I wish I had known . . . Response by Muriel Ellis: I don’t think I would really want to have known what my life would bring. Of course, I wish I’d done some things differently, made more time for the family I loved. I wish I hadn’t abandoned writing for so many years, over and over again. I certainly wish I’d known when I heard the grim news “malignant,” when it applied to lungs that it did not mean horrendous surgery with scant hope of recovery. And I wish that, before I knew all would be well, that I had actually written all those letters of accumulated love and wisdom that I planned to leave for my family—maybe even a page or two for assorted nieces and nephews and their offspring. Well, I didn’t. And, yes, I know it’s not too late, but that’s another story. Life is full…
Tag: The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections
If . . . Prompt #725
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!
Poem from character sketch . . . Prompt #628
Prompt #1 Think about someone important in your life. Someone who made an impact on you. Write a list or a few paragraphs of events in this person’s life. It could be milestones or simple everyday things. Prompt #2 Turn what you just wrote into a poem with these suggestions: Make this a numbered poem. Each stanza gets a number. Each stanza is four lines. Each stanza represents a chunk of time in the person’s life, perhaps by decade. Example: 1. Love child Tossed around Whose arms held her? Who comforted her? 2. Showing off Late for work Three times Not a charm Thank you to Susan Furness who suggested this prompt at Recovery Writing of Idaho, organized by Norma Jaeger. Image from “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections.” #justwrite #iamawriter #freewrites
Who do you miss? Prompt #462
I’ve been thinking about my mom, who passed away in July 2017. Every so often, like today, I want to phone her. I just want to talk with her. Prompt: Who do you miss? That’s my mom on the cover of The Write Spot: Connections. She was a dancer in her teens, performing at convalescent hospitals in the 1940’s. Connections is a collection of writing from mothers and their adult children. Some are funny, some poignant, some surprising. All are entertaining. Here’s an excerpt: Dime Sightings by Pamela Swanson Although my mother, Ione, could not afford them, she loved diamonds. Eventually she did save up enough money to buy herself a diamond ring. She was so proud of that ring. One year, early in November, Ione died without warning at the age of 54. Suddenly I was traveling the 2,100 miles from California where I lived to the small town…
About Anthologies
What do you think when you hear a book is an anthology? Some people may be delighted with thoughts of reading from a variety of authors. Others may groan, remembering antiquated stories in outdated books. Me? I’m excited to produce anthologies so that a diverse group of writers can be introduced into the writing scene. My third anthology, The Write Spot: Reflections was recently published with the help of two authors who didn’t even know they were cheering me on. Eleanor Henderson and Anna Solomon, co-editors of Labor Day: True Birth Stories by Today’s Best Women Writers, wrote an article, “Labor of Love,” printed in Poets & Writers magazine, May June 2014. “Labor of Love” was my steadfast companion on my journey from “What am I doing?” and “Will this work?” to the completion of three anthologies. Excerpt from “Labor of Love” “We’ve always loved anthologies. As new writers, we…