Boulevard magazine is now accepting submissions. “Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise. If you have practiced your craft and your work is the best it can be, send to Boulevard.”
Fabulous character sketch – 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 link to royalty.” — What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
Location, or place as a character – Prompt #8
Photo by Colby Drake, fine arts photographer who enjoys the adventure of going to scenic areas and trying to capture those places to share with others. Prompt: Write about a city . . . where you live now, or used to live, or have visited, or from your imagination. Here are examples from the NaNoWriMo Blog. It is Sunday in Hamburg. Six o’clock in the morning and everything is quiet. Most people are sleeping peacefully in their beds, but not me. I’ve been awake all night. Waiting for this special moment. I feel tired but push on: there is nothing better than the beauty of a new dawn and the breeze of freedom it holds. Soon, I will go to the one place where people who lived through the night can meet those who are first to welcome the morning. Entering downtown Montreal is like stepping through a time machine….
If you want to write – Brenda Ueland
Tell about some childhood memory, write it as carelessly, recklessly, fast and sloppily as possible. Forget about writing ‘writing,’ and about trying to please the teacher, tell what you remember spontaneously, impulsively. Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write
Your character has a surprise secret – Prompt #7
Fleshing out your character. . . either fictional or someone from real life or a photo. Have your character do something unexpected . . . something that surprises everyone. For example, put your conservative character in an improv situation where he/she has to rap or belly dance. Have your wild character volunteer to help with bingo in an assisted facility. You don’t have to include this in your novel, memoir or biography. Just have fun with writing about a character. Prompt: Write about your character’s surprise
Interview character – Prompt #6
Inspired from “Character Profile” by Patrick Scalisi in the November issue of The Writer magazine. Interview your main character or supporting characters. If you have a fictional character, you can work with that. If you are writing about something that really happened, you can use those people as your characters. If neither of those work, use a photo . . . develop a picture into flesh and blood characters. For your fictional character: Interview him or her as a journalist would. . . but not at the age they are in your story. If they are older . . . interview the younger version of your character. If they are young. . . imagine what they might be like as an older person. For your real-life person: Same thing. . . have an imaginary interview of him or her. . . you can pick the age. . . younger if…
Dream it through with Andre Dubus III
“Dream, dream, dream it through. Write more with your body and less with your head. Don’t think a story through, don’t think it out. The danger in thinking it through is that most of us are not smart enough to do it that way. We have to go one moment at a time.” – Andre Dubus III, in the November 2013 issue of The Writer magazine.
I don’t remember – Prompt #5
This is the place to write freely, using the suggested prompts. Write on the prompt for 12-15 minutes. Today’s Prompt: I don’t remember . . .
Writing is a journey . . . quote by Sue Grafton
“Writing isn’t about the destination — writing is the journey that transforms the soul and gives meaning to all else.” — Sue Grafton
Develop Character . . . Prompt #4
I’ve been thinking about characters lately. If you are going to participate in NaNoWriMo, how about doing some freewrites now, set the stage for the “real” writing in November. And if you aren’t part of NaNoWriMo . . . today’s prompt will work for you, also. If you have a fictional character you work with, put your character in a setting he or she wouldn’t normally be in. For example, put your conservative character in an improv situation where he/she has to rap. Have your wild character volunteer to help with bingo in an assisted facility. Today’s prompt: See what your character does in unusual situations.