Everyday throughout April I am posting an image for you to use as a writing prompt. Feel free to post links to the resulting work in the comments.
Please be aware by sharing your work digitally, it is considered published and may prevent you from submitting it to journals and anthologies.
#Day13
Everyday throughout April I am posting an image for you to use as a writing prompt. Feel free to post links to the resulting work in the comments.
Please be aware by sharing your work digitally, it is considered published and may prevent you from submitting it to journals and anthologies.
Day#10
Don’t worry – it has nothing to do with rock climbing!
Although intense generative writing practice feels like a workout. I have been participating in Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo since I discovered it (2014). The following year I discovered the PAD challenge – A Poem a Day over on Writer’s Digest and did both, generating over 60 poems in April.
Over the years many poets in the UK (and probably around the world) have offered their own course of prompts or groups for April. I have taken part in these too, memorably a series of prompts from Carrie Etter and a Napowrimo group during Lockdown with Caleb Parkin. The most poems I ever wrote from April’s Poetry Month was 99!
All this extra writing has been fun (if not a bit exhausting)…
This year I decided to add my own additional challenge into the mix: Nina’s NaPoWriMo Challenge! Feel free to spread the word.
I’m keeping it simple (and FREE):
Every day I will post a new picture prompt and you go away and create whatever you want.
Get yourselves ready for an extra splash in the fountain this April!
I did NaNoWriMo in 2013, the year I started writing again, the year I started blogging. I completed the Spring and Summer Camps as well as the main event. 
This year I thought about dipping my toes in again, but I am working on several poetry projects and know that I don’t have time to complete 50,000 words. Tonight I decided to spend some time browsing my reader as it has been 10 months since I looked at blogs out here. I discovered a post and a challenge that might match my schedule and give me more to work with in the future.
Nancy Stohlman is posting prompts for flash fiction, which I do have time for. http://nancystohlman.com/flashnano/
I headed over to http://nanowrimo.org and signed back in. I headed to the Pep Talk page which has a lot of good advice and encouragement for a positive mental attitude, which believe me all NaNo-ers need! See what Gene Luen Yang has to say here
I am unlikely to reach the 50,000 word count by writing incredibly short, short stories but I will hopefully end the month with 30 new pieces and if I can I might mix it up with some poetry too.
So let’s get started!
Good luck to everyone making NaNo part of their November.
We have spent a week without the internet, I wrote this post a while ago and have only just been able to post it! Enjoy the TOP 10 POSTS for 2014 in AWF.
December – the season for Countdowns, I love a list (who doesn’t), I have spent a year writing and recycling TO DO lists. In having a quick surf around the WP READER, I spotted this blog post over in the Daily Post (which I haven’t joined in with ages) so I thought I would treat you all to a TOP 10 of our most POPULAR posts this year!
TOP 10 – Most POPULAR Posts
10) Silf Gives Self – Margaret Silf Seminar
9) The Quiet Compere (21/3/14)
8) August is Hotting Up – Despite the Rain!
7) Goal Setting 2014 – Read This BEFORE You Set Any! (Advice)
6) Book Launch: The Year I Loved England By Antony Owens & Joseph Horgan
5) Diverse Dancers Exhibition – Najma Hush – Performance Event
4) 52 Meet and Perform for the Stratford Poetry Festival
3) The Early Bird May Catch a Worm but the Night Owl Finds Opportunities
2) Writing Short Stories – Tips on Narrative Structure & The Writing Process
In this inaugural assignment, let’s loosen up and just write. We’re so excited you’ve joined us — let’s get started!
I am very excited, the weekends are unprompted so we have 20 days of writing activities ahead, they are also cite Natalie Goldberg, who I love, her books gave me my first nervous strokes into the waters of writing beyond poetry.
Last year I put myself through so much study; workshops, day events, toolkits, lectures, online courses – this year I have concentrated on producing work and the study has taken a back seat, spurred on by my workshop this weekend I am ready to give over to this daily event and will do my best to post daily regardless of work and weekday busyness!
Oh, look… a new SHINY badge! 
