Write Anyway

I am woman, I am strong… Yeah, I still haven’t been able to get that out of my head. So it goes.

This Thursday I once again have thirteen prompts related to this week’s theme. While they are, admittedly, centered around woman, I will send a present to the man who responds to one or more of these prompts and sends me the link. (You have to be willing to provide your postal address.)

Sorry, ladies, but don’t you want to see it, too?

Have a wonderful Thursday!

1. What is the one best thing about being a woman?
2. A woman’s body can be one of the most beautiful of the earth’s creations. What do you find beautiful about a woman’s body? Why?
3. “Women can multitask and men can read maps. That’s the way it is.”
4. Who is your favourite woman, alive or dead?
5. Does woman automatically mean mother?
6. What is your favourite woman-themed song? Why?
7. If you have/had a daughter, what would you tell her is the most important part of being a woman?
8. What is your vision of the ‘ideal woman’?
9.”Well behaved women rarely make history.”
10. What makes a good/bad mother?
11. Who is the strongest (emotionally, mentally, physically) woman you know?
12. (If you are a woman) are you the woman you wanted to be when you were younger? Why or why not?
13. There is feminine and masculine even in nature. What in nature is feminine, in your opinion? Why?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. I don’t think I have asked you to write poetry before, so it should be something new and fun for you.

Enjoy!

(more…)

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
’cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

Ah, you have to love those lyrics. It’s been made of many times in many ways (especially the first line) but this song is still quite the song for women.

When you think of a woman, what do you think of? Yourself? Your mother? Some average woman walking down the road? A mother goddess?

There are many images of women both as part of today’s fashion and modeling culture but also throughout history. There are cultures who worship(ped) a mother goddess instead of or alongside of a father god. There are many tales of goddesses and other female beings throughout history.

There is the Virgin Mary as well as the first woman Eve. There are arguments about Adam’s ‘first wife’ Lilith.

There are many holy mothers, holy virgins, super women, angels, and much more when it comes to the female shape, influence, and stories.

Today I would like you to write about what ‘woman’ means to you. Does it mean you? Does it mean motherhood? Struggle? Religion? Power? Tap into any and all of these words to explore the feminine and what it means to you.

Don’t be afraid to push boundaries. No one has to read what you write. Not even you do. If woman/women mean something bad to you, then write about it. If it’s good or neutral…anything.

Write it all out.

Hello and welcome to another wonderful musical Monday. Well, wonderful is in the opinion of the reader, but I choose to view this as a wonderful Monday.

Why? Because I had a bit of a ‘doh’ moment in that I thought of a theme for this week that left me wondering why in the world I didn’t think of it before. What is this wonderful theme that has left me in such a cheery mood? Well, that’s not cheery, that’s cheeky.

This week’s theme is: Woman

Yep, that’s right. This week we’re going to get in touch with all that girl power, feminine right, and all else. There are so many things to talk about when it comes to women, their bodies, their personalities, their influence in the world, what they go through, the joys they experience…

It’s certainly going to be an interesting week! Enjoy.

My first pick, which, as usual, is the video I feel the week wouldn’t be complete without is Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman. Enjoy this awesome music video from the past.

I had to include this one because too many women (and girls) including me are entirely too hard on themselves about their bodies. And women are hard on each other, too! Stop judging and start accepting.
Beautiful – Christina Aguilera

This one I’m adding in for a bit of fun.
Alanis Morissette – I’m a Bitch

And one more I think is cute, sweet, and utterly appropriate for this week’s theme…
Thank Heaven for Little Girls - Gigi

Today I have decided to do something a little different. It’s been a long time since I have put up visual prompts, which surprises me a bit actually given how much I like pictures.

As you know, this week we have been talking about writing, what it means to you, how you write, why you write… Today I will be putting up some pictures. Each of the pictures is going to be of a person. Each picture will have a caption beside it that will prompt you to write something about the person in the picture.

You can choose to do one of them, some of them, or all of them. You may get a character for a story out of what you write or you may find this exercise a bit pointless. No matter what you try, try to have fun and think outside the bubble of your life.

Who knows what crazy things you might think of…

This guy (name him whatever you like) has left work early so he can find a more ‘creative’ space to work in.

See, he’s facing a deadline. A big deadline. The kind of deadline that might mean he either gets promoted or he starts looking for a new job.

Give this guy a name, tell me what kind of ‘creative’ space he’s chosen, what project he’s writing, and what happens…

This is [pick a name]. She has a writing piece in progress that she just can’t quite seem to finish for some reason.

She’s taken some time out time to meditate and relax so she can figure out where to go in her work in progress.

What is her work in progress? Why is she finding it hard to finish? Will the meditation help? Does she finish it?

Hello and welcome to another Thursday Thirteen!

We have been talking about writing this week and what it means to you as a writer. This week’s Thursday Thirteen prompts are going to continue on with prompts, questions, first lines, and other inspiration to help you get writing.

If there is another prompt you think would be helpful, be sure to let me know in the comments or by using the ‘contact me’ button under the site description.

1. What was the first piece of fiction you wrote. (Be it a lie in a letter, a short story, or even a poem.)
2. You are the stereotypical smoking, drinking writer who types everything on the same typewriter. How did you get to where you are?
3. “So, you’re a writer then?”
4. You have written and published a global best seller. What does the fame do to you? What is your second book? Do you write a second book?
5. Writer’s block. We all hate it, but how do you get over it?
6. Write a letter to someone you hate. Then burn it.
7. Why are you a writer? Why not a chef or an astronaut?
8. Write a 5-7-5 haiku about a peaceful place you have never seen.
9. A writer saves the world. How?
10. Something you write turns into the world’s next Bible. What have you written about how people should live their lives?
11. What is the worst thing you have ever written?
12. If you could have one thing with you when you sit down to write every time, what would it be?
13. What is your guilty pleasure of choice when you write?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. I don’t think I have asked you to write poetry before, so it should be something new and fun for you.

Enjoy!

(more…)

Writing.

Many of us do it every day in one way or another. Some of us continue on with pen and paper, signing checks, writing out grocery lists, writing letters. Many others ‘write’ in the way of typing with emails, blogging, commenting, and much more.

We are a world centered around communication in as many ways possible. Because of this, we’re easily able to keep in contact with people across the world as well as fall in love without meeting physically. If we have an opinion, we can have it up and read by hundreds of people in a matter of minutes.

It’s a beautiful and yet scary world out there.

This week’s theme is another rather broad one that you can take quite a few directions, depending on your experience.

If you are a writer author, it’s always good to touch base back with why you are doing all this at all. Remembering why you started writing can often help you in the times when you can’t seem to find the words to put to paper.

Even if you aren’t someone who wants to write books, writing can be a relaxing, thoughtful, and even sometimes spiritual experience. Putting your thoughts and words on paper (or on your blog for the world to see) can be a very powerful feeling of independence and freedom.

Why do you write? Where do you write? What are your preferred tools of the trade? Do you have dreams for your writing? What is writing like for you – something to be done or an experience?

Happy Musical Monday everyone.

I’m making an effort to make this week an interesting one instead of a dreary, here we go it’s another week type of week. Have a drink to my efforts, hm?

This week I’m focusing on the obvious. That is – the theme for this week is: Writing

Why should I focus on something so obvious that this site is centered around? Well, because for a lot of people, writing is more than just the act of writing. For some it’s therapy. For others it’s work. For many others, it’s an experience that is rivaled by no other.

Writing, for me, is the way I relate to the world. I communicate best through written word (just ask anyone who tries to talk to me on the phone) and I take pride in what I write. I’ll take a penpal over a phone pal any day. I am completely in love with the tools of the trade (office supplies) and getting me a cool pen will trump pretty jewelry any day.

So yes, we’re writing about writing this week. To get you in the mood for your journey, I have selected a few songs I hope you will enjoy.

Don’t Write Me Off – Music and Lyrics (I actually found this song while I was looking for a different song, and for a song from a ripped off movie, it’s actually not that bad.)

I Write the Songs – Barry Manilow (Yes, I’ll admit it – I like Barry Manilow. So there.)

Paperback Writer – The Beatles

Friday Feast is back up and going with a whole new set of questions for us this week. Respond in the comments or leave a link to your blog post response.

On to the feast!

Appetizer - Name one thing that is unique about you.

This is a bit of a tough question… Unique about me. I suppose the one thing that is unique about me is that my first plane trip (first time in an airport, even) was with my laptop, a small bag, and my mp3 player. I went from the States to Australia.

I’d say that’s pretty unique…

Soup - Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too.

My favourite PC game is Sim City but I like Civilization too.

Salad - What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings?

I honestly have no idea. We don’t have a lot of wood anything, really. I would like to have more oak and mahogany things, though.

Main Course - Who do you talk to most often on the phone?

My husband, who is pretty much the only person I will talk to on the phone. I hate phones with a passion and avoid them as much as I can.

Dessert - What level of responsibility do you have in your job?

All of it. Hehe. I work from home, so I’m responsible for getting my arse in my chair, getting work done, etc. I do answer to someone else, but that’s basically along the lines of ‘you’re still employed/you’re fired’.

Brought to you by Friday’s Feast

Hello everyone and welcome to another Thursday Thirteen. This week we have been talking about work so today I have thirteen prompts to help you get started writing about today’s theme.

