Category Archives: Weekly Writing Prompt

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 22, 2013 Edition

May 22, 2013Weekly Writing Promptmaking writing a priority, mining your personal life, moment of writing zenadmin

Writers:

Feels like June-uary has set in a bit early this year. Have faith, I think we’ll be blessed with a pleasant enough weekend. Take the time away from outdoor activities and get some writing done (at least for my household the rain is a welcome respite from baseball, gardening/urban farming, constant dog-walking).

Put May 28 on your calendar. That’s our next work shop. 6 p.m. until about 7:45 p.m. (we need to be out of the North Bend Library’s meeting room by 8 p.m.). Please RSVP. Also, this is important. Bring three copies of something to share. We’ll be concentrating on providing critique and feedback. Remember if you’re a King County Library Card holder, you can print up to 75 pages off of their printers for free each month. Copier is available, too; but that’s like $.10 a page. Please keep the selected work to like one chapter of a novel, 3 to 5 pages of poetry, a short story, etc. If you have doubts, contact me and let me know.

Speaking of workshops, if you liked the last workshop, please leave a comment on website under this posting (see the link in the signature line), and tell everyone your experience. If there was something you’d like to see — or something you didn’t like, leave that comment as well. Comments help us in several ways. First it helps provide more for what the group needs in the way of “learning.” It also helps SnoValley Writes! increase its traffic on the web site. We need to see some increase on the traffic, or perhaps move to no longer go through the expense and energy of having a web site.

Enough administrative minutia. Time for writing focus.

Today’s writing prompt is to free write for 10 minutes on these selected sentences, meaning start each free-write off with these sentences. Set a timer for 10 minutes and stop when it goes off. Move on to the next sentence and repeat.

Sentence One: “I couldn’t believe that I would have gotten this far if not for…..”

Sentence Two: “What I couldn’t say was….”

Sentence Three: “What I really wanted to say was….”

This continues with our “mining our lives for writing material” theme we had from the last work shop. We will likely continue this type of exercise in our weekly prompts for some time. If you have success in creating a story from these prompts, please let us know.

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“What do you want? What are you willing to give up to get it? Writing requires you make sacrifices. Be prepared to work hard to be a writer.”
― Sandra Brown

—

What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 16, 2013 Edition

May 16, 2013Weekly Writing Promptadmin

I think I may have jinxed myself on Tuesday night at the Workshop. I said that night that sometimes the weekly writing prompt — scheduled for Wednesdays — sometimes doesn’t arrive until Thursdays.

Wa, La! — your Ides of May issue.

However, better late than later, I say.

At any rate, those that missed Tuesdays Workshop, I think really missed some good stuff. I know, I know, I say that all the time, but it’s true. We learn so much from one another and attendees got to really learn lots from those attending.

Our next Workshop is May 28; so, I hope to see many of you there. Please be ready to hand out at least three copies of a chapter, some poems, a short story, an essay or article, for your fellow writers to critique and provide feedback. We’re going to be focused on that the next time.

Your prompt this week?

A Promise: Make a promise to either a) attend a writer’s cafe (see the schedule here), or the next Workshop before May 29.

If you seriously, cannot make any of those, find a literary-centered event — a reading, a book signing, a book festival, whatever, and plan to attend.

Then tell me about your experience. Send me an email about your time at the writer’s cafe, the workshop, the book signing, whatever.

There may be a response for further action, or there may just be a pat on the back. It’s a bit of Promise Roulette, if you will.

That’s it. Simple enough. I’m giving you permission to carve out time to be the writer you want to be. Now you just need to act.

Now your moment of Writing Zen:

“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”
—Allen Ginsberg, Author

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 8, 2013 Edition

May 16, 2013Weekly Writing Promptadmin

Writers:

Greetings!

For those that are unaware, SnoValley Writes! is coming up on its 5th anniversary. These Writing Prompts are a little over 3 years in the running, I believe (feel free to check my math). There should likely be some sort of celebration in August. If you have ideas, throw ’em at me. I just wanted you to put it on the radar. The celebration, may, however, not take place until September, since we normally go on Summer hiatus in August. At any rate, we’ve been chugging along a good while. We’re growing and slowly, so we can do it right.

