Writing Prompts

Everyone needs a boost every now and again.  I have decided to add a few prompts every week to encourage my friends and readers to write. It can be silly or serious, just write something and share.  Make it short or long, I promise I will read each and every one. So here are a few prompts to get you started.

1. When I was a kid, I would sit in our kitchen and....

2. Joe is a really nice guy, but...

3. I was in the park the other day and a I saw a huge...

4. Nobody knows this but I once...

5. Overalls and bare feet...

I suggest taking at least 20 minutes and just write your story, poem or thoughts.  I know you have a story inside you... let it out. 

Come back and read what people post.  You don't have to be a published author to have great stories inside you.  Let it go, and explore.  Think of it as therapy. 

I look forward to reading your work! 

Review: Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

Here is my current read.  I think reading books like this is what causes me to feel such stress when I think about the business of books.  This is my second time through this particular book.  I have, in the second reading, learned a great deal more.  The LOCK system for example did not really stick the on my first time through.  The first time I  read it was a bit overwhelming.  I think at one point I threw it in the air and said, "I have no idea what I am doing."  That was about a year ago.  

This time as I read the book,  I realize that sense of stress I had was because I was trying to FIT all the ideas into my writing style.  BIG mistake. It is important to remember that the ideas are presented and some will resonate with some authors and some will not. What is important to remember is each chapter shares many exercises that if used will deepen your skills in both plot and structure. I have implemented several of the techniques because of the exercises that I completed.  (I must admit I did not do the exercises the first time around; and that was a mistake.)

This particular writer is probably one of my favorites on the craft of writing.  I love that Mr. Bell does give so many ideas and examples that he acknowledges that writing can be taught and that he has practical ideas to spur on creativity. I have also learned to read like a writer and write like a reader because of some of his books.  Clearly he understands the way to craft a novel.  I love his sense of humor as well.   

This is a staple book for any writer, at any level. I would suggest, as does he, that one would read it multiple times. I am finding especially with craft books that the more you read them the deeper your knowledge develops.  I am hoping that a few of my other books on writing will prove to be as helpful and a deep well that I can continue to return for more and more inspiration.

If you have any thought or comments, please add them below.

This book gets : 4.5/5

   

The Business End

       The dream of authorship, it is not for the weak of heart.  I have the heart of a writer.  I love to put marks on the page that come together and create a story.  It really is just about that, for me anyway.  This may sound weird but in my head, I have all characters that literally push their way forward and demand that I share the world they live in.  I can actually hear them speaking, see them moving and feel the excitement and sadness as they show me what is happening in their lives.  

          I think the thing is that I am discouraged because of the "business" of writing.  Why can't we just write and send out our work? If it is a good story, it will sell.  It is not that easy.  There are literally THOUSANDS of books (many very good ones) on HOW to write. Books on plot, scenes, dialog, characters. Formulas on how to write that are tiresome. Let us not forget how to be in the BUSINESS of writing, agents query letters, contest that are costly and stressful.  There are not just books, but webinars, and conferences and groups all about HOW to be published! For a person like me, it is discouraging.  

I just want to write, I just want to share the amazing tales of the characters in my head.  I think you will love meeting them.  They really do have fascinating lives. I have begun a journey with a new friend.  He has a story to share.  I have agreed to write it down.  It is going to be scary, because when I am done, I have to deal with the business of writing.  It is my dream to share his story with the world we live in. Wish me luck as he and I work together to bring something to this world that will engage and bring happiness to the ones that share the story.  

On the business end, wish me luck. I am not about that end of things. I am capable of the queries and the tediousness of the business, but my heart lies in the words.  I hope I can overcome the business to bring you the stories. Know this; there are hundreds of thousands of authors out there that struggle with the business-- I guess that is why we seek agents. People that understand the contracts, the details and allow us to tell the stories.  

In hindsight, I suppose I should thank the agent that will one day see my stories and say..."OH, yes sign this girl UP!" I look forward to meeting you!  

de-bugging

This year a very sweet girl I know has donned a black  holiday hat that proclaims in bold white letters "Ba-Humbug".  This sweet young woman is struggling I believe with the part of the holidays that troubles me the most. 

 Her struggles are real, I know because I have them almost every year and it caused me to ponder for several days.  The last thing I want is this young woman I watched grow from just 4-years old into a blossoming college freshman to have is a spirit of bah-humbug because it doesn't get easier.  She has such a sweet spirit and it really has bothered me that she is struggling this year. So to Sweet Shyann I dedicate this thought and hope to you . I pray it helps to "De-Bug" this Christmas.

I love you kid, keep your eyes on the Savior. 

Mr. Scrooge sat, his potato a lump in his gut,

 and found himself again, in a holiday rut. 

Bah-Humbug indeed

he grumbled this Christmas Eve.  

Everyone is shopping, wrapping gifts tied with string. 

All the final holiday parties in full swing. 

Mr. Scrooge sat that lump in his gut and a cool-hearted thought. 

What if I fell asleep and never woke up. 

Who would know, or even care 

if I, Eb Scrooge was not even here. 

He reached down his hand and gave his belly a rub. 

Off to bed he went with humpf and a thud. 

He sat on the corner of his four-post bed, 

and wondered what life would be like if he were dead. 

His eyes soon burned calling for sleep, 

pulling up his covers he began to weep. 

I am alone, completely so, 

and I did it myself he whispered his woe.

Heart heavy and filled with despair

as his loneliness grew deeper each year. 

A single star hovered over his home, 

a silent reminder that you're never alone. 

His dreams soon turned to the stories of his youth,

the story of a child that is God's perfect proof.

Proof of a love for the one's He holds dear, 

The promise of a child that would forever be revered. 

No ghost of past, present and to be 

came to Mr Scrooge on that cold Christmas Eve.

The thing that was troubling our friend Scrooge that night,  

that made him feel alone and not quite right. 

It was not the packages tied with pretty string,

 even the parties or the Christmas carolings.

The thing that pierced his lonely heart

is he had missed the most important part. 

 Christmas Eve is a time to celebrate not what one longs to receive

 but the gift that was given by God that first Christmas Eve. 

A gift of a babe shivering and cold,

 in a manager he lay just hours old. 

His mother knew the truth of this gift

That soon all sin of mankind,He would lift.

Our friend Scrooge woke and from his window he did see,

 a star, a reminder to him and to me. 

This holiday season if you wish to de-bug, 

If you want to avoid the  holiday crud

Close your eyes to all the human greed,

 look to the Savior He has all you need.