Penciled Whimsies

DETOUR!

2010-08-18T09:09:00.000-04:00

Hey there, all! There's been a little mixup, so if you're coming here on the Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards For Kids Blog Hop, please click this link to go to my Papercrafting blog, Christy Gets Crafty. Thank you so much and sorry for any confusion!

(Not So) Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-08-11T11:05:00.002-04:00

Take a cue from a comic strip and turn the topic into a short story or personal essay.

Expert Advice

2010-07-12T11:57:00.003-04:00

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air.
They are where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Spark Word

2010-04-27T22:41:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:
DRIZZLE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-03-31T23:34:00.002-04:00

Write a scene
that takes place
at a photo shoot.

Expert Advice

2010-03-29T20:54:00.008-04:00

“What I try to do is write. I may write
for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that
is that, not a rat.’
And it might be just
the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing,
I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’"
~ Maya Angelou

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-03-17T00:06:00.004-04:00

Write a story or
poem that takes place
amidst the clover.

2010-03-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

FIGURE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-02-17T12:58:00.003-05:00

A man and a woman are sitting in a hotel lobby, waiting for someone

or something.

Spark Word

2010-02-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

FLIT.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-02-10T18:13:00.001-05:00

Write about a

Valentine's Day

with a secret

surprise.

Spark Word

2010-02-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

SHADOW.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-01-27T14:26:00.002-05:00

Write about someone who was born with a silver spoon.

Prompt Contest #24

2010-01-25T22:00:00.006-05:00

Today I'm blogging about entering a writing prompt contest for Writer's Digest on my other blog, Christy Gets Crafty. Come check it out! http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.com/ And if you're feeling inspired, feel free to join me.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-01-20T21:15:00.006-05:00

Write a scene that takes place on game night.

Expert Advice

2010-01-14T16:07:00.004-05:00

"The cat sat on the mat

is not a story. The cat

sat on the other cat's

mat is a story."

~ John Le Carre

Spark Words

2010-01-12T18:17:00.002-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

STRAIGHT-LACED.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2010-01-06T18:01:00.002-05:00

Write about someone

with a limited

world view.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T22:58:00.005-05:00

Whew! I can hardly believe that 2010 is here already! And that we're already almost a week into it. I apologize for not updating sooner. I've been sick the last couple of days, but I'm really behind the ball this year. I actually still have my Christmas tree up, which is very uncharacteristic of me. Usually I take it down on New Years Day, sometimes even before that. This is my first year of not having a real tree however. My husband finally talked me into purchasing a fake one, and although I greatly miss the friendly smell of pine, it has been nice not having to worry about those little needles poking into your socks and sap getting all over your hands every time you water a real one. Taking it down should be a breeze. Not like last years incident that finally got me to cave in to going fake -- dragging the tree out the porch and front doors led to a shower of razor-sharp needles flying everywhere. We were finding those things in the carpet well into March!

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to a fresh new year. It reminds me of the saying from Anne of Green Gables, "Tomorrow is always fresh -- with no mistakes in it." I like the idea of a clean slate. A chance to make changes toward a better, more positive life. Surprisingly, this is the first year that I didn't compose a list of resolutions. Maybe because I really have just one -- to strive to be better. A better Christian, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend, a better writer, a better artist, a better homemaker, a better human being. I just want to devote this year to living life to it's fullest. To being all that I can be. To happiness, both in my life, and the people around me. From the people nearest and dearest, to the stranger on the street.

Smile more. Stress less. Make messes. Make friends. Dream sweeter. Dream bigger. Press in. Press on. Hug tighter. Laugh louder. Pray harder. Listen closer. Get down on my knees. Get up on my feet. Sun on my shoulder. Wind at my back. Eyes wide open. Arms flung out.

Embracing life.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-12-16T01:13:00.003-05:00

Write about someone
who is hopeful for a
holiday reconciliation.

Expert Advice

2009-12-15T00:31:00.004-05:00

"Don't tell me

the moon is shining;

show me the

glint of light

on broken glass."

~Anton Chekhov

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-12-02T16:28:00.003-05:00

Write about someone

who has misplaced

something essential

to their day.

Spark Word

2009-11-16T15:48:00.003-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

ACCUMULATE.

