Ethan Gilsdorf on Zooming In and Lingering: “In personal essay, memoir and creative nonfiction, we want to bring to our pages a sense of verisimilitude, of intruding upon someone else’s circumstances, of grasping someone else’s fleeting take on the world.” How to do this? Gilsdorf suggests: “The language of cinematography is a useful analogy: in a wide or medium shot, the viewer is distant from the subject; in close-ups and extreme close-ups, the frame of reference is tight. In writing, this means: rather than quickly cutting away, or keeping the viewer far removed, like a drone hovering high above, we can zoom in on the subject of our attention, or pan across it, slowly. We can train our writerly efforts to pause. To not skip over— but to linger, loiter, dawdle, stay put, wait.” Excerpted from “Stay a Little Bit Longer: The Art of Zooming In and Lingering,” The Brevity…
Author: mcullen
Marlene Cullen is enthusiastic about encouraging people to write, even those who think they can’t write. Her series of books, The Write Spot anthologies, features writing that entertains as well as inspires writing. Every story, vignette, and poem in The Write Spot books include writing prompts motivating readers to become writers.
Marlene hosts The Write Spot Blog, a treasure chest of inspirational gems for writers.
Fulfilling her passion for writing and sharing with others, Marlene has created unique writing environments such as Jumpstart Writing Workshops, where participants often experience transformational changes. Her workshops provide essential elements for successful writing.
Marlene is the founder of Writers Forum of Petaluma, a monthly literary event featuring presenters talking about the craft and business of writing.
Marlene's awarding winning short stories and essays have been published in literary journals, anthologies, and newspapers, including Tiny Lights, Building Bridges, More Bridges, Redwood Writers anthologies, and The Write Spot anthologies.
She is a member of the California Writer's Club.
Hey! I feel like that too.
“Be brave with it. Be brave with the thing that you are most scared to talk about, that is the thing you need to be able to talk about. There are so many tragedies in you and joy in you that need a voice, and you would be so surprised to see that when you voice that thing you are so scared of how many people across the world will go, ‘Hey, I feel like that too. Thank you for putting a voice to how I feel.’” —Nikita Gill Quote in “Write it All Down” by Cathy Rentzenbrink.
Write It All Down
“Write It All Down” by Cathy Rentzenbrink Review by Marlene Cullen A friendly book encouraging people to write without worries. Easy to read with specific suggestions that inspire writing. My motto is “Just Write.” Cathy’s motto could be “Release your fears. Stay in your chair. Write.” #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
It’s a Jungle
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. It’s a Jungle By Marlene Cullen It’s a jungle out there. I’d like to peg Bumbling Unreliable Gardener, aka Bug, on a hook and let him hang until cured. Except, I wonder, is he at fault for my jungle of a yard? Should I have been more forceful in not allowing him to install a plethora of plants in my pursuit of a peaceful place? I discovered Bug on social media. He answered my gardening questions as if he was a landscaping guru. So, I hired him. Big mistake. Huge. He handed me an extensive questionnaire to compose my heart’s desire in a garden. Winding paths. Check. Whimsical. Check. Calm, serene. Check, check. I envisioned a landscape of pleasant plants flowing in meandering paths. No white plants. What I got was spiky plants here, there, everywhere….
My Heart
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. My Heart By Karen Handyside Ely My heart is a newly uncluttered closet. Organized and cleared of discarded outfits that smothered the floor, made movement impossible, allowed no forward progress. The air, once static and heavy with body-image accusations, is now peaceful and fresh. Eerily quiet with a hanging row of color-coded dresses that don’t hurl recrimination and neatly stacked t-shirts, crisply folded and segregated. Controlled. Smelling faintly of the lavender sachet I’ve finally replenished on the bottom shelf… now that I can reach it. Favorite sweaters, unworn for ages, have been lovingly salvaged, gently removed from their hangers, and boxed for consignment shops and resale. Traitorous pants and blouses, once thought to be friends, are stuffed haphazardly into hefty bags to sit out on the sidewalk for donated pick-up. My heart is a freshly weeded…
Metaphors and Hyperbole . . . Prompt #853
Prompt One Make a list of things that surprised or astonished you or made you feel uncomfortable. Something from a long time ago or recently. Just a list for now. Prompt Two Using your list, make a list of emotions you felt either during what you experienced or emotions you felt today or are feeling right now. For example: Fear, anger, surprise, annoyance, joy, angst, acceptance Prompt Three A metaphor compares two unlike things to show a relationship without using “like” or “as.” Metaphors imply that one thing is another. Examples of metaphors: Chaos is a friend of mine. —Bob Dylan You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time. —Elvis Presley Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. —Taylor Swift My heart, a church where no one prays. Lonely pews and smudged stained glass. The Forever Workshop Writing Prompt: Choose an emotion from your list. Write what happened that caused…
Maisie Dobbs
Maisie Dobbs series of books one through eleven, reviewed by Marlene Cullen Winter 2025 I needed escapism reading . . . where a heroine cracks the case, the murder gets solved, the valuables are restored, and at the end, I smile with satisfaction after absorbing excellent writing. And so, I re-read the first eleven books in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Even though they were published between 2014 and 2016, some scenes could be describing today’s political events. I wonder how Jacqueline had the prescience to do that. Her books contain inspirational messages: “Birds of a Feather,” page 220 “Tell me, Dr. Dene, if you were to name one thing that made the difference between those who get well quickly and those who don’t, what would it be?” “If I were to name one thing, it would be acceptance. Some people don’t accept what has happened. They are…
First Draft
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Attributed to Terry Pratchett #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter
Customer Service
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Customer Service By Su Shafer Mr. Wright came hobbling in today Leaning heavily on a cane He needed to pay his bill. His good knee has gone out His bad knee has been watching from the sidelines Still wondering about the replacement Promised a few years ago. But he had to have bi-pass surgery On a heart which has been hobbling along too. He had come straight from the dentist But was smiling anyway The droopy smile of a weary man “Getting old is so hard,” he said, Stroking the sparse fuzz on his head. “Is it really worth it?” “It is today,” I said smiling back. In the way someone Who is really glad to see you smiles. He nodded, his mouth drooping a little less. Su Shafer is a creative crafter, fabricating bits of writing…
Fast Drafting
Zarien Hsu Gee offers “fast drafting” as a creative process: Fast drafting is a way to break through creative paralysis, to see what might be possible with an idea or writing project. When you commit to writing fast without judgment, you bypass the inner critic that can slow your progress to a crawl or even prevent you from moving forward at all. The beauty of fast drafting lies in its imperfection. By calling it a “fast draft,” you free yourself from the expectation of perfectionism. You accept fast drafting as a necessary creative process in order to move forward with your work, and your expectations for its literary genius is low. Your goal is just to get it all down. The fast draft also serves as confidence booster. It reminds you that you can write this story, this novel, this memoir. When you write fast enough to outrun judgment, your…