The Writing Reader
From the monthly archives: January 2012
Life may indeed be very fairly divided into the seasons of HOPE and FEAR. In YOUTH, we hope every thing may be right: in AGE, we fear every thing will be wrong. -William Kitchiner, The Cook’s Oracle; and Housekeeper’s Manual
Writing Prompt: Write a character sketch for someone who is old, addressing regrets and loss.
Journaling Prompt: How would you describe the season of life you are in right now?
Art Prompt: Seasons of Life
Photo Credit: h.koppdelaney on Flickr
Why are some places more prone to bribery and corruption than others? Part of the answer seems to be the level of collective feeling in a society, according to research by Pankaj Aggarwal, University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) professor of marketing in the Department of Management, and Nina Mazar, University of Toronto professor of marketing.
Aggarwal and Mazar discovered that people in more collectivist cultures — in which individuals see themselves as interdependent and as part of a larger society — are more likely to offer bribes than people from more individualistic cultures. Their work suggests that people in collectivist societies may feel less individually responsible for their actions, and therefore less guilty about offering a bribe…
Adjusted for wealth, the degree of collectivism in a country predicted just how likely a business person was to offer a bribe to a business partner.
It’s not that those business people saw bribes as acceptable — other surveys have shown that bribery is widely seen as morally repugnant across cultures… -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Create a situation in which your character must use bribery to achieve his or her goal.
Journaling Prompt: Have you ever resorted to bribery? If not money, perhaps you’ve used chocolate? Hmmm?
Art Prompt: Bribery
Photo Credit: imtfi on Flickr
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Welcome to the Carnival of Creativity for January 29, 2012. I can’t believe the month is almost over! Seems like it screamed past. Enjoy today’s delicious links. They will open in a new tab, so that you can enjoy, comment, and then return here for your next helping.
The Creative Mindset
Ken Lange presents 3 Writing Tips from Hemingway posted at Kenneth Lange, saying, “A few inspiring tips from Ernest Hemingway on writing.”
Matthew Hyde presents What’s the Point of Blogging? posted at Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, saying, “Some encouragement for any struggling bloggers out there!”
Amyra Mah presents Unleashing Creativity Without Using Drugs posted at The Amyra Records.
The Business of Creativity
Ashyia Hill presents Your Blog Went Viral? Five Ways to Keep your Readers posted at lawmacs web design blog, saying, “This article shares some tips on how bloggers can keep their readers engaged and interested so they keep coming back for more.”
Sharing Our Work
Sweet Mother presents Making Reality posted at Sweet Mother, saying, “Humorous fast fiction.”
Joseph Burleson presents Undercover Cop! Hide! posted at Inside Looking Out, saying, “This provides a humorous view at a repressed individual trying to make sense of a complicated world.”
Lori-ann presents MLK posted at MoreFire. (I amost didn’t include this one because it is difficult to read due to font color and lack of paragraphs, but it’s worth the effort.)
Podcasts
What a treat I have for you today. Dan Wells (I Am Not A Serial Killer 
Creative Relationships
Nancy Parker presents 10 Ways to Tell a Child You are Sorry posted at eNannySource, saying, “Communication and trust are the hallmarks of a strong relationship; and, with all due respect to Erich Segal, that means knowing when to say you’re sorry. Sometimes knowing how to say it is even more difficult, especially when it comes to our children.”
Donna Cullen presents 10 Reasons People Forget They are in Love posted at Top Dating Sites, saying, “Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.”
Writing Quote of the Week
“We write to heighten our own awareness of life. We write to lure and enchant and console others. We write to serenade our lovers. We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection. We write to render all of it eternal, and to persuade ourselves that it is eternal. We write to be able to transcend our life, to reach beyond it. We write to teach ourselves to speak with others, to record the journey into the labyrinth… When I don’t write, I feel my world shrinking. I feel I am in a prison. I feel I lose my fire and my color. It should be a necessity, as the sea needs to heave, and I call it breathing.” – Anais Nin
Spam of the Week
This design is actually amazing! You certainly understand how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your movies, I was nearly gone to live in start my very own weblog (well, almostHaHa!) Congrats. I truly enjoyed what you needed to state, and more than which, the way you offered it. Too cool!
I’m just sorry that I inspired you to start a weblog all about viagra.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to submit your article for next week’s Carnival of Creativity by Friday at midnight!
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Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you! (I think I hear faeries…)
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Photo by Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr.
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Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead. -Laura Whitcomb, A Certain Slant of Light
Writing Prompt: Write a scene, story, or poem inspired by this week’s first line.
Journaling Prompt: Write about how you picture the afterlife.
Art Prompt: Being Dead
Photo Credit: Gruenemann on Flickr
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beer garden n. a garden, typically one attached to a pub, where beer is served.
Writing Prompt: Write a story, scene, or poem inspired by this week’s word.
Journaling Prompt: Write about a time when you enjoyed drinking outside surrounded by nature.
Art Prompt: Beer Garden
Photo Credit: hsingy on Flickr
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It is possible I am pushing through solid rock… I am such a long way in I see no way through, and no space; everything is close to my face, and everything close to my face is stone. -Ranier Maria Rilke, quoted in Thriving Through Crisis: Turn Tragedy and Trauma into Growth and Change by Bill O’Hanlon
Writing Prompt: Write a description of depression through your protagonist’s point of view.
Journaling Prompt: Write about your experience with depression (your own or that of someone you know).
Art Prompt: Depression
Photo Credit: mark sebastian on Flickr
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…was Shakespeare, so monumentally astute about human emotion, wrong to portray Lady Macbeth as unable to wash the metaphoric blood from her hands? The authors’ research suggests she might have had the wrong body part in the soapy water. In one experiment, participants were induced to tell a malicious lie either by email or voice mail. Afterwards, those who had lied “by mouth” evaluated a mouthwash more highly than a hand sanitizer, while those who transgressed “by hand” showed the opposite preference. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene showing what your character does to try to assuage the guilty after lying.
Journaling Prompt: How do you handle your guilt after you lie?
Art Prompt: Washing away guilt
Photo Credit: vox_efx on Flickr
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“Simply put, my newfound theory states: The minute a person comes to the erroneous conclusion that he or she controls anything at all in this life, the Universe immediately gets even with the bloody idiot.” -Marilyn Brant, According To Jane
Writing Prompt: Write a scene where your character decides he or she is in control. Then let chaos reign.
Journaling Prompt: How has the Universe shown you that you are not in control?
Art Prompt: The Illusion of Control
Photo Credit: h.koppdelaney on Flickr
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“People have high status because other people like and admire them. The result is that high-status individuals come to expect that others are going to treat them well, which makes them more likely to trust,” Lount said.
“The road from high status to increased trust is one paved with positive expectations of others’ motives.”
In a workplace, that means that bosses, who generally have more status than their employees, may be more trusting during initial encounters. Of course, levels of trust may change as people work together.
“But that initial encounter is really important because it shapes future behavior,” Lount said. “If your first signal is that you don’t fully trust someone, that could undermine future trust development.” -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene about first impressions.
Journaling Prompt: Write about how you decide to trust people and how you think status affects your decision.
Art Prompt: Status
Photo Credit: Gangplank HQ on Flickr
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Welcome to the Writing Reader
I believe that the most important thing about writing is to HAVE FUN! You can worry about things like commas, point of view, tenses, etc., later. Right now, just start writing!
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