Writing prompts inspired from You Want Me To Do What? Journaling for Caregivers by B. Lynn Goodwin. Prompt: Yesterday I believed . . . The truth is . . .
This is a space for free wild mind writing. . . — Christine Falcon
“This is a space for free wild mind writing that doesn’t need to be analyzed nor dissected. It’s about the practice of writing and tapping into that raw creative energy, just to keep our juices flowing.” — Christine Falcon
Guest Blogger Katya Cengal talks about Getting Published
In a way, getting published, whether in article form or book form, is about finding the right fit. When you submit a piece you are looking for the perfect partner. In that sense it can be compared to modern dating or job placement. Both parties are looking for something — it is the match maker, recruiter or agent’s job to make sure everyone gets what they want. If you don’t have an agent, you must take on the role of match maker yourself, courting various editors and selling them on your story. Several months ago I found out about a woman in San Francisco turning old Muni buses into mobile showers for the homeless. It seemed like a brilliant idea and a perfect fit for a women’s magazine. I wrote a pitch highlighting the female innovation angle. My contact there loved it. Unfortunately, the editors above her did not. So…
Today I feel . . .Prompt #20
Today’s prompt is inspired from You Want Me To Do What? Journaling for Caregivers (available on Amazon) by B. Lynn Goodwin, founder of Writer Advice, promoting authors through interviews. Writer Advice also publishes experienced and emerging writers, showcasing fresh ideas and high quality writing. Prompt: Today I feel . . .
Guest Blogger B. Lynn Goodwin asks: What Would You Do With a Goal and a Deadline?
NaNoWriMo, www.nanowrimo.org, invites you to draft a 50,000 word novel in one month. I’m doing it for the second time, and I’m going for higher word totals than the 1667 suggested daily allotment. I just want this first draft out of my head. I want material to work with. Not a fiction writer? You can still achieve a 30-day goal with memoir, biography, or any other form of non-fiction thanks to author and writing coach Nina Amir’s WINFIN, http://writenonfictioninnovember.com/about-2/. WINFIN (Write Nonfiction in November) is “an annual challenge to create a work of nonfiction in 30 days.” The rules are simple: Decide what you’re going to complete and go for it. You can create “an article, an essay, a book, a book proposal, a white paper, or a manifesto” The program “operates on an honor system…no word counts logged in here. It’s a personal challenge, not a contest.” Simply describe…
Guest Blogger Jordan E. Rosenfeld – How to Stay on the Writing Path
“The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.” —Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed “Not all who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring How to Stay on the Writing Path by Jordan E. Rosenfeld I believe that most writers are also seekers. While we may have a larger-reaching goal to find an audience and be published, ultimately, the writers who stick out the hard times do so because there is gold to be found along the journey. Sometimes it’s the kind of gold that requires mining and panning and sweat and agony. Other times it comes silently, a gift in the night from a willing muse. But one thing is for sure: writing gives as much as it takes—and it takes a lot. So how do you stay on the path of writing without falling off? How…
Get started – how to use writing prompts
Get out some paper and a fast moving pen or set up your computer. Set the timer for ten minutes. Look at something in your room, anything, it doesn’t matter. Now write. Just write whatever enters your head. Or, open your dictionary to a random page, run your finger down a column. Stop on a word and freewrite, using that word as your prompt. Or, use one of the prompts in this blog. Think of this as practice writing, just as a badminton player practices before an actual meet. Follow Natalie Goldberg’s six rules of writing listed in a previous post. Try it right now. Paper and pen or computer ready? Glance at your clock. Note the time. Or set your timer for ten minutes. Write for ten minutes about “trees.” After that, write for ten minutes, using “I remember” as your prompt. Now go with, “What I really want…
Natalie Goldberg’s Six Rules of Writing Practice
Natalie Goldberg’s Six Rules of Writing Practice from her books: Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind Keep your hand moving. Don’t cross out. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Lose control. Don’t think. Go for the jugular
I’m trying to figure out . . . Prompt #19
Susan Bono, Queen of Personal Essays suggests this prompt: I’m trying to figure out how I feel about _________.
Don’t think. Don’t plan. Just Write.
When you write, using the method of writing freely – called a freewrite – you can lose control with no worries about consequences. Writing in this style is for your personal enjoyment or to enhance your writing. This isn’t your final piece to be published. No one else has to read your writing, unless you invite them to. When you freewrite, don’t think and don’t plan what you will write next. Just go with the moment’s energy. If you use a prompt that draws from your childhood, you will have endless material to write about.