January is coming to a close and with it this series of writing prompts. I know you are crying. :(
I've had a lot of fun free-writing to these prompts. My inner editor could not be silenced, but instead of "fixing" the problems, I detailed what I would have done to fix them. A good lesson on its own.
Here's the final prompt--I hope you enjoy it!
Lilac Bushes
Here's what I came up with:
Ahh...sweet, glorious, purple nectar! Bree, who hated her name since it rhymed with her species, flew into the biggest cluster she could see. She rolled, smiling, and inhaled the beauty of spring. Time to get to business. She scanned for the best spot.
And saw him. Johnny. A buzz pushed her wings faster.
Please let him not see me. Please let him not...
"Hey, Bree-Bee. You've got some nerve stopping in here today. It's my territory."
"Says who?" She tried to sound brave.
"Says me. After that little stunt you pulled the other night, you'll be lucky to show your face at any flower on this block."
***
I would have changed the word "since" in the second sentence because it can be misread. Also, "the beauty of spring" doesn't really match the connotation. It's generic. I would have spent time coming up with a better phrase. Everything about the second paragraph annoys me. I would have reworded it or scrapped it!
"You've got some nerve," is a cliche, and I highly doubt a bee named Johnny would say, "...at any flower on this block."
Sigh...
***
What comes to mind when you see lilacs? Did you try this prompt? What did you come up with? Feel free to e-mail me! jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
One of My Favorite Songs
This is one of my favorite songs, and I had never heard it performed by Hillsong United before. Imagine my surprise when I did a little sleuthing and found out Hillsong United's lead singer, Brooke Fraser Ligertwood, wrote it!
I thought I'd share it with you in case you're unfamiliar. This version of "Lead Me to the Cross" is performed by Hillsong United, but you may have heard it sung by Francesca Battistelli or Chris & Conrad. Each artist brings something different to it, and I have to admit, I haven't heard a version that didn't move me.
Enjoy!!
What is one of your favorite songs? Has it been sung by different artists?
Have a terrific Monday!
I thought I'd share it with you in case you're unfamiliar. This version of "Lead Me to the Cross" is performed by Hillsong United, but you may have heard it sung by Francesca Battistelli or Chris & Conrad. Each artist brings something different to it, and I have to admit, I haven't heard a version that didn't move me.
Enjoy!!
What is one of your favorite songs? Has it been sung by different artists?
Have a terrific Monday!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Winter Highway at Dusk
I drove at dusk recently and marvelled at the beauty of January in northern Ohio. I doubt many people would find a stretch of midwest highway pretty in the dead of winter, but this part of the country is embedded in my soul, and I can't help but love it.
See, the sky is prettier on snowy January days. Indigo clouds are outlined against a peach and wheat-colored sky as the sun descends. The dark brown and gray tree trunks and branches add mystery to the view. Now and then you'll see a hawk perched high on an electrical wire, watching the fields below for mice and other dinner choices.
Tiny wisps of snow swirl for a few miles then disappear.
Forests get broken up by large fields, and you have to stay alert for deer who love to leap on the highway as the sun goes down.
Exits sometimes lead to small towns that welcome the highway with their glowing lights. But I like the stretches of nothing the best. It's where my head clears and I hear my life.
There's something magical about a winter highway at dusk.
How is your weather? Cold, warm, balmy? Do you enjoy this time of year?
Have a wonderful weekend!
See, the sky is prettier on snowy January days. Indigo clouds are outlined against a peach and wheat-colored sky as the sun descends. The dark brown and gray tree trunks and branches add mystery to the view. Now and then you'll see a hawk perched high on an electrical wire, watching the fields below for mice and other dinner choices.
Tiny wisps of snow swirl for a few miles then disappear.
Forests get broken up by large fields, and you have to stay alert for deer who love to leap on the highway as the sun goes down.
Exits sometimes lead to small towns that welcome the highway with their glowing lights. But I like the stretches of nothing the best. It's where my head clears and I hear my life.
There's something magical about a winter highway at dusk.
How is your weather? Cold, warm, balmy? Do you enjoy this time of year?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Writing Prompt 3: Coffee Mug
I'm sharing writing prompts each Wednesday this January, and it's time for a new edition.
Writing prompts encourage free writing. Don't plot what you're going to write, and ignore the urge to edit. See the prompt and write. That's it!
Today's prompt is this white mug.
Here's what I came up with:
Oh, the stories this mug could tell. Day in, day out it sits there, watching the people shuffle, walk, and run past. Some laugh, some keep their gazes fixed on the sidewalk, but everywhere there is movement.
This mug likes itself. It knows it has a terrific proportion--the round bowl holds a lot of coffee and the matching saucer adds to its style. Plus, it can see its reflection in the saucer.
Every day it lifts its face to the sun, smiling at the puffs of clouds chugging overhead, and saluting the birds as they go about their day.
The mug belongs on this street. It knows it belongs. Why, the street might cease to exist if this one mug were to break. It might. One never knows...
***
When I went through this a second time I wanted to change the sentence starting with "Some laugh..." to end with "but everyone has a place to go" rather than "everywhere there is movement." I also would have been more specific on the amount of coffee the mug could hold. "A lot" doesn't tell you much! There are too many "it" and "its." I would have reworded some for a more interesting read.
