The writer in me, wants to challenge myself to figuring out a new approach to an old genre—the spy novel.
Category Archives: Writing Prompts
Fairytales Inspire Modern Fiction, Writing Prompts and More.
Perhaps it was the illustrations that captivated me when I’d pour through the fairytale books, the dragons and the princesses with long gowns and tresses, but of all the picture books in my room when I was a young child, I liked the fairytales the best. I can still remember many of those books, theContinue reading “Fairytales Inspire Modern Fiction, Writing Prompts and More.”
What Exactly is Tango and Why Do I Want to Learn this Dance?
The dance we call Tango evolved gradually, out of the music and dance gatherings of enslaved peoples brought to South America from Africa who then shared these dances with fellow workers and immigrants. It is literally a street dance,
My Dog Has Extra Sensory Perception. Does Yours?
I was having difficulty staying asleep. The room felt hot. I kept tossing and turning. Worrying about my grandson’s upcoming surgery. Worrying about manuscripts I’d emailed to various literary journals, wondering would they eventually result in publication? Finally, I resorted to the one mental exercise I turn to when attempting to initiate slumber, which isContinue reading “My Dog Has Extra Sensory Perception. Does Yours?”
Unexpected Guests
I almost threw them out. The unidentified shoots popping up in last year’s vegetable garden, not yet tilled and planted were destined for the compost pile, until I took a second look. Lettuce, I repeated to myself. Tiny leaves of lettuce. Cilantro. I recognized the familiar leaf, the shape and the fringe edges. We hadn’tContinue reading “Unexpected Guests”
Missing: A Fugitive on the Run. Storytelling from Multiple Perspectives.
Breaking News. Man charged with white collar crimes elects not to board plane to Maryland for his arraignment. Police search his Florida home. Wife claims no knowledge of his whereabouts. Where is he? The news story captures my imagination. Where is Roy McGrath, former Chief of Staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, hiding? IContinue reading “Missing: A Fugitive on the Run. Storytelling from Multiple Perspectives.”
Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go
Saturday night I went swing dancing. I didn’t see any zoot suits, but being that it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I saw men in green derby hats sporting suspenders and women wearing emerald glitter headbands, full skirts and short crinolines. We weren’t just anywhere, we were at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo locatedContinue reading “Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go”
What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?
This year’s AWP ( Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference was held in Seattle, Washington and it ran from Thursday March 8th through Saturday March 11th. Even though I wasn’t there, I felt like I was, because my email box kept filling up with notices pertaining to everything that was going on: workshops, readings,Continue reading “What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?”
Have The Thought Police Arrived?
Banning books is one thing, but what about rewriting books?
The Joy of Being Published
Writers are writing because they have a compulsion to write. They want to be heard. More important to writers than money, is a following of readers.
Finding The Right Words to say I Love You
It is Valentine’s Day tomorrow and traditionally it’s a day when love is often expressed in the form of a poem. The one, constantly used and overused goes: Roses are Red Violets are Blue Sugar is Sweet And so are You! The original old English version from Gammer Gurton’s Garland published in 1784 sounds aContinue reading “Finding The Right Words to say I Love You”
The “S” in Sci-Fi is for Surprise
I’m specifically attracted to work that contemplates philosophical and spiritual questions…
Writing Tools to QuickStart Your Memoir
I was straightening out a bookshelf and I noticed a gift I’d forgotten about, a large hardback with a floral cover I’d catalogued with the cookbooks. The title, “A Mother’s Journal.” Divided into sections, it has questions such as “Where I lived” and “What I remember about my family home” and “How Your Father andContinue reading “Writing Tools to QuickStart Your Memoir”
Random Acts of Kindness
Do one small good deed a day, is a resolution I made to myself many years ago. Just a moment or two of unselfish kindness, maybe help a stranger lift a heavy package, give an unexpected compliment, or take the time to personally direct someone to the place they’re seeking when lost. Tiny good deeds.Continue reading “Random Acts of Kindness”
Opening Our Minds to Time Travel
We don’t (to my knowledge) have a physical time machine to step into, but perhaps within our own minds we can make a journey.
Nadja Maril, Writer & Author 