Expert Advice

2009-11-12T00:52:00.001-05:00

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-11-04T23:49:00.002-05:00

Write about someone

who is trying desperately

to blend in.

Spark Word

2009-10-30T16:06:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

PATCH.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-10-28T00:46:00.002-04:00

Do a modern day twist

on a classic fairy tale.

Tip To Try

2009-10-26T14:55:00.008-04:00

If you have an over-packed schedule and your life is dictated by the scribbles on your calendar, then pen-in your writing time. Even if you can only manage a half hour per day, you’ll see a dramatic increase in your output. Squeezing writing time into your breaks and lunches at work can also help increase your daily word count. A ten-minute writing binge could mean a huge breakthrough in your plot or that witty line of dialogue you’ve been grasping for. Because some of our best writing ideas come when we’re involved in other activities, mini writing breaks scattered throughout the day can move your project along in small but significant steps.

Spark Word

2009-10-20T19:43:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

WISP.

Expert Advice

2009-10-12T20:42:00.001-04:00

"Fill your paper

with the breathings

of your heart..."

~ William Wordsworth

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-10-07T17:50:00.004-04:00

While flipping through

your favorite home

decor magazine,

single out a room that

really speaks to you.

Develop a character

that lives in that space.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-09-30T18:19:00.002-04:00

Write about a

sweet addiction.

Spark Word

2009-09-29T16:59:00.003-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

FROLIC.

Tips To Try

2009-09-25T14:03:00.002-04:00

As you read, do you ever come across a beautiful line of description or a clever turn of phrase that you wish to remember and aspire to? Try keeping an "Author Admiration" journal. All you need is a small notebook and a pen, and you're ready to jot down all those juicy bits as you happen across them. Anytime you feel that your own writing is coming across as lackluster and dry, simply immerse yourself in a page or two of your own, personalized creative brilliance-meter. You'll return to the page invigorated and inspired!

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-09-23T16:33:00.002-04:00

Write about someone

who receives their

birthday wish, only to

discover it isn't at all

what they'd expected.

Expert Advice

2009-09-21T21:25:00.003-04:00

If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed to trap them before they escape.

~ Ray Bradbury

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-09-16T00:30:00.003-04:00

Write about a bunch

of people who are all

trying to crowd into

a confined space.

Spark Word

2009-09-15T00:45:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

FADED.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-09-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

Write about a beggar who loves to hear himself sing.

Tips To Try

2009-09-07T22:54:00.004-04:00

From the article "What's Your Perspective?" by Page Lambert in the September 2009 issue of The Writer magazine:

"Every character should want something, even if it's only a glass of water. Identify that glass of water for each character, and then let that desire color everything the character does and says."

Spark Word

2009-09-04T01:33:00.003-04:00

Today's Spark Words is:

BEREFT.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-09-02T16:08:00.003-04:00

Write about someone
who receives
something other
than what they
ordered.

Expert Advice

2009-08-31T15:55:00.005-04:00

If you’re going to be a writer,
the first essential is just to write.
Do not wait for an idea.
Start writing something
and the ideas will come.
You have to turn the faucet on
before the water starts to flow.
~ Louis L’Amour

Spark Word

2009-08-27T10:46:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

WHOLESOME.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-08-26T00:01:00.002-04:00

Write about someone
who still does something
the old-fashioned way
in remembrance of
someone dear.

Expert Advice

2009-08-21T01:55:00.001-04:00

The difference between

the right word

and the almost right word

is the difference

between lightning

and the lightning bug.

~ Mark Twain

Spark Word

2009-08-17T10:42:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

WADDLE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-08-12T16:59:00.005-04:00

Take an interest you've
always wanted to pursue,
had you only the time,
and make that the main
passion of a new character.

Expert Advice

2009-08-10T15:19:00.003-04:00

"This is the secret to writing:

a tube of super glue.

You apply the glue to

the seat of your pants,

and then apply your pants

to the seat of the chair."

~ Lynne Alpern

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-08-05T01:03:00.005-04:00

Write about a moment

of unexpected bliss.

Spark Word

2009-08-04T10:57:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

SWIRL.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-07-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

Write about someone who wishes they could be just like someone else.