Growing is the theme for this week’s prompt, too. I want you to type or write at the top of blank document/page the word Growing. Free write now for as long as you can schedule (20 minutes is ideal). Write a story, write an essay,write a poem. Just write.

Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry about punctuation, flow, any of it. Just get the thoughts on paper.

*********

Work-Session Reminder: May 14 at the North Bend Library at 6 p.m. We will be continuing our Do-It-Yourself MFA and this week’s lesson is on mining your life for material. We’ll be doing some very intense exercises, so come prepared to write. You might just break a literary sweat.

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Don’t forget to check in at one of the writing cafes scheduled throughout the week.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
– William Shakespeare (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 1, 2013 Edition

May 16, 2013Weekly Writing Promptadmin

Writers!

Happy May Day!

May Day, the celebration of growth is where we start our prompt. I want you to pick about something that grows — a plant, a child, a government, whatever, and write about it. Show me its evolution — whether it was from good to bad, etc.

Just free write, don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, any of that. Grow your story. Grow your writing. Grow, grow, grow.

Sensing a theme here?

Want to grow more? Plan to be at our next work session, come to a writing cafe, actually DO your writing prompt….

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow…” ~

Lawrence Clark Powell

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — April 24, 2013 Edition

May 16, 2013Weekly Writing Promptadmin

Today:

Grab it by the proverbial reins and ride it well.

Grab a notebook and pen (no laptops, my fellow writers). Find a spot in the sun. Soak up that vitamin D. Free write. Don’t think. Just write. Sit in the sun and write. Take 5 minutes, 10, 15, 30, an hour…however long you can mange. Do it.

Felt good, didn’t it?

See you all tonight at Writers Cafe at Sawdust Coffee Co. at the North Bend Outlet Center. 6 p.m. If not tonight, perhaps Friday morning at The Black Dog. 9:30 a.m.

**********

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“When we practice the art of close observation, we gain an emotional palette that has more shades, more possibilities, than the screaming extremes of black and white headlines declaring catastrophe and crisis.” ~Julia Cameron

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — April 17, 2013 Edition

April 18, 2013Weekly Writing Promptjournaling, looking for a mentor, mining our lives, weekly writing promptadmin

My day (Wednesday) was co-opted by all the BE-A-RESPONSIBLE-ADULT-type things. Add to that oversleeping and the day was away from me before it even started.

So, your prompt is late. Things always happen for a reason. I’m guessing you needed extra time, too.

At any rate, I need to remind you all that the April 23 Workshop has been cancelled due to a special event at the North Bend Library.

Our next session is May 14 where we will be mining our lives for great writing material. I went to a terrific workshop last Sunday, which serendipitously dealt with the same thing — so now I have even more ammo to help you all. As we get closer I’ll ask you for RSVPs. Just put it on your calendar now. Following the 14th, our next Workshop will be May 28.

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Today’s prompt:

As you have been aware, oftentimes, I pull from my own journey in my writing life to help push you all along. This week I’ve been reflecting on my time with SnoValley Writes!. What I discovered is that its time for me to find a writing mentor. When I was back at University, I naturally had some mentors in my creative writing and literature professors. But, I’ve been out of Uni since 2011. I miss that mentoring. Although, I derive a great benefit in the form of inspiration and motivation from all of you, I’m seeking a very personal relationship with another, likely more experienced writer.

So I’ve been journaling about hoping that person appears. I want you to do the same. I want you to journal about a need in your life. It doesn’t have to be writing-focused, but it could be. You decide. What’s your most pressing need? Journal about it. Put it in the hands of the universe (God, Allah, Buddha, Odin — whatever is your bent).

Then watch for synchronicity. Ask yourself each day how and where perhaps things are moving in the direction of having that need met. Keep journaling about it. At our writing workshop session on May 14, let’s talk about it.

This exercise should take you about 5 minutes a day until May 14. Dig deep. Find that need. Talk to yourself and the universe about fixing it.

*****

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”
― Christina Baldwin

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — April 10, 2013 Edition

April 18, 2013Weekly Writing PromptSnoValley Writes!, weekly writing promptadmin

Busy, busy writing week!

