“I write because I believe my words can change the world. Every paragraph, every sentence, every syllable I construct is written with the express intention of changing people and their families. I hope as you read this you are in fact changing and I hope you’ll let your families read this so they can change too. Of course I’m kidding. I write for cash and because as a child I was told I had excellent penmanship.” “What’s the writing that makes you happy? That’s the writing to do.” Doug Ellin, Creator, Executive Producer, “Entourage” From September 2005 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine
Tag: The Write Spot Blog
Shhhh . . . Prompt #428
Today’s writing prompt: Opening line from Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts: “You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what I’m about to tell you.” Or: You must not tell anyone . . . Or: My mother said . . .
Word Problems . . . Prompt #422
Remember math word problems? If x = a + c, then what does b equal? If Johnny and Tony want to end up at the same place and at the same time, why didn’t they just travel together? Prompt: Word problems
The Write Spot: Reflections
The Write Spot: Reflections reviewed by Nancy Julien Kopp. I read Marlene Cullen’s newest book cover to cover in one evening. The Write Spot: Reflections is the third in a series of books meant to help writers and wannabe writers. In the introduction, editor Marlene Cullen, says: “If you want to write and don’t know how to get started, this book is for you. If you are a writer and feeling stuck, this book is for you. If you like reading a variety of writing for enjoyment, this book is for you.” The book is a collection of short stories, poems and vignettes to entertain but also to inspire writing. Each contributor includes a short bio and a few paragraphs on Why I Write after their writing contributions. I found some illuminating statements in the Why I Write sections. I also found so a great deal to enjoy in the offerings of the different authors….
What would you do, if . . . Prompt #418
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Betrayal. Prompt #410
“A time comes when silence is betrayal.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Write about a time you were betrayed. Or a time you betrayed someone. You could start with: I felt betrayed . . . Or write about a time you were silent and now wish you had spoken up. Or write about a time you could no longer remain silent. You could start with: I want to tell you about what happened . . .
A lie . . . Prompt #409
Write about a lie someone told you, or a lie you told. White lies, bald-faced lies, untruths, falsehoods, fabrications, whoppers . . . whatever you call ‘em, you have experienced ‘em . . . Now write about ‘em.
A time you felt different. Prompt #408
Prompt: Write about a time you felt different. If you have time . . . write, using this prompt now. Or, think about a time you felt different. Pause. Take some time to remember, “Diversity goes deep and is often handled on intellectual and political levels.” —Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and With Others. Prompt: Generate a list of categories that make us different from one another. Some ideas: Age – Gender – Socioeconomics – Background – Personality – Married or not – Have children or not – Parents alive or not – Lived/grew up with parents in the home – Vegetarian – Athletic – Bookworm – Seeker – Spiritual – Religious – Have tattoos – Have piercings – Hearing impaired – Race – Tall or short Prompt: Choose a diversity and write a dialogue between two or three people. Prompt: Write about someone being hurt as a result of being…
Use these words . . . Prompt #406
Use these words in your freewrite: Instinct, illustration, melt, eighteenth, obligation, plunge, immune.
Your path . . . Prompt #405
Write about a path you took, or a path you didn’t take. Write about a choice you made.