Expert Advice

2009-07-27T19:36:00.006-04:00

"There are so many different kinds of writing and so many ways to work that the only rule is this: do what works. Almost everything has been tried and found to succeed for somebody.
The methods, even the ideas of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence --
an overwhelming determination to succeed."
~ Sophy Burnham

Spark Word

2009-07-02T18:12:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

SHOELESS.

An Interview with Author Kathy Otten

2009-06-25T16:03:00.007-04:00

Today I have something very special to share with you all -- an interview with a wonderfully talented local author,
Kathy Otten.

Kathy, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.
You are such a gifted writer, and I really appreciate you sharing your insights and information about your work with us.

So tell me, have you always loved to write?

I have been making up stories and writing them down as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I would divide loose-leaf paper in half, write on the bottom, color a picture on top, and weave yarn through the holes. Once I got in high school I began filling notebooks.

What was it that made you realize that this was more than just a hobby, and it was time to get serious about writing as a possible career?

My kids were getting old enough to drive themselves to work and games and I found myself with more free time. Someone gave me their old, used computer and I started typing some of my better stories into the computer. I realized they weren't as good as I wanted so I started buying books on how to write. The kids went off to college and I had even more time. There was no epiphany; just a slow evolution.

How do you go about developing characters and story ideas? Which comes to you first?

My characters come to me first. They lurk in the periphery of my mind until I pay attention to them. Most of the time it's the hero, sometimes the heroine. Sometimes they just stand there, sometimes they are doing something. I notice what they are wearing and what they look like as I see them in that moment. Once in a while they have a name. Most times I have to hunt for one. When I find the right name, I just know it. Then I start asking them the who, what, where and when questions. Among the questions will be something about that character's internal and external goals. I'll start pondering his/her answer until another character pops into my head who can both give him/her what they want and also be the force to keep him/her from getting what they want. After I have the characters, bits of dialogue and scenes will pop into my head while I'm driving or walking the dogs. I write them down and when I get enough of them I start putting them into some kind of order. Eventually, I end up with a story.

I've got to know, what was your first publishing experience like?

I had written a couple of short stories as a sort of personal exercise in Point of View. Once they were finished I didn't want to leave them in my file drawer, so I began searching romance magazines, looking for a home for my stories. But my short stories were Civil War romances and it was hard to find a market. Then about three years ago I found a little blurb in the Pennwriters newsletter, about an electronic romance publisher, The Wild Rose Press, who was open to submissions in everything from short stories to novel, even American historicals. I didn't even have a computer at the time and between the library and my daughter's lap top I submitted one of the stories, Redemption of a Cavalier. The editor liked it and after edits it was released in e-format in February 2007.

I know you're working on a new novel at the moment. Could you tell us a little bit about it?

Currently I'm polishing and fixing scenes for a historical, western romance novel about a troubled Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory and the fiesty outlaw he's sworn to bring to justice.

It sure sounds exciting! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Perserverance. Don't quit. Writing is hard. Handling rejection is hard. Rewriting and constantly honing the manuscript is hard. Sometimes you have to force yourself to sit down and write. And it can be a very lonely with nothing but the computer for company. But if you want it, you have to keep pluging away until something else comes along that you want more.

One last question. Where can we find your books?

My short stories, Redemption of a Cavalier and Someone to Share the Sunsets are only available in e-format through my publisher, http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ My holiday novellas, A Christmas Smile and An Ordinary Angel (coming Dec. 9th) are available in e-format only from http://wwwthewildrosepress.com/ http://www.fictionwise.com/ & http://allromanceebooks.com/ My historical western novel, Between the Lines is available in both electronic and print formats. It can be purchased through any of the above websites as well as http://amazon.com/ or ordered from your favorite bookseller.

Well, thank you so much for stopping by and sharing some of your expertise with us!
For more information on Kathy and her books, visit her website at: http://kathyottenauthor.com/about.html.

Thanks again, Kathy!

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-06-24T13:28:00.002-04:00

Write about someone who

is trying to be something

they are not.