We had an awesome workshop last night. Be advised that our April 23rd workshop is canceled, because the library has a special event. I would encourage everyone to do the following night’s Writer’s Cafe at Sawdust Coffee Co. I’ll be there and will probably have some exercises or be available for critiquing.

So next workshop will be May 14th. We’ll be working on “mining” our lives for creative stories. It’s going to be great. Please put it on your calendar.

And coming up tonight and this week:

Writer’s Cafe’ will be travelling this week to Pioneer Coffee in North Bend for a Reading and Book Signing involving SnoValley Writes! author, Jackie Fedyk and local artist Leslie Moon for their book, Agatha Hattie. Here’s a link to more info: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/289260581205683/?fref=ts It runs from 6:00 – 8:00 with a reading and door prize each 1/2 hour. Hope to see you there!

Also, come and write with us on Saturday this week, the 13th, for the NaNoWriMo Writing Marathon. SnoValley Writes! will be shooting for 30 hours or more between all of the writers, so come and contribute what you can. You can work on any project including editing to be counted toward the total. We’ll be at North Bend Bar & Grill starting at 9:30 and will move to Pioneer Coffee from 11:30 – 5:30 or 6:00. The official NaNoWriMo event info is here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/marathon. You can also look for check-ins on our Regional Forum for Snoqualmie Valley on the NaNoWriMo site. You are welcome to donate to NaNo as part of this event, but you can write with us without monetary obligation other than an appreciative order from whichever cafe’ you are visiting.

My plan is to join at least first thing in the morning at the grill and then we’ll see whether baseball will interrupt before I come back and finish at Pioneer in the afternoon. You could do the same. Come when you can, leave when you must. Make time for your writing. We’re all hanging there with you!

And that, my fellow authors, is your prompt. Get out and connect with your fellow writers. Go to the reading tonight. Participate in the Writers Cafe on Friday morning at the Black Dog or the Writing Marathon this week.

Do it. You have my permission. You’re a writer. Go be with other writers, listen, read, write.

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.”- Joseph Conrad
P.S.: The snovalleywrites.org site is currently down. My server crashed due to a hardware failure. the replacement part then crashed as well. We got a new part, but now we have to reload everything and that takes some time (since we’ve been doing this for several years). Hopefully it will be up by Thursday morning. I’ll keep you posted.

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — April 3, 2013 Edition

April 3, 2013Weekly Writing Promptbooks, MFA on the cheap, reading to write, stephen king, The Artist's Way, Writing Promptadmin

Greetings writers. I almost don’t know what to tell you since we’ve finished The Artist’s Way. I’m still digesting every thing I learned going through the book (for the third time). I very much appreciate the opportunity to have gone through it with all of you. I love your stories of discoveries, watching everyone move from “stuck” or “blocked” to creating like mad. Keep it up. Don’t give up on your morning pages, or your artist’s dates, or being aware of the synchronicity we’re blessed with as we plant the seeds of our dreams and allow them to blossom.

First up, announcements:

Calling All NaNoRhinos for NaNoWriMo Writing Marathon!

Join other SnoValley Writes! members for an 8 hour write-in on Saturday, April 13th.

Write for 2-4-6…can you write for 8 hours? Edit your NaNo from November. Get ahead on blog posts. Anything related to writing counts.

We’ll start at 9:30 am at the North Bend Bar and Grill for brekkie writing and then move to Pioneer Coffee at about 11:30. We’ll go through until 5:30 or until the last pencil rubs to a nub and the last finger crumples on the keys.

If you feel so inclined, make it official and pledge to the NaNoWriMo cause. Info here: http://nanowrimo.org/marathon

Please RSVP to sherikcarriage@msn.com if you know you’re coming.

Come when you can, leave when you must. Spring forward on your writing with us!

I am going to join all of you for as long as I can; hopefully you’ll do the same — come when you can; leave when you must.

Don’t forget, April 9, at 6 p.m. is our next Writing Work Shop at the North Bend Library. 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. We’ll continue our MFA on the Cheap lesson plans. We’ll be talking about marketing ourselves. Seems like perfect timing because I’ve been getting lots of questions about that. Also, it might serve to motivate me to re-invest into my own personal marketing. You all always keep me on my toes. I’m so grateful. Thank you. Be sure to RSVP for the workshop so I can plan exercises accordingly. Also, don’t forget to bring work to trade for feedback.

