Guest Blogger Arlene Miller, The Grammar Diva, gives us a sneak preview into her recently published second edition of The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! If you are a member of the nerdy world of grammarians, you know that there are “controversial” grammar topics. One of those is the use of the Oxford comma. Another is the use of the singular they. I use the Oxford comma, and I don’t use the singular they. But both these issues are up to you. Let’s talk about the singular they. They is a pronoun. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun. We know that they is third person plural. Third person singular pronouns are he, she, and it. Now how many times have you said, or heard someone say, Everyone is bringing their book to the meeting or something similar? Let’s pick that sentence apart: This is an issue of…
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.
Unplug . . . a moment for yourself. Prompt #268
“We often rate our days by what we’ve accomplished, applauding ourselves for a workout logged, an errand completed, a task crossed off. But consider grading today on a new curve. Give yourself credit not for doing but simply for being—for taking time to sit alone, listening, daydreaming, creating space to think. Only then can you connect with the most important person in your world: yourself. “— author unknown Imagine you have all the time in the world. There isn’t anything you have to do. Whatever needs to be done in your real world is magically done for you. In this dream world, you have no worries and no cares. You are able to unplug and relax into the softness and enjoy the moments of bliss. As you enjoy this time of freedom, you connect with the most important person in your world: yourself. Writing prompt: If you could unplug, what…
EatingWell Welcomes Freelancers
EatingWell magazine is looking for articles about cooking, nutrition science, and the origins of food and social issues related to food networks, and welcomes ideas from new writers. “EatingWell’s voice is journalistic and authoritative; it speaks to both men and women. We cover nutrition with a newsy, science-based approach.” Before submitting, become familiar with EatingWell magazine and departments. “It’s difficult for us to contract with someone to write a story—no matter how brilliant the idea is—if it doesn’t fit into a specific department in the magazine. Send us ideas for specific sections in the magazine.” “You increase your chance of scoring an assignment with us if you 1) develop your pitch following the format for past columns, and 2) explain why the proposed topic should be covered in a specific issue.” Go to EatingWell Submission Guidelines for examples and pitching tips. EatingWell welcome freelancers. “In this front-of-book section, we feature…
You have survived. Prompt #267
The pink ladies are about to bloom in Northern California where I live. Their proper name is Amaryllis belladonna. “A plant gone wild and therefore become rugged, indestructible, indomitable, in short: tough, resilient, like anyone or thing has to be in order to survive.” — The Ubiquitous Day Lily of July by David Budbill This last sentence in The Ubiquitous Day Lily of July reminds me of our pink ladies and is the inspiration for today’s writing prompt. Write about something you have survived.
Ingram Spark? Bookbaby? CreateSpace?
Guest Blogger Shirin Bridges sheds light on Ingram Spark, BookBaby, and CreateSpace. The following is an excerpt from Shirin Bridges’ June 24, 2016 blog post on Goose Tracks. I was recently asked for the pros and cons of Ingram Spark vs. BookBaby. The answer, I quickly realized, is a complex one, greatly dependent on the particular publishing goals for the book. I also thought that in any decision tree, Amazon’s CreateSpace would have to rate a mention. So what follows is my attempt to delineate the decision tree I would adopt in choosing between these three services . . . [Note from Marlene: For the full post, please go to Shirin’s informative blog, Goose Tracks]. How important are bookstores to your sales strategy? If NOT VERY, skip to 4. If VERY, keep reading. Self-published authors will find it almost impossible to get wide distribution in bookstores. Period. The reasons are legion but boil down to two words: workload and risk. Most self-published authors…
Something you will never forget . . . Prompt #266
Today’s prompt is inspired by Hal Zina Bennett, Write From The Heart For some people, summer means sipping cool drinks. For others, summer might mean sitting around a campfire after a day of hiking, swimming, exploring. Summer might mean telling stories —tall tales or short ones— while lounging on a porch, a patio or a boat deck. There is a rhythm to summer, unlike any other time of year. Summer ’round the campfire brings out story tellers. The shaman storyteller of ancient times, embraces his own life experience, tells stories to the community that gathers in a circle around him, a fire blazing at its center. In the telling of what most deeply touched his life, the shaman helps others to see that they are not alone. And in the process both storyteller and listeners are healed. Imagine now, that you are sitting ’round a campfire, very comfortable with the…
The California Sunday Magazine
The California Sunday Magazine is looking for freelance writers, photographers and illustrators. From their website: The California Sunday Magazine roams across California, the West, Asia, and Latin America, telling stories for a national audience. We also produce a live event series, Pop-Up Magazine. We explore science, business, entertainment, politics, technology, art, social issues, sports, food, and more. We’re curious about everything. We publish stories regularly on the web and in print — delivered monthly with select Sunday copies of the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Interested in working with us? Check out our job openings. Writers We’d love to hear your story ideas. We’re not hiring staff writers or contributing writers yet. But we look forward to working with a wide network of independent, freelance writers. Our rates for reported features will be competitive with national print magazines. And you’ll work with exceptional editors. Send a note to writers@californiasunday.com…
Note to your younger self . . . Prompt #265
Before you start writing on this prompt, how about a little relaxation? Sit back. Relax into your chair. Both feet flat on the floor. Hands resting lightly. Take a deep breath in. Relax it out. Roll your shoulders in a circle. Other direction. Drop your chin to your chest and roll your head in a circle. Other direction. Take a deep breath in. Ease it on out. Now, We’re going to time travel back in years. Think back to the person you were ten years ago. See yourself as in a snapshot. Now go back to when you were 25. Remember what you looked like. What were you doing? Just take a moment to remember yourself at 25. Now go back to when you were twenty. Take a look at yourself when you were 15. What were you like at 15? What influenced you? When you’re ready, write a note…
Call the Authorities!
Guest Blogger Elaine Silver: How to show your expertise in your writing. Think about any book that you have read that really grabbed you. Take some time to read parts of that book again with the idea in mind of writerly authority. Once you start looking for it, you will be dazzled at the facility with which the author commands the story. You can write like that too. Let’s examine the word authority. What feeling do you get reading the word “authority?” Do you feel rebellious, like you don’t want to listen to someone else? Do you feel like you want to immediately say “no” to a request? If you answered yes to these questions, then you think of authority as something that subjugates you. Or conversely, when you think of authority, do you feel secure knowing that someone else knows more than you do about something? Do you envision…
Here and There. Prompt #264
Today’s writing prompt comes in two parts. Before writing on this prompt, I have a suggestion. Do a little relaxation first. Just for a few minutes. Use your own method or follow this method: Relax into your chair. Feet flat on the floor. Hands loose, resting on your thighs. Take a big, deep breath in, feel your chest expand. Let it out like a deflated balloon. Another deep breath in. And release. This time, when you take a deep breath in, bring your shoulders up to your ears. Shrug them down hard with the out breath. Another one. Let your head drop forward on your chest. Rest there for a moment. Rotate your head in a circle. Opposite direction. As you read about the next prompt, please place the palm of your writing hand on any place in your body that calls for attention. If you can’t put your hand…