Spark Word

2009-06-23T14:19:00.003-04:00

In honor of my son Elliott's sixth birthday today, the spark word of the week is:

WISH.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-06-17T12:55:00.009-04:00

Bring to life a commonplace object you encounter on a
daily basis, that is often overlooked until it is needed.

Expert Advice

2009-06-15T14:30:00.004-04:00

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper patterns at the right moment.

~Hart Crane, American Poet

Spark Word

2009-06-11T13:27:00.003-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

AFLOAT.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-06-10T15:13:00.002-04:00

Write about someone who drastically changes their room color to symbolize the drastic changes they are making in their life.

Expert Advice

2009-06-05T14:48:00.003-04:00

"Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on."

-- John Steinbeck

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-06-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

Write about something that's

brand-spanking new.

Spark Word

2009-05-28T11:58:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

CRUSTY.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-05-27T18:13:00.004-04:00

Write about an unlikely friendship amongst unusual characters.

Expert Advice

2009-05-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

Introducing a new segment here at my blog, "Expert Advice" where I get to take all the wonderful little tidbits I gather from the host of writing books I read and share them with you all!

For today, a little tip on how to start a story. If you don't know what to say, just start saying it. Keep "talking" to the page until it talks back to you.

"I start with a line of dialogue. I have no idea half the time who's speaking or what they're saying. I'll start with that line, and the more dialogue I write, the better I get to know the characters."

-- August Wilson

Build-A-Book

2009-05-25T21:24:00.004-04:00

So for the past week I've been doing something very interesting... An author by the name of William Vitanyi, who also happens to own a small publishing company, came up with a truly novel (pun intended) idea: Why not get a bunch of strangers together and all write a book together in three weeks? He decided to call it Build-A-Book.

I read about it in our local newspaper last Sunday, and thought it was too crazy to pass up! So I dragged my brother down with me, and we went to check it out. About 30 people showed up, all eager and willing to participate. Mr. Vitanyi had written out an entire novel idea about a young girl who meets an elderly man at a nursing home and he tells her something that changes her life forever. He took the plot and divided it into 78 sections, or scenes, which we could choose from and then go home and write. All sections had to be turned in by Friday at 5:00 PM sharp -- just 5 days later! The other two weeks would be needed for editing and continuity.

I, myself, ended up with 5 sections, and wrote like a mad woman all week long. In the end, my final word count for the week was 4,490 words -- and that's NOT including the thousands of others who lost their lives on the editing room floor! Not bad. Not bad at all. Especially considering I hadn't put that many words down in the last year, most likely. It was a TON of work, but a total rush and I enjoyed every second of it.

Now the ball is in Mr. Vitanyi's court. But in two more weeks we will all meet back for a ceremony at which the finished novel will be unveiled. All the local libraries have been invited and will receive a donated copy, and the media will also be there for a recap from their story last week. It should be exciting!

If the book turns out to be interesting, Mr. Vitanyi said he just might assign an ISBN# to it and make it available on Amazon.com and other retailers. All of us get to share in any profits.

And best of all, in two more weeks there's going to be a book out there with MY name on it! I've dreamed of this my whole life, and now it's finally coming true! I can hardly believe it.

Spark Word

2009-05-12T11:05:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

THRUM.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-04-29T10:00:00.002-04:00

Write about someone to whom a letter makes all the difference.

Spark Word

2009-04-23T12:17:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is: FUZZY.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-04-22T20:32:00.003-04:00

Write about someone who is

using an unusual escape route.

Spark Word

2009-04-16T14:22:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

DAYBREAK.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-04-15T13:19:00.003-04:00

Write about someone

who is preparing

their favorite meal.

Use lots of flavor!

Spark Word

2009-04-09T17:17:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

GATHERED.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-04-08T14:16:00.002-04:00

Write about someone

who desperately wishes

to be somewhere else.

Immerse Yourself In Freewriting

2009-04-07T10:54:00.006-04:00

Are you feeling blocked? Don't have the time or the energy or the inspiration to work on your novel right now? Do you feel guilty because you know you should be writing, but you just can't seem to commit to a large body of work?

Why not give Freewriting a go?

Freewriting is a contemporary and popular way of playing with words. You can use it to prepare for writing, to develop ideas, to build characters or setting, to work through blockages, to keep your mind engaged and your thoughts fluid, or simply to catch ideas when they're coming too fast to be taken down in a more structured form.

There are no rules for Freewriting. Freewriting, by nature, defies all rules and restrictions, allowing you to open up and let go onto the page. But there are a few guidelines to help push you in the right direction, should you choose to employ them.

1. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted for several minutes.

2. Clear your mind completely, and then write whatever comes into it. Try to write for a solid time period or page length. Say, 5 straight minutes or one whole page, for example.

3. Forget spelling, grammar, punctuation and logical development for now.

4. Don't organize your thoughts into sentences or paragraphs, just let the words run out onto the page.

5. Don't stop until you've reached your goal.

I'm going to go ahead and give this a go right here, right now as an example. The word that came into my head was yesterday's spark word: MURKY. Let's see where it takes me from there.

murky perky beef jerky rough and tumble mumble stumble trip and fall stall wall bricks and mortar she was shorter childhood friend with raven hair flew away came back again grin sin dark and twisted how i missed it glory days gone by i stop and sigh why i longed to feel the sun again summer days sunkissed hair shorts and tshirts barely there beaches full with passersby sunglint waters squinted eye burning sand beneath my feet friends that came and friends to meet soon i'm walking down the street rainy days and gathered clouds shrouds i lift my hands toward the skies rainsoaked happy wild and wise rise lies i realize keep them to yourself i don't want any otherwise butterflies dipping soaring feather wings songs to sing that carry them by bells that ring coins that jingle in my pocket oh happy day all my sins were washed away oh love devine give me a sign that I shall see you again someday another day when this whole world has passed away and I shall fly up to your side on feather wings my very own

Hey, that was really fun! :o)

Spark Word

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

MURKY.

Spark Word

2009-04-02T00:25:00.001-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

NUZZLE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-04-01T16:08:00.001-04:00

Write about someone who has had their privacy taken away.

Quoteworthy

2009-03-30T13:29:00.002-04:00

Ink on paper
is as beautiful to me as
flowers on the mountains;
God composes,
why shouldn't we?
~Audra Foveo-Alba

Take A Breather

2009-03-28T09:42:00.002-04:00

This morning, outside my window, the clear blue sky is filled with birdsong. The air is chilled, but the sun is proudly shining, warming my spirit and calling it to come out and play.

Today, find yourself a notebook and a window, or better yet, a dry patch of grass, and set your pen to paper as you set your spirit free.

Spark Words

2009-03-23T15:35:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

BUDDING.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-03-18T14:42:00.005-04:00

What is your innermost desire?

Write about someone whose secret wish comes true.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-03-11T11:08:00.001-04:00

Write about someone who loses their winning lottery ticket.

Spark Words

2009-03-09T17:26:00.002-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

RUSH.

Pretty Little Puppets

2009-03-05T12:41:00.006-05:00

I came across an article yesterday that I found poignant and I wanted to share some excerpts. It's called "Infuse Characters With Sincere Emotion" by Faith Baldwin, from the March 2008 edition of The Writer magazine.

If the reader, literally or figuratively, can laugh or cry with the people in a story; if he can put himself in their places -- however different their type-script situations; if he can say, "That's what I would have said or done under the circumstances"; if he can leap from page to page in a fever of anxiety to see what happens, good ending or bad; and if he lays the magazine or book aside with the feeling of having lived, for a little while, a life like his own, or a life such as his might have been or might yet be, or a totally unknown life which still holds for him the sense of validity, then you've written a good story.

The touchstone is, do you believe it, as you write?

You have to believe it, you know, or no one else will. The souped-up, the dressed-up, the overwritten, the superior attitude of the godlike writer moving pretty little puppets around a pretty little stage, against a fine backgroud, is just no good.

The great books, if you will take the time to read them again, have valid emotions; they are peopled with realities; they move you, sometimes against your will, and they will endure. Any book or story worth the paper it's printed on must have genuine emotion, communicated by the writer to the character and by the character to the reader. It must have, as well as technique, a spiritual content.

Write from knowledge; learn your techniques, but remember that the great quality is not learned even by experience in writing, for it is the quality of understanding and compassion, and of objectivity as well as subjectivity, so that you can see your characters up and down and around and inside and out, and know what makes them tick ... no matter who they are or what they do. Learn to know them -- by heart.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-03-04T15:56:00.001-05:00

Start with this opening line:

She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled.