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Our writing prompt this week is actually reading. I want you to find a book. Read it. Then post a review of the book (hopefully it’s positive, but remember to be a positive critic if you have feedback that isn’t so good, yeah?), post that review on your blog, amazon, goodreads, etc. These are some of the best ways that you can a) learn to be a better writer; b) support other writers, c) encourage others to do the same. It’s a happy circle then.

**********

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — March 27, 2013

March 27, 2013Weekly Writing PromptMFA, The Artist's Way, writing lifeadmin

Well, congratulations — especially to those that came to the workshop yesterday. We finished The Artist’s Way.

Now what, you ask?

Reread it on your own and do the exercises and tasks again. Continue to look out for synchronicity; do your morning pages; take your artist’s date. Keep doing the work.

Now we will transition into more MFA-style work. We worked on some of that yesterday in the workshop, too, concentrating on working against Writer’s Block (more accurately described as resistance). I’ll be pulling from many resources for this, and I’ll share them with you as appropriate.

But let’s start at the basics of a writing life. Below are some questions you need to ask yourself. Write down the questions in your notebook/journal and actually answer them. Give details.

Reading, Writing, Workshop, Community.

First: Reading. Do you read regularly? If so, how many books per year, on average? What are your top three preferred subjects or genres? List the last five books/magazines you’ve read. What are you reading now?

Second: Writing. How long have you been writing regularly? Do you have a project you’re focusing on? Are you experimenting with various things? How often do you write? Is your writing schedule regular or sporadic? (That being a writer versus being an author dealio we talked about int he beginning of the month).

Third: Workshop. Do you belong to a writing group or have writer colleagues who read your work? (and not just via Email — are you doing in-person stuff?) Do you participate in workshops at conferences or other live or online events? Do you take time to evaluate the feedback and implement what resonates with you into your work?

Last, but not least: Community. Do you have writer friends? Do you engage with other writers either face-to-face or online? Are you a member of any writing associations?

Any places where you’ve answered No is likely the area in your writing life that you need to give more attention to. Now make a plan on how to do that.

Alright Authors: Don’t forget the Writer’s Cafes this week.

And now your moment of Writing Zen: “Love is easy, and I love writing. You can’t resist love. You get an idea, someone says something, and you’re in love.” ~Ray Bradbury

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — March 20, 2013 Edition

March 20, 2013Weekly Writing Promptplay, spring, tasks, The Artist's Way, trust, writingadmin

Welcome Spring! And Welcome to another week of creative recovery and writing focus.

We are in the throws of Week 12 of The Artist’s Way. This week’s tasks focus us on Recovering a Sense of Faith. In this final week, we acknowledge the inherently mysterious spiritual hearts of creativity. We address the fact that creativity requires receptivity and profound trust — capacities we have developed through our work in this course. We set our creative aims and take a special look at last-minute sabotage. We renew our commitment to the use of the tools.

Again, we’ll be looking at Trusting, Mystery, The Imagination At Play, and Escape Velocity. If you haven’t checked out the readings in The Artist’s Way, I highly encourage you to do so.

This week’s Tasks:

1. Write down any resistance, angers, and fears you have about going on from here. We all have them.

2. Take a look at your current areas of procrastination. What are the payoffs in your waiting? Locate the hidden fears. Do a list on paper.

3. Sneak a peek back at Week One, Core Negative Beliefs (page 30). Laugh. Yes, the nasty critters are still there. Note your progress. Read yourself the affirmations on pages 36 and 37. Write some affirmations about your continued creativity as you end the course.

4. Mend any mending.

That’s all for this week.

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Remember Next Tuesday is our next Workshop at the North Bend Library Meeting Room. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please RSVP if you plan to be there so I may plan accordingly. Certain exercises don’t work with certain numbers. So, it’s always helpful to me from a planning and logistical point to know how many folks will be there. Be sure to bring some work to exchange. Feedback is one of the most critical things we can receive from SnoValley Writes! participation. As always, be sure to bring something to write on/with (notebook & pen, or laptop).

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Don’t forget, we have three separate writing cafes for you to set aside writing time and network with other local authors. Plan on attending at least one this week.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music — the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.” ~Henry Miller.

—
—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron