There was a smell of Time in the air . . .

  • Excerpt from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury:There was a smell of Time in the air tonight.

    What did Time smell like? Like dust and clocks and people. And if you wondered what Time sounded like, it sounded like water running in a dark cave and voices crying and dirt dropping down upon hollow box lids, and rain. Time looked like snow dropping silently into a black room or it looked like a silent film in an ancient theatre one hundred billion faces falling like those New Year balloons down and down into nothing. That was how Time smelled and looked and sounded.

    HourglassMarlene’s Musings: I love the idea of writing what Time smells like. . . sounds like . . . looks like. . .

    Your Turn: Choose an item, an object, a thing, that interests you. . . what does it smell like? sound like? look like?

  • “When there is an obstacle, you have to rise to the challenge, not be overwhelmed by it. And we’re not alone in the world. I don’t know if there’s a name for that — religion or faith — just that there’s something greater than all of us, and it’s uniting and beautiful.” — Angelina Jolie, December 22, 2014 People magazine.

    March.stone wallFrom Marlene: Writing unites and connects us and that is, indeed, beautiful. When you reach an obstacle or challenge with your writing, see if you can work around it. Write sideways, in the margins. Come at the problem from a new angle. See the stumbling block as an opportunity to explore the problem and create a new solution. How? By doing a freewrite. Write down the first word that pops into your head and then write, for 12-15 minutes. Click here and here for more writing prompts. Just Write!

    Photo by Jim C. March

  • Prompt #121

    Write a telegram . . .

    Compose a telegram — a brief note that could be sent over the wires. Oh, I guess this sounds like an email, or a text message. But doesn’t “telegram” sound dramatic and perhaps romantic?

    Nostalgic for some people, a curiosity for others.

    Idea inspired from  From Family Tales, Family Wisdom —  How to gather the stories of a lifetime and share them with your family, by Dr. Robert U. Akeret with Daniel Klein

    Prompt #121

    So . . . write a telegram to someone who has touched your life in a significant way. Have your message tell him or her something you wish you could say in person. Or, if the person is no longer in your life, what do you wish you could have said?

    You could also write a telegram to or from your fictional character.

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  • Prompt #119

    Write about a gift. . .

    Prompt #119

    Part 1:  Write about a gift someone gave you that you didn’t like, didn’t know what to do with or had no use for.

    Part 2:  What does this gift say about the person who gave it to you?
    Whenever there is a prompt like this, you can also write about the opposite.

    Part 1A: Write about a gift you loved, a gift that was a surprise in a good way, a gift that worked really well.
    Part 1B: What does this gift say about the person who gave it to you? 

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  • keep going.

    — Christina Baker Kline, interviewed by Alicia Anstead in the October 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine.

    Or, as Dory sings in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming. . . swimming. . . swimming. . . ”

    At some point in your writing life, you may think your writing is no-good, awful, horrible and no one would want to read it.

    Join the Ark. Most writers, I think, are in that boat at least once.

    Take the advice of Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train, “Breathe, focus, keep your head down and keep going.”

    Click here if you want prompts to jumpstart your writing. Click on “Comments” on any of the Write Spot Blog posts to read inspirational writing.

    fish 3And just keep swimming, swimming. . . writing, writing.

     

     

  • Today’s writing prompt . . .

    I believe . . .

    angel.flying

  • The way I found out about . . .

    Start a sentence with “The way I found out about . . . ” and go from there. Write! Just write.

    The way I found out

  • Write about your favorite food or drink and the last time you had it/them.

    Meals from the heartPhoto of fruit salad, prepared by Meals From The Heart at the French Market in New Orleans.  If you go there, go to this Cafe. Seriously good food. The BEST gluten-free crabcakes!

  • I facilitate Jumpstart writing workshops in Petaluma, California and here, online, with you. People new to writing have a hard time saying “I’m a writer.” So did I, until my writing teacher, Pat Schneider, made me say it out loud.

    And now I’m encouraging you to say it out loud. Come on. I’ll say it, too.

    I am a writer.

    Again, louder. I AM A WRITER.

    There now. . . and if you weren’t able to say it louder, fake it until you make it.

    No need to fake your writing. . . Just fake having confidence in your writing.

    And now . . . select a prompt and Just Write!

    Lola.200

  • Today’s prompt:  Life is just a . . .

    Set your timer for 15 minutes and finish the thought. . .

    Life is just a . . .

    cherries