Welcome

Grab a cup of tea or coffee (oh what the heck, get a danish too!) and sit a spell. You might want to grab your notebook and pen because you never know when you will be inspired to write down a quote, or jot down a poem of your own. Words are like that, they take you on a journey and the next thing you know you are breathing life into your own magical world of words.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Herstory - Flash Friday

This is a Story Flash Friday challenge! If you don't know March is Women's History/Herstory Month and Every Friday during the Month of March I am going to post a writing challenge with that theme in mind. The winner of this writing challenge will receive a new copy of Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir; one of my favorite books by a fabulous woman writer, Natalie Goldberg. My grown daughter will be picking the winner.

This is the last Friday for HERSTORY Month. Next week we will be honoring National Poetry Month in April.


Here is the writing challenge:

Using all the prompts, post it on your blog, and link it below. You have until Midnight EST this Sunday to get it posted. The winner will be announced on Monday  and I will need an email or Twitter ID to be able to contact you for your snail mail address to mail your book.

This can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry between 30 and 300

Now for the prompts:

Prompt 1




Prompt 2


What it means to be a woman of the 21st Century



Share with your friends and fellow writers 



Poetry and Writing Challenges - National Poetry Month


I just recently discovered that April is National Poetry Month. I love this! I have decided to share a few of the wonderful poetry challenges going on through out the month. I have only recently reconnected with the poet within me and I am going to explore it fully during the month of April. I hope you will explore your inner poet as well. Some of these are challenges not specific to poetry but could be used as such.


Blogging From A to Z Challenge April 2012 Why not create poems from A to Z...

Penny for Your Thoughts - 30 in 30 Challenge Link up and write a poem every day of April on your blog.

NPR - Muses and Metaphor - Tell Me More with Michel Martin If you are on Twitter tweet your poems of less than 140 characters with the hashtag of #TMMPoetry - sounds like fun to me!

NaPoWriMo Like NaNoWriMo only for poetry.

Have a Great National Poetry Month!

If you found this helpful please share with others

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Memoir Madness - The Journey


The journey of writing my memoirs while trying to stay sane is like trying to walk through a mine field; you never know when something is going to trigger an explosion only this is an explosion of emotion. It isn't an easy thing revisiting the past especially when it is filled with trauma and drama at every turn.  Natalie Goldberg in her book Old Friend From Far Away says that you have to approach writing a memoir sideways, which seems to be the only way I can approach it.

If I think I am working on my memoirs my body tenses up, my stomach feels queasy and I think of a million other things that need to be done right now-immediately. It would be funny if it wasn't so darn inconvenient. So I do it a piece at a time. Writing bits of my past from writing prompts and the lovely books that help me mine the fields of my shadows without falling into the deep chasms that seem to just be waiting to suck me in.

This morning I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to write with my friend Tui at Mental Mosaic It is easier to write knowing someone is out there writing with you. It was for me. I couldn't avoid the page. I couldn't tell myself that there was something more important for me to do. I only had to write or type as the case may be, and fill the page one word at a time.

I share this journey with you because I know it is hard. Maybe by sharing my journey it will feel a little less lonely and crazy for you while you are trudging through your memories and putting them on the page. I want you to know that if you are writing your memoirs you are not alone. Not only are there many of us out here, but we are all pushing through the fear on a daily basis right along with you. To get to know each other I am creating a Twitter hashtag #MemoirMadness for us to use when we need to chat with someone going through the same thing; to be able to reach out and commiserate, laugh, and maybe even cry together. It doesn't have to be as difficult as doing it completely alone. We can avoid the madness together and get our stories written. I am going to. I know you can too. 

Are you writing a memoir? How did you come to realize you wanted to put your story in print? How do you get around or through the fear?

If you enjoyed this please share 



Other posts that may interest you:

Friday, March 23, 2012

Story Flash Friday - Herstory 3

This is a Story Flash Friday challenge! If you don't know March is Women's History/Herstory Month and Every Friday during the Month of March I am going to post a writing challenge with that theme in mind. The winner of this writing challenge will receive a new copy of Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir; one of my favorite books by a fabulous woman writer, Natalie Goldberg. (Since there wasn't a winner last week I decided to keep this as the book for this week.) My grown daughter will be picking the winner.

Here is the writing challenge:

Write your flash fiction story, from 200 - 300 words, using all the prompts, post it on your blog, and link it below. You have until Midnight EST this Sunday to get it posted. The winner will be announced on Monday  and I will need an email or Twitter ID to be able to contact you for your snail mail address to mail your book.


Now for the prompts:

Prompt 1




Prompt 2


Write about the most courageous woman you knew/know from the 1900s and how her story gave you wings.




Let the Writing Begin!


Share this challenge with your writer friends 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Beginning of Spring - Row80 Final Check In for Round 1

Flowers are blooming all over my yard between the Dogwood tree and the plethora of azalea bushes/ we have a bounty of color in our yard. I love spring, it is my favorite time of year. It is a time of new beginnings. Right now, on this day, is an excellent time to plant seeds; both literally and figuratively. It is the best time of year to plant the seeds of creation for your writing projects and everything else you would like to accomplish this year as well as a wonderful time to start new projects.

It is interesting that our final day for the first round of Row80 should be on a day for new beginnings (we are within the energies of Spring Equinox and the New Moon). I know I will be spending time becoming clear about my goals and probably collage them as it is one of my favorite ways for planting new ideas and setting intentions.

Wow... what a ride this round of Row80 has been for me. This was my first round and it was phenomenal! Being new to all of this, I may not have finished a first draft but I have deeply explored my writing and gained so much from all of my new Rower friends and fellow writers. I have explored writing for contests and challenges, I wrote 48 posts on all three of my blogs combined (mostly on this one) since January 27th when I started this blog for my Row80 check ins.

I stalled out a bit on writing my stories. I believe it is because I was having trouble with the structure of where they were going. I did write a total of 91,372 words for most everything I worked on and that is only what I kept track of.  That is much more than I have ever written in this period of time before.

I picked up a couple of books to help me with my Memoir that I am working on and have decided that will probably be my main focus for words in print for now as I learn and grow my writing.

Since I began the 750words.com I only recently missed two days and lost this month's challenge. I am not hard on myself about it though. I have been doing so much I allowed myself to become too tired and the days blurred together, forgetting that I hadn't written in it that day.

It is interesting when I go back to the beginning of this journey and look at what my goals were and how they have changed. I know they will continue to change as I learn and grow.

One unexpected highlight that I was waiting until today to share with all of you - I have been invited to be the Community Watch Supervisor at  Story Dam that I was thrilled to accept and I begin today. I am looking forward to being a part of their team and community. If you haven't checked them out I highly recommend it especially if you would like conscious, compassionate constructive critiquing.

I must say that you, my Rower friends and fellow writers, are simply wonderful. I know that you are a big part of the reason I have reached so hard and so fast with all of my writing efforts. My heart will always be grateful to all that gave me their support and encouragement.

Thank you Row80 for giving us a safe space to grow.
I look forward to seeing where this writing journey takes me next.

Peace,
Morgan

A few of my favorite posts from my round of 80 days.

And my favorite stories and poetry:


If you enjoyed this post please share and pass it along

Please visit my other Rowers and read about their fabulous journey and leave them lots of word love! 

Blogging for Writers - 7 Important Tips

As I have continued on this writing journey and have traveled over many writing blogs, I have discovered gaps in otherwise beautiful blogs. The gaps are losing them readers and to writers readers are gold. Some of these tips may seem obvious but we don't always think of the obvious. This is my recipe for a better blogging for writers.


1. Your Blog URL

This bit of information I found out after I started Shadow Rhythms; make sure your URL is easy to remember and easy to spell.  The most important piece, your URL, your blog address, It needs to be as short as possible but even more importantly it needs to be easy to remember and easy to spell. Otherwise your blog is going to become lost in the web world among the millions that are posting every day.  

2.  Follow by Email

I have discovered in this fast past world when a reader happens upon a blog they like, and want to make sure they read it again, they are most likely going to Follow by Email. This way they won't miss a post and if you have written a particularly inspiring post they will click through and leave a comment which feeds every writer's soul. I have often looked for the Follow by Email gadget and couldn't find it. More about this further down.

3. Theme

Find a main theme for your posts or a couple of themes but keep it as narrow as possible. Oh and don't ramble. No one wants to read every detail of your life. They want to connect with you on a personal level but they don't want the boring details that go on for eternity. Your readers want informative, feeling posts. They want to read posts that take them on a journey. They want to read posts that make them feel something even if it is sad. Tap into your readers emotions and they will want more. Pull them into your stories whether fiction or non-fiction and they will keep coming back.

4. User Friendly

Make your website user friendly. Upper right corner should have your Follow by Email below that how they can follow you on Twitter and Facebook. Around where your posts end on the right you should have the Follow Blog. The more your readers have to look around to find what they are looking for the more they are going to skip on to the next blog.

Every post should have at minimum the Tweet button if not also Facebook button (I tend to just tweet because I have my Twitter linked to my FB and it automatically posts when I tweet) imbedded within the post at the bottom for easy access. They enjoyed reading your post and there is no other time they are most likely to tweet than right there at the end of it. If they have to go looking for it they probably won't do it; same with the comment section. It should be at the bottom of your post so that it is easy to click and comment.

5. Labels, Tags and Keywords

Every post must have the best labels/tags/keywords to give you the best chance of showing up in a search. I highly recommend searching primary keywords for the theme of your blog. You want to use keywords and combinations that have Low competition as much as possible. Choose one main keyword for your post which should be a primary keyword for your blog. Then find different combinations for that keyword.  If your blog is about writing every word combination should have the word writing or some form within it.

An example: 

Creative writing | writing creatively | I want to write creatively | how to write creatively | writing and creativity |

Or

Writing fiction | short story writing | flash fiction writing | how to write short stories | writing short stories | love writing |

By the way, the lines you see between each keyword phrase is using the shift key and the key above the enter key. I discovered this is a better way than using commas.

Time and again I see something like this: blogging, writing, contests, short stories,
I used to do this with my keywords and once I discovered using keywords in this manner I immediately noticed an increase from search engine traffic.

If you do a little research it makes all the difference in the world. If you have the keyword and phrases ahead of time it is easier to make sure at least one of them is in the post, even better if it is also in the first three words of the title.

The more posts you have with the same combination and the main keyword in the first three words of your title of your post, the more you will be found in a search of those keywords.  
When search engines do a search they are looking for the pages with the most relevance to one topic. When you have many topics in your keywords it basically walks away.

6. Linking to your blog through your comment

If you are a blogger, then it is most likely you would like others to come back and look at your blog when you leave a comment. I don't know how many times I have clicked on someone's name after they left a comment hoping to go back to their blog, read it, and then leave a comment for them-to discover that the link they have left just leads to an empty profile page-very frustrating. Make sure that you are leaving a link with your name. Make sure if you use Blogger, or are making comments on Blogger, that you create a profile with links to your blog or use the Name and URL option. I often choose that option because depending on what their blog is about depends on which blog I want to send them to if they want to reciprocate comments.

7. Twitter, Facebook & Hashtags

There is much I do on Twitter that I will be sharing in the future. But something I wanted to share today is, if someone RTs one of your Tweets with a link, check out their blog and Tweet a post that you like. It is much better/nicer than just saying thank you.  A thank you is nice mind you but sharing a post link is even better.

Make sure that you have your blog link on your Twitter and Facebook profile; you want people to be able to find your blog if they are interested.

It pays to do a little research on Twitter for hashtags. If you don’t know what hashtags are it is those #words you see with #signs on them. They are useful in a couple of ways. You can find people with similar interests such as #writing #poetry #fantasyfiction - you can use them to help people find you - #writingcontest #anthology #flashfictionfriday - you can use them to chat #wordmongering #row80 #teamsprinty or to show people what you are doing #amwriting #amediting - you can communicate with #authors and #editors (ask a question with the last two tags and I am told that authors and editors read through them and answer the ones that interest them). 

That's all for now, if you have any questions let me know in the comment section. What have you noticed while blog hopping that you want to share? Do you have a pet peeve about something you weren't able to find on Writer's Blogs? 

If you found this helpful please share 



Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 30

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the thirtieth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe; the very last day. If you haven't sent in your story now is the time to get those fingers tapping and send it in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


These are the last writing prompts for this contest. You will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 


Now for the Prompts...

