phoebe, Selene. Through time, across cultures, we’ve given the moon names, human character. Even female gender.

But one thing we don’t often do is provide the moon a voice. I wonder what the moon I fell for would have shared during our year together. How would she speak?

TODAY’S CREATIVE CONSTRAINT

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]]><![CDATA[Monday's creative constraint]]>https://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/mondays-creative-constrainthttps://www.creativeconstraintsclub.org/p/mondays-creative-constraintMon, 01 Jun 2026 09:31:01 GMTWelcome to Creative Constraints Club and our first weekly theme, SPACE.

In 2019, I published my second travel memoir, Moonwalking. In it, I travel around Britain by the light of the full moon. Space, in particular the moon, always fascinates me. There’s so much we don’t know, making it ideal for a writer’s imagination.

Have you ever noticed how we’re told lots about the sights of space – the precious blue orb of Earth, the pink glow of re-entry – but very little about its sounds?

YOUR FIRST EVER CREATIVE CONSTRAINT
SKILLS YOU’LL BOOST

Your attention to tiny details
Writing for a sense other than sight
Listening for the sounds of words

Boost these skills and your reader won’t just read you, they’ll feel part of your writing. This gives them vested interest. Which means they’ll struggle to put you down.

Happy writing

Rob

Club Member? DM me a response to any prompt you take on. I’ll pick and publish three each Sunday for others to enjoy. Only fellow Members can comment.

*Watch out: You’ll pay more than £7/month if you subscribe through the Substack app. Seems Apple/Google take a slice of your money. Sign up at Substack.com to save cash.
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