Hello, word artists and admirers! Read any good books this summer? July was easily my best reading month so far this year. I finished 14 books this months. A decent chunk of that reading happened during my vacation. I don't expect I'll have that much free time again until the winter holidays, but it was nice getting lost in a few good books.
Some of the books I chose to read on vacation already were on my radar. Some just had interesting sounding titles and were available to download right away on my e-reader. 😅 What makes you pick up a book?
So for this week's optional prompt, I invite you to write poetry or prose which includes an intriguing book title. Want an example? Here are seven good ones to get you started:
1. Beautiful Ruins 2. The Forest of Hands and Teeth 3. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous 4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being 5. Love in the Time of Cholera 6. Something Wicked This Way Comes 7. One Hundred Years of Solitude
I'll take poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction. Do be sure to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer, and one piece per person, please.
Next week, we'll ask you to write about a bone or bones. You can choose to write about bones in general or a specific bone.
Finding
new ways to entertain you can be fun, but we don’t always hit the mark.
If we get fewer than usual responses on any particular week, I have
learned to look first at what is happening in the wider world. If
there’s an election somewhere, or a major disaster, or a national
celebration, it makes sense that some people won’t have the time or
attention to give to this. But sometimes I suspect that, in attempting
variety, I’ve chosen a prompt that lacks wide appeal. So I’d like you to
give us some hints, please, as to what you like best.
For your optional prompt this week,
please return to one of your favourite Friday Writing prompts of the
past, and to that same prompt write something new.
(It may be easier to
look through your own blog first, rather than wading through P&SU
back entries – though you can always use the search box on our blog, top
left, for particular words or themes.)
Please make sure you tell us what prompt you're revisiting. When we see what you choose, we’ll get a better idea of what you
like. You may re-use a favourite prompt from another source if you
wish, rather than one of ours. And if you choose to go off prompt and
create something with no such connection, that will still indicate what
you like to write. (*Grin*)
(You’re also very welcome to tell us in more detail in the comments below.)
The usual guidelines
apply: One post per person, poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or
off, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes). Post on your blog,
add the post link to Mister Linky below, visit and encourage other
participants.
Artwork at 'imaginary garden with real toads,'
which many of us remember fondly as a wonderful prompt site, sister to our earlier incarnation, Poets United. (It is now
archived, which means it can still be used as a source of inspiration by
anyone who wishes, but new posts and active reader participation are no
longer happening.)
Next week,
we will invite you to write poetry or prose which includes an intriguing book
title. Want an example? Well, here are seven that caught my curiosity at first
sight:
1.Beautiful Ruins 2.The Forest of Hands and Teeth 3.On Earth We’re
Briefly Gorgeous 4.The Unbearable Lightness of Being 5.Love in the Time of Cholera 6.Something Wicked This Way Comes 7.One Hundred Years of Solitude
Today, I wanted
to write/speak/read all about gardens and feels. But the air outside is thick with heat and smoke, so… my thoughts are on fire. I’m feeling terrible
for Canada. So many flames. According to the weather forecast, Canada (and my bit of
New York City) will be getting some rain this weekend and early next week.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed and my heart hopeful… for cleansing rain.
While we
wait/spell/pray for the cooling showers, my dear poets and storytellers, I invite
you to find inspiration in one (or all) of
the following quotes:
“Gardening
is not a rational act. Margaret
Atwood
“A
garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life
itself.” May Sarton
“Gardens
are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Rudyard
Kipling
Please
add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant.
369 words maximum (excluding title). Let your poetry or prose be old or
new, inspired by the prompt or by a topic of your choosing. Visit other contributors.
Read their writings… Comment on their words… Wish for rain for those who need
it…
next week, We’ll invite you to return to a favorite Friday
Writing prompt of the past. And if you already wrote for your chosen prompt,
please write something new.
Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! I've just come back from vacation in Maine. Sadly, it was a little less relaxing than usual, what with the horrific heat wave hitting the east coast of the U.S. But despite the heat we had a pretty good time introducing Jelly Bean to the Maine shore.
The view from the bluff
So in honor of the beautiful cabin by the sea, for this week's optional prompt, I invite you to write about a body of water, real or fictional, that holds a special place in your heart. As always, you can opt for fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose. Just remember to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer and one piece per person please.
Next week,We’ll
invite you to find inspiration in one (or all) of the following quotes, by Margaret Atwood, May Sarton, and Rudyard Kipling, respectively:
1. “Gardening
is not a rational act.
2. “A
garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life
itself.”
3. “Gardens
are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”
Dear Word Weavers, it feels like time for an ekphrastic!
So I went hunting for some wonderful art works out of copyright and available for reproduction. I found the Open Access Collection at the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). From the many that appealed to me, I selected three which are hopefully varied enough to inspire different tastes in art and different ways of writing.
So this week, your optional prompt is to choose one of these images to inspire your writing.
This one because I have a bit of a thing for owls, and I like the ancient and mysterious look of it:
This one because I think something with a person in it is more likely to suggest a story:
And this one for its scenic beauty (and also because I fell very much in love with the Andes when I visited Peru):
If you would like to learn more about a painting, click on the link above it, at 'this one'.
And if you would like to browse the whole collection and perhaps choose something different to inspire you, click the link on 'Open Access Collection' in the first paragraph above.
Because they are open access, you are allowed to put your chosen image on your blog. Please do that, so your readers can fully appreciate what you write.
Don't forget, the prompt is OPTIONAL! People sometimes apologise for not following it. We want you to have fun, to give you occasion for an adventure in writing and a place to share that writing. If the prompt helps, great, but your writings on other matters are equally welcome.
Our usual guidelines apply: Post to your blog and then link to us via Mister Linky below. One post per person, 369 words maximum, poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not. Please visit other participants and cheer them on (making sure to check back for those who join in later in the week); also talk to us and/or each other in the comments here if you wish.
Next week: We will invite you to write about a body of water, real or fictional, that holds a special place in your heart.
