The way I found out about . . . Start a sentence with “The way I found out about . . . ” and go from there. Write! Just write.
Tag: The Write Spot
Favorite food or drink. Prompt #99
Write about your favorite food or drink and the last time you had it/them. Photo of fruit salad, prepared by Meals From The Heart at the French Market in New Orleans. If you go there, go to this Cafe. Seriously good food. The BEST gluten-free crabcakes!
What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? — Robert Schuller Note from Marlene: You talk, right? And you think, right? Therefore, you can write. I just know it! Set yourself up for writing with paper, pen or pencil, or computer and keyboard. Choose a prompt. Set a timer for 12 minutes. And Just Write!
Fake it until you make it.
I facilitate Jumpstart writing workshops in Petaluma, California and here, online, with you. People new to writing have a hard time saying “I’m a writer.” So did I, until my writing teacher, Pat Schneider, made me say it out loud. And now I’m encouraging you to say it out loud. Come on. I’ll say it, too. I am a writer. Again, louder. I AM A WRITER. There now. . . and if you weren’t able to say it louder, fake it until you make it. No need to fake your writing. . . Just fake having confidence in your writing. And now . . . select a prompt and Just Write!
Life is just a . . . Prompt #98
Today’s prompt: Life is just a . . . Set your timer for 15 minutes and finish the thought. . . Life is just a . . .
Something that seemed wrong but turned out right. Prompt #97
Write about something that seemed so wrong but turned out right. Photo by Breana Marie
Why do you write?
“Life often has a way of making people feel small and unimportant. But if you find a way to express yourself through writing, to put your ideas and stories on paper, you’ll feel more consequential. No one should pass through time without writing their thoughts and experiences down for others to learn from. Even if only one person, a family member, reads something you wrote long after you’re gone, you live on. So writing gives you power. Writing gives you immortality.” — Antwone Fisher, Screenwriter and author Note from Marlene: I write to get out of my head and onto paper. Writing, with a pen or pencil, is an extension of my arm. When I picture my arm, it’s elongated by the pen, which in my mind, is always there. Computer typing — same thing — the keyboard is an extension of me. Writing is as natural and as much…
A man opens his mail box and finds. . . Prompt #96
Today’s writing prompt is inspired from the September 2014 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine. “A man opens his mailbox to find an envelope containing a set of instructions.” Set your time and write for 20 minutes. Set it aside for twenty minutes. Then read. Tweak, make a few changes, but not too many. The energy from that first and fast writing is usually spot-on. Write a short story of 750 words or fewer based on this prompt and enter Writer’s Digest Contest #60. Send your story using the online form at writersdigest.com/your-story-competition or send via email to yourstorycontest@fmedia.com (entries must be pasted directly into the body of the email; attachments will not be opened). DEADLINE: August 25, 2014
What do you do if . . . Prompt #95
You are in a bookstore in another city: ~ You see something you can’t live without, but you don’t have enough money to pay for it. What do you do? ~ You see a neighbor, alone, weeping. What do you do? ~ You see an acquaintance shoplift. What do you do? ~ You see two married acquaintances, without their spouses, heads and bodies close together, in a suggestive position. What do you do? ~ You are a young child and smile up at the grown-up whose hand you are holding but you don’t recognize the grown-up. What do you do? Pick one and write for 20 minutes. Note from Marlene: You can tweak prompts however you want. For example, with this prompt, the setting could be a deserted walkway near water, in a park, at a crowded Saturday market. You choose the setting and Just Write! Photo by Sasha Oaks …
Lower Your Expectations and Just Write
My dear friend, Karen Batchelor, was an inspiring and wonderful writing teacher. She passed away too soon, December 2013. I was looking through material to post here and came across this gem by Karen. I hope you enjoy it and hope it inspires you to Just Write. Lower Your Expectations, by Karen Batchelor When 2012 arrived, I dismissed the thought of making any new year’s resolutions. After all, those aspirations often died just days or hours after their birth. However, on January 1, a tiny little idea began to germinate. A few minutes later when the concept was fully formed, I started in on my new project. My goal: Write a minimum of five minutes a day. I can hear some of you chuckling. What kind of a goal is that? In fact for some time, neither grandiose nor modest intentions have worked. Although I could create a lot of…