The Write Spot Blog by Marlene Cullen

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  • Surviving SIP

    Guest Blogger Karen Handyside Ely writes about life while sheltering in place.

    2020 has been the longest year of my life, and it’s only April. I really can’t complain (although that has never stopped me before). My adult children, who live in New York City, are healthy and still employed. My husband and I are well, and since I started hoarding toilet paper back in the ‘80s (that is an OCD story for another day) we are literally “good to go.”

    I’ve noticed as the days drag by, that I’m slowly getting used to this new reality. Getting used to it, and getting fat. In the very beginning, back in “aught March,” I decided that this was an opportunity to actively pursue FINALLY becoming skinny. I’ve now failed four diets in four weeks. It doesn’t help to have a husband who loves to bake. In the best of times, his sourdough is hard to resist. In these worst of times, I have given up trying. By the time I am able to meet up with friends in the flesh, I will have become a sphere.

    For now, I’ve had to content myself with Zoom meet-ups. I am no spring chicken, and admit that I had never even heard of this video-conferencing platform. Hilarity ensued as I tried to be an old dog learning a new trick, a humbling yet rewarding experience. I’m now able to attend meetings, writing groups, and Happy Hours with friends from all over the globe. This too is a double-edged sword; the vino flows much more freely when you are sitting in your own kitchen, watching a screen, and missing your buds – another contributing factor to my expanding girth.

    My writing has taken on a rather bi-polar existence. When writing on my own, the words either pour out on the page like torrential rain, or they dribble and drab like a leaky faucet; NO in between. Then every Tuesday, I “Zoom” with a small gathering of writing friends, and we free-write together. There is something so intimate about this virtual experience, and no, it is not because pants aren’t required to attend. This new reality has become a sort of bonding mechanism between us, which enhances the writing sessions. I write with a sharper focus during these group endeavors, even as my self-disciple has gone the way of my diets. I had hoped to have cranked out a book by now, so much free time and all, but while I have fallen woefully short on quantity, I am progressing with quality. 

    I’ve been spending lots of time in my music room, which is filled with musical instruments that were played by my daughter, my son, and me over many years. I’m very rusty, and the piano needs tuning, but when I close my eyes I am able to remember some of the music that brought us closer together. Sadly, my fingers don’t recollect quite as well, but the music brings me solace, even with the clinkers. 

    I’ve read several good books, along with some trashy romance novels. I’ve watched some stellar movies, and binged on some Netflix series that I am embarrassed to admit I watched. Sometimes a little “junk” is good for the soul, but I dream of the day that the Symphony reopens, and I can go back to gorging on beautiful, live music. I have also put myself on a news diet – only one hour of televised news a day. It is the only diet that I have not yet failed at, and I am feeling much more fit, at least mentally.   

    To relieve stress, I stand in my backyard and howl every evening at 8 pm. No, I haven’t “lost it.” Howling has become quite a “thing” here in Petaluma. It feels so good to let-er-rip, not a scream, but a loud, long, mournful howl. Even more gratifying than making this primal sound, is hearing neighbors in their yards howling back. It reminds me that we are in this together, and promises that we will get through this as a community. We are not alone.

    Togetherness has taken on a completely different meaning since the onset of this quarantine. My baking husband and I do almost everything together. We take long walks, discovering nooks and crannies in this town that we’ve always been too busy to explore; albeit with covered faces. We twist ourselves into ridiculous pretzels every afternoon, as we try to maintain some semblance of a yoga practice. We spend so much time together, that a fifteen minute shower alone feels like a solo week-end getaway. I don’t know how he does it … puts up with so much “us time”…  right now I am even sick of myself.

    Honestly, I am tremendously blessed in many ways. I have slowed down, and started to savor the small, everyday things in life. I hear the bees buzzing among our wildflowers, watch the sun set behind my oak tree, and taste the love that my wonderful husband pours into every meal that he makes—although I’m hoping he’ll love me with salad a little more often. 

    Be safe and well, my friends. With kindness, compassion, and a strong dose of humor, this too shall pass.

    Growing up in Petaluma, CA, Karen adored words and stories. She taught herself to read by memorizing pages of the fairytales that her mother read at night to all of the Handyside siblings. The Little Mermaid was her entry into a lifelong love affair with books and writing.

    After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in International Relations & Economics, Karen ran away to New York City to seek her fortune. Karen found that working in NYC Corporate banking wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. She and her husband, James, moved to Scottsdale AZ, where they raised their family. A stay-at-home mom, Karen became a professional (and somewhat out of control) volunteer, working primarily with children’s charities and Arts Education Programs. 

    Once their chicks left the nest, Karen and James returned to Petaluma. Karen began to focus on the things that she most enjoys doing—music, writing, and travel. Karen and James often travel to Brooklyn to visit their son and daughter.

