Writing Prompt: Write a December memory. #justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
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.
Keeping the memory . . . Prompt #858
In “Giving Up The Ghost” by Samantha Rose, Sam explores the possibility of having a relationship with someone after they die. Writing Prompt: If you have lost a loved one, in what ways have you continued the relationship? Or Write about someone who has passed as if you were introducing them. For example, “This is my grandmother, she sews all her clothes and makes noodles from scratch.” Bring this person to life as if they were in the room, or right around the corner.
Hard to do . . . Prompt #857
Prompt 1 Make a list of things that are hard for you to do. Prompt 2 Write about one of those things that are hard, and yet you do it anyway.
What makes writing memorable?
Concrete details. Evocative language. Characters who seem as human as we are. Ronnie Blair, “Writing That Endures—It’s All in the Craft,” Brevity Blog, October 17, 2025 Ronnie Blair is the author of the memoir Eisenhower Babies: Growing Up on Moonshots, Comic Books, and Black-and-White TV.
Your Path to Success
Excerpt from an excellent post by Dan Blank: “As a writer, it can be difficult to find a clear path that leads you to your goals.” “One of my biggest concerns is that someone has a vision for what they want to write and create, and they justify giving it up. That it’s too hard to publish, so they don’t. That they receive too many rejections, so they give up. That they read marketing is impossible nowadays, so they stop trying.” You don’t have to struggle alone. Dan Blank has answers. “We struggle alone. We succeed together.” The Creative Shift by Dan Blank, November 7, 2025
Making sense of something senseless
I have re-read a Wall Street Journal article numerous times since its publication, July 2024, partly because of the subject, mostly because of the riveting way it was written . . . the account of the days before and after Rachel Zimmerman’s husband’s death by his own hand. “As a health reporter, I wrote years ago about a study that showed the psychological benefits of storytelling. I was fascinated by research that found that people felt differently about themselves and their lives when they reframed their stories so that they were agents, not victims or bystanders. Essentially, the story matters less than how we tell it to ourselves.” Rachel Zimmerman, “A Decade Ago, My Husband Killed Himself. Could I Have Stopped it?” The Wall Street Journal, July 6-7, 2024 As Zimmerman wrote, “This is my effort to make sense of something senseless.” Both Zimmerman and Samantha Rose (Giving Up The…
Giving Up The Ghost
Even though “Giving Up The Ghost” by Samantha Rose is about a difficult topic (her mother’s decision to end her life), the gorgeous writing, the meaningful themes, and demonstrations of the importance of connections make this a powerhouse of a memoir. I was curious how Sam accomplished this masterpiece, so I took a deep dive to discover how she did this; reading the first time to learn the story, the second time to discover gems I missed the first time, and a third exploration, using “Ghost” as a textbook for how to write a memoir. Sam skillfully uses sensory detail and strong verbs to word-paint scenes that readers can “see,” unspooling across their minds like a well-crafted movie. Her ability to transform conversations and scenes into poignant moments paired with her willingness to be vulnerable while releasing the truth of her mother’s life and death are remarkable. Sam’s mother, Susan…
As writers, we’re often . . .
“As writers, we’re often trained to seek momentum—significant events, turning moments, the big emotional payoff. Especially in memoir, there’s pressure to magnify the trauma or spin a grand arc of triumph. But when I sat down to write, what called to me weren’t the headlines. It was the folds in between.” — Mary Monoky, “What Stillness Taught Me About Story,” August 6, 2025, The Brevity Blog
Misconception . . . Prompt #856
Write about something someone thinks about you, but it’s not true. A misconception. Just Write!
Even Introverts Can Support Authors
Charlotte Wilkins We had an interesting discussion in my Jumpstart writing group the other day about being an introvert and how hard it is sometimes to be around people. Well! As writers and readers, it’s important to support authors. One possibly easy way is to attend author events. Charlotte Wilkins offers suggestions on how to be a successful participant at author events. “I attended the two book readings to support these authors, yet I’m the one who learned so much from them: relax and be yourself; having a sense of humor about yourself puts your audience at ease; read short snippets that makes the listener wonder what’s to come (Woodson says you must have intention in every line to pull the reader forward); be generous with your responses; hope for the best, prepare for the worst; and stick a couple of questions in your pocket just in case. It seems…