Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Gratitude By Kathryn Petruccelli Spring in a cold place. Which means everything is so heartbreakingly tender—tulips lifting their dusky prom skirts, dandelions twinkling in their green sky. I’ve lived here a little while, this rural New England town, its six months of winter, a place accustomed to waiting for beauty to appear. I’ve left somewhere I loved to move far away in service to a restless heart, the bonus draw of family. In the time since, I’ve witnessed a father-in-law dissolve from brain cancer, a second-born survive the bypass machine, tiny heart sewn back together. Walking through the park with the baby, I call a friend back home to catch her up, or to remember who I am, or to plead with her to come visit and if she can’t, at least to understand. The wheels…
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.
Memory Lane . . . Prompt #635
Today’s Writing Prompt has four parts. Part 1 Imagine you are going on a trip. Cost is no object. You can go anywhere and take anything you want. Spend a few minutes writing what you would take. ************************ Part 2 Mentally add safety items to your suitcase, or duffle bag, or backpack. You might have already packed some of these things. Medical supplies, bandages, antiseptic. Flares, flashlight. Things to protect you: sunscreen, a soft pillow for a cushioned landing in case you fall, a safety net to catch you. ************************ Part 3 Go on a trip down Memory Lane. Choose a time in your life when something deeply affected you or was troubling. Write about a difficult time, a pivotal moment, when something happened and you were not the same after. If you experience a strong reaction while you are writing, stop writing. Shake out your hands, or look…
Writing is magical
Writing is magical. Take some blank pages, write or type on them, and as if by magic, a story appears. It may be an incomplete story and it may feel fragmented, but it’s the beginning of Your story. Writing can be healing, especially when you write what you really want to say, rather than listing what you did that day, journal style. The most magical writing is when you get so involved in your writing that you lose track of time, you lose track of where you are and even, who you are! The process of writing can be therapeutic. With this deep writing, you may experience a release of emotions, clearing the air, and seeing old things in a new way. — “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections.” Personal Essay as Therapy Just Write! #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter
Gimme Shelter
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Gimme Shelter By William Frank Hulse III When we’re watching a movie from the comfort of our recliners, relaxed and mellow, my bride will become frustrated when the hero does something physically impossible. For me it’s the magic of movies. I don’t believe it for a second, but the scenes are fun and allow me to freestyle through the adventure. Since I almost always immerse myself in a character, I want to enjoy moments of charmed innocence, believing everything I see and hear and feel. It has a gauzy sheer that stays in place, even when the curtains go up. It helps give the events an element of reality that only lasts until the closing credits roll. When Nancy gets uptight about the science friction, I remind her, “Suspend your disbelief.” I enjoy being drawn into the story….
The Ekphrastic Review
The Ekphrastic Review “We only publish literature inspired by or responding to visual art in some way. Our definition is flexible, but we are a niche journal and an ekphrastic writing archive and do not consider or publish non-ekphrastic work. Submissions that are not connected in some way to visual art will be deleted without response.” Ekphrastic MissionThe Ekphrastic Review is committed to the growth, expansion, and practice of the art form of creative writing inspired or prompted by visual art. We define ekphrastic writing simply as “creative writing inspired by art.” The piece can be an in-depth experience of the art work, or it can use the art as a starting point for expression. The connection to the artwork or artist can be subtle, or it can be central to the work. Best Chances of Publication 1. Ekphrastic translations. We are hungry for ekphrastic work from all over the world,…
Sad about missing . . . Prompt #634
I am most sad about having missed (in recent months, weeks, days) is . . . I’m looking forward to . . . For that to happen, this will have to happen . . . I believe . . . #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter
You’ve Got It, Child
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. You’ve Got It, Child By Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios I am full of gratitude for the restless sea, sky butter-milked with clouds, the gentle love of a girl named Shih Tzu. What can I do to reach out from this bliss to the needy world? I have given you all you need. What am I supposed to feel right now? Feel what you will, it is all important or not. What can I do to move over the hurdle of this chaos? There is no chaos, only change. You may not be around for the end, only enjoy what is the now. Sometimes I cannot reseed the patches of my life. Do not carve your initials in the tree or scrape your name in the dust, your footsteps do not matter. No one will care. All will be…
Right now . . . Prompt #633
What’s happening for you right now? Be in the moment. Write about whatever is on your mind. Write what your heart wants to say.
Writing is intimate . . .
Excerpt from The Sun November 2003, “Keep The Hand Moving,” Natalie Goldberg interviewed by Genie Zeiger: Zeiger asked Natalie, “What is the difference between speaking our stories and writing them down?” Natalie: Writing it down is more intimate because, first of all, you are developing a relationship among your hand, your arm, your shoulder, your heart, and your mind. Then, because the story is recorded, you have a chance to read it later, so you can see who you are and come home to yourself. I tell students to read deeply—which doesn’t mean reading all the great literature but just reading carefully, studying the mind of the author rather than whipping through the book. Reading is important because when you read, you enter the mind of the author, and so you get to study a practiced mind. Notice: How do writers create structure in a book? How do they turn…
Fortunes in cookies. Prompt #632
Today’s Writing Prompt: Write fortunes for fortune cookies. See what DSBriggs did with this prompt on the Sparks page of The Write Spot Blog. #amwriting #justwriting #iamwriting