What happened, from your point of view. . . Prompt #36

  • What happened, from your point of view. . . Prompt #36

    Today’s writing prompt was inspired from the January 2003 issue of The Writer magazine, ”On Writing Personal Essays,” by Barbra Abercrombie.

    Make a list of issues and experiences, important and trivial in your life right now.

    What frustrated you in the past month?

    What made you laugh or cry?

    What made you lose your temper?

    What was the worst thing that happened?

    The best?

    The most disturbing and weird?

    Write:  Choose one thing from your list and write about it. Write whatever comes to mind. Write what you would really like to say to the other people involved.

    Write what happened from your point of view.

    Marlene C

  • Hook ’em with the lead. . . — Erma Bombeck

    “Hook ’em with the lead. Hold ’em with laughter. Exit with a quip they won’t forget.”   — Erma Bombeck

    Marlene C

  • Erma Bombeck Writing Competition

    Erma Bombeck Writing Competition is now open!  
    Competition closes February 17, 2014 at 8 A.M. (EST)

     Capture the essence of Erma’s writings and you could win $500 and a free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop!

    Personal essay must be 450 words or less.   Submission guidelines click here.

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    Marlene C

  • Guest Blogger Amanda Socci: Getting Inspired by Food Boxes!

    Guest Blogger Amanda Socci: Getting Inspired by Food Boxes!

    If there is one thing that writers thirst for, it is inspiration. We have a constant need for things to speak to us, create magic for us, and fill our souls with ideas and information that will make us burst out of our skin and onto the paper. Inspiration is everywhere, but sometimes, writers tend to overlook the obvious, hoping to find deeper meanings in things.

    Today, I’d like to take this opportunity to lighten things up a bit by talking to you about an unlikely source of inspiration that appears to be boring or meaningless, but really, is just the opposite. That’s right, I’m here to tell you that food packaging is a friend to writers. All kinds of food packaging is interesting, but most specifically, I’d like to chat about cereal boxes.

    When you go grocery shopping, are you the functional, anal-retentive type who makes a list, sticks to it, and escapes the store quickly in order to run 35 other errands before the day runs out? If that sounds like you, you may wish to alter your strategy and get lazier, creative, and definitely more curious at the supermarket.

    Take a leisurely walk in the cereal box aisle. What are some of the things you might notice? Brand names? Varieties of cereals? Logos? Graphics? All those are good, but I need you to look further. Take the time to really read and pay attention to the writing that is on the cereal boxes. What kinds of things do you notice?

    Here are some of the things that should interest you:

    (1)  Seasonal flavors. Are you familiar with the styles of cereals and their turnover rate? Do you notice how different seasons bring about changes in the style and appearance of cereals or cereal boxes?

    (2)  Marketing promotions. This is a big one. Writers who are pop culture enthusiasts like me will particularly enjoy this one. Did you know that movies, television, and music offer tie-ins with cereals? Did you know you can collect boxtops and earn branded merchandise?

    (3)  Loyalty programs. Here is another big one that should be right up everyone’s alley. Are you familiar with the concept of loyalty programs? What are they? What are the benefits? Why should you participate?

    You may be asking yourself why you should care about cereal boxes so much if you don’t eat cereal. The real point is not to care about cereal or to have a desire to eat it, but rather, to look at cereal boxes with a different perspective. I encourage you to view cereal boxes, and really, all food packaging, as an easy source of inspiration.

    By taking the time to observe, look at the cereal boxes carefully, and read the boxes with a sincere interest and a natural curiosity, you’ll be doing more than turning into an expert-in-training. You’ll be investing in your career as a writer by giving yourself quick sources of inspiration that will get you motivated to write some really goof nonfiction pieces.

    What are you waiting for? Get ye to a supermarket today and start checking out those cereal boxes! One thing always leads to another and before you know it, you’ll have at least ten ideas for future blog posts, freelance articles, or other writing.

    Note from Marlene: Although Amanda’s post specifies cereal boxes as inspiration for writing, I couldn’t help add a photo from one of my favorite good groups:  Chocolate!  Now . . . go for it. . . get something from your pantry and do a 15 minute freewrite.