Spark Words

2009-03-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

WANDERLUST.

It was a dark and story night...

2009-02-26T17:41:00.004-05:00

One of the keys to writing a great book is to have a great opening line. Here is a small sampling of my personal faves:

*It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house-tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford

*There once was a boy by the name of Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

C.S. Lewis The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

*They met -- Colin and Julie --not very long before they were born.

Mildred Cram Forever

*It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice

*One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

O. Henry The Gift of the Magi

*It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

George Orwell 1984

*The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new.

Samuel Beckett Murphy

*It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.

Paul Auster City of Glass

*We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall.

Louise Erdrich Tracks

*I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.

Dodie Smith I Capture the Castle

What are some of your favorites?

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2009-02-25T14:09:00.002-05:00

You're walking down the street one day when you nearly trip over an old skelleton key. Beside you is a strange door in the wall. You try the key in the ancient-looking keyhole and amazingly, it turns! Holding your breath, you swing open the door to find...

Spark Words

2009-02-24T17:08:00.001-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

TENACIOUS.

The Writing Life

2009-02-17T15:29:00.002-05:00

Is it just me or has 2009 been passing incredibly fast? I apologize for majorly slacking as far as this blog is concerned, I've been so busy... But before I get to that, I want to thank all those who left such wonderfully sweet and encouraging comments on my last post! You really cheered me up and made me feel that the time I spend here is worthwhile. So I thank you very sincerely.

2009 has brought a few exciting surprises for me, the biggest of which was that we were able to remodel our spare bedroom into an office for me (it still has a bed in it, just in case we should get any visitors). I painted it a gorgeous shade of antique pale green with pale silvery white trim. The colors make me feel like I'm sitting in a place where a fairy tale is about to begin. It's breathtaking. My husband bought me a beautiful, cherry wood, rolltop desk -- my dream desk since I was a little girl -- and a matching chair. With our tax return we bought a new laptop with wireless capabilities which means I can move around and find a comfy place to sit and still be able to write from anywhere in the house. And for Valentine's Day he surprised me with a beautiful cherry wood two-drawer filing cabinent. So I'm basically all set with everything I could possibly need to really begin to pursue my dream of writing as a carreer. Not that you have to have all these things to write, but it sure is nice now that I do!

After a short holiday break, I did jump right back into the thick of revising a short, non-fiction story that I've been working on, a "slice of life" if you will. I have a mentor that's been working with me on it and I feel that it is almost ready to send out. Good thing, because my husband has given me a deadline: I have to have something in the mail by the end of the month or he's taking over my office! What can I say, I'm a perfectionist who can always find some little thing that still needs work, and not only that, but I'm absolutely unsure of myself, which keeps me from sending anything out. Thank God I have someone like him who not only loves and supports me completely but is also strong enough to give me the required boot out of the nest so that I can test my wings and see if I'm able to fly.

I'll keep you posted on what happens. And in the meantime, I'll get back to posting spark words and writing prompts that will hopefully encourage your imaginations to soar.

Spark Word

2008-12-04T12:28:00.002-05:00

Today's Spark Word is:

TUNDRA.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2008-11-05T10:36:00.001-05:00

Write about someone who was fired from their job after accidentally dialing the wrong number.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2008-10-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

Write about someone who is

dressed up in disguise.

Five Questions for Characters

2008-10-13T15:07:00.002-04:00

From The Pocket Muse: Endless Inspiration by Monica Wood, five fab questions to ask your main character:

1. How did you get your name?

2. What object from your childhood do you still own?

3. What was in yesterday's mail?

4. When did you stop being happy?

5. What is your strongest superstition?

Spark Word

2008-10-02T11:46:00.003-04:00

Today's Spark Word is:

DISINTEREST.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2008-09-10T17:13:00.001-04:00

Write a story about a musical instrument that is passed down through family generations.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2008-09-03T22:18:00.002-04:00

Describe an everyday adventure.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

2008-08-20T09:38:00.003-04:00

Write about an object that

has been mislaid.