    Karen is active with the Santa Rosa Symphony League, sings with a Petaluma choir, and has been published in The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries, The Write Spot: Reflections, and The Write Spot: Possibilities (all available on Amazon).

  • What do you do now? Prompt #494

    How has your life changed with shelter in place?

    What do you do now that’s different?

    Make a list of your current activities.

    Write about your day.

    What do you do now?

    Use any of these writing seeds to Just Write.

  • Write during stressful times.

    “We need people who are taking the stress of this time and turning it into art, even if it’s solely for the effect it has on the artist.” — Nathan Bransford

    Guest Blogger Nathan Bransford shares tips about how to write during stressful times.

    Writing  is one of the best ways we have to turn darkness into light.

    Here are some tips that have worked for me [Nathan] when I needed to write and life circumstances were interfering in a big way:

    ~If you have the means and ability to write during this time, you have it really good. Recognize your luck. Let that privilege sink in. Let it guide you toward being a better and more generous person.

    ~Self-quarantining and working from home might free up time, which could feel like a huge opportunity that you don’t want to pass up.

    But paradoxically, having a lot of time to write can actually slow you down. And that’s during calm times. You’re probably not going to work as quickly as you normally do. Don’t beat yourself up about it.

    ~ The benefits of meditation for writing during times of anxiety.

    Excepted from “Writing in a time of anxiety,” Nathan Bransford’s March 15, 2020 Blog Post.

    Nathan Bransford is the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series.

    Nathan is dedicated to helping authors chase their dreams. His blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Nathan is available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

  • Uneasy? You’re not alone.

    Today’s Guest Blogger Lara Zielin:

          I often have the feeling I’m in trouble. 

          It’s this pervasive unease, like I’m doing something wrong.

          The problem is, I don’t know WHAT I’m doing wrong. Which means that if or when I get in trouble, it’s going to be a terrible surprise. 

          Because of this, I have my antennae up all day, scanning, looking, wondering what I could be doing that’s awful. I mind my P’s and Q’s and I try so hard to do everything right. I try to stay busy.

          I try to be so, so good. 

          But some part of me knows it won’t be enough. Trouble is still a-comin’. 

          Which means by the time I get to the end of the day, there is this exhausted part of me that is BEYOND READY to feel safe. To feel good enough. To feel comforted. 

          That part of me wants to eat ALL the carbs. And drink. And scroll Facebook. And numb, numb, numb. Because it’s painful out there, people. 

          This feeling has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

          Without regular face-to-face check-ins with colleagues and friends, the gnawing unease that I’ve done something wrong only grows. My hankering for carbs only grows. My addiction to Netflix and my phone only grows. 

          That is, until I stop running and face the darkness. Until I open my arms to the fear and to the pain of thinking I’m not enough and just … sit with it. 

          I’ve been doing a LOT of writing around this lately. And I’m here for you if you want to do some writing around this, too.

          Instead of trying to run from the darkness, let’s invite it in. Let’s listen to it. And let’s meet it with love. 

          Because that’s the ONLY thing that’s going to help us feel better, feel lighter, and feel whole. If we run from the darkness, it will only continue to chase us. But if we embrace it, we can let it complete us. 
          To help us do just that, Lara is leading a free one-hour online group writing time on Thursday, April 23. 
          

    Note from Marlene: If you need ideas for relaxing and de-stressing, here ya go. You might already be doing some of these.

    I’m working on the next Write Spot book and will include these self-care tips and more!

    Creativity Coaching

    Alisha Wielfaert 

    Suzanne Murray

    Hypnotherapy

    Ted A. Moreno

    Inspiration

    Hands Free Mama – Rachel Macy Stafford

    Meditate

    Gaiam

    Headspace

    Insight Timer

    Mindful

    Movement

    Dance

    Ten minute Qi Gong

    Yoga

    And, of course. Write. Write what you know. Write what you want to know. Just write. If you need writing prompts, take a look at The Write Spot Blog.

  • River Teeth

    River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative was co-founded in 1999 by Joe Mackall and Dan Lehman, professors at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. The journal is recognized as a national leader in publishing quality essays, memoir, and literary journalism. 

    River Teeth has grown from a biennial journal edited by two professors with stacks of envelopes in their offices to a burgeoning organization that continues to publish, without bias, the best of today’s nonfiction. 

    From the very beginning, River Teeth has been dedicated to the simple premise that good writing counts and that facts matter.

    River Teeth invites submissions of creative nonfiction, including narrative reportage, essays, and memoirs, as well as critical essays that examine the emerging genre and that explore the impact of nonfiction narrative on the lives of its writers, subjects, and readers.