    Lindt2                              cereal2

     

    Amanda M. Socci is a freelance writer and blogger who affectionately describes herself as the Creative Idea Gal for her uncanny ability to come up with 1,000 ideas about any topic. Amanda eats, breathes, and lives all things creative. Easily inspired, Amanda also loves cooking, baking, crafting, photography, recycling, and line dancing when not busy caring for her two precious girls.

    Marlene C

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  • Fantasize for a moment. . . Prompt #35

    Fantasize for a moment. Money is no object. Time and place are no object. Give yourself an imaginary gift. What would it be?

    Marlene C

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  • WRITER ADVICE – 9th FLASH PROSE CONTEST

    B. Lynn Goodwin’s Writer Advice seeks flash fiction, memoir and creative non-fiction running 750 words or less. Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us. Finalists receive responses from all judges.

    DEADLINE:  April 18, 2014.

     

     

    Marlene C

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  • Guest Blogger Patti Trimble asks, “Who cares . . .”

    Guest Blogger Patti Trimble asks, and answers, “Who cares if I write?”

    Sometimes I ask myself, “Who cares if I write, who basically gives a damn anyway?” Then I remember this is a real question that should be asked with a radical change of voice. Who DOES care if I write? Exactly who am I writing for?

    Writing is a mode of conversation: If I don’t know who I’m talking to, it hardly makes sense to speak.

    Once, on a beach, not in this country, I watched twenty men pull in a surf net. At least that’s what I thought they were doing. For several hours I watched them pull—knee-deep in surf, hauling in two fat ropes that disappeared into the sea. As they inched backwards up the slope, one man jumped up; then some young people ran down to help pull. The town was into it because it was good work, hauling in sustenance from the depths.

    I wouldn’t, couldn’t, write if I didn’t have someone—the whole town, or a few friends—helping me pull in stories and poems. I need my audience and I appreciate them. I ask strangers if they care about my topic—and why. I ask editors. I ask my mom. When I write, I address my audience. If I feel their enthusiasm, I want to write generous explanations, a funny line, a personal insight.

    I also need to be honest about audience. If I was writing for the Nobel Committee, I’d have arranged my education, marriage, work schedule, and publicity machine accordingly. When I’m writing a love letter, I lower my voice . . .

    Try it, try asking, “Who the hell cares if I write?” with curiosity and a sense of adventure. Make a list. Test a story on a friend. Write for someone who needs a laugh. Has your daughter heard about your 1980s hairdo? Does the city need your opinion on the asphalt plant? When your heart jumps at the flying geese, who’s jumping up to help pull out a poem? Is it your writer friends, next week’s slam audience, Mary Oliver, or your dad?

    I’m just saying that writing is a collaborative process, and assembling your team makes things easier.

    Patti Trimble is a freelance writer and widely-published poet. She often performs her lyric poems with music, and will have a new CD out in 2014. Patti teaches writing for Arcadia University in Sicily and also in the Bay Area, including an inspiring “mini-memoir” class that begins Jan 21 at Sonoma State Osher Program, and two spring workshops through Pt. Reyes Field Seminars.

     

     

    Marlene C

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  • It’s time to . . . .

    It’s time to leave behind the beliefs that limit us and embrace the creative beings we truly are. —Suzanne Murray 

    Join Suzanne in one of her many fabulous writing workshops, or personal coaching, or EFT.

     Yosemite Spring Retreat  April 4 – April 6

    Journey to the west of Ireland

    The Heart of Writing – a four week coaching package

    EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)

    Check out Suzanne’s Blog for ideas on writing, creativity and life coaching.

     

     

    Marlene C

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  • Twelve years old . . . Prompt #34

    Write about your favorite thing to do when you were twelve years old.
    You can respond from your personal experience, or answer as your fictional character would answer.

    Marlene C

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  • What surprises me . . . Prompt #33

    What surprises me .  .  .

    Marlene C

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