YWCA invites writers to address the issue of domestic violence

  • YWCA invites writers to address the issue of domestic violence

    The YWCA invites Sonoma County writers to address the issue of domestic violence through poetry, flash fiction and memoir for October 2014’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

    Authors and poets are free to explore the topic from many perspectives, focusing on a more personal approach, a social level, the viewpoint from victims, children, loved ones, those who witness the violence, or those who work in the field, such as doctors, police, therapists.

    The YWCA defines domestic violence as threatening behavior that seeks to control and exercise power over another. This behavior can include one or all of the following: emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse, and/or threats of abuse or violence to a partner’s children or pets.

    Short fiction and personal narrative pieces should not exceed 1000 words. Up to three poems may be submitted, but the total number of pages of poetry shall not exceed three.

    Entries should be in Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced. Poetry may be single spaced. Please submit electronically in a Word document, sending to the following address:        wingpoet@gmail.com

    Include author’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, as well as a 50-word writer’s autobiographical statement.

    The deadline is Sept. 10, 2014.

    For any questions, please contact Michelle Wing at (707) 478-1460 or wingpoet@gmail.com, or Misty Bastoni, Volunteer Coordinator at the YWCA, (707) 303-8401.

    The YWCA will host four separate nights of author readings in Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Cloverdale in October, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

    The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  

    For more information on the YWCA Sonoma County, YWCA USA and YWCA World, please visit our website .

    YWCA

    Marlene C

  • “I just want to stay authentic and keep dreaming my dreams.” — Katy Perry

    “A lot of times I write these songs because I need to reinspire myself,” Katy Perry, in the July14, 2014 issue of People magazine.

    “I need to find my voice again. I need to be heard.”

    How about you? Are you writing to be heard? Is anyone paying attention? We are. . . here at The Write Spot Blog.

    Choose a prompt and then write. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog. Maybe the person who most needs to hear what you have to say will be reading.

    Katy Perry“I just want to stay authentic and keep dreaming my dreams.” — Katy Perry

    Me too, Katy, me too~!

    Let’s gather ’round the table, put pen to paper or fingers on keyboard and Just Write!

    Marlene C

  • Reject A Hit. . . Have you seen this?

    Reject A Hit . . . Writer’s Digest Magazine, Rejection Letter column is a hit with local writers.

    Sonoma County Writer Amy Marincik’s spoof rejection on Great Expectations was selected for the March/April 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine.

    Writers Forum presenter, Daniel Ari, wrote a pithy rejection letter to e.e. cummings, published in the July/August 2014 issue of the magazine.

    Reject A Hit.Daniel Ari

    You, too, can be featured on the last page of Writer’s Digest magazine’s, Reject A Hit column.

    300 words or fewer. Submit via email to wdsubmissions@fwmedia.com with “Reject a hit” in the subject line.

    Go for it!

    Here is a list of books that have been spoofed rejected.

    2012

    September       The Godfather by Mario Puzo

    October           Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

    Nov/Dec          How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

     2013

    January           Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

    March/April    Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, spoofed by Amy Marincik

    May/June        Burning Down My Masters’ House: My Life at the NY Times Jayson Blair

    July/August    The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

    October           The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

    Nov/Dec          The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

    2014

    January           The Road by Cormac McCarthy

    February         The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

    March/April    Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

    May/June        Tess of the D’Urbevilles

    July/Aug         Tulips & Chimmeys by e.e. cummings, spoofed by Daniel Ari

    Your Turn!  Write your 300 word Spoof Rejection and submit to Reject A Hit, Writer’s Digest magazine.

     

    Marlene C

  • The Kathy Myers “Book in a Box” Method (patent pending)

    Guest Blogger Kathy Myers writes:

    Computers are great and all— without them, this blog wouldn’t exist and then what would I do? But when I was younger, my image of a writing life was less technical and more romantic: Jo in Little Women, writing her books in a drafty attic wearing fingerless gloves against the winter chill, or Jane Austen dipping her nib and contemplating her next chapter, while her parents plan a ball where she can meet eligible bachelors. Ah, the good old days.

    At a Jumpstart Writing Workshop in May, I wrote a fictional scene on the prompt “It happened because . . . ”  Marlene Cullen, always benevolent and encouraging to writers said, “That would be a good beginning for a romance novel.”

