What makes you feel all is right with the world?
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.
Make characters real and likable.
Play around with different ways to describe characters in stories. Here are examples of how to make characters real and likable and how to capture readers’ interest. What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg “My mother was dressed in her beautiful yellow summer robe, the tie cinched evenly into a bow at the exact center of her waist, but her auburn hair was sticking up in the back, an occasional occurrence that I always hated seeing, since in my mind it suggested a kind of incompetence. It was an unruly cowlick, nearly impossible to tame — I knew this, having an identical cowlick of my own — but I did not forgive its presence on my mother. It did not go with the rest of her looks: her deep blue eyes, her thin, sculptured nose, her high cheekbones, her white, white skin — all signs, I was certain, of some distant…
Zoetrope All-Story
About: Zoetrope: All-Story is a staff of two, assisted by a small team of brilliant and generous volunteers, who are collectively dedicated to reading and responding to the 12,000 submissions All-Story receives annually. To aid in this commitment, writers should submit only one story at a time and no more than two stories a year. Submit: Before submitting, non-subscribers should read several issues of the magazine to determine if their works fit with All-Story. Electronic versions of the magazine are available to read, in part, at the website; and print versions are available for purchase by single-issue order and subscription. http://www.all-story.com/ Zoetrope: All-Story considers unsolicited submissions of short stories and one-act plays no longer than 7,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. First serial rights and a one-year film option are required. All-Story does not accept submissions via e-mail. Mail manuscripts to: Zoetrope: All-Story Attn: Fiction Editor 916 Kearny St. San…
Collect and save or live sparsely? Prompt #143
Do you prefer to collect & save things or live sparsely?
The Power of Storytelling—Now Proven
Guest Blogger Frances Lefkowitz writes: The life of a freelance writer is full of the uncertain (“where will my next assignment come from?”) and the mundane (“did I spell that source’s name right?”), coupled with high deadline pressure and middling compensation. But every once in a while, I get to track down fascinating regular people and ask them to tell me stories. That’s what I did for a recent article for Good Housekeeping on the power of storytelling. The assignment was to write about the new evidence that storytelling has benefits for the health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities, and I had to read my fair share of academic research journals and talk to my fair share of M.D.s and Ph.Ds. But I also got to sit back, relax, and listen to tall tales. The best, most enduring stories, it turns out, are those that contain both hardship…
Your childhood bedroom . . . Prompt #142
Write about your childhood bedroom.
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition invites writers of short fiction to enter the 2015 contest. “The competition has a thirty-five year history of literary excellence, and its organizers are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of emerging writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard.” Prizes and Publication: The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and publication of his or her winning story in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. The second – and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Honorable mentions will also be awarded to entrants whose work demonstrates promise. Eligibility requirements: Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains property of the author. The literary competition is open to all U.S. and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication…
That’s puzzling! Prompt #141
Today’s prompt: A piece of the puzzle. Write whatever comes up for you! Save in a word document. Post on The Write Spot Blog. Let’s see what you come up with for this prompt. Just Write!
What? Prompt #140
Fill in the blank, then keep writing: WHAT? What the __________? What is ___________? What is the ________? What if ___________?
Redwood Anthology – Journeys
Submission Deadline for the 2015 Redwood Anthology: March 1, 2015 Theme: Journeys Eligibility: Members of the Redwood Writers Branch of the California Writers Club. You can join Redwood Writers Branch, no matter where you live. Click here for membership information. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Redwood Writers anthologies. The theme is Journeys. There are many types of journeys: travel adventures, life passages, heroes’ journeys, pilgrimages, odysseys, and flights of fancy. All journeys begin in one place and end in another, having elements of challenge, change, and transformation. Note: Submissions are required to reflect the theme, which may be interpreted broadly. If your piece is selected, you will be assigned an editor to work with you through the publication revision/editing process. Submission Guidelines Each Redwood Writers member may submit up to 2 pieces in any genre. For example, you may submit 1 poem and 1 prose piece, 2 prose…