July 4th is coming up. . . . what does this mean to you? Do you consider yourself patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you? Which reminds me of one of my all-time favorite “brain teasers.” Do they have fourth of July in England? Yes. . .and third of July and fifth of July. Writing Prompt: What does July Fourth mean to you?
Tag: The Write Spot
Feeling your way in the dark . . .
“The way I write, it’s like feeling your way in the dark. You don’t know if it’s going to catch fire — not just your imagination, but your emotions.” — Dan Coshnear Northern California writer Dan Coshnear is the author of two collections of stories, Jobs & Other Preoccupations (Helicon Nine 2001) and Occupy & Other Love Stories (Kelly’s Cove Press 2012). Born in Baltimore in 1961, he has traveled in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Haiti, and all over the U.S., often by thumb, and once for a few thousand miles by freight train. After living on Cape Cod and in New York and San Francisco, he finally settled with his wife, Susan, in a house under some very tall trees along the Russian River in Sonoma County, California. His stories have been published in Fourteen Hills, juked, The Missouri Review, Third Coast and Zyzzyva. About Dan’s latest publication . ….
Right now . . . Prompt #83
Set your timer for 12-15 minutes and write. No judging. Shoo your inner critic away. Just write. Today’s Prompt: Right now . . . Photo taken in Ireland by Jim C. March
Listen to your body as a way to creativity.
In this Just Write post, we’ll take a look at the idea of listening to your body as a way to get past blocks toward your creativity. First, turn off your cell phone or put to vibrate. Unplug from Facebook and emails. Eliminate as many distractions as you can. If you are experiencing extreme grief or pain, please get professional help. This post, of course, cannot replace the need for professional assistance. Ready? Here we go. We all experience grief, trauma, sadness. And we have our own ways of handling those stresses. There is no one right or wrong way to handle these difficulties. What is right for one person, may be wrong for someone else. What works for me, might not work for you, so take what works for you from this post, ignore the rest. Let’s take a moment now to breathe, relax and get settled. Take a…
Things you no longer do. Prompt #82
Write about things you no longer do.
Writing is like excavating . . .
Writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog are designed to encourage writing that takes the writer on a journey of discovery. Our freewrites can refresh our memories and remind us of times past. It’s like excavating — digging deep and dredging up memories. You can start writing very simply — with pen or pencil and paper or keyboard. To go deep into your writing — rest both feet on the floor, rest your hands lightly on your lap or on the table. Take in a deep, nourishing breath and slowly let it out. Another deep breath in and s-l-o-w-l-y release. Sink into your breath and relax on the out breath. Review the prompt and start writing. If you get stuck and don’t know what to write next: ~ Write the prompt . . . sometimes re-writing the prompt brings up new ideas. ~ Write “I remember. . . ” and…
The next time . . . Prompt #78
Today’s writing prompt: The next time . . .
Summer! Prompt #77
Write about . . . Summer.
Let’s talk about the inner critic.
It’s difficult to shake off judging ourselves and our writing. Our inner critic is a hard one to let go — it’s been with us for so long. What I especially like about freewrites is that since they are very rough first drafts, they can be just awful and no one should care because, after all, they are just first drafts. The beauty of freewrites is getting Self out of the way and going with the flow. Let your writing flow with no judging. When you are in the zone and writing. . . time flies. There is no space for the inner critic to hang out. It’s just you and your creative mind playing with words. Let go of your worries about your writing. Choose a prompt from The Write Spot Blog. Set your timer for 12 minutes and Just Write.
. . . . so we can have an ordinary life.
In honor of Memorial Day, Sharon Hamilton sent the following to be included in our tribute to military personnel. Sharon shares these photos and thoughts: We owe a lot to the men and women who have fought on our behalf, so we can have an ordinary life. Memorial is just one day we remember and vow to always remember all of our military personnel. Photo of Sharon Hamilton’s Great-Great-Grandfather’s brother, who served in the Civil War, like her Great-Great-Grandfather. General Daniel Cameron gained his citizenship by fighting for the North. Navy Seal Uniform Cover of Sharon Hamilton’s latest book, SEAL My Destiny. Sharon Hamilton writes Navy SEAL romance, about military heroes who thrill strong women, who are lucky to love them back. Sharon began her serious writing with freewriting exercises, using prompts to inspire her writing. You, too, can jumpstart your writing. Choose prompts from The Write Spot…