This seems to be the time of year to make lists. I am normally a list maker, but I get real serious about it starting mid-December. With all the “kids” coming home for the holidays, I mentally list where everyone will sleep. Then I gather blankets, quilts, comforters and pillows. Some unlucky family members have to sleep on the floor. Can’t be too bad, because they keep coming back. Then there are the other lists: shopping (gifts, groceries), meals (breakfasts, dinners. . .I’m not used to cooking for nine), party planning (food, drinks, moving furniture), holiday cards (cards received, cards sent) . . . okay, probably too much information. But yes, I am that serious about making lists. I’ve been thinking about bucket lists. You know . . . things you’ve always wanted to do and some day you will. I’m wondering, what’s on your bucket list? For fiction writers….
Tag: The Write Spot Blog
What hurts right now? Prompt #209
You! Yes, you. What hurts right now? Write about that. Or write about what is hurting your fictional character. Writing Prompt: What hurts right now?
Personal Essay is Memoir in Short Form
If you have written your memoir, or are in the process, and it’s not shaping into what you envisioned, you could transform it into a personal essay. It might be easier, at some point, to concentrate on writing a personal essay, rather than a book-length manuscript. There are many posts on The Write Spot Blog about how to write personal essays. (Please scroll down for the how-to posts). You may be writing vignettes to satisfy your desire to write family stories. You can publish these with the help of many do-it-yourself publishing companies. If you want your personal essays to be published for public consumption, there are many opportunities for submission: Big Brick Review, Chicken Soup for The Soul, The Christian Science Monitor, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction and so many more places. Check the back pages of Writer’s Digest magazine. You can submit your writing to be included in…
Deep but not profound . . . Prompt #208
The name of the game is: Deep but not profound. Apples but not bananas Boots but not shoes Carrots but not potatoes Door but not window Eggs but not chickens Have you figured out the formula? Here’s a clue: Look at the letters in the first words of each line above. More clues: Sleepy but not tired Sleep but not slumber Greet and hello and goodbye but neither here nor there. Solution to this riddle: The first word has double consonants or double vowels. The rest of the words don’t matter. Two more: Matter but not material Correct but not right I’m becoming addicted. . . Hope you have fun with this little brain teaser! What lines can you come up with? Writing Prompt: Choose a line or a photo and write.
Tradition . . . Prompt #207
~Tradition~ Quick! What’s the first thing you think when you see the word “tradition?” Write about that. OR: Write about a tradition from your childhood. Write about a tradition you gave up. Write about a tradition you enjoy. Ready? Set your time and write for 15-20 minutes. Just write!
Use photos to inspire your writing. Prompt #206
You can use photos as writing prompts. Choose one of your photos, or a photo you remember and write about it. First, look at the photo (if you can). Write all the details that you see. Write about what happened before and after the photo was taken. Write about your feelings connected with this photo. Photos might remind you about activities, important occasions and details that you may have forgotten. Did Great-grandpa always wear a hat? What was his first car? Where did he work? Siblings. What did Grandma think as her son went off to war? What did his sisters think? Did they send him off with special remembrances from home? Did they listen to every radio broadcast about the war? Did they watch events play out on television? Are there any letters from that era? Grandma’s graduation day photo doesn’t look like today’s graduation photos. What were Grandma’s plans…
How to Write A Memoir— Part Two
How To Write A Memoir, Part 1 lists a variety of methods for writing personal stories. Part 2 continues with revision and the business of writing. Take care of yourself Writing one’s life story can be difficult. While writing, take good care of yourself. Anytime you are feeling overwhelmed by this writing process, set your work aside. Take a break, get some fresh air, visit with a friend. Read helpful, supportive material such as Toxic Mom’s Toolkit. Organize When editing, save your “cuts” in separate files (either paper file folders or on computer files). You might be able to use these darlings in another personal essay. Use manila file folders to store print material: newspaper articles, photos, handwritten notes, letters, brochures, etc. Revising In the revising stage, delete what might cause embarrassment. Fine tune for accuracy. Shape like a gardener pruning a hydrangea. Take a few snips here, cut a…
Alarm . . . Prompt #204
Today’s writing prompt: Alarm
What challenged you as a . . . Prompt #203
Today’s writing prompt: What challenged you as a fifteen-year-old? When the prompt is a number or an age, you can adjust to whatever calls to you. For example, with this prompt you can write about what was challenging when you were thirteen, or fourteen, or sixteen. The exact age doesn’t matter. I chose fifteen because that is a pivotal year for some people. Marlene, Tonga Room, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, Junior Prom, 1965.
What’s under your bed? Prompt #202
Today’s prompt: Write about the monsters under your bed. Oh, you don’t have any monsters under your bed? Well then, what’s in your closet?