Writing Prompts inspired from “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections.”
If I had my life to do over . . .
What I Know Now . . .
Note To Self . . .
Notes To My Younger Self . . .
Choose one or more and Just Write!
Tag: Marlene Cullen
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Fortunes I Did Not Get In Cookies
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
Fortunes I Did Not Get In Cookies
By DSBriggs
A wise man marries a wiser woman.
You will get good news; and you will recognize it.
If you miss your bus, start walking.
A book returned is a friendship kept.
Get a dog, it will save you.
Blood is thicker than water but only Vampires should care.
Delight in today; for tomorrow is no guarantee.
Buy a car for its usefulness; not for its beauty.
The One that got away is not the One for You.
A blind man cannot see beyond his fingers.
Asking for help is a sign of strength but ignoring it can be a weakness.
A half full glass can be emptied and refilled.
A wise animal is better than a noisy friend.
Luck is knowing when to walk away.
Keep a pencil around for it never needs booting up.
And one I did get; if your table moves, move with it.
DSBriggs lives and writes in northern California. Her muse lately has been a roommate with soulful brown eyes, four long legs, and a very loud bark, Moose.
Donna has been fortunate to be published in Marlene Cullen’s The Write Spot Series including: Discoveries, Possibilities and Writing As A Path To Healing, available at your local bookseller. Also available in both print form and as ereaders at Amazon.
Writing with Marlene and the other Jumpstarters has been one of the most fortunate activities of my life.
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‘Tis the season . . . NaNoWriMo
‘Tis the season for NaNoWriMo.
National Novel Writing Month is held during the month of November.
Have you ever done it? Have you thought about it and wondered if you could or should do it?
I say: Go for it!
What do you have to lose?
And, you might gain some excellent writing.
“National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days.”
Sharon Oard Warner says “A work of fiction that logs in at 50,000 words is actually a novella . . .”
So, if the idea of writing a novel is overwhelming, consider writing a novella.
Prepare for NaNoWriMo
Julie Artz writes about her NaNoWriMo experience on Jane Friedman’s blog, “Want to Win NaNoWriMo? The Secret is Preparation.”
Learn from her mistakes to get “that coveted NaNoWriMo win.”
Prolific author Bella Andre wrote about her struggles with writing, “Guest Blogger Bella Andre couldn’t stand it anymore, so she . . .”
As for me? Yes, I have participated in NaNoWriMo. It was fun to “pretend to be a writer for a month.” And then, guess what? I did become a writer. I wrote about my experience, with tips on how to prepare and succeed with NaNoWriMo: “Concept is simple, execution is difficult.“
Tips to Unlock the Book Only You Can Write
Thanks, Chris Baty and Grant Faulkner for NaNoWriMo and for inspiration to Just Write.
#amwriting #justwrite #NaNoWriMo #ChrisBaty #JaneFriedman #Bella Andre #novella #GrantFaulkner #NoPlotNoProblem!
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One Wish Now, or Three In Ten?
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
One Wish Now, or Three In Ten?
By Patricia Morris
Patricia’s response to the writing prompt: Would you rather have one wish granted today, or three wishes granted ten years from now?
Given that my dear friend of forty years died last week after a fast and furious 6-week illness, I will take my one wish today, please. No waiting for ten years for anything anymore. There are no ten years guaranteed, especially when, in ten years, I will be six months shy of 70 years old. That is a shocking thing to write, but that is my reality.
Having only one wish, the pressure is on. To make it the “right” wish, the “best” wish, the “greatest good for the greatest number” wish. I could game it. I could make my one wish be to have one wish granted annually for the rest of my life. Leave it to the dormant lawyer brain to spring to life and offer up that one.
I could wish to know when and how I will die. But no, I couldn’t do that and do away with the fundamental mystery of life. Then I would probably spend the rest of my days fixated on that moment and drain the life out of life.
I might wish to end and reverse global warming. A wish to repair all the environmental damage that humankind has wrought and then, once repaired, for earth’s ecology to hold steady. I like this wish, but I can’t help wondering about unintended consequences. It violates the scientific fact that nothing holds steady. That even seemingly solid mountains are moving, that friends come and go, that I will come and go. That stars, made up of the same stuff as you and I, burst into life and flame into death. I wouldn’t wish for it to be any other way.
Patricia Morris’s lawyer brain went dormant decades ago, and she tries to keep it that way when she writes for fun, as she does on Monday nights at Marlene Cullen’s and Susan Bono’s Jumpstart Writing Workshops. Her writing has appeared in Rand McNally’s Vacation America, the Ultimate Road Atlas and The Write Spot: Possibilities and The Write Spot: Musings and Ravings From a Pandemic Year, both edited by Marlene Cullen. The Write Spot books available at Amazon, Book Passage (Corte Madera), and Gallery Books (Mendocino).
Patricia Morris will be a featured presenter at Writers Forum on July 29, 2021 at 6 pm.
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If you knew . . . Prompt #561
If you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently?
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Telling Your Truth
“Telling your truths—the difficult ones and the joyful ones and all the ones between—is a big part of what makes for good writing. It is also what brings you pleasure in the process of writing. Most people who create and tend a garden don’t spend time on their knees pulling weeds just for the perfect end result—the gorgeous display of flowers that others will exclaim over. They pore over gardening books, order bulbs, water a sickly shrub, arrange the flagstones to make a pleasing path, all because they enjoy the doing of it. So, too, it should be with your writing. You want to see your writing grow, to find your daily work absorbing, to discover you can do better on the page than you could three years ago. None of this will happen if you shy away from the truth. The rewards that you seek are the rewards that go with courage: you take the risk and you feel the satisfaction of becoming a better writer.” —Writing the Memoir, by Judith Barrington
Using the freewrite method of writing, you are free to write whatever you want with no worries about the outcome.
Click on the links below to learn more about freewrites.
What, why, how . . . freewrites
Freewrites: Opening Doors to Discoveries
Just Write!
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Never The Same . . . Prompt #533
Today’s prompt is inspired by a poem I wrote in response to the fires that ravaged Northern California, October 2017 and to the devastation throughout the world.
The sentiments seem true today, especially “adjusting to a new normal” and the feelings of frustration, anger, and hope.
October 10, 2017
by Marlene Cullen
Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Santa Rosa will never be the same.
Las Vegas concert goers will never be the same.
Hurricane victims will never be the same.
This City, That City . . . the list too long.new perspectives
new fears
new ways of thinkingfrustrated with nature
angry with wrong-doers
angry with bureaucracy
angry in generalnow we know what we don’t want to know
the unimaginable can happen
there are no guaranteeswhat will we take away
what have we learned
what do we needwe need time to process
we know the five-year drought
and the heavy rains
made tinder that caught sparks
fueled by heavy winds
creating flying embersbut the why lingers—why this devastation
our beautiful Northern California landscape
disfigured by ash and rubble
looks like war was fought
in its yards and parks and on its hillsidesthis scarring of the earth
the inconceivable, unthinkable
happenedhow can so many people lose everything
I am affected emotionally and spiritually
I have my house, my belongings
but do I have my right mindtears spill down weary cheeks
we carry on, adjusting to a new normal
trying to make sense of that
which cannot be understoodthere is the before
and now—the after
the camaraderie and sense of community
the amazing goodness of peoplemy writing partner asks if I’m okay
I answer, no, but I will beWriting Prompt: Write about the mood or theme of the poem, a stanza, a line, a word. Just start writing and follow whatever comes up for you.
“October 10, 2017” was published in Phoenix Out of Silence . . . And Then. Redwood Writers 2018 Poetry Anthology, edited by Les Bernstein and Fran Claggett-Holland. Available through Amazon.
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Chug, Chuff, Hiss, Squeal, Off We Go
Today’s post is inspired by Nancy Julien Kopp’s blog post about using sound in writing.
Nancy wrote:
This morning, I was catching up on email when I heard the whine of a train whistle, blown several times. I wondered if it was the historic Union Pacific train, known as Big Boy, making its way across Kansas this week in celebration of 150 years of the Transcontinental Railroad. It was due to stop here in our town at 9:30 a.m.
The sound of that whistle made me stop and listen. I always liked to hear train whistles when I was a child. We lived across the street from the railroad tracks, so we were treated to that arresting sound on a frequent basis. I can remember being in bed on a summer night, windows open, hoping for the train to come by and announce its presence. When I did hear it, I wondered where it was going. My own world in those days was quite small, but I knew a train went to many places.
What do you think of when you hear a train’s whistle? Does it trigger any memories for you? Do you think of it as mournful or cheerful? Is it different at nighttime when the train moves through the darkness than it is on a sunny day?
Readers knows what a train whistle sounds like, so you don’t need to write “The train blew its whistle.” You can enlarge that thought to make it more interesting: The train’s whistle whined loudly as it passed by the crossing gates, growing dimmer and dimmer as it sped down the track.
