October is breast cancer awareness month.I would like to expand to body awareness.Write about an illness or a physical change you, or someone you know, went through.Include your age and who was involved.How did you find out about the illness?What was the next step?What happened?Are you still affected by this illness/physical change? #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
Tag: Writing freely. Just write. Writing Prompts. The Write Spot Blog.
Fish out of water . . . Prompt #808
Photo by David Zinn Prompt: A fish out of water story. Write about a time you felt like a fish out of water, where you didn’t fit in, or you wondered if you belonged. Inspired by Sept/Oct 2024 Writer’s Digest, “Level Up Your Writing Life,” by Sharon Short. #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
Are you an introvert or an extrovert or a combination? Prompt #807
According to Diane Stark, author of “Life of the Party,” a Chicken Soup story in “Be You:” “If your favorite activity is a busy one that involves lots of people, you are an extrovert. If your activity is a quiet, solitary pursuit, you are an introvert. The vast majority of writers are introverts. It’s just how we’re wired.” Diane discovered, “I am a social introvert. It’s someone who is outgoing, but also requires alone time to be healthy.” Prompt: Are you an introvert, an extrovert, or a combination? List your three favorite activities. Are these things you do by yourself or in a small group, or with a lot of other people? When you are tired or stressed, what activity appeals to you most? After being by yourself all day, are you anxious to be around other people? Or, do you need downtime to recover? What energizes you? What restores…
The Emotion Thesaurus
Review by Marlene Cullen. I have heard about this book, read about this book, seen posts about this book for years. So, I bought “The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi. Yes to this book! From the introduction: “What we [recognized] was our own difficulty conveying character emotion in a way that would engage readers. This problem was a big one, because only when the character’s emotions are clearly shared can readers become more involved.” I have often thought about how to “show” body language when writing. As you know, when we interact with others, there is much about body language that conveys our mood, emotions, reactions. How to show these things? The Emotion Thesaurus to our rescue! “We wanted to ensure that our character’s feelings would trigger the reader’s own emotional memories, encouraging empathy that would draw them deeper into the story.” Tips on how to write…
You Can’t Catch Death
Sometimes you read a memoir, put your book away, and get on with your life. “You Can’t Catch Death” by Ianthe Brautigan is not one of those memoirs. Ianthe’s stories about her father and how she was affected by him results in a loving tribute to her conflicted and artistic father, Richard. Ianthe shares details that are painful to read and yet, I read far into the night, needing to know what happened next. I appreciate Ianthe’s gentle handling of difficult and misunderstood subjects: alcoholism and death by one’s own hand. “You Can’t Catch Death” could be a text on how to write a memoir – go deep. Be truthful. Be as honest as you can be. Be authentic. Ianthe excelled on all these levels. Writing Prompt “Watershed moment,” inspired by Ianthe Brautigan from a Writers Forum writing workshop. Thoughts about hurting people’s feelings when writing true stories: Writing has…
We Don’t Talk About That . . . Prompt #806
Armando Garcia-Dávila’s Youtube Talk inspired this prompt: We don’t talk about that . . . Just Write! #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
Surrender for Inspiration
Note from Marlene:Grant Faulkner’s musings on his Substack page are golden comfort to a writer’s soul, offering unique perspectives that inspire writing. For example, his essay on “Surrender as Action Verb.” “When we surrender ourselves to our art, we allow ourselves to soften. Surrender invites us to give ourselves up to something larger, to meld with wonder and awe. Surrender creates intimacy and expansiveness at the same time. It sparks curiosity, exploration. It’s the equivalent of going to sleep: by sinking into an unconscious state, we allow dreams to fill us. We give up trying to change and control things. The rigidities of expectations, desires, and aspirations melt away. Think what would change if you allowed yourself to surrender in a conversation. What if you committed to listening, to let another’s words and spirit rise up and take you instead of focusing on your point of view, your needs. What…
Birds & Blooms Wants Your Stories
Birds & Blooms is a bimonthly magazine focused on the beauty in your backyard. “Our magazine coves a wide range of topics such as attracting hummingbirds, building birdhouses, gardening for butterflies, growing veggies, plus a lot more.” Submission Guidelines Good Luck!
Memory is a river, not a block of cement
“Alternate versions of past events are common, because it is human nature, especially where childhood memories are concerned, to move ourselves—over time—to the center of a story. We are hardwired to see the world through our own points of view, and increasingly so with the passage of time. Memory is a river, not a block of cement.” — “But My Sister Remembers It Differently: On Working with Contested Memories,” by Dinty Moore, Aug. 15, 2024 Brevity Blog.
I Don’t Know . . .
Note from Marlene: I am very excited to share Jennifer’s post with you. Since my passion is how to write about difficult subjects without adding trauma, I am especially grateful to Jennifer for addressing this topic. Jennifer’s eloquent writing on what she doesn’t know about her father is outstanding and an example of how you can write about “what you don’t know.” Guest Blogger Jennifer Leigh Selig: When I lead memoir writing retreats, I like to kickstart the mornings with writing prompts. One of the tricks of my trade is a manilla envelope stuffed with images I’ve printed out of vintage and iconic toys and games from across the decades. It’s a ritual I cherish—spreading these images out on the long conference room tables, imagining my students’ delight as they light upon a special toy or game that brings back fond memories, and then watching them begin to furiously write….