Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! One of the joys of being a parent is introducing your kids to something you loved when you were young. Sometimes, things don't age as well. (Why did no one tell me how cheesy Superfriends was?) And sometimes, they age beautifully.
Such is the case for one of my early favorites, The Monster at the End of This Book. It was one of my best loved books when I was little and my kids loved it when I would read it to them while impersonating Grover's voice. The classic turned 55 yesterday. An animated adaptation will debut on Netflix and YouTube next week.
Although this is Grover's big moment, in honor of the numerical milestone, I'll invoke a different Muppet today, the Count. For this week's optional prompt, please write poetry or prose which includes numbers. You may opt to write fiction or non-fiction. Just be sure to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer, and one piece per person please.
Next week, we shall ask you to write about a fairy tale character or from their point of view.
I heard
that phrase as I was getting off the train, on my way home from the immunologist’s
office. I didn’t see the person who spoke the words, but the sentiment stuck to
my skull. So, of course, my dear poets and storytellers, for today’s optional
prompt, I must invite you to write poetry or prose which explores perspective.
The concept has invaded my head, and I totally believe in spreading random philosophical
incursions *cough*.
As always,
add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant,
please. 369 words maximum. Share old or new poetry or prose, write to the
prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Share your perspective
on their contributions.
next week:We’ll
invite you to write poetry or prose which includes numbers.
Early this month, on the Celtic calendar, we had the festival of Imbolc, known as a time of new beginnings. Well, we in the Southern Hemisphere did. In the North of the world, it was Lughnasadh, or Lammas: the meaning not so different, perhaps, as that too is a time of seasonal change.
Because Imbolc looks forward to the coming of Spring, we think of it as welcoming the new beginnings. For instance my irises have already been blooming, always a joy.
As some of you who are on facebook or Instagram already know, my dear little Burmese cat, Poppi, aged 15, died in the first week of August. After just a few days of symptoms that concerned me, she had a sudden seizure in the vet’s arms before she could even be tested – indicating a brain tumour. ‘Nothing anyone could have done,’ I’m told. I have since learned that such tumours are not uncommon in cats of that age: slow-growing, benign, but eventually getting too big for the brain space. (The cause remains a mystery.)
I’m glad that it was very quick, and that life had taught her to trust she would be loved and looked after. She had passed a comfortable night and enjoyed her breakfast.
So my life has changed – just like that. My time and attention were very focused on her for these last five years since she came to live with me. Now, there’s no need to consider her wellbeing at all – taking care not to leave objects in the way of her walking or resting; being conscious whether particular doors are open or closed; planning to be at home as much as possible during her waking hours; keeping stocked up with her food … and so on.
Change can be complex. I am in the middle of grief, of course. Also I find I am getting more done – partly from my usual strategy of keeping busy when dealing with grief, and partly because I simply have more time available now that I’m freed of that responsibility (though it was one I was only too willing to embrace).
It happens that there are a few other changes going on as well – re-organising my home, including an early spring clean; adaptations to my exercise program; my pharmacist and various practitioners I see all moving (independently) to new locations; my body dictating changes to how I sleep, from decades curled on my side to becoming a back sleeper (and finding I sleep much more soundly); and a forthcoming exciting reunion with a whole family of long-lost cousins I haven't seen since they were children.
Do you have any major changes happening at present? Or even little ones? (Probably. After all, we are told that ‘change is the only constant.’) Possibly the idea of change sends you back in your mind to some – or a particular one – which took place in the past? Perhaps you are not focused on personal changes so much as the big global ones ... or maybe those in your neighbourhood?
Your optional prompt this week is to tell us about change, whatever it calls to mind for you just now. Or serve us up something you’ve previously written on the subject.
Guidelines: Poetry or prose, new or old, on topic or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes). One post per person, please, and link to that post on your blog via Mister Linky below. (‘Mister Kinky,’ said autocorrect. Hmm … I’ll leave that with you.) As always, do please read and acknowledge your fellow-participants; and you may also talk to us in the Comments section below.
Next week: We will invite you to write poetry or prose which explores perspective.
Greetings,
my dear poets and storytellers. How is life in your bit of the universe? Good, I
hope. Around here, things are moving forward… s l o w l y. But
they are moving, and that works for me. As long as there is some momentum, there is hope. Right?
The last
few weeks have been rough. In truth, this entire year has been more difficult
than usual. But I think things might start getting back to some sort of normal.
I started my garden (super
late, but things are starting to bloom and fruit). The health
procedures that had to be postponed because of my crappy immune system have
been rescheduled. And if I’m very lucky (and
I think I might be this time), my muse and I will be able to spend
some quality time (writing and
sharing) before the end of this month.
Some
of what’s coming will be hard on my flesh, but… oh, so very good for my spirit. I’m
both dreading (the physical
pain) and totally excited (about
the upcoming soul boost). With the push and pull of those opposing
feelings in mind, for today’s optional prompt, I invite you to write
poetry and prose which explores despair and delight.
As
usual, add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant,
please. 369 words maximum. You may share old or new pieces. Write to the optional prompt
or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Share your thoughts
on their words.
next week:We
shall invite you to write poetry or prose about change.
Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! The privilege of getting older often comes with extra things to manage. Two years ago I got the unwelcome news that I had osteoporosis. I spent the first few days feeling sorry for myself. Then I spent the next two years trying to fight it. I increased my calcium intake through food and vitamins. I lifted weights. And I reversed it! Things aren't perfect. I'm still in the osteopenia zone. But I've got two years until my next scan. Here's hoping the trend continues.
So in honor of my health win, this week's optional prompt is to write about a bone in specific or bones in general. I'll take fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose. Just remember, keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer and one piece per person please.
Next week, we shall ask you to explore despair and delight.
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.
Greetings,
dear poets and storytellers. I hope you are doing as well as you possibly can,
considering the whole world seems to be a bit of a mess. I’ve been in an introspective
and more than slightly frustrated mood for the last few weeks. You see,
I was supposed to be done with certain responsibilities the second week of
March. Now March has come and gone… June is going the same way… So, it seems
that I’ll be still on the hook until July (fingers
crossed, right?).
I feel like I’m too late for everything this year: I’ve yet to start my garden or a new writing project originally scheduled for March. Medical treatments/procedures
that were supposed to be done by the end of this month won’t even start until August
(or September). I can’t
interact on social media or my personal blog for at least another 2 weeks (maybe 3).
So, as you might suspect, I’m a tad irritated and a lot in my own head, thinking thoughts about
time and deadlines and such… which brings me, to the reason behind today’s
optional prompt: I invite you to find inspiration in the following quote,
by C. S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another
goal or to dream a new dream.”Since I’ve
been chanting these words like a mantra, I wish to see what you and your muse inks out of them.
As usual,
add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant,
please. 369 words maximum. Let your entry be new or old. Write to the prompt or
to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Read the shapes of their ink…
and share your thoughts.
next week:We’ll ask you to be inspired by one of these 3 artworks:
1. Repose, 2. Heart of the Andes, and/or 3. Shield with owl figure. If these offers don’t
speak to your muse, we invite you to find something elseHERE.
Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! As many of you may have figured out, we sometimes trade off on hosting duties. We're pretty good at rolling with unexpected schedule shifts, picking up the ball when it's passed to us. But sometimes hand-off comes with an bit of an odd spin.
If you're a long time follower of Magaly's, you pretty much knew an optional prompt using the words "teeth, hammer, and blooms" was originally hers. They are exceedingly cool words, but it's silly to pretend they are mine.
Now if the words were Donut, Dungeon, and
Jug O' Boom, you'd know right away they'd be mine.
Just like some people have a signature look, some folks have signature words. It's neat to see them pop up like a fingerprint in her work. So yes, for this week, I'm asking you to take the equivalent of Magaly's little black dress and take it for a spin on your own catwalk.
Strut your stuff in either poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. Just remember, one piece per person and keep each piece to 369 words or fewer.
Next week, We will invite you to find inspiration in the following
quote, by C. S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a
new dream.”
Who loves sailing? I've done very little of it, unfortunately, and as passenger rather than crew – but even that little I found exhilarating. But you don't have to write about the experience of sailing today; you might just write about watching boats sail ... or about something which 'sails' metaphorically.
In addition, you might like to write something formal.
Although my natural tendency is to write in free verse, I also enjoy playing with form. How many of you like to do the same?
Most recently I’ve tried (not for the first time) a word acrostic, where you take a phrase or sentence, or a line of poetry – your own or someone else’s – and make each word of it (in the original order) the beginning of a new line in a new poem of your own. There are also letter acrostics, where one uses instead each letter of a word or phrase, in turn, to begin a line of poetry.
(The
acrostic, while qualifying as a form, allows you still to write in free
verse – though you could of course choose to use rhyme and metre if you
wish.)
I offer you the following words from T. S. Eliot’s poem, Ash Wednesday. In this poem he seems to feel obliged to choose between the natural world and some austere version of the Christian heaven. I very much love a section full of longing for the Earthly beauty he feels he must renounce, which includes these lines:
From the wide window towards the granite shore The white sails still fly seaward, seaward flying Unbroken wings
Your optional prompt this week is to let these lines inspire you, in whatever way they will, to some writing of your own.
Extra (also optional): If you choose, take the lines quoted, or part thereof, and use either each word, or each first letter of each word, to begin a new line of your new poem. If you choose to write in prose, where line endings and beginnings are not fixed, you could begin each new paragraph acrostically.
Guidelines: We accept poetry or prose, new or old, one post per person, maximum 369 words (excluding title and notes). Post it to your blog. Link to that particular blog post via Mister Linky, below. Please read other participants’ work and leave encouraging comments when you can. You may also communicate with the team and each other in the comments section below.
Next week: We will invite you to write poetry or prose which includes the following 3 words: teeth, hammer, blooms.
Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! I adore the simple pleasure of a nice, hot shower. My husband probably would say that hot is an understatement (he's compared my preferred temperature to that of fires of Mordor).
All I need is a rubber duck
Recently I was on a business trip. Part of the group activities included getting into a tub filled with ice water. Perhaps I would have been less willing to try it if it wasn't outside under the blazing Texas sun. I definitely didn't expect to manage it well enough to last 90 seconds and be curious enough to try it again, if the opportunity presents itself.
So for today's optional prompt, I'd like you to write about a time you surprised yourself. I'm taking poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction. Just be sure to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer, and one piece per person, please.
Next week, we'll ask you to be inspired by the following wordsfrom T. S. Eliot’s poem, Ash Wednesday:
From the wide window towards the granite shore The white sails still fly seaward, seaward flying Unbroken wings
A couple
of weeks ago, an old friend invited me to The Tulip Dig, an event that involves
a bunch of New Yorkers digging up tulip bulbs from certain areas in Park
Avenue. I declined—the stitches from my last surgeries were still fresh (and angry). Also,
playing in dirt (fertilized with
manure) is not the most intelligent of activities when one’s immune
system is not 100% reliable (um…
probably, not even 85%). Anyway, last week, a mutual friend of
the “old friend” called me to ask about my depression, since they were told
that “she (meaning moi) no longer enjoys the things she used to love doing. And everybody knows what that means.”
I’m
not depressed (thank goodness). But after
surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and more surgeries… my flesh and bones and immune
system and I have never been quite the same. I’ve had to make a lot of changes,
be selective about my priorities, and find fun replacements for many of the things
I used to love (which my body and energy levels no longer accommodate well). I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Time,
circumstances, location… and all sorts of things force us to change how we approach
life and living. Right?
With that
thought in mind, my dear poets and storytellers, for today’s optional prompt,
I invite you to find inspiration in the idea of letting go of something that
used to be wonderful, which no longer fits in your life.
Add
the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant, please. 369 words maximum. Share old or new pieces of poetry or
prose, write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other contributors. Comment on their offerings.
next week,
We shall invite to write about a time you surprised yourself.
Different time zones can be tricky to navigate. To get the post published at the midnight between Thursday and Friday, I have to set it to go live at 2pm my time. (This time of year, that is; it varies with the different times of Daylight Savings between here – Australia – and the USA, what with opposite seasons and all.) But to do that, I have to (at this time of year) make the time 14 o'clock in the settings. This week, I forgot and pressed 2. Which means the post appeared many hours early, as our Magaly has just notified me, and for you in the Northern Hemisphere it's a day early! Never mind; if you saw it – Helen certainly did! – please consider it an extra bonus just this once. Well, we hope it's just this once.
*********
I used to drive past a particular dead tree on my way into and out of this town from my small suburb. I always thought it beautiful in its starkness and shape, its slender grace. I always looked out for it, cherishing the quick glimpse.
‘I must photograph it one day,’ I told myself often. But, on that stretch of road, it’s really hard to find a park. Years went by, of appreciating it and not recording it – until one day I had a very strong feeling that I really must do it at last.
I had to wait until I was coming back out of town; no parking at all the other side, and anyway I’d have had to cross the road in that case, in a spot with fast passing traffic and no provision for pedestrians. As it was, I had to drive some distance past the tree, pull onto a narrow nature strip, then walk back.
Next time I drove into town, the tree was gone! WHAT??? Going back home, I slowed to pass the paddock where it used to be, and saw what looked like a pile of neatly felled logs. How could someone cut it down? I asked myself. But perhaps the owner of the land had some other use for it.
Nothing happened; months went by. Finally I slowed one day to take a longer look and saw that the pile of wood was not really so neat. I realised that the tree must have been felled by one of the big storms we’d had shortly before I saw that it was gone. Mystery solved – and beauty still lost! I am SO glad I had such a strong urge to finally stop and take my photos.
This week, for your (optional) prompt, I invite you to be inspired by this dead tree, or any other dead tree you’ve seen or imagined. Or by the idea of beauty in death, or last-minute actions that turn out to be important. Or anything else my story and/or picture suggests to you. Or, you may simply ignore the prompt and write anything at all.
Guidelines: Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), one post per person and link to that post below. Please link to us here at your post, please read what the rest of us submit (not forgetting to check back for those who arrive at the end of the week) and leave us some encouraging comments. You are of course welcome to make comments or ask questions here too.
Next week: We will invite you to find inspiration in the idea of letting go of something that used to be wonderful, which no longer fits in your life.