Prompt 1




Prompt 2


The Dreamer


Prompt 3


You're not an ugly duckling, you are a swan. (you don't have to use the words it is more a theme)




Remember, this is the last of this series for this contest. It is your last chance to write for this contest. On this last day you can choose to write for the above prompts or you can choose any of the prompts from the contest. You can find the links under Archive on the right side of this page. Good Luck!


Let the Writing Begin!



 and share with your writer friends.


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 29

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-ninth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and not much time left to participate. If you haven't sent in your story now is the time to get those fingers tapping and send it in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 


Only One Prompt today...

Prompt




Let the Writing Begin!

Monday, March 19, 2012

A Kreativ Blog Award and 10 Random Facts


I received this wonderful award from the even more wonderful Shah Wharton from Words in Sync What makes this award so amazing to receive is that you can only receive it from another blogger. Now it is my turn to choose 7 fantastic bloggers.


Here are the rules: 


1.) Link back to the person who gave it to you! (See Above)
2.) Share 10 random facts about yourself!
  1. I just began reading Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. I would love to take a day and spend it reading. 
  2. I am currently working on a memoir and writing it is a recipe in crazy making.
  3. I love dark chocolate and especially with raspberry filling of any kind.
  4. I love to cook but I am so busy writing for my blogs and my words in print that I don't have much time for it.
  5. I live with my female partner, my grown daughter, and my two grandchildren (2 1/2 yrs & almost 3 months).
  6. I live in the south and wish I lived in Seattle. I hate the heat and love cloudy, cool days. Rain is my friend.
  7. My biggest fear is dying before I have been published. 
  8. Okay and I am afraid of the dark, the deep, nothingness dark that bring my other senses on alert and it is a bit creepy. 
  9. I want to purchase a Motor-home and travel cross country facilitating my workshops.
  10. I have a passion for collaging.  It doesn't take much of an excuse at all for me to pull out my supplies of, magazines, clippings, glue and large paper, and collaging my hopes, dreams, and intentions.
3.) Pass on the award to 7 other people!
  1. Relish Life because it was her creative blog that started everything with Relish11 which brought me to...
  2. Mental Mosaic and her beautifully creative travel blog brought me to...
  3. Chasing Joy and her joyful creative blog that brings people together.
  4. Raven's View for an imaginative blog that is tantalizingly creative.
  5. The First Original Garret's Blog for his creative blog tackling hard subjects.
  6. KM Huber's Blog for showing us the creative beauty of simplicity.
  7. Julie Unplugged for her wonderfully creative prose and poetry as well as paving the way for many. 
There are many wonderfully creative bloggers out there and these are just a few of my favorites.

4.) Follow the person that gave you this award-CHECK!


Once again I want to Thank Shah for giving me this award. Hopefully it is the first of many. 

If you enjoyed this post please share 

Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 28

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-eighth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and not much time left to participate. If you haven't sent in your story now is the time to get those fingers tapping and send it in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 

Now for the Prompts...

Prompt 1




Prompt 2
A mystery unfolding


Let The Writing Begin!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Lost


Feeling constricted
Where’s the door
Running isn’t the answer
Feet on floor
Opening to compassion
Heart feels sore
I hear the tapping
Life’s a chore
Running isn’t an option
I found the door



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A writing prompt from:





If you enjoyed this please share

More of my Poetry:
Beauty Denied

3/24/12 Posted this with:



Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 27

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-seventh day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and not much time left to participate. If you haven't sent in your story now is the time to get those fingers tapping and send it in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 

Now for the Prompts...

Prompt




Prompt 2


She sang for herself and she sang for her dinner and she sang for the boy they say's a sinner


Prompt 3


Earth, Air, Fire, Water, & Spirit


Let the Writing Begin!



 and share with other writers.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

I Am Me




Who I really am is...

A bright and shiny new penny
A Buxom red head juicy and ripe

Who I really am is... 

a street that runs along the ocean watching the waves and people coming and going
a director, writer, teacher, entertainer, reader, lover, child, mother, grandmother

Who I really am is...

tired, disjointed and out of step
 pushing past it into the excitement and wonder of life.

Who I really am is...

a child of God
a piece of God

Who I really am is...

an adventurer on another planet
a musician full of lovely sounds coming from my voice and instruments

Who I really am is...

a lover of life
a GODDESS

Who I really am is...

a strong, lovely, wonderful, kind, warm, intelligent, incredible woman 

Who I really am is...

Me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing Prompt, "Who am I" from:


 and share with your friends.

Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 26

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-sixth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and not much time left to participate. If you haven't sent in your story now is the time to get those fingers tapping and send it in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 

Now for the Prompts...

Prompt




Prompt 2
I wanted to believe that anything was possible


Let the Writing Begin!



 and share this with other writers.


Friday, March 16, 2012

Flash Fiction Friday Challenge - Herstory 2

This is a Flash Fiction Friday challenge! If you don't know March is Women's History/Herstory Month and Every Friday during the Month of March I am going to post a writing challenge with that theme in mind. The winner of this writing challenge will receive a new copy of Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir; one of my favorite books by a fabulous woman writer, Natalie Goldberg. (Since there wasn't a winner last week I decided to keep this as the book for this week.)

Here is the writing challenge:

Write your flash fiction story, from 200 - 300 words, using all the prompts, post it on your blog, and link it below. You have until Midnight EST this Sunday to get it posted. The winner will be announced on Monday  and I will need an email or Twitter handle to be able to contact you for your snail mail address to mail your book.


Now for the prompts:

Prompt 1







Prompt 2


Woman's Rights in the 1800s


Prompt 3 


Every woman deserves an education


Let the Writing Begin!


 and share with other writers.




Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 25

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-fourth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and what fun it has been. Now it is your chance to join in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 

Only One Prompt Today...

Prompt




Let The Writing Begin! 


 and share with other writers.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Time to Remember

At least traffic isn't too bad today. I have a million errands to run and have to pick up the kids by three this afternoon. It will be alright, I can go to the store, the dry cleaning - oh what exit am I suppose to get off at? Okay not for another five miles, I'm good. So where was I, oh yeah I have to pick up the dry cleaning then...

"You realize you have fallen off the path that you signed up for in this life?" The angel standing before me said.

"What... where am I? I was driving my car, did I just die?" I look around but can't see much; it is so bright and yet darkness surrounds me, how in the world did I get here?

"Why is it that is the first question they always ask us?" The angel, chuckling a little, asks the being of light that I can only guess is God. I am hoping it is God.

"It is only because they can't remember being here. No you are not dead. We summoned you up here to remind you of your contract with this life." The voice came from the being of light.
I looked down, frowning and wondering what happened to my car.

"Not to worry, your id, with a little assistance from your guardian angel, is still driving your car." The Angel answered my unvoiced question which was a little creepy in itself.

"What contract? Is it safe to leave my body like that? What in the world is going on?" I was so confused.

"We wanted to remind you of your mission in this life; that you chose to live in this time, to write about your experiences, to be of service to others through your writing and you aren't writing." The being of light said.

"I don't know if you have noticed, or what you can see from up here, but I have been kind of busy with the kids and the house and life." I let out a long sigh. I did miss writing. I used to write all the time but I never did anything with it.

"You can go now, just remember…  write." The being of light said and I saw the angel smile.

Oh shoot. Where am I? Did I go too far? Did I miss my exit? I hate it when I space out like that. No my exit is in one more mile; I better get over. What was I thinking about, oh yeah all the stuff I have to do today. I really need to take some time for myself. I really miss writing. Maybe I should start that blog I've been thinking about.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing Prompt Challenge from:

Story Dam


 and share with your friends.



Other stories and poetry you might enjoy:

Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest I - Day 24

The Count Down has begun! Fanciful and daring, sweet and magical, what Teen Fantasy Fiction will you write? Join the Fun!
Great News! 10% of the profits from this anthology is going to Arts Corps A fantastic organization that helps teens through creativity and art programs. Keep submitting your fantasy fiction stories and make dreams come true: getting published and helping troubled teens. Know that your stories are helping to change lives.
This is the twenty-fourth day of the Writing Contest here at A Writer's Universe and what fun it has been. Now it is your chance to join in. If you have longed to be published and like writing short stories, fantasy fiction or want the challenge to write it; if you aren't published and would like to be, this could be the best place to start!  You want to reach your writing goals for this year as do I. We can make this happen together. Join the fun and let's make our dreams and goals come true!


I will be posting new writing prompts every night  for 30 days at Midnight EST and you will have twenty-four hours to complete your story for the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. Your story must be emailed before the next Midnight EST when that days prompts will end and the new writing prompts will be posted. Remember that there is sometimes a lag in email going through the web so don't wait until the last minute.  You can read the rest of the guidelines here. Grab the 30 Stories in 30 Days Badge to share on your page showing that you are participating in this Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest.

The Theme for this Writing Contest is... Shapeshifting/Shapeshifter Your story must have either a shapeshifter  or some kind of shapeshifting theme. This is the magical component spoken of in the guidelines. 



A Question that was asked - What classifies as Teen-specific fantasy?
Think of it as PG/PG13 and toss in some of the teen issues mixed with magic. Think about the angst and insecurities of teens and how much they do or don't want to fit in, how there is always someone picking on someone, and how the situations get resolved. The conflict can be something happening at home, at school or summer school (or any variation of the magical kind) or anywhere else you can imagine something magical happening with young people from 13 to 16 years old. (can go up to 18 yrs old) You can think of something you went through as a teen then put a magical twist. I am sure you can come up with lots of really great ideas. 

Only One Prompt Today...

Prompt




Let The Writing Begin!




If you enjoyed this post please share it with the buttons below to Twitter and Facebook, and share your thoughts in the comment section below. Peace, Morgan

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Finding a Balance - Row80 Check In

I don't know why but I am having resistance writing my check in. It could be because I am doing things differently now, I don't know. I know that my writing is a growing and living thing at this point in my life. I also know that there is only one week left of this Row80 and I don't like endings. I haven't decided if I am going to participate again next round.

I am trying to find a balance of writing and visiting other's blogs, and there are so many blogs; I feel overwhelmed with it all. I feel tired. I feel... so much. I am not saying I am done. I am still here. I just don't have the energy to keep up with it all and do the writing that I am doing right now. I guess it is a good thing this is ending in a week.

My Check in:

In the beginning I didn't do much with my new blog, A Writer's Universe. I wanted to wait and see how it progressed and if this was going to become a regular thing. I wanted to see how it would grow. Today I realized I needed to make some changes because it has grown into a living and breathing entity of its own. If you decide to leave a comment I would love to know what you think of the new look.

I have written a few pieces this week for writing challenges which have pushed my writing into new areas. I wrote a poem for Trifecta and Words in Sync's Storyteller. I haven't written a poem in over 15 years. I was very happy with the results and hope if you haven't checked it out you will and leave a comment.

I wrote Pretty Enough - A Moment in Time, for Write on Edge which I had great resistance in doing. I actually had told myself again and again I wasn't going to write for this challenge. Then suddenly, day before yesterday I remembered that conversation in my mind and the resulting conversation with my friend and I knew it was perfect for the challenge.

I wrote Shapeshifters for Chaotically Yours frankly because she didn't have any other entries and I knew how that felt. It was at the last minute so it wasn't my best work but I decided I wanted to use it to get constructive criticism for my writing: it is interesting to learn how others see your writing. It was a very enlightening experience and I am truly grateful to those that decided to leave their thoughts.

I have kept up with my 750words.com but I am going to need to do a couple of mega word days to meet my 50,000 goal for this month.

My own contests aren't going well but I am enjoying myself and will continue to the end of the Teen Fantasy Fiction Writing Contest. I also will continue to have Flash Fiction Fridays, which I love. I know that some things take time but if I am patient, it will grow.

I created my About Me page which I have put off forever and a day.

I have made many comments on the challenge blogs over the last week but I know that in being able to do that and everything else I am doing I have neglected you, my fellow Rowers. I promise that I will at least get to five Rower blogs by Saturday.

Over all I am feeling good about the progress I have made during this journey and I look forward to see what I will learn and write next.

I hope that you have had a good week.  What have you learned about yourself this week? How have you stretched your writing skills?

Peace,
Morgan

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