Our brains like order . . . Prompt #852

  • Our brains like order . . . Prompt #852

    ceramic bowls on brown wooden shelves
    Photo by Tony Smith on Pexels.com

    “Our brains like order,” explains Kristi Phillips, a Minnesota-based psychologist “having less stimuli around us helps promote relaxation.”

    She points out the popularity of home-decluttering Reels and TikToks, as well as TV series such as Get Organized With the Home Edit and Hot Mess House.

    “But while we enjoy the afterglow of a cleaned-out junk drawer, we still procrastinate when it comes to tackling more complex areas of clutter in our lives. When we’re trying to declutter our own spaces, we have an emotional attachment to those items,” she says.

    “Whether there are memories linked to those objects or simply the guilt of getting rid of something you spent money on, the task of mentally weighing each item can be overwhelming, with a video, you see the fast-forward of how quick it is … so it gives us that hope and positivity of, Oh, I can do that too.”   — “Why Watching Decluttering Videos Feels So Good” by Abby Alten Schwartz

    Writing Prompt

    Write about your cleaning out habits or your decluttering experience, could be your things or someone else’s things.

    OR: Write about what helps your brain to relax.

    Marlene C

  • A quirk . . . Prompt #850

    Write about a quirk you have.

    It could be something you do, or participate in, or watch.

    There may not be a logical explanation for this, except that it brings you joy or satisfaction.

    #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter

    Marlene C

  • Stories offer Solace and Hope

    Photo by Marlene Cullen

    “In times of unrest, struggle, and uncertainty, people reach for the comfort of story. When the world around us may feel bleak or overwhelming, stories offer us not just an escape from our troubles and worries, but a version of life that remind us of what’s most important, what we value and what is worth striving and fighting for, and the kind of world we could create if we do.” — Tiffany Yates Martin, “How to Write Amid Chaos,” Writers Digest  July/August 2025

    #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter

    Marlene C

  • Photo prompt. An owl . . . Prompt #849

    Today’s writing prompt is a photo of an owl.

    Photo by Marlene Cullen

    Here’s what happened:

    I looked out my kitchen window and saw the most majestic owl sitting on the roof of our shed. 

    She (he?) literally took my breath away.

    I took a picture through the window.

    Then I went outside to take a better look and a better photo.

    She swiveled her head and looked right at me.

    I snapped a photo.

    Then she flew away to the top of a pole.

    Poetry in flight.

    My friend Kathy, who works at a bird sanctuary, said it’s a juvenile great horned owl.

    Prompt: Photo of an owl

    Just Write!

    #iamwriting   #iamawriter   #justwrite

    Marlene C

  • Create Characters That Feel Like Real People

    Sophie Campbell hands us the key to unlock the dilemma of when to “show” and when to “tell.”

    “In creative writing, we’re often told to show, not tell. It’s practically gospel. In essence, it means show us how a character is feeling, don’t tell us.

    For example, ‘Jane felt a bubble rise in her throat and her chest heaved as she sobbed,’ is more powerful than simply, ‘Jane was sad and she cried.’

    But the truth is, the most compelling fiction does both showing and telling, and the best copywriting does too.

    The key isn’t choosing one over the other, it’s knowing when and how to use each of them to create characters that feel like real people and a voice that readers will remember.”

    Excerpted from The Forever Workshop, Use This Copywriting “Golden Rule” In Your Fiction, Poetry & Essays, Lesson 3 of “Steal From a Copywriter: Copy Techniques That Translate Into Creative Writing.”

    Just Write!

    Marlene C

  • Wanted: Real Characters

    “ . . . there’s nothing more glorious than when a fictional character feels completely real. And nothing more meh than when a fictional character feels like a cardboard cut-out.” — Excerpt from Forever Workshop

    From Marlene: I agree! I love to immerse myself in writing that takes me into another world. I’m not interested in reading what a character looks like and haven’t been able to articulate why until I read this by Jo Gatford:

    “I usually don’t give much of a crap what a character looks like, unless there’s a particular physical attribute, gesture, or way they move that helps show who they are. So dive deep and look for a line that gives us a guts-first impression of your fictional person.”

    From Workshop Your WIP — Introduce Your Protagonist with ONE Line, By Jo Gatford

    Marlene C

  • Mondegreen . . . Prompt #848

    green frog resting on lily pads in tranquil pond
    Photo by Mohan Nannapaneni on Pexels.com

    Excerpt from June 16 River Teeth, “Mondegreen,” by Diane Gottlieb:

    A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning.

    Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar.

    American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad “The Bonnie Earl o’Moray,” and mishearing the words “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.”

    Diane’s piece begins like this:

    “I found a lost memory today. Discovered it inside a writing prompt: recall something you’ve misheard. The title of the 1971 Sly and the Family Stone song is ‘It’s a Family Affair,’ but I swore it was ‘A Family of Bears.’ How wonderful it felt to belt out a song about bears and more bears, a family of bears.”

    A mondegreen inspired from “Blue Jay Way,” by the Beatles:

    Misheard Lyrics: There’s a frog upon a lake.

    Original Lyrics: There’s a fog upon L.A.

    Prompt: Write about a mondegreen.

    #justwwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting

    Marlene C

  • Your Neighborhood . . . Prompt #846

    Picture yourself standing in front of the house, apartment, flat, whatever type of building you grew up in.

    If you lived in more than one place, choose the one that holds the most memories.

    Take a moment to look around. Scan from one side to the other.

    What do you see?

    What do you smell?

    What do you hear?

    Take some deep breaths as you see this scene.

    Mentally take a walk to where you often walked:

    School, library, playground, theater, skating rink, store.

    Picture yourself on this walk.

    What did your neighborhood smell like?

    What did you hear as you walked along?

    Just Write~!

    Marlene C

  • What’s bugging you? . . . Prompt #845

    Writing Prompt:
    What’s bugging you?

    Just Write!

    #amwriting #iamawriter #justwrite

    Marlene C

  • Relinquishing the Wagon

    Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.

    Relinquish the Wagon

    By CM Riddle

    Many of us go through life dragging a wagon behind us. Gripping the handle, we continue to pull it along while we try grasping at things ahead of us with the other hand. Imagine how much more we could attain if only we could bring ourselves to release that dang wagon.

    What could possibly be so important in that wagon, you may ask. Well, there’s a lot of history in it, I will tell you that.

    It is packed with cherished memories and painful experiences. It gets heavier every year. The grudges weigh a lot, and the guilt slows your pace. But with every step, tugging your wrist, pulling your elbow, and making those broad shoulders, which carry the weight of the world, so weary your, grip begins to slip.

    You wonder where your breaking point will be. Will it be the next uphill battle or will you reach the top of the mountain with elation just to push it over the edge?

    Will you watch the wagon roll slowly at first, then pick up speed, to finally crash and splinter into a zillion pieces?

    Is that where you will find relief? A shattered wagon at the bottom of the mountain, there, bleeding where the colors of your life run together and you no longer recognize what is what?

    Or, what if you do this? What if you take a risk? What if you take a chance and unpack one thing to leave behind. If you do, what will it be? A bad memory, hurt feelings, or a lie you told. Might it be your distaste for Swiss chard? Are you willing to sacrifice a friendship that’s run long past its expiration, or throw out that old ratty quilt that a distant relative gave you which was in bad shape when you got it?

    Is there a piece of you that you will let fall away? Your stubbornness, or maybe your inclination to argue over every little trigger? Might you exchange those traits for peace, and if you do, will the wagon weigh less? Perhaps.

    Are you carrying around a decision that has yet to be made, or did you make the wrong choice and you ruminate over it? No matter. Each day presents the opportunity to begin anew.

    A wise man once said, “Make the choice, if it’s not right, another avenue will present itself. Then choose again. Time is what’s valuable, don’t waste it with indecision.”

    Those words of wisdom keep my wagon mobile, but there are days I still find stuff to lug around. 

    I hope you will take this advice from me; there is always another wagon filled with crap. They are all over the place. Many people have abandoned their wagons, and you can too.

    The method is to let go with the hand holding the past and to reach out with both hands to grab the future. Your future, the fresh clean page of opportunity, gifts, optimism, growth, light, and empowerment are before you. Don’t be afraid to extend both hands, to fill them up. You will be amazed at what you can do once you relinquish your wagon. And, if for some reason you need to get anything from it, it will be there along the path, right where you left it.

    Now go. Grasp life with both hands.

    Tina Riddle Deason writes under the name CM Riddle. An author and creator, Tina has published several articles and books, including those about rituals and ceremonies. She is a High Priestess who leads a variety of Women’s Circles. A mother and grandmother who lives with her husband and “fur-babies” in Rohnert Park, CA.

    Marlene C

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