    Jumpstart was on hiatus for the month of June, and this coincided with a flirtation I’d been having about trying the fabled “sit-your-ass-in-a-chair-and-write-a–thousand-words-a-day” method I’d heard so much about— a discipline that so many writers (who actually have books published) swear by. So I thought what the heck, if Marlene can drag herself to her exercise boot camp, I can drag myself into the kitchen: make some toast and coffee, go back to bed with my fully charged laptop, and write until it runs out of juice. This averages about three hours and about a thousand words. I am no worse for wear for the effort, and I have the rest of the day ahead of me—fully charged with a great sense of accomplishment. I press print, and then put my day’s work into a lovely flowered document box (Home Goods $7.98). My box is fancy and romantic—much nicer than poor Jo’s manuscript—wrapped with brown paper and twine. It might not be as nice as Jane’s satin lined box inlaid with elephant ivory, but hey—now I’ve got something to buy with my future royalties.

    It’s July now and I’m thirty thousand words into my first novel. I have to tell you: The ass in a chair/ book in a box method works. You are free to do as you wish with your writing, of course. Do it on a whim or when the muse strikes. But get a fancy box to put it in. Remember that everything you write is a legacy of sorts. You can have a time capsule where your stories, journals, or Jumpstart notebooks can be collected—honoring your efforts with a neat and lovely testament to your creativity. Your voice in the form of your words can reside there in style.

    Kathy M. + boxKathy Myers is a big fan of Jumpstart and Writers Forum. She has waded into the submission pool this past year and been published by Every Day Fiction, Petaluma Readers Theater and Redwood Writers Anthology. She has done several guest book reviews on The Write Spot Blog and is an advocate for fancy boxes everywhere.

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Terrain is an online journal . . . writing plus multimedia.

    Terrain is an online journal of fiction, poetry, essays, photos and multimedia, currently looking for more fiction. June 2014 issue of The Writer magazine: “Readers are welcome to comment below Terrain’s pieces, and the online format allows them to share favorite writing through various social media outlet.”

    Terrain accepts general submissions from September 1 to May 30, and contest submissions year-round (with a September 1 deadline for mid-October publication). We do not accept regular submissions in June, July, and August. With the exception of accompanying artwork and queries, all work must be submitted online via Terrain.org’s Submission Manager, requiring the creation of a user account.

    check mark.1Note: From Marlene. . . flag these contest and submissions dates. Start writing now and be ready to send during submission dates.

    Marlene C

  • Listen to your body as a way to creativity.

    In this Just Write post, we’ll take a look at the idea of listening to your body as a way to get past blocks toward your creativity.

    First, turn off your cell phone or put to vibrate. Unplug from Facebook and emails. Eliminate as many distractions as you can.

    If you are experiencing extreme grief or pain, please get professional help. This post, of course, cannot replace the need for professional assistance.

    Ready? Here we go.

    We all experience grief, trauma, sadness. And we have our own ways of handling those stresses. There is no one right or wrong way to handle these difficulties. What is right for one person, may be wrong for someone else. What works for me, might not work for you, so take what works for you from this post, ignore the rest.

    Let’s take a moment now to breathe, relax and get settled.

    Take a deep breath in and let out with a whoosh.

    Deep breath in. Relax. Let go.

    Drop your head to your chest and rotate in a circle.

    Rotate shoulders in a circle.

    Scan from head, down to your toes. Check in with your body.

    Notice places that are tight. Notice any uncomfortableness.

    As you scan your body, become aware of any place that draws your attention – notice what part of your body calls out to you.

    Place the palm of your hand on the part of your body that calls your attention. Or bring your breath there if it’s not reachable with your hand.

    Allow your hand to be filled with the information of that place.

    Take a deep breath in. Let it out with relaxing sigh.

    Thinking about that place in your body that calls out . . . what do you notice? Who hangs out there? Who do you see?

    If you could have a conversation with that part of your body, what would it sound like?

    If you have blockages in your life, your work, or your creativity, your body can tell you what’s going on. If you are stuck, notice where you feel it in your body.

    When you pay attention to that stuck feeling, you can work past it and then you will be free to work as you wish. Discover what’s really bothering you.

    When you are ready, write about what you have discovered. Write about that place in your body that wants attention. Or just write about whatever is on your mind.Hands

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Sweatpants & Coffee wants your stories.

    The Story of Sweatpants & Coffee

    The idea for Sweatpants & Coffee was born, as many great ideas are born, during a time of personal reflection and solitude. That is to say, while its founder was taking a hot shower. The concept of a site that would celebrate all things comfort-related, one that would help people to feel good about themselves, was immensely appealing to Nanea Hoffman. With dripping hair, she bought a domain name and sketched out a plan. Nanea spends a lot of time in sweatpants, drinking coffee, so this was inevitable. Sweatpants & Coffee is a place where you can kick back, enjoy yourself, and be comfortable. Because when you are your most comfortable self, you can do anything.

