Writing Prompt:
Don’t tell anyone . . .
#justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
Tag: Writing freely. Just write. Writing Prompts. The Write Spot Blog.
-
Divine Candy
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
Divine Candy
By Sandra de Helen
On Route 66, Dead Man’s Curve
our house with an outhouse on seven acres
with no running water,
no candy store in sight.
We ate the eggs our chickens lay,
beans, potatoes, and greens
Mom picked in the woods.
No sweets except on holidays.
Grandma baked pies,
Aunt Mame made candy:
Chocolate fudge, peanut butter bars,
and her heavenly divinity.
Billowy clouds of white sugar,
studded with walnuts Mame herself
picked out with her prized nutcracker set.
Black walnuts the family gathered together
to gather from alongside gravel roads
of the nearby countryside.
Once each year every small family
within our larger family
were gifted a decorated box
of Aunt Mame’s treasured sweets.
We rationed them, made them last
by savoring each bite with the mindfulness
we’ve long since forgotten.
Only my sister and I are left to recall
our Aunt Mame and her gifts.
No one thought to ask for her recipe,
and no family member makes divinity.
Sandra de Helen lives and writes in Portland, Oregon. She is author of the Shirley Combs/Dr. Mary Watson mystery series, set in Portland; Till Darkness Comes, a thriller set in Kansas City, Missouri; and four collections of lesbian poetry published by Launch Point Press.
Sandra is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society, Dramatists Guild, Honor Roll! and International Centre for Women Playwrights.
Follow her on Twitter @dehelen
Follow her on Instagram @dehelen
Check out her Facebook page.
-
A Safe Place . . . Prompt #642
Today’s writing prompt starts with a visualization.
Sit back. Relax.
Breathe in deeply.
Release and relax as you breathe out.
Let go.
Let your mind relax. Settle into your chair.
Nothing for you to do right now, except be here.
Nowhere for you to go.
Let your mind drift.
Go back to a time when you were little … 4 or 6 or 7 years old.
A time when the world was fresh to you.
Filled with new sights, adventures and exploring.
A time when there was magic in the air. Full of possibilities.
Take a deep breathe in and settle into your comfortable space.
No worries.
No hurries just now.
This is your time, in your special place.
Imagine or remember what your world was like when you were 4 or 6 or 7 years old.
When everyone was taller than you. Everyone seemed wiser than you.
But you knew some things.
Even at that young age, you had strong feelings about some things.
Perhaps a pet, or a favorite toy, or a special blanket.
You had an attachment to something.
Maybe you were attached to an idea like snowing on Christmas Eve, or the perfect family, or the perfect vacation.
Take a deep breath. Feel your breath go past your lungs, past your chest, into your belly. And release.
When you are ready, write about a safe place … either a real place from your childhood, or an imaginary place.You could also write about an item, a person or an animal that brings you comfort and joy.
Other prompts that work well with this visualization:
The way I found out about . . .
Just Write!
-
Jon Batiste, radar, and writing
Jon Batiste “I believe this to my core, there is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor,” he began. “The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most. It’s like a song or an album is made and it’s almost like it has a radar to find the person when they need it the most.” — Jon Batiste, during his 2022 Grammy winner for best album acceptance speech
I think writing can be included in the creative arts category.
When we’re lucky, our writing radar picks up news and events when we need them to enhance our writing.
And that includes writing communities like The Write Spot.
Welcome! I’m so glad you are here.
The Write Spot Resources Page:
Writing Blogs and Websites
Places to submit writing
Community groups
Writing magazines
#justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
-
Brevity Blog seeks submissions
Brevity Blog is the place to discuss issues related to the writing of creative nonfiction. “Though we don’t shy away from important issues in the writing community, the Brevity blog can also often be colloquial, personal, and at times irreverent or humorous, and our most popular posts tend to be those that are the least academic.”
Appropriate topics for the Blog include the craft of writing nonfiction, issues in editing and publishing, writing conference and creative writing classroom experiences, interviews with writers or editors, prompts, close reading of essays or essayists, or specific issues that challenge us as we attempt to capture true experiences on the page.
Word Count: 500 to1,000 word range (sweet spot is 850).
Brevity Online Journal also welcomes submissions.
-
The next thing . . . Prompt #641
Writing Prompt:
The next thing I want to do . . .
Just Write!
#justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
-
On My Mind . . . Prompt #640
Today’s Writing Prompt:
What’s really on my mind . . .
Just Write!~
#justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
-
Instructions for See’s Candy: A Love Song Learned from My Mother
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
Instructions for See’s Candy: A Love Song Learned from My Mother
By Susy Pareto
“Life is a box of chocolates. Here’s how you do it,” she said without another word.
Pick up a piece.
chocolate filling
marzipan
truffle
brickle
Pause to note the smooth, warm texture between thumb and finger.Now, bring it to your mouth,
And slowly,
steadily,
bite down.Teeth cut through the buttery darkness
Like cutting blades on a garden clipper
The sweetness seeps out like sap
covers the tongue
coats the palate
transforms the sides into
cool
creamy chocolate-y cocoa-y
truffle-y nougat-y praline-y
other-worldly
let-me-lie-down and dreamil-yEyes closed.
Nothing exists but mouth,
And tongue,
twirling, swirling, luring
All thoughts into one luscious lump of pleasure.
Chocolate.And I want you again, and again, and again
A lifelong love affair, long after she’s gone.
Susy Pareto writes, gardens and lives in Petaluma, California. A former translator, she spent many years in Europe and holds a BA in Design and an MA in Linguistics. Her favorite pieces are as yet unpublished.
-
The Freedom of Freewrites
The freedom to write whatever you want.
Writing freely is like soaring with no limitations.
Freewrites can lead to:
~ Ruminating, resulting in new thoughts.
~ Discovery, leading to innovative realizations
~ Revelations, finding the “aha”
~ Exciting, uncover fresh ideas
~ Jubilations, the joy of making connections
Writing prompts can help generate writing.
There are over 800 writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog, as well as a list of places where you can submit your writing.
Just Write!
#justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
-
Riddled with Arrows
Riddled with Arrows is an online literary journal dedicated to writing about writing.
“We seek (short) metafiction, ars poetica, and writing that celebrates the process and product of writing as art. No restrictions on genre or form, so long as the work is about writing, straight up.”
Thank you, Guy Biederman, for letting me know about Riddled with Arrows.
Guy’s writing, Affordable Shakespeare is in the 5.1 issue of Riddled with Arrows.
#amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter