{"id":14167,"date":"2025-09-30T06:29:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T06:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/?page_id=14167"},"modified":"2026-02-06T03:41:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T03:41:34","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Marlene<\/span>
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Marlene Cullen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Creator of The Write Spot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Write Spot Started In My Parlor<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Hi, I’m Marlene. I’m delighted you are here. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About The Write Spot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My passion for writing\u2014and for working with writers\u2014sparked the creation of The Write Spot<\/strong>, a vibrant community for writers that includes Jumpstart Writing Workshops<\/strong>, Writers Forum<\/strong>, The Write Spot Blog<\/strong>, and seven Write Spot books<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of my work is a commitment to writing about difficult subjects without adding trauma<\/em>. I believe writing can be honest, deep, and transformative\u2014while still feeling safe and accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How It Began<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2002, I invited a few friends to gather in my parlor twice a month to write together. We used a method called freewriting<\/em>, a practice that changed my life. We called our group Wild Mindz, inspired by Natalie Goldberg\u2019s teachings. We wrote, we read what we wrote out loud. We became writers. It was magical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Freewriting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freewriting gives permission to write without rules or judgment, opening the door to deeper, more authentic writing. It\u2019s a wonderfully wild kind of writing where anything goes\u2014messy, surprising, and alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Parlor to Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few months, the Wild Mindz members encouraged me to offer this experience to the public, and Jumpstart Writing Workshops<\/strong> was born.The magic continues in Jumpstart Writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jumpstart sparked The Write Spot Blog<\/strong> and Writers Forum<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Write Spot Blog<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Write Spot Blog<\/strong> is your creative playground\u2014your online writing support group and your place to experiment, explore, and grow as a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Note About Freewrites<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are free to write whatever you want. Let your thoughts spill onto the page without censoring yourself. Click on Prompts<\/strong> for ideas and inspiration to get your freewrites flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Invitation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a joy to share this liberating practice with you. Welcome to The Write Spot<\/strong>\u2014a place where your voice matters and your writing is free to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marlene: Writer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Lifelong Love of Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My enthusiasm for writing began when I was four years old, scribbling large loops across big sheets of paper, pretending to write. At nine years,  I jotted notes in a small spiral-bound notebook, recording the activities of family members, pretending to be a journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still scribble\u2014now in larger notebooks, spiral-bound still my favorite choice of notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While freewriting, I love discovering fictional characters as they unfurl from my imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing, Research, and Sharing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My writing has been published in several anthologies, won a few writing contests, and received some honorable mentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can happily research for hours, uncovering information about writing, writers, and publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Posting my discoveries with The Write Spot Blog<\/strong> readers is part of the joy of producing the blog. I enjoy sharing what I\u2019ve learned to support and encourage your writing journey.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began as a child\u2019s love of scribbling has grown into a shared creative space\u2014one where writers gather, explore, and grow together at The Write Spot.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ready to write?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choose a prompt<\/a>. Set a time for 15-20 minutes and Just Write!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Write Spot Started In My Parlor Hi, I’m Marlene. I’m delighted you are here. About The Write Spot My passion for writing\u2014and for working with writers\u2014sparked the creation of The Write Spot, a vibrant community for writers that includes Jumpstart Writing Workshops, Writers Forum, The Write Spot Blog, and seven Write Spot books. At […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"simple-blank","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14167","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14167"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15837,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14167\/revisions\/15837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}