Guest Post by Carole Duff All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. —Anatole France Western culture divides life into three stages: birth/student, work/family, and retirement/death. My husband and I, moving into our retirement years and building a new house, borrowed the Hindu concept of four stages, adding a time of spiritual growth and reconnection between retirement and death. The third stage of life, Vanaprastha, the name we chose for our mountain home, means retreat to the forest. Not retirement but time to learn, reflect, and grow. Time to take the internal journey and heal past wounds from loss, rejection, and inexplicable disruptions. Time to explore, discover, seek meaning, share wisdom, and serve others. Time to become our truer selves. As it turned out, I became a writer….
Tag: Writing prompts. Just write. Writing Freely. The Write Spot Blog.
2022 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest
❖ The 2022 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest ❖ The Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest is open to adult and young poets. Everyone is encouraged to enter the contest. Poets do not have to live in Lincoln, CA to be eligible. There is no entry fee. Poems must be received by Thursday, July 21, 2022 Young Poets, 18-years of age or under, are encouraged to submit poems and will compete in a special “Young Poets” category. Contest theme: People Are . . . Everything. Contest Categories: People Are Funny People Are Amazing People Are World Changers People Are Unreasonable People Are Unpredictable Contest Rules and Entry Form Contact Alan Lowe for more information and for a copy of the entry form.
Write to exorcize what’s haunting you.
“Write to exorcize what’s haunting you. Write about whatever it is you can’t get out of your head—a person, a place, a fear, a fictional scene, a memory from your past, a fantasy for your future. Allow yourself to think obsessively and shamelessly about only that one thing for as long as it takes to get it down on paper.” —Puloma Ghosh, The Isolation Journals, created by Suleika Joauad. This type of writing is like unpeeling layers of emotions. Just Write. The Isolation Journals is Suleika Joauad’s newsletter for people seeking to transform life’s interruptions into creative grist. Both free and paid subscriptions are available. Memory Lane offers ideas to spark writing about what a memory from your past, or a fantasy for your future. #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter
More Chicken Soup For The Soul
Do you think submitting stories to Chicken Soup For The Soul books are for someone else, not for you? Do you think you have no chance of your writing being selected? Well, I know three people who have had their writing accepted. So, why not you? One of the key things is to follow their guidelines. Thank you, John Lesjack, for letting me know about the holiday topics (deadline 5/1/22). John has been published in Chicken Soup books over ten times. Nancy Julien Kopp has been published in Chicken Soup books over 20 times! Possible Chicken Soup Topics Angels (deadline 4/15/22) Crazy, eccentric, wacky lovable, fun families (4/30/22) Cats (deadline 5/30/22) Dogs (deadline 5/30/22) How stepping outside my comfort zone changed me (deadline 7/31/22) Chicken Soup Holiday Topics Are the memories from this past holiday season still fresh in your mind? We sure hope so! That’s why, just a few…
Panoplyzine
Panoplyzine is a fresh new look at poetry and short prose. “We seek to publish lively new insights in creativity, outlook, perspective, and analysis. Issue 1 debuted in August 2015. We’re edited by three friends located around Pensacola, FL who got together to offer a new look and a new option for readers and writers and lovers of good writing worldwide. In January 2022, we welcomed a new editor based in Romania to enhance our viewpoint and feel. Our mission is to share the best in contemporary poetry and short prose, to enlighten and entertain, and to touch our readers’ hearts and minds.” Submission Guidelines Guy Biederman had success with “This isn’t the story I intended to write” being published in Panoplyzine. Guy’s piece “Send It!” encourages writers to submit their writing. “I record where, when, and what I send, and of course, the results. I record quality declines if…
Games . . . Prompt #627
Write about: ~ Childhood games, favorite games, games you played over and over again. ~ What games do you like now? ~ What game would you like to teach someone? ~If you don’t like playing games, write about that.
Nothing to Write About
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Nothing to Write About By Maeve Riley Day 30, May 6 The nearly full moon is rising over the mountains across from our house. It’s blinding to look at and negates any need for a headlamp. Luca paces around, damp from the river, hoping for a second dinner. Marley is content under a blanket on the green velvet couch; he’s seen plenty of full moons in his time. I stand outside in shorts that I bought ten years ago at the mall in Merced when I was in college. They are a deep red with black stripes and have the Hogwarts emblem printed all over. I am barefoot, my feet somehow still dirty from the garden even though I just showered. I also have on a pink and purple sweater that I bought at a thrift…
Character Sketch . . . Prompt #626
Finish sentences as your fictional character would. OR: Write your responses, as author/writer. My full name is (include maiden name and middle name): I live at or near . . . I live with . . . I usually wear . . . I want . . . I hope . . . People would be surprised to know that I . . . I am happiest when . . . I daydream about . . . If I had my way . . . I don’t understand . . . I get angry when . . . People wouldn’t like it if they knew . . . I never told anyone that I . . . If I were in charge . . . My hobbies are . . . My favorite breakfast . . . My pet peeves . . . My favorite drink . . . My…
Winter Solstice 2021
Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page. Winter Solstice 2021 By M.A. Dooley This blessed day when the light returns, I stand on the mountain of my home Grounded at 7:59 AM and look up. The round moon wanes floating over Saucer clouds docked in the west. A soft haze hangs between me and my Shire, Layered hillocks of veiled emerald, Taste wet and lush as if the drought is over. The sun rises behind a filter of grey Cotton balls connected at fluffy centers like Fat caterpillars in the sky. When the time rings for a celestial split, A tear in the cotton, A thin sliver of blue blinks open And the sun sears my eyes Carving the womb of awakening. I am the field of green softened by one ray, I am the strong back of the moon, Light as the…
Message in a bottle . . . Prompt #623
Writing Prompt: Walking along the beach, a bottle washes ashore, right at your feet. It has note inside. What does it say? Who is it from? Or: You decide to write a message in a bottle. What do you write? What do you do with the bottle? Who do you hope finds it? #amwriting #creativewriting #just write #imawriter