Prompts

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…

Sparks

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…

Sparks

Complimented Complement

By Kathleen Haynie Yes, it drives me nuts. They take an English word that has some nuanced meaning for them personally, and they use it to name some untouchable gadget they have invented. And then someone else makes the gadget anew and puts a new name on it. Then it becomes daily language usage. She was complaining that her boyfriend didn’t understand her feelings. “He doesn’t have enough bandwidth, I guess.” That word no longer belongs in Techieville. Complement with an “e” gets merged into compliment with an “I” because spell check doesn’t check it. Someone must think highly of me because I am always getting complimentary “one-month free” offers. My e-mail gadget is called a program, a file, or a client. My clients usually pay me for my services, but this one does a service for me for free! I went to copy some text on my computer to…

Prompts

Ideas . . . Prompt #556

Write about an idea you have. Something you have thought about doing. You can also write from your fictional character’s point of view. Perhaps something on your wish list. A dream. I want to . . . ~ write about . . . ~ create an art project about . . . ~ a gardening project . . . ~ something that will help me . . . ~ help my community . . . ~ help the world . . . ~ this is what I want to accomplish . . . ~ my dream is . . .

Guest Bloggers

Help Your Creativity Blossom

Guest Blogger Suzanne Murray shares why freewrites inspire writing: I have taught the creative writing process for more than twenty years, working in part with a technique known as “freewriting” where I encourage participants to “just let it rip”. We don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar or whether it is good. We suspend the censor and let our first thoughts spill out onto the page. People new to the class are always nervous about this kind of letting go. Since I write and share my own raw writing with the group, I was rather nervous when I first started teaching the classes but found that by maintaining a safe and sacred atmosphere of unconditional acceptance for whatever wanted to come forth it really calmed the fear for everyone. We learn quite early to fear making mistakes. We all have a well-developed censor that confines us within the limiting parameters of…