“The one clear thing I can say about Wednesday, the worst and most amazing day of my life, is this: it started out beautifully.” -Rajesh Parameswaran, I Am an Executioner: Love Stories

Prompt #337 First Line of the Week – Rajesh Parameswaran was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #111: First Line of the Week – Black Star Rising
2. Prompt #232 First Line of the Week – The Invisible Man
3. Prompt #118: First Line of the Week – Post Office

beleaguer v. [with obj.] (usually as adj. beleaguered) lay siege to: he led a relief force to the aid of the beleaguered city. put in a very difficult situation: the board is supporting the beleaguered director. late 16th century: from Dutch belegeren ‘camp round’, from be- ‘(all) about’ + leger ‘a camp’.

Prompt #336 Word of the Week – Beleaguer was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #245 Word of the Week – Ennui
2. Prompt #259 Word of the Week – Flotsam
3. Prompt #294 Word of the Week – Sycophant

“I’ve kind of contracted a habit of enj’ying things,” he remarked once, when Anne had commented on his invariable cheerfulness. “It’s got so chronic that I believe I even enj’y the disagreeable things. It’s great fun thinking they can’t last. ‘Old rheumatiz,’ says I, when it grips me hard, ‘you’ve GOT to stop aching sometime. The worse you are the sooner you’ll stop, mebbe. I’m bound to get the better of you in the long run, whether in the body or out of the body.’” -L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams

Prompt #335 The Habit of Enj’ying was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Post #31: Body Language
2. Prompt #45: Dragon Tales
3. Prompt #214 Scare Tactics

Men put on their best behaviour when attractive ladies are close by. When the scenario is reversed however, the behaviour of women remains the same…

The research, which also found that the number of kind and selfless acts by men corresponded to the attractiveness of ladies, was undertaken by Dr Wendy Iredale of Sheffield Hallam University and Mark Van Vugt of the VU University in Amsterdam and the University of Oxford. -Science Daily

Prompt #334 Men in the Presence of an Attractive Woman was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #264 What do Men and Women Think About?
2. Prompt #299 Why are People Prejudiced?
3. Prompt #86 Self-Image Affects Decision-Making

How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else’s—be pulled and stretched and twisted—before they snap? Before they can never be mended again? -Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

Prompt #333 Emotions Like Taffy was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #94 Approach-Related Emotions
2. Prompt #276 Moral Dilemma
3. Prompt #106 Where Does Your Character Work?

People who endorse conspiracy theories see authorities as fundamentally deceptive. The conviction that the “official story” is untrue can lead people to believe several alternative theories-despite contradictions among them. “Any conspiracy theory that stands in opposition to the official narrative will gain some degree of endorsement from someone who holds a conpiracist worldview,” according to Michael Wood, Karen Douglas and Robbie Sutton of the University of Kent. -Science Daily

Prompt #332 Conspiracy Theories was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #201 Social Projection
2. Prompt #248 Bounded Rationality
3. Prompt #325 The Changing Brain

Sharing Our Work

Chase Dumont presents Rain Story posted at Terrifying Tales.

Eula McLeod presents Voila! posted at View from the Winepress.

Emi Bauer presents Proud Mommy Moments posted at Confessions of an Incompetent Blogger.

Liz Andra Shaw presents In Which Our Heroine Competes posted at Liz Andra Shaw.

Writing Quote of the Week

Don’t sit down in the middle of the woods. If you’re lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. And/or change the person. Change the tense. Change the opening page. -Margaret Atwood

Writing Tips and Prompts

JeanNicole Rivers presents Three Steps That Will Help You Finally Write That Novel posted at JeanNicole Rivers.

C.S. Lakin presents Don’t Go Nowhere Fast posted at Live Write Thrive.

Kevin Hanrahan presents What to Do and Not to Do During the Query Process posted at Kevin Hanrahan.

Jody Hedlund presents Avoid Being Branded an Amateur: Use These 7 POV Basics posted at Jody Hedlund.

Podcasts

James Dashner joins Writing Excuses for a live Q&A session at Life, the Universe, and Everything at Utah Valley University.

Visual Arts

Laura Edgar presents PHOTO GALLERY: Fishy Faces at Monterey Bay Aquarium posted at NerdWallet | Travel.

Crafty Creativity

Krystel Lapalme presents Bath Mitts posted at Home Spooled.

Linda Miller presents Pinterest Party -Our 1st One Ever! posted at those crafty sisters.

Meagan presents DIY Colorblock Belt posted at Questionable Logic.

Benoit presents Designing a T-Shirt posted at CustomYourShirt.com Blog.

The Business of Creativity

Laura Dawson presents Conquer Headlines and Shine! posted at Design Quotes Digital Marketing Blog.

Spam of the Week

Thank you conducive for the successful details. Admittedly unprejudiced wen upward! My partner and i regularly carry out not necessarily bourgeoning about these yet brooding an individual would any briskly buddy-buddy depredate and also I’m indubitable some individuals suavity the particular a smaller amount in any case.

That’s all for this week. Be sure to submit your article for next week’s Carnival of Creativity by Friday at midnight!

Carnival of Creativity May 13, 2012 was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Carnival of Creativity April 22, 2012
2. Carnival of Creativity April 29, 2012
3. Carnival of Creativity March 25, 2012

Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you!

Photo by ktylerconk on Flickr.

Prompt #331 – Visual Prompt of the Week – Pot o’ Gold was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #303 – Visual Prompt of the Week – Into the Light
2. Prompt #205 Visual Prompt of the Week: Innocence
3. Prompt #219 Visual Prompt of the Week – Hammock Getaway

It’s hard to be a larva. -Alan Dean Foster, Nor Crystal Tears

Prompt #330 First Line of the Week – Alan Dean Foster was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

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1. Prompt #76: First Line of the Week – Father’s Advice
2. Prompt #111: First Line of the Week – Black Star Rising
3. Prompt #253 First Line of the Week – Tanith Lee

escapade (plural escapades) 1. A daring or adventurous act; an undertaking which goes against convention.

Prompt #329 Word of the Week – Escapade was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader.

Related posts:

1. Prompt #287 Word of the Week – Boondoggle
2. Prompt #110 Word of the Week: Argle-Bargle
3. Prompt #273 Word of the Week – Blue