Hello, word artists and admirers! Welcome to the last Friday Writings of 2023. Don't worry, we won't be gone long. We'll be back in 2024 after our usual yearly break. From all of us at Poets and Storytellers United, we hope your end of year celebrations are full of fun and that 2024 is filled with wonderful possibilities.
So for the last optional prompt of 2023, I would like to suggest writing about a time when you weren’t sure if you could (or wanted to) do something, but you ended up doing it anyway. Poetry and prose are welcome, as is fiction and non-fiction. Just remember, one post per person and please keep the word count to 369 or fewer.
Our official restart date is January 5, 2024, when Rosemary will ask us to consider the word 'Beginning' – write anything to do with that word/idea, or perhaps share something which is in itself a beginning.
I enjoy
reading with the seasons. And my reading list is never long enough, even on
days when a slightly hysterical voice in my head, howls, “When exactly are
we supposed to find the time to read all these books!?” I don’t listen to
that not-so-little voice (you shouldn’t either), there is always time for reading.
Really. I mean, who needs sleep?
With that thought in mind (not the one about not needing sleep, but the one about
reading), for today’s optional prompt, my dear poets and storytellers, I invite to
write poetry or prose which contains
the full title of a book you are reading or plan to read this
December.
Do you
have a December reading list? If so, do share it in the comments. Here is mine:
- Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett
- Krampus: The Yule Lore, by BROM
- What You Need to Be Warm, by Neil Gaiman
- Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice
Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow
- Dead List: The December Files, by Jesse Sprague
- The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas
Terror, by Christopher Moore
- Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker,
by Gregory Maguire
Required: Post the response to your blog. Add
the direct link to that post to Mr. Linky. One post per person, 369
words maximum (excluding
title), for prose and for poetry.
Optional: You may share old or new pieces, in
poetry or prose, and you may write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing.
Requested(not compulsory but strongly recommended):
Visit other writers and storytellers. Read their contributions. Share your
thoughts on their words.
for next week, our Rommy will invite us to write about a time when we
weren’t sure if we could (or wanted to) do something, but we ended up
doing it anyway.
Apologies that I have not been participating here for the last couple of weeks. Perhaps I’ll catch up over the next little while, on your own participation at least, as I do enjoy reading your writings.
As Magaly told you a couple of weeks ago, I was focused on preparing for the launch of my ‘Pentridge trilogy’ (or as some of my friends are calling it, a trifecta!). It started with a memoir, now called Breaking into Pentridge Prison: Memories of Darkness and Light, which many of you were kind enough to read in first draft last year, as a series of blog posts.In the Acknowledgments in the now-published book, I thank, among others:
My on-line friends from the blogging community Poets and Storytellers United, who were the first to see any of it, when it was still incomplete, and whose kind and useful comments not only helped me keep going but also showed me what more I needed to include or clarify.
As those of you on Facebook already know, I accompanied this volume with a new edition of Blood from Stone, the prison poetry anthology first published in 1982, and a small chapbook of my own poems, a spin-off from the memoir, Letters to a Dead Man.
I decided to self-publish. This, of course, requires a lot of extra work!Anyway, the launch was perfectly lovely – and I’m glad I’ve come out the other side of it. You can read more on my website: www.nissen-wade.com
So, enough about me.
When Rommy asked me last week for a preview of this week’s prompt, I was so caught up in book launch preparations, I confess I had not given it a thought! But I had just been listening to Don McLean singing ‘Starry, Starry Night,’ his lovely song, at once sad and celebratory, about artist Vincent Van Gogh – a favourite of mine (the song or the artist? – both!).
Hence, your optional prompt this week is to be inspired by the song, ‘Starry, Starry Night,’ and/or by Vincent Van Gogh himself.
You may give us poetry or prose, old or new, 369 words or fewer, one post per person – or you may choose to ignore this prompt and write about something else altogether.
As always, post it to your blog, add the link to that post in Mister Linky below, and do have look at what others are writing and leave whatever encouraging comments you are moved to make.
Next week, Magaly will invite us to write poetry or prose which includes the full title of a book we are reading or plan to read this December.
Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! It's Thanksgiving season here in the United States. One of the things that I am most grateful for is all the people in the world who persist in doing small kindnesses. Even if I am not the recipient of the kindness, just hearing about an act of compassion helps me. Not just to believe that the world could be a better place, but also to inspire me to think about where I could be kinder in my interactions with others.
So for today's optional prompt, I am asking you to write about a small kindness, one you have done, one someone did for you, or one you witnessed. As always, poetry and prose are welcome. So is fiction and non fiction. Just keep your pieces to 369 or fewer and one post per person, please. It would also be very kind of you to take a look at what other participants are doing and leave them an encouraging word or two.
Next week, Rosemary will ask us to be inspired by the song, ‘Starry, Starry Night’ and/or by Vincent Van Gogh.
“Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother, but the rest of the time there was none.” ~Diane Setterfield
I’m
rereading The Thirteenth Tale, a favorite book of mine. One of the main
characters is a writer. She weaves fairy tales that start as expected and end
terribly wrong. I love reading dark fairy tales, but I prefer when the endings
spread some hope. The novel itself isn’t a fairy tale. But like in the stories
the fictional author writes, horrible things do happen—in a very gothic
manner—but, thank goodness, the novel ends in a more satisfying way (in my most hope-filled days, I wish for stories where the
world’s current horrors end well).
So,
for today’s optional prompt, I invite you to write poetry or prose which
explores current Global Issues through fairy tales (let the retellings be bright, be dark, or be both; the
choice is always yours).
Guidelines
Required: Post the response to your blog, and
add the direct link to that post to Mr. Linky. One post per person, please, 369
words maximum (excluding
title), for prose and for poetry.
Optional: Share old or new pieces, in poetry or
prose. Write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. If you wish to say
hello or have questions, leave a note in the comments section below.
Requested(not compulsory but strongly recommended): Visit other writers and
storytellers. Read their contributions. Share your thoughts on their words.
next week,
Rommy will invite us to write about a “Small Kindness” we have done, had
someone done for us, or just witnessed.
A Wee Note: As many of you know, Rosemary has been working on several books. Her hard work has come to fruit in the shape of a
trilogy: Breaking Into Pentridge Prison: Memories of darkness
and light, Blood from Stone, andLetters to a Dead Man. The official book launch
is scheduled for November 25th. So, our Rosemary will be busy
getting ready for the event. We’ll share information on how to grab the trio (I can’t wait!) as
soon as they are available.