Enjoy!

1. It’s your first day at the new job…
2. You get a new coworker and s/he turns out to be the best person you could ask for. Why?
3. Your lunch has gone missing from the staff room refrigerator…
4. Your boss is a moron and you’re not sure what to do. Do you stay? Leave?
5. Someone has been stealing office supplies and it’s your job to find out who…
6. Your boss says that you get to pursue a degree on the company’s tab so you can be a better employee. What degree do you choose? Why?
7. What did you want to be when you were a child?
8. You’re finally going to try out the world of small business ownership. What’s the business? What is it called? Do you work alone or do you hire on people?
9. If you had the money to never work a single day in your life, would you quit or would you continue on with work here and there?
10. The worst job I ever had was…
11. The thing that would make my current job a lot better is…
12. What does/would your home office look like?
13. If you had to be in one job for the rest of your life, but it could be any job, what would it be?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope this post finds you and yours well.

You know how these random word banks work. I hope you find them useful and that you write a lot with them. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. I don’t think I have asked you to write poetry before, so it should be something new and fun for you.

Enjoy!

The word banks:

(more…)

You know what they say – all work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.

And infinite varieties on that.

When we’re young, we dream of being astronauts, chefs, teachers…therapists. (Yeah, I wanted to be a therapist.) Too often, though, we end up working somewhere else. We’re encouraged (or outright told) to do something that will pay the bills. We’re expected to work in the family business. Some event in life causes us to be unable to work in the field we once dreamt of.

Today I want you to tell me about one or more aspects of your work. This can encompass so many things. Write anything from a guide to setting up a productive home office to the week your lunch kept disappearing from the staff kitchen refrigerator.

Write about the first time you called a sickie (called in sick) or how great your boss it. (Man, I felt horrible about the first time I called in sick, but I really was sick!) Write about the worst job you ever had and why it qualifies as the worst in your life. Do you run your own business? Do you dream of doing so? Are you somewhere in that mystical in between, working as a freelancer/independent contractor?

Do you love your work or do you ‘have to pay the bills somehow’? What is your dream job? What are you doing to get to where you want to be?

Work, work, work! There are so many possible topics to touch on. Have a bit of fun and get writing!

I was wondering what theme I could put up for this week and once again felt stuck. I have covered quite a broad range of subjects so far…

What could I pick? What’s something everyone can talk about? Can write about? What’s something that’s all the above as well as something that everyone can identify with?

That’s right: Work

We all (well, most of us) have to do it. Eventually. At one time or another and in one form or another. Some of us work for one person and others work for a whole heap of bosses. Some work from home and others work at an office.

This week you can rant, rave, praise, or whatever else you like as you talk about your work space. Write about one aspect or any aspect.

Work gets long and annoying. We make friends at work. We make enemies at work. There are workplace politics, lunchroom annoyances, customer service stories, and much more. (Why didn’t I think of using this as a theme before?)

To help you on your writing way, I’ve picked out a few songs that are at least somewhat related to work. The first one – Working In A Coal Mine – should put a smile on the face of anyone who either grew up with the song or is simply dreading yet another Monday morning at work…

Lee Dorsey – Working in a Coal Mine (This is my ‘had to include it’ pick of the week. I absolutely love this song.)

Kelly Rowland – Work

Jimmy Eat World – Work

Friday’s Feast is having a bit of site trouble today!

This week there is no Friday Feast from the site, as something is going on over there. And I can’t even dig into the archives and put up an older one.

Let’s all cross our fingers and hope they get the problem figured out soon!

Until then, today I will be putting up my own version of Friday Feast! Feel free to participate here or on your own blog.

On to the feast!

Appetizer – What was your favourite childhood toy? Why?

I didn’t have just one. I loved figurines of anything that was based on something alive. Barbies, GI Joes, little animal toys… Anything I could give a dramatic story I loved.

Soup – What is your guilty pleasure?

Food. I like carrots, apples, etc, but I love flavours of all kinds. Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian… I love trying new things even if they aren’t particularly good for me.

Salad – What was the last thing you bought for someone?

I’m pretty sure the last thing I bought was dinner for my husband and myself. There was a ‘Yanks Down Under’ dinner complete with chili cheese fries and pop tarts (which I hate).

Main Course – What is something your blog readers don’t know about you?

Oh, there are plenty of things. I try to keep my online life very organized. What helps in doing that is only talking about certain information online.

Something I’m happy to share is that I met my husband online. I’m originally from the US and he’s Australian.

Dessert – What is your favourite book?

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. That is the book I credit for inspiring me to really pursue my dreams and start writing my own novels.