As you write on this prompt, if there is pain or hurt, put your hand where the pain is. If you can’t put your hand there, put your thoughts there, as you take deep breaths. Take a deep breath now, put your focus on where there is pain as you take a deep breath in. And release your breath. Take another deep breath in. Let it out. Prompt inspired from Kate Braestrup’s Memoir, “Here If You Need me.” Consider the things you have lost: ~ Opportunities ~ People ~Jobs ~ An important item ~ A favorite item Write about that loss, but instead of letting the story lead you towards pain, start from where it hurts and move forward from there. Describe how you regained sanity, confidence, and the other things you have needed in order to maintain your healthy connection with life. Perhaps there are allies and amulets that…
A special person . . . Prompt #814
My grandmother (Nana) making noodles with my sister and my niece, circa 1974. Write about a special person in your life. The person can be alive or no longer living. It could also be an animal. #justwrite #iamawriter #amwriting
Loss
Guest Blogger Sharon Ziff writes: I lost my gloves—the ones I bought in Venice last year. I loved them. LOVED THEM. How could I love a pair of gloves? They had a soft, fluffy pompom on the top. I liked to stroke them. It was like petting a kitty. Sadness. And upset with myself for losing them. So I lost a pair of gloves. How could I feel this deep emotion for a pair of gloves? It’s the attachment to my experience in Venice and my love for the friend I was with. Loss is a recurring theme in my writing. At times, I struggle to manage the intense feelings that accompany loss. There’s a burning sensation in my belly that I want to go away. I find myself thinking, “No, no, no,” while tears begin to flow. It’s not about the lost gloves; it’s about the impermanence of life….
Charmian Kittredge London
“Charmian Kittredge London, Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer” by Iris Jamahl Dunkle elegantly brings Charmian to life in this chronicle about the woman who is mostly known as Jack London’s wife. Dunkle’s gift as a researcher and a writer glow with perfection. Her writing abilities bring Charmian to life with intriguing adventures and travel tales. I highly recommend “Charmian Kittredge London, Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer” both as an entertaining page-turner and as a text on how to write a biography.
A Brick Path
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. A Brick Path By Douglas Newcomb I often tell the children that they must be afraid before they can be brave. Courage doesn’t travel alone, aimlessly, And doesn’t just drift anywhere it pleases. It follows fear and despair Quietly. I had courage enough to roar once, but was interrupted, and forgot what it was I was there to say. Now I don’t remember how I got here, or which direction I was headed. Out here the road stretches left and right as if arms unfolding. Douglas Newcomb lives in Petaluma, California, and grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Halloween: Fun or a trickster? Prompt #813
It’s Halloween week. Does this mean anything special to you? Or, ho-hum, just another day/evening? Did you go trick-or-treating as a child? With siblings, cousins, friends? If yes, where did you go? What was that like? Describe your favorite and least favorite Halloween costume that you wore. What clever or interesting Halloween costumes have you seen? Where did you see this? Is Halloween week a fun time for you? Or is it a trickster, something you really don’t like? If you worked with children/students, what was / is Nov. 1 like? #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
Did you wear a uniform? Prompt #812
Did you wear a uniform for work or school? If yes, describe the uniform. What were your duties while wearing this uniform? Worst part of the duties and uniform? Best part of the duties and uniform? OR: What is your reaction when you see somebody in uniform? Marching band, sports uniform, law enforcement, firefighter, doctor (white lab coat or scrubs), prison inmate, postal workers, FedEx and UPS employees, private security guard, housekeeping staff, life guard, food delivery person, etc.
How to Create Memorable Writing . . . Prompt #811
How to make your writing memorable. Step 1. Choose something you have written. Step 2. Circle all to-be verbs. Step 3. Replace “to be” verbs with strong verbs. Step 4. Rewrite, using the idea of “show, don’t tell.” Links to blog posts about strong and memorable writing: Why Should You Use Strong Verbs? Strengthen Your Writing How to be a better writer Sparks, memorable writing on The Write Spot Blog
A place or time you want to return to . . . Prompt #810
In “The Wizard of Oz,” the tinman wants a heart, the scarecrow a brain, the lion wants courage. And, of course, Dorothy wants to go home. Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and Professor Marvel also want Dorothy to return safely home. Their neighbor Almira Gulch wants to capture Dorothy’s dog, Toto. Is the Wizard of Oz a charlatan, like Professor Marvel? Or is he a bumbling, absent-minded imposter? And, of course, Dorothy must overcome obstacles before she can return home. And then there is the wicked witch, the Munchkins, the monkeys, the hired hands, and of course, Glinda, the good witch, or is she a witch? Which Oz character do you identify with? What do you want? In general, what do you want? Is there a place or time you want to return to?
Body Awareness . . . Prompt #809
October is breast cancer awareness month.I would like to expand to body awareness.Write about an illness or a physical change you, or someone you know, went through.Include your age and who was involved.How did you find out about the illness?What was the next step?What happened?Are you still affected by this illness/physical change? #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter