Guest Bloggers

Perfection vs Good Enough

Guest Blogger, David Moldawer, is the author of The Maven Game. He writes weekly essays for writers. Perfection vs Good Enough Take the old quote:   Perfect is the enemy of good. Voltaire might have been the one to say it in this form, but the idea of “good enough beats unattainable ideal” has been around much longer. In fact, it warrants its own Wikipedia entry, if you’re curious to trace its history. However it’s expressed, it’s good advice for a writer. But is it perfect? (See what I did there?) I’ve often said, “remember, perfect is the enemy of good,” to people stuck in the trap of perfectionism, but over time I’ve come to question the effectiveness of simply saying the words. If you’re working on a solo project with no genuine deadline, more can be done to improve it. And even more. There is always a better solution to…

Book Reviews

The Write Spot: Possibilities

Here’s what people are saying about The Write Spot: Possibilities ~ Stories and poems in this aptly named collection remind us of the possibilities that exist when we give ourselves the gift of time to reflect on our life experiences. Writing prompts and resources are generously shared to inspire and encourage readers who might wish to reach for a pen and capture thoughts and memories of their own. These words will touch your heart and might even move your pen.”— Brenda ~ The Write Spot: Possibilities is a collection of playful, experimental, insightful stories as well as prompts, resources, and words of encouragement for the beginning writer. Part anthology, part craft book, Possibilities is a welcome addition to any reader or writer’s bookshelf. —Elizabeth ~ A delightful mix of stories and writing advice. — Adair Lara, author of Naked, Drunk, and Writing OTHER BOOKS IN THE WRITE SPOT SERIES The Write…

Prompts

Imagine receiving a greeting card. Prompt #455

The last Just Write post talked about writing a messy first draft. Ready to start that messy project? Or continue with something you are working on. Here is a writing prompts to start the messy project: Writing Prompt: Imagine you (or your fictional character) received a greeting card in the mail. It can be from someone you know or a character you create. It can be from a celebrity. It can be sent to the wrong address. What does the card say? How does the narrator react when reading the card? What happens next? Just Write!

Just Write

When the final product satisfies.

Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, songs, or whatever you write, this might help understand why the final product isn’t working. Excerpted from “Rough it Up,” by Elizabeth Sims, Writer’s Digest Magazine, February 2009, Get messy with your first draft to get to the good stuff.  As Ernest Hemingway famously said, “The first draft of anything is sh*t.” For years, I didn’t understand. When I started writing fiction seriously, I kept trying to get it right the first time. Over time, as I got rougher with my first drafts, my finished work got better and better. Why does a coherent first draft give birth to a stilted finished product? Because it means you haven’t let it flow. You haven’t given yourself permission to make mistakes because you haven’t forgiven yourself for past ones. Admit it: Unless your throttle’s wide open, you’re not giving it everything you’ve got. Creativity in writing…

Prompts

Angry? Too nice? Prompt #454

Congratulations on being here, taking time to do something for yourself. Sometimes the writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog are serious, sometimes fun, and sometimes instrumental in learning something about writing and learning about ourselves. You are always free to write whatever you want. The prompts are just ideas to get you started. If you are writing and run out of things to say, either repeat the prompt, or write “what I really want to say.” And go from there. When you read the prompt, write it down, and just start writing. Get rid of the editor that sits on your shoulder. Don’t think. Don’t overthink. Write whatever comes into your mind. The writing prompts are meant to encourage you to write what you really want to write (no judgement on good or bad, nice or not nice content). But what if what you really want to write isn’t…

Guest Bloggers

Reflections after a year of travel

Guest Blogger Alisha Wielfaert encourages us to work through the difficulties rather than be stuck in the mud. This excerpt is from her December 4, 2017 blog post, with her epiphany about her year of travel. The glowing orange moon rose over the cypress swamp as we drove home with tired limbs, hungry bellies and full hearts after a long day of kayaking. I had almost bowed out of this trip before it even started.  Maia called me on my last trip to DC before I left for Paris and said, “We’re camping at Carolina beach and taking a few of my students to kayak the three sisters swamp to visit some of the oldest cypress trees in the world.  Can you join us?”   Maia, full of energy and excitement, just isn’t someone you tell “no” even though I knew saying yes meant two days away from home after only…

Just Write

NaNoWriMo-Is it for you?

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month. “NaNoWriMo believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.” —NaNoWriMo website “A month of NaNoWriMo can lead to a lifetime of better writing.” Grant Faulkner, founder and creator of NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. Each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand-new novel — but that’s not all that NaNoWriMo is! NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that supports writing fluency and education. It’s a teaching tool, it’s a curriculum, and its programs run year-round. Whatever you…

Book Reviews

True to Form

True to Form by Elizabeth Berg. Elizabeth Berg has a unique ability to create characters who could live down the block, or they could be characters who peopled my growing up years. Berg’s writing style draws in readers to nuances and complex relationships, revealed through subtle actions and detailed dialogue. Her characters face the consequences of their decisions in ways that are remarkable because they are so familiar and yet told with such grace and eloquence that the story seems fresh and heretofore untold. It is such a pleasure to read an Elizabeth Berg Book.

Places to submit

New Delta Review

New Delta Review is an online literary and arts journal produced by graduate students in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Louisiana State University. Since 1984, NDR has published the work of emerging and established writers. Each issue includes original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, reviews, interviews, and artwork. “In our 30 years of publication, authors of international renown — Anne Carson, Billy Collins, Robert Olen Butler, J. Robert Lennon and Alissa Nutting, to name a few — have shared our pages with tomorrow’s literary stars. Our contributors are regularly included in anthologies such as Best American Short Stories, New Stories from the South, and Best American Poetry. As a journal we are committed to publishing underrepresented voices, and aim to foster diversity in our issues. Although we ask for a small fee for our general submissions, this fee helps us sustain and extend this practice into our community by hosting and supporting readings and…