Writing Reminders & Prompts
DearDiary.Net can gently nudge you back to your diary when life gets busy, and give you a spark of inspiration when you sit down to write.
Writing Prompts
A writing prompt is a short question or idea shown above the editor when you create a new entry. It's entirely optional — just a starting point if you need one.
Turning prompts on or off
Go to Account Settings → Writing and toggle Show writing prompt on new entry.
How prompts work
Every day a new prompt is chosen from the prompt bank. All users see the same prompt on the same day. If the prompt isn't for you, simply ignore it and write whatever you like — it has no effect on your entry.
Pinning categories (Plus only)
Plus members can choose which categories of prompts they see. Go to Account Settings → Writing and select one or more categories to pin. Your daily prompt will then be drawn only from those categories.
Available categories: Reflective, Creative, Gratitude, Travel, Health, Dream, Weekly Review.
Writing Reminders
Writing reminders nudge you back when you haven't written for a while. You choose when and how.
Email reminders
Email reminders are configured per diary in Diary Settings → Reminders.
- Toggle Email reminders on or off.
- Set your inactivity threshold — how many days without a new entry before the first reminder is sent.
- Available thresholds: 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, or 28 days.
- Free members have a fixed threshold of 3 days. Plus members can choose any threshold.
When a reminder is sent it includes today's writing prompt, a link straight to the new entry page for that diary, and a one-click unsubscribe link.
Reminder schedule
Once the threshold is crossed, reminders follow a gradual cadence so you're never overwhelmed:
| Period | Frequency |
|---|---|
| First reminder | Sent immediately when the threshold is crossed |
| Weeks 1–4 | Once a week |
| Months 2–6 | Once a month |
| After 6 months | One final "we won't bother you again" email, then nothing |
The cadence resets automatically the moment you write a new entry.
Browser push notifications
Push reminders are configured in Account Settings → Reminders.
- Toggle Browser push reminders on or off.
- Set your inactivity threshold.
- Your browser will ask permission the first time you enable push notifications. You must allow this for push reminders to work.
- Push reminders work on desktop and mobile, including when the site is installed as a PWA.
Push notifications are sent once per day when you are past your threshold. They include today's writing prompt and tap straight through to the new entry page.
Dashboard nudge
If you haven't written for a while, a gentle reminder card also appears on your dashboard Control Panel. This is always on and requires no setup.
Unsubscribing from reminder emails
Every reminder email contains a one-click unsubscribe link at the bottom. Clicking it immediately turns off email reminders for that diary — no login required.
You can also turn off email reminders at any time from Diary Settings → Reminders.