The Writing Reader
From the monthly archives: March 2012
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The night that cats were wished away was a hard one full of wine, tears, and spectacle. – Laura Ellen Scott, Death Wishing
Writing Prompt: Using the first line of the week, write a story, scene, or poem.
Journaling Prompt: Have you ever wished that someone or something would disappear?
Art Prompt: Disappearing
Photo Credit: Shezamm on Flickr
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boon·dog·gle [boon-dog-uhl, -daw-guhl] noun, verb, -gled, -gling.
1. a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.
2. work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.
3. a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.
Writing Prompt: Write a scene, story, or poem using the word of the week.
Journaling Prompt: Write about one of your experiences related to the word of the week.
Art Prompt: Boondoggle
Nonfiction / Speech Writing Prompt: Write about a boondoggle and give details about how you believe it should be changed.
Photo Credit: ytang3 on Flickr
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That’s what fear does- it makes you turn away from the things you really want, away from the things you need. Then it taunts you later, it tells you that you are too weak or broken to be happy, that you don’t deserve it. Fear’s only happy when you’re not, only content when you’re hungry but as still as a deer in headlights. For as long as she remembered, she’d thought that she worshipped no God, but this was a deception. Fear was her God. She had built Him altars of emptiness and worshipped Him in temples of isolation. She’d wasted her life in his service. -Lee Doty, Out of the Black
Writing Prompt: Write a scene or story where the main character is driven by fear.
Journaling Prompt: Write about one of your fears? How does that control your life?
Art Prompt: Fear
Photo Credit: Casey David on Flickr
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When we’re threatened we defend ourselves — and our systems. Before 9/11, for instance, President George W. Bush was sinking in the polls. But as soon as the planes hit the World Trade Center, the president’s approval ratings soared. So did support for Congress and the police. During Hurricane Katrina, America witnessed FEMA’s spectacular failure to rescue the hurricane’s victims. Yet many people blamed those victims for their fate rather than admitting the agency flunked and supporting ideas for fixing it. In times of crisis… we want to believe the system works. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene about a character’s reaction to a crisis.
Journaling Prompt: Have you judged the victims of a crisis because you wanted to keep intact your belief that the system works?
Art Prompt: Disaster
Nonfiction / Speech Writing Prompt: Explain to your audience the natural response to crisis and formulate a model for a more constructive method of responding.
Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr
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The silence of the Asonu is proverbial. The first visitors believed that these gracious, gracile people were mute, lacking any language other than that of gesture, expression, and gaze. Later, hearing Asonu children chatter, the visitors suspected that among themselves the adults spoke, keeping silence only with strangers. We know now that the Asonu are not dumb, but that once past early childhood they speak only very rarely, to anyone, under any circumstances. They do not write; and unlike mutes, or monks under vows of silence, they do not use any signs or other devices in place of speaking.
This nearly absolute abstinence from language makes them fascinating.
People who live with animals value the charm of muteness. It can be a real pleasure to know when the cat walks into the room that he won’t mention any of your shortcomings, or that you can tell your grievances to your dog without his repeating them to the people who caused them.
And those who can talk, but don’t, have the great advantage over the rest of us that they never say anything stupid. -Ursula Le Guin, The Silence of the Asonu (free to read at Lightspeed magazine)
Writing Prompt: Write a story or scene from the point of view of someone who never speaks.
Journaling Prompt: Write about your experience with silence. Would you voluntarily give up speaking?
Art Prompt: Silence
Photo Credit: AlicePopkorn on Flickr
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New findings from researchers at Boston College and Northwestern University show that the more cohesive a group appears — be it a corporation, political party, governmental entity, pro sports team or other organization — the more likely it is that people will hold its members less responsible for their own individual actions. The study, published in the current issue of the journal Psychological Science, sheds light on why people tend to address hostility toward large companies or other collectives, while still treating members of those groups as unique individuals…
Similarly, a strong brand image, generally considered to be a corporate or organizational asset, could contribute to consumers’ perception of single-mindedness, meaning the brand would be more likely to be held accountable for its employees’ or members’ actions. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene or story about how a group uses this tendency to get away with something illegal.
Journaling Prompt: Write about your feelings about corporate misbehavior.
Art Prompt: Group Thingk
Photo Credit: americans4financialreform on Flickr
Send to KindleSend to KindleWelcome to the Carnival of Creativity for March 25, 2012. All links will open in a new tab or window, so feel free to click through and leave some love in the comments. Once you close that window, you’ll be right back here for more linky goodness.
Sharing Our Work
Siobhan Sullivan presents We Will Not Go Quietly into the Night at Wonderland, saying “This is my favorite moment from the movie, Independence Day.”
Eula McLeod presents Oh Pooh! at View from the Winepress, saying “My dog never listens to me!”
Emi Bauer presents The Exact Wrong Thing to Say at Confessions of an Incompetent Blogger, saying “Perhaps loyalty is overrated.”
Wilma Rich presents Play Ball! at Writing for Riches, saying “Writing and baseball are the perfect match.”
Liz Shaw presents You Can’t Make This Stuff Up at Liz Andra Shaw, saying “The office supply wars take a humorous turn.”
Writing Quote of the Week
“Story is to human beings what the pearl is to the oyster.” – Joseph Gold
Writing Tips and Prompts
Charlie Jane Anders presents How Not to be a Clever Writer at io9, saying “Focus more on telling a great story instead of being clever.”
Many famous writers, including Elmore Leonard, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Atwood share with The Guardian their Ten Rules for Writing Fiction.
Podcasts
This week Writing Excuses brings us Writing the Omniscent Viewpoint.
Visual Arts
Stan presents The Nature of Man posted at Apocalyptic Photo.
Sarah presents Illustrated Missed Connections posted at Natsumi.
The Business of Creativity
Derek Pankaew presents Can’t Find Time to Blog? Here’s What to Do at Concentrix, saying “Here’s four ideas that will help you make sure that you will always have great content on your blog.”
Spam of the Week
Hi, nice location, i over hither something correspond to to this give but i don’t have anytime again, but really it’s greatly gracious
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!
Photo by Nicholas_T on Flickr.
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He always wanted to live in New York. -Colson Whitehead, Zone One: A Novel
Writing Prompt: Write a scene, story, or poem using the first line above.
Journaling Prompt: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
Art Prompt: New York City
Photo Credit: joiseyshowaa on Flickr
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tan·ta·mount [tan-tuh-mount] adjective
equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or signification: His angry speech was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Writing Prompt: Write a scene, story, or poem using today’s word.
Journaling Prompt: What does this word say to you? Write about it.
Art Prompt: Tantamount
Photo Credit: pasukaru76 on Flickr
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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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