Sparks

Steady Going

Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Steady Going By Christine Renaudin Two months into summer,three in retirement,one more kiss of the sun. I am starting to feel the change in ways that do not rub me wrong, like a shirt grown too tight,or a pair of new shoes     I am settling into a certain ease I didn’t know before, or I had forgotten.There is hardly any rushing through things unless absolutely necessary in case of an emergency. I walk the dog daily. Three months into summer,four in retirement,signs abound, changes beckon. I have trouble remembering what I did on a given day, and I resort to lists to keep track of the books I’ve read and places I’ve gone, so I can tell people when they are kind enough to ask.Morning and afternoon melt in one another.I glide along sweaty, in blissful…

Quotes

I write to understand . . .

“So, while I still write for understanding, for truth, for clarification, to tell a story, to help people, to help myself and even for fun—I also write for communication, for discussion, for connection. In a world that can feel fragmented and lonely, I write to bring myself closer to others.” —Diane Forman, “Why I Write,” Brevity’s NonFiction Blog, October 31, 2022 More on “Why Write?” Why Do You Write? Why I Write Just Write!

Just Write

50-Word Stories

“A 50-word story is a piece of fiction written in exactly 50 words. That doesn’t mean ‘roughly’ 50 words; it doesn’t mean ‘as close to 50 words as possible’; it doesn’t mean 50 words or fewer. It means exactly 50 words. As with any other form of fiction, a 50-word story should have a beginning and an end, a plot and character development (even if they are only implied), and a theme, meaning, or purpose of some sort. Many 50-word stories are built around twists or climactic moments. 50WS posts two reader-submitted stories every weekday. To submit your stories for possible publication, see the Submissions page.”

Sparks

Print Dreams

Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Print Dreams By DSBriggs Back in the day when I was a teen, I wanted to be a writer. I picked out my pen name, Kelly Brione. I began to dress as a writer. My image, based on a Stanford University guide, was to dress in black tights, a gray skirt, and a pink fluffy sweater over a black leotard. I had plans to write the Great American Novel, even though I did not have a clue how to do that.  I talked enough about being a writer that my Dad purchased a Smith-Corona portable typewriter for me. It had Elite type rather than the larger Pica type. Elite was the size of type that newspapers used for writing news stories in columns. I dreamed about being a columnist like Herb Caen or Erma Bombeck.  One thing…

Prompts

Connecting The Dots . . . Prompt #689

In works of fiction, we think of “characters.” When writing memoir, we think “real people.” Let’s experiment with writing about real people as if they were characters in fiction. Think of someone you know that you would like to spend some time writing about. You can also do this for your fiction characters, if you are working on a fiction project. Make a three-column list. Column 1 What I know Column 2 How I know it Column 3 How to show it Column 1 Write one or two-word descriptions about someone. Column 2 How you know these characteristics. For example, if the person is described as cheap, you might write, “contributes only $20, no matter his actual share, at a group dinner.” Column 3 Jot down short notes on how you might show these characteristics In the case of the cheap friend, “brings his teabag to use at restaurants.” Connecting…