    Sweatpants & CoffeeNote from Marlene: Sweatpants & Coffee is an amazing website. . . poetry corner, flash fiction, inspiration, interviews, all kinds of good stuff. So grab a cuppa and join in the fun.

     

     

    Marlene C

  • Rebecca Lawton Week

    This is “Rebecca Lawton Week” on The Write Spot Blot. Today’s inspiration for “Just Write” is from her book, Reading Water, Lessons from the River:

    The water-level fluctuations, both daily and seasonal, gave us regular lessons in how the river varied depending on flow. The thalweg, or deepest or best navigable channel, didn’t always follow a direct path. On one key day early in my training, I followed a boatman friend named John through the long, straight, placid reach of the Stanislaus below Razorback Rapids. As I rowed down the middle of the river, choosing the course where the main flow had been weeks before, I noticed John’s boat meandering from one side of the river to the other. He kept his hands on the oars but barely exerted himself, simply using the oars to adjust his boat’s position on the water surface. He moved briskly downstream through the calms with little effort. Even as I rowed steadily to keep up, he beat me by finding the strongest flow and doing the bare minimum to stay on it.

    “It’s true,” John told me later. “You’ve just got to use the current. It’ll carry you if you don’t fight it.”

    Water.BreanaNote from Marlene: Sometimes our writing meanders, like John and his boat, and that’s just fine. Find the current in your writing. Let your mind wander and let your freewrite take you on a meandering route and you might find the rhythm for your best creative writing. Just Write!

    Photo by Breana Marie.

    Click here for Rebecca Lawton’s website.

    Marlene C

    , ,

  • Writer Advice introduces a new project

    Writer Advice introduces a new project:

    Communicate an important message to a child, parent, spouse, lover, neighbor, fictitious character, or real literary agent.

    Write a letter that fits a category below:

    •     Letter to a parent, child, spouse, or other family member
    •     Letter to a lover
    •     Letter to a neighbor
    •     Letter to a civil servant or other service provider
    •     Letter from a character to you or to another character
    •     Letter to a potential agent or publisher

    Express yourself, hone your voice, find new subjects for your writing, share issues, share your thoughts and voice with the world.
    B. Lynn Goodwin (Writer Advice) will let you know the message she gets from your letter and the impression she receives of you as the author of the letter. You may be determined, confused, frustrated, wise, or inspiring.

    Letters only please. Keep them short. Less is more. Suggested length is 50-500 words.

    Deadline: July 18, 2014

    Submission fee = $15.   If your letter is shared on Writer Advice, you will receive a $45 prize.

    Click here for submission information.

    Journaling for CaregiversB. Lynn Goodwin is the owner of Writer Advice and the author of You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers, available on Amazon. Her stories and articles have been published in Voices of Caregivers; Hip Mama; the Oakland Tribune; the Contra Costa Times; the Danville Weekly; Staying Sane When You’re Dieting; Small Press Review; Dramatics Magazine; Thickjam.com, Friction Literary Journal, and The Sun. She’ll have a piece in Writing After Retirement: Tips by Successful Retired Writers and a different piece in Small Miracles from Beyond: Dreams, Visions and Signs that Link Us to the Other Side. She’s just signed a contract for her Young Adult novel, Talent, and offers manuscript consultations through Writer Advice.

     

    Marlene C

    ,

  • Writing is like excavating . . .

    Writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog are designed to encourage writing that takes the writer on a journey of discovery.

    Our freewrites can refresh our memories and remind us of times past. It’s like excavating — digging deep and dredging up memories.

    You can start writing very simply — with pen or pencil and paper or keyboard.

    To go deep into your writing — rest both feet on the floor, rest your hands lightly on your lap or on the table. Take in a deep, nourishing breath and slowly let it out. Another deep breath in and s-l-o-w-l-y release. Sink into your breath and relax on the out breath.

    Review the prompt and start writing. If you get stuck and don’t know what to write next:

    ~ Write the prompt . . . sometimes re-writing the prompt brings up new ideas.

    ~ Write “I remember. . . ” and go from there.

    ~ Write “I don’t remember. . . ” and see where that takes you.

    ~ Write “What I really want to say . . . ”   This is my favorite to inspire deep writing.

    Shovel Whatever methods you use . . . just write.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , , ,