Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Ascension Garden By Stacy Murison The first time, you drive by yourself. You have some idea you are going there, but are still surprised that you know the way, without her, through the turning and turning driveways. Left, left, left, left. Park near the rusted dripping spigot. The wind blows, unseasonably warm for November. You bring the candy bar, her favorite, the one from the specialty chocolate shop, the one with the dark chocolate and light green ribbon of mint. You try to eat yours, but instead, stare at hers, unopened, where you imagine the headstone will go and sob without sound while the wind French-braids your hair just as she would have, and that’s how you know she is here. She is still pushing cicada shells off white birch trunks with her toes, dancing around…
Tag: Just write. Writing freely. The Write Spot Blog
Dance . . . Prompt #601
Writing Prompt: Dance Write about the last time you danced. Or write about a memorable dance experience.
Look on the bright side . . . Prompt #600
Today is a banner day! Celebrating my oldest granddaughter’s twelfth birthday. And my favorite daughter and her husband’s ninth wedding celebration. Also celebrating 600 writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog! I’m taking a moment to take that in. Six hundred writing prompts. How did that happen!!?? One writing prompt at a time. The first prompt, “I remember . . . ” posted on September 24, 2013. And now I invite you to jump in, remember a story, and Just Write! Today’s writing prompt: Look on the bright side!
Mycorrhiza
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Mycorrhiza* by Patricia Morris I live under the canopy of a grandmother valley oak. It grows in what is now called “my neighbor’s yard,” due to the way we white settlers swept through this what-is-now-called a nation over the past 300 years and took over everything. Massacred people who were living here, infected them with deadly diseases, tried to re-make them in our image. Declared that we “owned” the land, bought and sold it; built structures to live in, structures that got bigger and more permanent as time passed; built fences to delineate MINE. But before all this, there was the valley oak. Like all oaks, it began as an acorn, scrunched into the dirt next to a small seasonal creek. Its roots sank deeper each year, reaching for the water. Its mycorrhizal fungi spread wide,…
The good thing is . . . Prompt #597
Writing Prompt: The good thing is . . .
I am struggling with . . . Prompt #596
Writing Prompt: I am struggling with . . .
All Summer Long
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. All Summer Long By Deb Fenwick All summer long, busy house sparrows flit in the eaves of our house. Each morning, they collect tiny twigs and things I rarely notice from the ground and end up making a life with them. Seedlings sprout and reach toward a warm, welcoming sky. Children ride bikes and screech with delight. No hands! Look at me! Watch! When the sun sets at nine o’clock, those same children, liberated from the rigidity of school night routines, line up for ice cream with wide, wild eyes as fireflies send signals across the garden. The crickets just keep chirping. All summer long, there’s lake swimming in midwestern waters that have been warmed by the sun. And better still, there’s night swimming where a body, unfettered by the weight of gravity, gets its chance…
All Summer Long . . . Prompt #595
Writing Prompt: All Summer Long . . .
Play . . . Prompt #593
Today’s writing prompt is . . . Play. Here’s my play on the word play: Playwriting. Play at writing. Be playful about writing. Go to a play: Sit. Watch. Listen. Go to a playground: Run. Swirl. Fly. Put into a playpen: Baby. Puppy. Kittens. Be playful: Tweak an ear. Nudge a rib. Flirty smile. Play around: Scandal. Heartbreak. Disrupt. Play through: Move aside. Slow poke. One act play: Short Three act play: Three sections: Beginning, middle, end. Play: Vacation, sand, beach, Coppertone. Play date: Strollers, nanny, my house or yours? La Playa: Mexican beach, Tequila, Sunrise, Margaritaville. Play around: No-no? Play around at writing: Yes-yes! Your turn: Write on the word “play.”
Pastiche . . . Prompt #591
Today’s writing prompt is not the usual 15-20 minute freewrite. Instead, it’s a bit more challenging and will take time to pursue. When you are ready for the challenge . . . Create a pastiche. “Pastiche (pronounced pass-TEESH) is a creative work that imitates another author or genre. It’s a way of paying respect, or honor, to great works of the past. Pastiche differs from parody in that pastiche isn’t making fun of the works it imitates – however, the tone of pastiche is often humorous.” Examples of Pastiche The TV show 30 Rock is about a television studio, so there are plenty of opportunities for pastiche. In various episodes, the show mimics classic shows like “The Brady Bunch” or “Seinfeld” and major television events like the Olympics. From the tone of the show, it’s clear that these imitations come from a place of irreverent love, so they fall into the category of pastiche rather than parody. Pastiche is common in music,…