Write a sentence or two for each of the items below, using sensory detail.
jet plane
waves on the shore
ball hitting a baseball bat
washing machine
school bell
air brakes on a bus
popcorn popping
crying child
church bells
piano
cow mooing
birdsong
Note from Marlene: Adding sensory details enhance the story and help readers “see” the scene and the characters.
The Magic of Sensory Words by Enchanting Marketing.
Write Spot Posts about sensory detail:
The neurological impact of sensory detail.
Imagery and sensory detail ala Adair Lara Prompt #277
Using sensory detail in writing.
See more posts about using the senses in writing by typing “sensory detail” in the Search Box on The Write Spot Blog.
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Myths and Realities of Blogging
I recently spoke at a meeting of the Writers of the Mendocino Coast, a branch of the California Writers Club, on the subject of blogging.
I recommend the blogs and books mentioned below. And of course there are many other blogs, books, and information about blogging on the world wide web.
Highlights from my talk on “Myths and Realities of Blogging”
If you don’t have a blog, but think you should, something to think about is why?
Why should you have an author blog?
“Blogging is simply a medium that allows you to connect with people who love the same books, hobbies and activities you do.” — Gabriela Pereira, May/June 2018, Writer’s Digest magazine
Author Blog
Find Your Target Audience: Read the reviews of books in your genre on Amazon or Goodreads. Use words from the reviews for your headlines and tags in your posts.
What to Post
Stories about you: Your interests, hobbies, pets, hometown. Interviews.
Platform
One way to build your platform is to be a guest blogger. I welcome your essays about encouraging writers and writing tips on The Write Spot Blog. Go to “Guest Bloggers” to see what others have done (800-1200 words).
Book reviews are also welcome on The Write Spot Blog.
The Benefits of Blogging for Writers by Nancy Julien Kopp
- Name recognition in the Writing World
- Helps promote your books
- Connections with other writers
- Can exchange guest posts with other bloggers
- Makes you write regularly/inspires other forms of writing
A few blogs for writers:
Marlene Cullen, The Write Spot Blog
Nancy Julian Kopp, Writers Granny’s World
Jane Friedman, Blog for Writers
Books on Blogging
How To Blog a Book, Nina Amir
The Author Blog, Anne R. Allen
The Write Spot Anthologies: Prose, poetry, and prompts to spark your writing
The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries
The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections
The Write Spot: Reflections
The Write Spot: Memories
Should you host an author’s blog to build your platform? You don’t have to, but it’s a good idea . . . as long as you stay focused on your “main” writing . . . your fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir. And if you love posting on your blog . . . do it! Just write!
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Valentine’s Day Blog Hop
The Write Spot Blog is fortunate to have a friend like Francis H. Powell. Even though we have never met in person, Francis is an important part of The Write Spot’s history. He invited us to join a Blog Hop last Halloween and last Christmas and now. . . drum roll. . . Valentine’s Day Blog Hop.
Before participating I had heard about blog hops, but didn’t really know what they were. Here’s how this Blog Hop works. When you click on Valentine’s Day Blog Hop (in future Write Spot posts), you land on Francis’ Blog Hop Landing Page. Scroll down and click on a name. Here is a brief summary of talented and creative writers participating in this Blog Hop.
Francis H. Powell, author of Flight of Destiny and creator of fabulous Blog Hops.
Latoya Wilson has beautiful photos on her website. She hopes her writing offers a warm refuge.
Tiffany Apan is a singer, songwriter, actress, award-winning producer, author of The Birthrite Series and other dark fiction.
Cheryllyn Dyess writes about a wide range of intriguing topics. She writes as Casey L. Bond
Angela Chrysler has an unusual and tantalizing invitation into her website.
Terri Bruce‘s adventure stories may be foreshadowed by her mesmerizing graphics and the invitation to her website: “Ordinary People. Extraordinary Words.”
Linzé Brandon blogs about books, writing and the creative life of a writer married to a photographer at Butterfly on a Broomstick.
Sarah Kohl writes about her adventurous experiences and travels on her blog.
Marlene Cullen’s The Write Spot Blog is a place for writers to post freewrites from the listed prompts.
Sundays – Book Reviews
Mondays – Inspiration to Just Write
Tuesdays – Quotes (watch for a new feature to be revealed soon)
Wednesdays and Fridays – Writing Prompts
Thursdays – Guest Bloggers
Saturdays – Places to Submit
Contact Marlene if you want to be a guest blogger and for posting book reviews.