Writing Prompt: When I was a kid . . . #amwriting #justwrite #creativewriting #iamawriter
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.
Message in a bottle . . . Prompt #623
Writing Prompt: Walking along the beach, a bottle washes ashore, right at your feet. It has note inside. What does it say? Who is it from? Or: You decide to write a message in a bottle. What do you write? What do you do with the bottle? Who do you hope finds it? #amwriting #creativewriting #just write #imawriter
Silence For The Soul
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Silence For The Soul By Sarah Horton Silence for the Soul is our tradition, created to welcome us into the deeper doorways to the heart. It is timed around the changing of the seasons. We gather in silence for a variety of meditation practices as individual as the people who come: sitting, walking the labyrinth, indoors, outdoors, eyes open, eyes shut, journaling, more sitting. We start with intention and breathing together. We end by coming together in a circle for the breaking of bread, homemade soup, and soft sharing. I have been doing this on a regular basis with two other friends of the heart since the “2012 ending-of-the-world” or simply an ending. This was our new-beginning-offering and continues as one. There will be anywhere from the three-of-us regulars to fifteen other souls to hold the circle of magic and light…
Dinner Lines
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Dinner Lines By M.A. Dooley Empty lines without a script, Two old lovers sit stiff like bricks Empty lines planked blue wood top, Inviting ages of warmth and weight. Warmth and weight, young bricks cool, Purpose wanted held at bay. Warmth and weight, mason’s hands Stack staggered bonds, build a wall. Build a wall, the server piles Flowers, wine, the table splits. Build a wall to be broken down With drink, pleasure, taste and texture. Taste and texture laughter blooms, Edges soften like molten stone. Taste and texture spills red wine Dripping, seeping fills empty lines. Empty lines, hushed hands held, Old lovers’ warmth and weight meld. M.A. Dooley is an architect and writer from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sonoma County, and the Sierra Nevadas. Dooley has been…
Appositives . . . Prompt #622
Part 1 Finish the sentences: When I was ten years old, I . . . As a young adult, I wanted . . . To get what I wanted, here’s what I did . . . Here’s what happened . . . My recurring dream . . . Part 2 After your freewrite on any or all of the above sentence starts, rewrite, using “add-ons” or “appositives.” An appositive is a word or group of words that add detail to the original. They can be in the same sentence, or a new sentence. For example: 1. I rode my bicycle. 2. I rode my bicycle on a hot summer day. I looked behind me. Sure enough, my sister was following. Just Write! #amwriting @creative writing #justwrite #iamawriter
Get past ego to connect
“I think American society alienates us from ourselves, and we have a great need to reconnect. Human beings yearn to connect and to tell our stories before we die. Sometimes we want to write, but when we get down to it, there’s resistance, because the ego gets scared.” — Natalie Goldberg in an interview with Genie Zeiger, “Keep The Hand Moving,” The Sun November 2003. Ideas on how to get past ego and Just Write The Inner Critic Tar Pit of Doom and Despair Is “Go Big or Go Home” Right for You? Rachel Macy Stafford: Live Love Now #amwriting #creativewriting #justwrite #freewrites
Anxious People
“Anxious People” by the gifted Frederik Backman is the most brilliant novel I have read. I wasn’t drawn in right away. I am really glad I kept reading. This book is so extraordinary, when I finished, I had to read it again to see how Backman pulled it off. I highly recommend “Anxious People.” The humor is subtle, the characters are multi-layered, and the plot seems simple. But, as details are revealed, it is clearly a book about the complexities of relationships and how we navigate the crevices of life. I cannot use enough superlatives to describe the cleverly written “Anxious People.” Note: Some people did not like this book. I think you have to read at least to page 34 to decide yay or nay to “Anxious People,” by Fredrik Backman. Review by Marlene Cullen. #amwriting #justwrite #creativewriting
Dust to Dust
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Dust to Dust By Brenda Bellinger This post happens to fall on what would have been my mother’s 86th birthday if she were still with us. She passed away thirteen years ago, yet I often feel her presence. Recently, I was dusting a small antique genie lamp that belonged to her mother, my grandmother. Made of white china, its glaze bears the spiderwebbing of many tiny cracks. Miraculously, the hurricane glass and original brown paper shade, though faded, are both still intact. As I carefully pushed a corner of the dust cloth through the curled handle, I thought of all the times this had been done before. Both my mother and grandmother were fastidious housekeepers. Myself? Not so much. I wonder at what point this lamp will cease to hold its significance. A time will come when…
Hello Jello . . . Prompt #621
Do you like Jello? Red Jello? Yellow Jello? Green Jello? Never Jello? Jello in a cup? In a bowl? In a mold like aspic? Do you like Jello plain or with fruit in it? Are you a Jello and whipped cream fan? Have you had Strawberry Pretzel Jello? Prompt: Write about Jello. Strawberry Pretzel Jello Ingredients: 2 cups crushed pretzels 3/4 cup butter, melted 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored Jello 2 cups boiling water 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries Directions: Preheat oven to 400o Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl cream…
Create a Hygge Calendar or List
We hear a lot about being grateful, giving thanks, gratitude lists, and silver linings. But what if you just aren’t feeling it? How about creating a hygge calendar? I read about this in a Facebook group. Make a list of things to be mindful about, a way to help get out of the doldrums and into a feeling of calm, care, and positivity. Pay attention to one item each day. Personalize your calendar and use it as advent calendar, or as a way of looking at old things in a new way. Hygge: A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture. Hygge Advent Calendar ideas, or a list of how to create a feeling of coziness: 1. Light a candle during meals. 2. Chalk a friendly greeting on a sidewalk. 3. Share an uplifting poem or…