Prompt 298 on The Write Spot Blog suggests that you write about a difficult time. Thinking about a difficult time: Take the role of counselor . . . If you could step out of the box that contains The Difficult Event and look at it from the point of view of a counselor: What would you advise this person, or these persons, to do? Then: Take the side of one of the persons involved. Write from his/her point of view. And then: Write about the situation from another person’s point of view. For a good read about an interesting point of view: Fire Angels by Elizabeth Kern.
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.
When Tough Love becomes True Love
This past year has been difficult for me (Marlene), not just during the long month of November. I have been playing catch up all year, trying to whittle down my never-ending to-do list. Susan Bono’s guest blog post reminds me to stop, notice, and savor the moment. Susan writes: Even those of us who start the day with a list know what it’s like when unplanned-for events start coming our way. In spite of our intentions, we start tackling the unscheduled instead of working on what we had planned. Emergencies come up, of course; we can’t control everything. No one can plan for bad news or times we are suddenly needed. But the list of unanticipated tasks is endless, and after a while, we just start doing what comes to us, instead of what we had intended. You should have days when you follow your bliss. In fact, have them…
Difficult Time Part 1 Prompt # 298
Write about a difficult time . . . something that happened to you or something you witnessed that made your stomach churn. Perhaps a crisis, or an argument, a disagreement. Write about an event that got you hot under the collar. Write as if you were a reporter narrating the facts. This happened and then that happened. See your story and tell it. How to write without adding trauma.
Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown
Modern Girls Reviewed by Louise Miller: Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown is such an engrossing novel. Once I started, I couldn’t stop reading. Brown has an incredible hand with details, using every one of the five senses. I feel like I know the textures and smells of the streets and cramped apartments of the Lower East Side in the 30’s, the closeness of living in small spaces with large families. I could taste the pickled tongue and smell the scent of Aqua Velva. Brown also has a skillful hand at weaving in historical details. I learned so much about this time in our history, both culturally and politically, and am intrigued to know more. Modern Girls is told from the points of view of both Rose and her daughter Dottie. As a writer, I am impressed with the way Brown effortlessly moves from one distinct voice to the other….
What do Contest Judges Look for?
Recently I was one of three judges for a writing contest. We didn’t agree during the first round of reading on the winners. It took re-reading and much discussion to select the three winners. So that got me to thinking. What do contest judges look for when choosing winning entries? My fellow judges and I came up with: Make sure to follow the guidelines. They aren’t arbitrary. The guidelines are specific for a reason. Make sure to follow the criteria of what genre the contest is. Don’t submit memoir if the contest is fiction. Even though the judges may not be able to tell for sure if something is fiction or memoir . . . if it feels like memoir, it probably is. And that won’t work in a fiction contest. The winning entries that stood out excelled in creative writing and well-crafted stories. The writing and stories were compelling,…
It’s tradition . . . Prompt #297
Write about something you traditionally go to . . . The Nutcracker, a sports event, a debate, a poetry slam, Grandma’s house, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, the beach, the mountains, skiing, Hawaii, the movies on Christmas Eve, out to dinner on an anniversary, watching fireworks at . . . , Disneyland, Friday night movies, family dinner on Sunday, the flea market, farmer’s market, bowling on New Year’s Eve. Write about something you traditionally go to.
Are Writing Contests For You?
Do you enter writing contests? If you do, please share your experience here or on the Writers Forum Facebook page. If you don’t enter writing contests, why not? Share your reasons here or on the Writers Forum Facebook Page. “Writing contests give me short pieces to concentrate on, in between my bigger works. Contests allow me to write in genres that I never would have otherwise, causing me to do research, which helps me to grow as a writer. Contests motivate me to write and challenge me to meet a certain word quota. This forces me to pare down my story to its essentials, choosing my adjectives very carefully, and paying close attention to my word choices.” — Jeanne Jusaitis, First Place Winner of The 2016 Steampunk Contest, sponsored by Redwood Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club. Links to Writing Contests: Fan Story Writer’s Digest The Writer Poets &…
This Place. Prompt #296
Write about a place . . . a favorite place . . . either real or imagined, currently in your life or from your past. A geographic place or an emotional place. Now, think about an uncomfortable place, a place or situation that makes you squirm and dread. Write about a favorite place or an uncomfortable place. Here are some sentence starts. You don’t have to use every suggestion . . . just pick the ones that jump out at you. Describe the place . . . A physical description. It is made of . . . The stone came from . . . The marble came from . . . What did the workers think while they built this place? When I first saw this place, I thought. . . As I approach this place, I . . . My first time inside this place . . . I…
Twenty-six letters.
Neil Gaiman, excerpt from Brain Pickings, “Why We Read and What Books Do for the Human Experience“ When you watch TV or see a film, you are looking at things happening to other people. Prose fiction is something you build up from twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world, and people it and look out through other eyes. You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You’re being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you’re going to be slightly changed. — Neil Gaiman https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/08/03/neil-gaiman-view-from-the-cheap-seats-reading/
Folly Cove by Holly Robinson
Folly Cove reviewed by Jennifer S. Brown. Rarely do I read a book in a single day, but Folly Cove absolutely captivated me. Maybe it was because I saw my own relatives in these characters (Sarah reminded me of my own grandmother), but this story about three sisters and their mother gripped me. Folly Cove is an old inn in Rockport, MA, run by single-mom Sarah and her three daughters, at least until two of the daughters are old enough to escape. The third daughter married, had a child, and settled in to continue helping out. At the start of the novel, however, the two other sisters are pulled back to Folly Cove, and all three must work together–despite that not all are speaking to one another–to plan their mother’s birthday. I didn’t want to put this book down so I could find out what all the secrets are–and there…