Quotes

I may never finish my novel . . .

“I may never finish my novel, but the joy of writing, of using those 26 letters to express and share what I create with them, is the comfort that keeps me on the journey.” Connie Mygatt Connie Mygatt is a writer/artist living in beautiful Petaluma, California. She was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, married and started her family there. The rich memories of life in that rural area and living in California for over 30 years have allowed her to experience many wonderful and sad moments that are an ever constant source of inspiration to her. Plus, life is ever offering intriguing “what if” moments from which to harvest story lines. She enjoys writing short stories, poetry and has started her first novel.           Last year, Connie finished writing, illustrating and publishing her first children’s book, Only For A While, which can be purchased on Amazon or through her directly at Maye123 – at – comcast.com

Just Write

Have you been wanting to write?

Have you been wanting to write? Perhaps this is the summer for your writing. How about this. . . let’s all (me, too) take the month of July to write 15-20 minutes a day. If you have more time, write longer. But let’s commit to a minimum of 15-20 minutes every day. What to write about? Whatever is on your mind. Need some ideas . . . some prompts to get started? Click on Prompts  . . . Choose a prompt. Set your timer and Just Write! Ready? Set? Let’s go. Photo by Kent Sorensen  

Places to submit

The Blotter wants yer pieces. Now!

The Blotter wants yer pieces. Now! Send “short prose (stories and nonacademic essays), Poetry, Photojournalism/-essay, Journalism and monthly columns that go beyond or beneath the pabulum you’re expected to enjoy, Comix, and Fine art that would reproduce well on newsprint. We’d like you to try to send stuff that is somehow resonant with what we have already published, but frankly, sometimes you know better than we do what we want. We do endeavor to be apolitical — bear that in mind.” Marlene’s Musings; It sounds like The Blotter is ready and waiting for YOUR writing. If you have something ready to go . . . send now. If you don’t . . . whatcha waitin’ for? I’ll be posting literary journals as places to submit for the next few posts. So get your work lined up and get ready to submit.

Prompts

National What? Day . . . Prompt #165

Prompt: Take Your Fill-In-The-Blank To Work Day Take your dog, cat, frog, aunt/ant to work day. From the June 2015 Costco Connection: Summer is typically a time when many businesses see a drop-off in customers, so they create ways to engage customers. Here are some specially designated days and, of course, you can write on any of these. Have fun. . .  Let your imagination take over. June 1: Flip A Coin Day June 3: Repeat Day June 4: Hug Your Cat Day June 8: Best Friends Day June 10: Iced Tea Day June 18: National Splurge Day June 19: Sauntering Day June 26: Take Your Dog to Work Day You can search the internet for all kinds of “official” days. Just Write!

Just Write

Just Write Magic Carpet Ride

For inspiration to Just Write:  Click on a topic below and you will arrive at a (hopefully) inspirational post. Just like being on a magic carpet ride! The following are from the 2013 Just Write Posts Gorgeous Writing by Melanie Thorne Fabulous Character Sketch, Elizabeth Berg Natalie Goldberg talks about writing practice  Twelve Steps to Successful Writing by Marlene Cullen Amy Zhang and Your Scraps of Writing How to get in the mood to write by Marlene Cullen Don’t think. Don’t Plan. Just Write. Marlene Cullen Natalie Goldberg’s Six Rules of Writing Get Started. How to use prompts. Marlene Cullen Pass On The Dream And Tell Its Truth – Natalie Goldberg Elizabeth Berg demystifies how to describe characters Debbie Macomber had so many rejections . . . Writing about place, August Kleinzahler Three top Pointers About Writing Personal Essay by Kelly Caldwell One way to learn how to write, get…

Places to submit

The Blue Moon Literary & Art Review is ready for you

The Blue Moon Literary & Art Review publishes poetry and fiction of all genres, including literary fiction and murder mystery. They are especially interested in short stories and excerpts from novels in progress. Click Submission Guidelines for complete instructions. Something Unique with Blue Moon: Ever wonder why your piece wasn’t selected? Blue Moon offers a Critique Service:  If (and only if) you would like a written critique of your work, include a $10.00 Critique Fee with your mailed submission. What a deal!

Guest Bloggers

Guest Blogger Jordan Rosenfeld reveals secrets of successful writers.

Guest Blogger Jordan Rosenfeld: 5 Habits of Persistent Writers (That you can adopt, too). Show me two equally capable writers and I’ll show one who succeeds at her publishing dreams and one who struggles. What’s the difference between them? And no, the answer isn’t luck, or “being born with it.” The writer who succeeds persists. What does this mean, precisely? We hear a lot about persistence–is it just a numbers game, where if you keep submitting the same story or novel eventually it will just magically land? No, that’s blind hope. Persistence is passion + commitment + practice.  Below I’ll walk you through seven strategies for becoming a persistent writer, and I promise you the answer will not include self-immolation or losing sleep. Find a Passion Root: One of the most amazing things about rose bushes is that they are notoriously difficult to kill by chopping or cutting. You can prune…