I’m thinking about our connections with one another. This excerpt seems timely. Excerpt from Your Mythic Journey by Sam Keen and Anne Valley-Fox “Pre-modern people didn’t think of themselves as individuals — they were members of a tribe as well as of a family. Ancient philosophers knew that human dignity begins with ‘We are a people, therefore I am.’ Modern people are tribal too but we call our tribes by different names — churches, corporations, states, nations. Each of us was nurtured within and shaped by several corporate bodies, voluntary organizations and professional corporations that molded our values and behavior — schools, athletic teams businesses, clubs, temples, and local, national, and international governments.” Prompt: I am from . . . Or: What uniforms or emblems have you worn? Or: What groups have you been a member of? Brownies, Blue Birds, Daisies, Girl Scouts, athletic groups, sorority, secret clubs.
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.
Threads Connect Generations Prompt #272
I’m thinking about ancestors this week and how we inherit some of their traits, like threads weaving from one generation to the next, connecting us. For this prompt, remember your grandfather, your father or an uncle doing something he likes, or liked to do, whatever it is or was. If they built something or maintained something . . . picture what that looks like. Take a deep breathe in. Let it out. Now, think about your grandmother, your mother, or an aunt, doing something she likes, or liked, to do, whatever it is or was. If she built something, or made something, picture what that looks like. Go back a generation or two or three, before electricity, before modern conveniences, pioneer days. Picture your grandfather or grandmother or great-grandparents. If you know how they spent their time, picture that. If you don’t know how they spent their time, use your…
Creative Nonfiction literary magazine
Creative Nonfiction Literary magazine publishes nonfiction prose such as “long-and-short-form nonfiction narratives [and] columns that examine the craft, style trends and ethics of the nonfiction writing life, [as well as] interviews with established writers.”—Writer’s Digest, July/August 2016 issue. Lee Gutkind, Founder and Editor of Creative Nonfiction: “In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these. The words ‘creative’ and ‘nonfiction’ describe the form. The word ‘creative’ refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to…
“Show” Using Dialogue . . . Prompt #271
Today’s writing prompts are about “showing” through dialogue. Show what characters are thinking, show their personalities, their quirks, move the story forward through dialogue. Remember, with freewrites, the writing is spontaneous. There is no crossing out. This could be called “practice writing,” as Natalie Goldberg says. With dialogue we can show character, scene and drama. Use these prompts for practice writing. Respond as your fictional characters would respond. Or, respond in the first person, “I,” with yourself as the primary character . . . You playing the character of you. Prompt: Write a scene, where two characters talk about what they are afraid of. Prompt: Same or different characters. One confesses “I’ve lied about . . .” Prompt: Same or different characters: “I wish I would not have . . . ” You can have a turning point – where the drama takes an unexpected turn, excitement mounting. Throw is…
Joys and discoveries when re-reading books.
Do you feel guilty when you re-read a book (on purpose, not because you forgot you previously read it)? Juan Vidal wrote a thoughtful essay about the joys and discoveries one makes when re-reading. “Returning to a book you’ve read multiple times can feel like drinks with an old friend. There’s a welcome familiarity — but also sometimes a slight suspicion that time has changed you both, and thus the relationship. But books don’t change, people do. And that’s what makes the act of rereading so rich and transformative. The beauty of rereading lies in the idea that our engagement with the work is based on our current mental, emotional, and even spiritual register. It’s true, the older I get, the more I feel time has wings. But with reading, it’s all about the present. It’s about the now and what one contributes to the now, because reading is a…
Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over . . . Prompt #270
Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she began to fly. If you have been following the prompts on The Write Spot Blog, you know what to do. If you are new to freewriting: set your timer for 15-20 minutes and just start writing. Write whatever comes up for you. Shush your inner critic, invite your internal editor to sit outside the room. This is your time to write freely and openly. Just as the caterpillar’s cocoon morphs into a butterfly, let your writing become whatever it wants to be. Just write.
I’m sorry you are experiencing this.
This Write Spot Blog Post is inspired by The Writings of Tim Lawrence, The Adversity Within, Shining Light on Dark Places. Tim offers ideas in his blog post about helping someone who is grieving: “I acknowledge your pain. I am here with you.” “Grief is brutally painful. Grief does not only occur when someone dies. When relationships fall apart, you grieve. When opportunities are shattered, you grieve. When dreams die, you grieve. When illnesses wreck you, you grieve. So I’m going to repeat a few words I’ve uttered countless times: Some things in life cannot be fixed. They can only be carried. These words come from my dear friend Megan Devine, one of the only writers in the field of loss and trauma I endorse. These words are so poignant because they aim right at the pathetic platitudes our culture has come to embody on an increasingly hopeless level. Losing a child cannot…
The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! by Arlene Miller
Reviews for: The Best Little Grammar Book Ever!: Speak and Write with Confidence / Avoid Common Mistakes 2nd Edition, by Arlene Miller. Joel Friedlander reviews The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! In this delightful book, Arlene Miller demystifies the basics of grammar to help you communicate with more clarity. And she does it without talking down to the reader, and without boring you to tears. This is not a compendium of grammar practice; it’s a streamlined overview with lots of tips and hints that will have you writing better right away. Joel Friedlander is an award-winning book designer, a blogger, the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish and The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide. He’s been launching the careers of self-publishers since 1994 and writes TheBookDesigner.com, a popular blog on book design, book marketing and the future of the book. Sheri Graves reviews The Best Little Grammar Book Ever!…
Enter Writer Advice Contest And Receive Feedback.
If you want your writing to be published, you have to submit. If you want to be a better writer, you need feedback. You can get both when submitting to Writer Advice contests. B. Lynn Goodwin, founder of Writer Advice, reads every manuscript submitted. She will give you excellent feedback, tell you what’s working and identify anything that trips her up. I first met Lynn in a writing workshop in Berkeley, CA, summer of 2007. I admired her writing then and admire her editing skills now. Lynn’s tips on how to win a contest: Entice. Grab attention. Make the reader want to know more. Give reasons for the reader to care. Due by September 1: Scintillating Starts: Middle Grade, Young Adult, or New Adult novels. 1000 words or less. Fee: $15. First prize: $160. Second prize. $50. Due by December 1: Scintillating Starts: Fiction, memoir, or creative non-fiction. 1000 words or…
Does your heart hurt? Prompt #269
Does your heart hurt? I’ve been hearing “My heart hurts” from several friends these past few days. And when I hear their stories, my heart hurts, also. What to do? I believe in healing through writing. So, let’s write. Write about: Does your heart hurt? Write all the details you can about this. What happened? Write all the details that you know. If you were directly involved: Be as detailed and as explicit as you can. When did it happen? Day of week? Time of day? Where did it happen? Who was involved? What were you wearing? Were you standing or sitting? If you weren’t directly involved: Write as many details as you know. Then, focus on why you are affected. What connects you to what happened? Why are you affected so strongly? Read the next part after you have written about why your heart hurts and how and why…