Commas are Contagious
Writing turns on a part of my brain that needs exercise. Everyone should give it a try. And if you enjoy it as much as I do, you should find a way to make it a habit. Be it journaling, writing articles, kids books, poems, scrapbooking blurbs, editorials, fiction, memoirs, limericks. It’s all good, people.
In this spirit, let me share some links I use to find writing prompts. I like a deadline, even if it’s self imposed. These contests etc. help me continue to create new material, which is nice if I’m stuck in a long series of edits or revisions on a manuscript. I get to pick my head up and look around at some new scenery. Ahhh, the view is…whatever I want it to be.
A site I like that filters you to free contests in the U.S. is this one:
www.justacontest.com
I also am a fan of Real Simple magazine. Their contest now is to write a short essay about a decision you regret. Just that topic had me spinning my creative wheels in a different direction.
www.realsimple.com
Writing can be therapeutic, I know because I studied Narrative Therapy while getting my Masters in Clinical Social Work. People can re write their own stories, take the reins and give it a different spin, or change the ending entirely. You can become the author of your own story, literally and figuratively. Of course, professionals would say real Narrative Therapy works best with a careful support system in place, ideally with a professional.
As a writer, not a social worker, I think any type of creative energy is good, and -thoughtfully harnessed- it can be healing. What would you write about for the Real Simple contest?
Another I like is short and sweet, the Writer’s Digest bimonthly contest called Your Story. They give you different starting points, loosely defined, like a picture or a sentence or an idea. This month’s is to write a 100 word sentence about a coworker overhearing a conversation at work. You could go anywhere with this!
www.writersdigest.com
Think about it while you drive, before you fall asleep and while you unload the dishwasher. While you exercise compose a killer opening sentence, or a ‘loose end’ finale, or a secret theme you can lace throughout with a proud smile. And then take the plunge. Wait a week, month or year. Read it again. You’ll be glad you did.
Just Sayin’,
~gregorific
Pssst...each contest I mentioned is free. All they cost is an investment in creativity and courage. Can you afford it?
Writing turns on a part of my brain that needs exercise. Everyone should give it a try. And if you enjoy it as much as I do, you should find a way to make it a habit. Be it journaling, writing articles, kids books, poems, scrapbooking blurbs, editorials, fiction, memoirs, limericks. It’s all good, people.
In this spirit, let me share some links I use to find writing prompts. I like a deadline, even if it’s self imposed. These contests etc. help me continue to create new material, which is nice if I’m stuck in a long series of edits or revisions on a manuscript. I get to pick my head up and look around at some new scenery. Ahhh, the view is…whatever I want it to be.
A site I like that filters you to free contests in the U.S. is this one:
www.justacontest.com
I also am a fan of Real Simple magazine. Their contest now is to write a short essay about a decision you regret. Just that topic had me spinning my creative wheels in a different direction.
www.realsimple.com
Writing can be therapeutic, I know because I studied Narrative Therapy while getting my Masters in Clinical Social Work. People can re write their own stories, take the reins and give it a different spin, or change the ending entirely. You can become the author of your own story, literally and figuratively. Of course, professionals would say real Narrative Therapy works best with a careful support system in place, ideally with a professional.
As a writer, not a social worker, I think any type of creative energy is good, and -thoughtfully harnessed- it can be healing. What would you write about for the Real Simple contest?
Another I like is short and sweet, the Writer’s Digest bimonthly contest called Your Story. They give you different starting points, loosely defined, like a picture or a sentence or an idea. This month’s is to write a 100 word sentence about a coworker overhearing a conversation at work. You could go anywhere with this!
www.writersdigest.com
Think about it while you drive, before you fall asleep and while you unload the dishwasher. While you exercise compose a killer opening sentence, or a ‘loose end’ finale, or a secret theme you can lace throughout with a proud smile. And then take the plunge. Wait a week, month or year. Read it again. You’ll be glad you did.
Just Sayin’,
~gregorific
Pssst...each contest I mentioned is free. All they cost is an investment in creativity and courage. Can you afford it?
We are all but pebbles on the beach, floating in on the tide. Landing where fate decides; only to be pulled out again into the vast churning of destiny. Over and over.
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