Guest Blogger Megan Aronson writes about the seasons and cycles of life and being a writer. “I’ve been lost and reclusive of late as I deal with the most recent iteration of my grief-growth cycle,” my friend Candace Cahill, author of Goodbye Again, wrote in an online writing group I belong to. “Learning—the hard way, mostly—new things about myself and the challenges still ahead.” My eyes hovered over her words as her thoughts echoed my own. I wasn’t the only one who’d stopped at the words “grief-growth cycle.” Soon the comments were flooded with replies like, “Grief-growth cycle. I feel that. Never thought of it that way before.” In two sentences, Candace had fully encapsulated the collective experience of being a writer. Continually turning ourselves inside out on the page and off, we each instantly recognized the “grief-growth cycle” as the intersection of life affecting our writing, and writing affecting our…
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.
One Cup At A Time
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. One Cup At A Time By DSBriggs Judith saw her hand reaching out and towards her mug. She noticed since her brain injury, she had to mentally plan any movement step by step. She closed one eye so that only one mug was in her vision. “OK. Lift the hand out of the lap. Make sure the arm isn’t taking a side trip of its own. All right, aim for the mug on the right. Uncurl fingers. That’s progress. No one has to unbend and stretch ‘em.” The knuckles on her hand were swollen and she noticed she was thinking in third person. “My knuckles, my knuckles are swollen. I have crooked fingers too.” She watched her arm and hand work in unison as she reached for her mug. She mentally told herself to grab as tight as she…
Change . . . Scary or exciting? Prompt #748
Is change scary or exciting for you? With a palpitating heart, sweaty palms, and a fluttering stomach, I changed the name of my Facebook/Meta Writing Page from “Writers Forum” to: “Marlene Cullen’s Write Spot,” to better reflect what this Facebook page is about. But, I wonder, why was I nervous . . . okay . . . scared to do this? I think the answer is: Consequences. I didn’t know if it would trigger an avalanche of problems. I was willing to take my changes. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and make a change. Writing Prompt: Is change scary or exciting? Or: Sometimes you have to take the plunge. Write about a time you took a chance and made a change. What happened? #justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
September Light
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. September Light By Cheryl Moore From the terrace, over the wooden fence with its lattice trim, the hills glow golden. A shadow of eucalyptus stretches across, cutting off the light. Beyond, higher hills rise—these with a woodland coat, perhaps pines or other conifers, roll gently against the pale blue sky. A turkey vulture slowly circles with its ever-present eye. A fence running across the golden grass bisects the slope—earlier cattle grazed, gone now. The shadows grow—longer and longer—the glowing gold slowly dims as the sun edges lower and lower toward the earth’s rim. On this September day with the equinox not far away, the evening approaches more swiftly, in preparation for the long nights to come, short days of limited sun—another year passing, another year to come. Cheryl Moore grew up in the mid-west, went to college…
Start with a list . . . Prompt #747
A freewrite is . . . writing freely with no thoughts nor worries about the outcome. When you write in this unrestricted style, brush off the editor that sits on your shoulder. Let go of your worries and fears. Just write. Our big stories come from our little stories. Sometimes the big story is too much to write about. So, break it down into bite-sized pieces. Making lists might help organize your thoughts. Lowlights . . . Highlights Our normal, everyday lives contain lowlights and highlights. Spend a few minutes making some lists. List #1 Lowlights Regrets Things you wish hadn’t happened What you would like to do over List #2 Highlights Warm memories Happy thoughts What you would like to do again List #3 Just Weird Weird things that happened Writing Prompt #1: Choose an item from one of your lists. Write about what happened. Who? What? When? Where?…
Hop, skip, jump . . . Prompt #746
Below is a list of things you may have experienced. As you read the list, when a word causes a reaction . . . when you notice a feeling in your body . . . use that word or phrase as a writing prompt and start writing. Write about where you were and who was with you. If you ate it, played with it, read it, or wore it, write about it. Add sensory detail of texture . . . what did these things feel like? Add your memory of taste, smell, sound, and what the item looked like. And, of course, you may have also experienced these things as a teen-ager and as an adult. Just Write! Jello salad Hot Wheels Roller Skates Sugar Frosted Flakes Poodle skirt Hopscotch Petticoats Barbie dolls Marbles Jacks Skipping Nancy Drew books Jump rope Little League Drive-in movies Hula hoop Trampoline Parks Used…
Diva: A Novel
“Diva: A Novel” reviewed by Rebecca Rosenberg. “Diva” by Daisy Goodwin is a remarkable novel that tells the story of Maria Callas, one of the most celebrated opera singers of all time. Goodwin does an excellent job of bringing Callas to life, capturing her passion for music, her determination to succeed, and her vulnerability. The novel also explores Callas’s complex relationship with Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate who was one of the richest men in the world. Goodwin’s writing is vivid and engrossing, and she does a masterful job of weaving together fact and fiction. The novel is full of fascinating details about Callas’s life, including her childhood in Nazi-occupied Greece, her rise to fame, and her love affair with Onassis. Goodwin also does a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the time, from the glamour of the opera world to the scandal of Callas’s relationship with Onassis….
Childhood Stories . . . Prompt #745
Stories from our childhood can be rich material to write about. Let’s start with going back in time. See yourself at 6 years of age, five years, 4 years. See yourself at the kitchen table where you ate breakfast. Maybe swinging your legs because your feet couldn’t reach the floor. Listen. Hear the adult chatter. Maybe there was no ‘round the kitchen table time for you. Maybe it was a picnic table, or a dining room table. Perhaps there was no table. Maybe family time was in the family room, or the TV room, the den, or the rumpus room. Possibly there was no family time. Friends might have been significant in your child life. Maybe most of your childhood was spent outside. Take a deep breath in. Let it out. See the room or the place where you spent a lot of time as a child. Write about that…
Madame Pommery
“Madame Pommery” review by Julie Porter.“Madame Pommery” by Rebecca Rosenberg is a captivating novel about a woman’s struggle to survive war, run her own business in a male dominated society, provide a future for her children, and create something beautiful, unique, and lasting. Alexandrine, in the middle of her journey, is close to her 50’s and still recovering from the death of her husband, Louis. She is trying to retain a brave front for her two-year-old daughter, Louise, and curtailing the sharp criticisms from her school aged son, who blames his father’s death on his need to return to work after Louise’s surprise birth. Alexandrine also has to contend with the loss of her family finances and that unless something is done soon, they will be left destitute. Alexandrine’s character arc shows her challenging the role expected of her as an upper-class Frenchwoman. She was originally someone who read and…
Change in Perspective
“Lucky Starr,” an Over the Top Stilt Character from Giddyup Productions The following is excerpted from “A Collected Perspective” by Joanna Gaines, Fall 2023, Magnolia magazine. “There have been times when I’ve felt a need to approach some things differently. When life has handed me new challenges to navigate, and my mind’s been a blank. Maybe you’ve been in a similar place—where the way you’ve always done a thing is no longer working. So, I tried something new. I started closing my eyes. I’m more alive to the present moment, more aware of my blind spots, when I stretch my point of view. It’s like feeling the moment in total harmony, every new vantage point revealing more of the bigger story being told. Sometimes, it’s as simple as physically shifting my point of view. I’ll take a few steps back. Walk to the other side of the room. Stand instead…