  • Heroes . . . Prompt #493

    Write about your heroes.

  • Fertile Ground

    Guest Blogger Brenda Bellinger offers inspiration to write:

    In these quiet days of sheltering at home, I’m grateful to be able to sink my ungloved hands into the moist soil of our vegetable garden and ready it for planting. I welcome the dirt under my fingernails and even the resistance of the weeds. There is so much uncertainty right now about what will happen in the next few months when, I’m hoping, our vegetables will be ready to harvest.

    There is fertile ground here, too, for us as writers. We are the ones who will be compelled to document what is happening all around us right now in response to the Covid-19 virus and its global effects. Some of us will craft poems to capture the historical significance of this pandemic, its devastation and how it already has, and will likely forever, change some of our behaviors. Others may write about losing loved ones or coping with caring for family members who are ill, at-risk, or distant. So many stories are aching to be told — the stories behind the headlines and incessant tally of grief — mothers giving birth alone, cancer patients faced with deferring treatment, jobs lost, businesses shuttered, our elderly in isolation. Parents who are able to work from home are facing the exhausting challenge of simultaneously home-schooling their children. The points of view are endless: hospital workers, first responders, the unemployed or furloughed, teachers, children, the homeless, migrant workers. The list goes on.

    Our lives and daily routines upended, I’m reminded of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. We’ve had to move quickly through these as best we can in order to cope. We’ve adapted pretty well, in my opinion, to the new “social-distancing” model and limiting ourselves to only “essential” errands away from home. Strangers show kindness and courtesy to each other as we maintain six feet of distance and communicate with eyes that smile or roll above our masks in commiseration. Grandparents have learned to use technology to visit their grandchildren over video connections. Some businesses are retooling equipment to fabricate personal protection devices for medical personnel. A cottage industry of at-home crafters is turning out fabric face masks by the thousands. Comfort foods and homemade cookies have made a comeback. The sky over Delhi, India has turned blue and perhaps the planet is beginning to heal itself, just a teeny tiny bit.

    During this rare gift of time in place, I encourage you to step outdoors in the spring sunshine, enjoy the fresh air and listen to the sounds of the birds again. Then, pick up your pen and write your way through this, for yourself and for those who may look to your words for guidance or comfort in the years to come.

    Brenda Bellinger writes from an empty nest on an old chicken farm in Northern California. Her work has appeared in Small Farmer’s Journal, Mom Egg Review, Persimmon Tree, THEMA, the California Writers Club Literary Review, and in various anthologies, including The Write Spot: Reflections.

    Brenda has been honored with first place awards for non-fiction and flash fiction at the Mendocino Coast and Central Coast Writers Conferences, respectively.

    Taking Root is her first novel.

  • Musicals . . . Prompt #492

    Think of musical performances you have seen . . . either movies or live performances. Which one resonates with you?

    Which character in a musical do you identify with? 

  • Bluestem Online Journal

    Bluestem produces three online editions per year. Please submit no more than 5 poems at one time, or one short story (or 1-3 flash pieces in the same file), or one creative nonfiction essay. Fiction / prose / essays should be no longer than 5,000 words.

    We are currently accepting submissions for our Summer 2020 issue.

    No previously published work is accepted. Simultaneous submissions are fine.

    As part of our paid market pilot project, contributors in 2020 will receive $20/poem and $75/prose piece.

    Sample back issues of Bluestem are available for $5.00 for each issue you would like. The 2019 print issue is $10.00. Click here for purchase information.

    “For writers at home who are feeling the squeeze: in celebration of our relaunch, we’ve opened up free submissions for the remainder of April.“

  • An unexpected outcome. Prompt #491

    Write about an unexpected situation, event, or incident that has happened because of being sheltered in place.

    Argus Courier journalist Gil Mansergh asked:  What is an unexpected incident that happened to you and yours because of the quarantine?

    You can read the responses here.

    My response, as written by Gil (published in the  April 2, 2020 Argus Courier):

    “The Write Spot’s founding mentor, Marlene Cullen, is delighted to tell us that her daughter started an online book club [with ten-year-old granddaughter] who chose The Wizard of Oz. They are reading L. Frank Baum’s original version, and meet twice a week, using Webex.

    The surprising part is the deep, meaningful conversations inspired by the book, [Marlene] says. For example, the woodsman wanted to marry ‘one of the Munchkin girls, who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart,’ which led to a conversation about what it means to love someone and how we are attracted to them at first because of their looks and then we fall in love with the person inside.

    That topic easily shifted to how [Marlene and her husband] met and why they love one another and how their love has changed since they met in 1966.

    The unexpected result is that the three of us are growing close by having this type of inter-generational conversation we normally wouldn’t have had. The opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings has been priceless.”