You write because you have an idea in your mind that feels so genuine, so important, so true. And yet, by the time this idea passes through the different filters of your mind, and into your hand, and onto the page or computer screen — it becomes distorted, and it’s been diminished. The writing you end up with is an approximation, if you’re lucky, of whatever it was you really wanted to say.
– Author Khaled Hosseini, “How to Write,” the Atlantic
To get started, let’s loosen up. Let’s unlock the mind. Today, take twenty minutes to free write. And don’t think about what you’ll write. Just write.
Keep typing (or scribbling, if you prefer to handwrite for this exercise) until your twenty minutes are up. It doesn’t matter if what you write is incomplete, or nonsense, or not worthy of the “Publish” button.
And for your first twist? Publish this stream-of-consciousness post on your blog.
The sun is shining through the blinds, which are shut, the brightness plays havoc with my eyes, squinting at the computer screen doesn’t help. I can hear traffic on the road, cars racing home before rush hour begins, although it is Monday, at the beginning of the week the traffic jams start around 4pm.
I have spent the whole day feeling washed out and glazed over, tired. I had an early enough night but woke at 5:30 this morning, before the larks I think! I couldn’t get back to sleep and it was after 7:30 before I set my alarm for quarter past eight. I woke up at 10.
I panicked as I was expected to take hold of a delivery and also I knew I had the whole day to write and sort the kitchen and I wanted an early start. I have been treading through treacle ever since.
The delivery came, two sun loungers with multi-coloured stripy mattresses, ready to relax on this summer, or hopefully before, if the weather picks up. The weather last week was particularly dreadful. I had the week off work, typically my plans to sun myself outside for the week were scuppered! The first weekend of the holidays my friends and I all took off to the South coast – in torrential rain and Bank Holiday nose-to-bumper traffic, the epic journey took over 5 hours of driving and it was over 4 before I unfolded my body, stopped driving and got out of the car. I realise anybody reading this from larger countries will think nothing of this journey but we can get to Scotland in seven hours and this journey took more than double the time it should have.
We had a great time but it wasn’t a long enough break, although I was happy I didn’t have to go back to work on Tuesday, like everyone else. Have only had a few days to relax since though. So busy, always so busy. I think it’s better that way, it keeps my mind off things, stops me thinking too deeply.
After spending the day alone writing (and cleaning), I am now adjusting to sharing the room again. The TV remote is in action and the channels are being flicked faster than I can type. The TV programme chosen is one that I won’t worry about missing from our (almost always full) planner. I find it hard to focus on free writing when there is a script and visuals that I can see just over the top of the laptop.
It is a film.
I love films. Love relaxing ready to watch one at home. Feet up on the settee ready for a whole world to open up around you, going places without ever having to move. I like them in cinemas too, the sheer luxury of it as it has become an expensive night out. We have a surround sound system but it’s not Dolby or attached to the walls and to have popcorn, we’d have to microwave it first.
My fingers tap lighter on the keys, so the narrative can be heard, I wouldn’t be able to watch a film with some tip, tapping away. It’s funny what affects some people has no impact on others. And yet sometimes if we are both watching something, even a shuffling foot can burst his audio visual bubble of focus.
I am aware of time now, I have been checking without stopping typing two or three times, I can glance down to the computer clock. But now it reads 17:05 and I know I have just 5 minutes of this un-interrupted free write left. I find it easier to free write by hand, something about the flow of ink, but I realised that part of the point of this assignment was to post our free writes and I know it would take me at least the same time again to type it up and I have a kitchen to finish cleaning. There is another load of washing up and rubbish to get rid of after a busy weekend. I managed to almost get on top of the laundry. Funny how there is only ever a window of a few hours before you are no longer ON TOP of the washing again!
In the last few minutes I find it amazing that this post is now over 1000 words (including the prompt itself) – we can work all day to get this many words written. Whether any of it will be useful is another question.
Leave your thoughts, I would love to hear which bits of this free write stand out and speak to you. I am going to read some from fellow Blogging /Writing 101 students when I have finished.
The clock tells me it is 17:10 – my 20 minutes is done. Deep breath now as I hit PUBLISH!
I will eventually post within the same 24 hours as the prompt!
DAY 3
Third Time’s The Charm
On April 3, 2014
In keeping with today’s status as the third day of NaPoWriMo, I challenge you to write a charm – a simple rhyming poem, in the style of a recipe-slash-nursery rhyme. It could be a charm against warts, or against traffic tickets. It could be a charm to bring love, or to bring free pizzas from your local radio station.
This year every day there is also a ‘featured participant’, I like to broaden my knowledge of poetry by reading all that’s on offer. Today I was linked to a page by Scant Scintilla, a mixed offering of found poetry and erasure poetry. Both techniques I am aware of.
Inspired by what I read (especially the internet insanity) I set about creating my own found poem. What I ended up with might well plug any extra time needed for the Dualogue set being prepared for Tuesday’s 
(Next rehearsal Monday!)
Then I got on with my Charm poem.
I am delighted with this poem – although it needs a bit more work – as it rhymes and I used to do that and now rarely do, will take some editing, but it is amusing (always good at spoken word events) – I actually hadn’t thought what it was a concoction for until towards the end of writing the poem. The most fun prompt to get stuck into so far!
Thoroughly enjoyed it – why not give it a try?
(Extracts only)
Take one leaf from the apple tree
add a spoonful of sugar,
Oh, go on, make that three!
Give it a generous stir.
Let it rest for just a minute
Whilst you pour yourself a gin,
this is a non-alcholic recipe
you won’t have to drop any in!
I missed yesterday’s daily prompt as I was busy at writing events but when I saw this prompt, I had to give it ago.
Grab the nearest book. Open it and go to the tenth word. Do a Google Image Search of the word. Write about what the image brings to mind.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/daily-prompt-bookworm/
Five
I typed it into google and just looked at the screen of links I could see on the first page without scrolling. There were the obvious ones – Channel 5, and FIVE the band –
and then this caught my eye…
In Five Ways to Well-being, we reviewed the empirical evidence collected by Foresight from hundreds of research studies across the world. The outcome is a set of five different kinds of daily activity that, according to the latest and best evidence available, promote well-being and help to buffer against mental health difficulties.
Connect With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
Be active Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Take notice Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
Keep learning Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Give Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thanks someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.
What was your favorite plaything as a child? Do you see any connection between your life now, and your favorite childhood toy?
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/category/daily-prompts/
Was a Tiny Tears Doll.
I sold for 50p at a car boot! Doh! Should have sold online for a lot more.
She was called Kerry and I had her when I was about 5, I had all the accessories and loved her like a real baby.
My mum sent her away when I was 7 to get some outfits custom made for my birthday surprise, she didn’t think this charming idea through – I was distraught over my lost baby for months! I even remember the reunion with brand new outfits was peppered with tears – mine not hers.
That was my favourite toy.
How not to make this sound like an Oscar or Blog award acceptance speech…
The internet is full of rants. Help tip the balance: today, simply be thankful for something (or someone).
I should thank my mum, without whom I would not exist.
I could thank my grandparents and great aunty for being truly wise and inspirational figures in my life.
I should thank Mr G for putting up with me through thick and thin.
I could thank divine spirits for steering me back onto the path of creativity.
I could thank Amazon for cheap books that have made the past fortnight of waiting for post, a delight!
I should thank God that I am born in a country of freedom with all my basic needs met and taken for granted.
I could thank the stars for shining, or the rain for watering the allotment so that I don’t have to.
But…
I am going to be a stereo-typical cliché and thank you lot!
Thanks for following this new chapter of my life, thanks for reading my posts, for letting me know that you are out there. Thanks for taking the time to comment or criticise to help me improve or for connecting with my spirit. Thanks for the emails and encouragement. Thanks for the Blog Award nominations and the re-blogs. Thanks for finding us here in the massive wilderness of Blogland. Thanks for sticking around.
Thanks for everything you do, it means the world to me.
When I started blogging January 2013, I had no idea where this would go or what I would discover. So many wonderful opportunities and fantastic creative minds. I am truly grateful and filled with happiness when I see that something I have posted has touched someone out there.
So to you all, for being utterly fabulous. I thank YOU!
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/daily-prompt-thanks/
awritersfountain 