This whole thing feels very stuffy to me. Not my favorite free writing, but that's not the point. :)
***
Did you come up with anything? Feel free to share in the comments or by e-mailing me at jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com.
Have a fabulous Wednesday!!
Writing prompts encourage free writing. Don't plot what you're going to write, and ignore the urge to edit. See the prompt and write. That's it!
Today's prompt is this white mug.
Here's what I came up with:
Oh, the stories this mug could tell. Day in, day out it sits there, watching the people shuffle, walk, and run past. Some laugh, some keep their gazes fixed on the sidewalk, but everywhere there is movement.
This mug likes itself. It knows it has a terrific proportion--the round bowl holds a lot of coffee and the matching saucer adds to its style. Plus, it can see its reflection in the saucer.
Every day it lifts its face to the sun, smiling at the puffs of clouds chugging overhead, and saluting the birds as they go about their day.
The mug belongs on this street. It knows it belongs. Why, the street might cease to exist if this one mug were to break. It might. One never knows...
***
When I went through this a second time I wanted to change the sentence starting with "Some laugh..." to end with "but everyone has a place to go" rather than "everywhere there is movement." I also would have been more specific on the amount of coffee the mug could hold. "A lot" doesn't tell you much! There are too many "it" and "its." I would have reworded some for a more interesting read.
This whole thing feels very stuffy to me. Not my favorite free writing, but that's not the point. :)
***
Did you come up with anything? Feel free to share in the comments or by e-mailing me at jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com.
Have a fabulous Wednesday!!
Monday, January 21, 2013
The Power of Being Positive
Over the holidays, I read a book that changed my life.
Change Your Words, Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer, more than lives up to its title. It came along at the perfect time for me, too. I'd just prayed about and determined the word I would focus on for 2013: Dream (you can read about it HERE), but the dregs of a year-long case of the blues still lingered. It's hard to get out of a funk!
Ms. Meyer's book convicted me from the opening chapters. I saw how negative I'd been, how much easier it was to slip into well-I-guess-this-is-it mentality than to push beyond that.
**For the record, the only thing I was really down about last year was my lack of forward progress in publishing. The most important part of my life--my family--was chugging along fine, and I've never taken that for granted.**
Anyway, I'd purchased a small notebook when I was Christmas shopping. It had a cardinal on the cover, and cardinals have been a symbol of hope for me for about three years. I slipped it in my purse to jot down any random thing that I felt like recording, but I also used it to write key points from Change Your Words, Change Your Life.
One of my favorite bits of advice is to constantly affirm statements of power. The book contains about fifty or sixty of them, and they were all backed up with Bible passages. God expects us to have spirits of power and to put our full trust in Him. We were not designed to have spirits of timidity or weakness. By meditating on and speaking positive passages about our lives, we can loosen the binds of insecurity so prevalent in our lives.
I've come back to several affirmations again and again, and every time I read them, I get a peaceful feeling, like why was I worrying? God's got this!
Satan likes to poke at our sore points. He knows exactly what to do to throw us into a fearful frame of mind, and this can result in inappropriate anger, arguments or self-punishment. One such sore point was poked this weekend, and I reacted as normal--getting mad then worrying. After a long walk in which two Bible passages repeated over and over, God helped me realize the sore point was completely untrue. I was able to head back home and diffuse the situation.
I wouldn't have been able to do that six months ago.
It's strange too, but I've been focusing on ten Bible passages about being strong in God, having an abundance of Godly friendships, and being content right now. And guess what? These things are snowballing in my life.
We all have hard times. Sometimes these hard times last a long, long time. The circumstances in my life have not changed--but my attitude has. And that's made all the difference.
Interested in Joyce's book? Here's my Goodreads review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528467-change-your-words-change-your-life, links to purchase it are in the upper left corner of the page.
How do you stay positive?
Have a wonderful Monday!
Change Your Words, Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer, more than lives up to its title. It came along at the perfect time for me, too. I'd just prayed about and determined the word I would focus on for 2013: Dream (you can read about it HERE), but the dregs of a year-long case of the blues still lingered. It's hard to get out of a funk!
Ms. Meyer's book convicted me from the opening chapters. I saw how negative I'd been, how much easier it was to slip into well-I-guess-this-is-it mentality than to push beyond that.
**For the record, the only thing I was really down about last year was my lack of forward progress in publishing. The most important part of my life--my family--was chugging along fine, and I've never taken that for granted.**
Anyway, I'd purchased a small notebook when I was Christmas shopping. It had a cardinal on the cover, and cardinals have been a symbol of hope for me for about three years. I slipped it in my purse to jot down any random thing that I felt like recording, but I also used it to write key points from Change Your Words, Change Your Life.
One of my favorite bits of advice is to constantly affirm statements of power. The book contains about fifty or sixty of them, and they were all backed up with Bible passages. God expects us to have spirits of power and to put our full trust in Him. We were not designed to have spirits of timidity or weakness. By meditating on and speaking positive passages about our lives, we can loosen the binds of insecurity so prevalent in our lives.
I've come back to several affirmations again and again, and every time I read them, I get a peaceful feeling, like why was I worrying? God's got this!
Satan likes to poke at our sore points. He knows exactly what to do to throw us into a fearful frame of mind, and this can result in inappropriate anger, arguments or self-punishment. One such sore point was poked this weekend, and I reacted as normal--getting mad then worrying. After a long walk in which two Bible passages repeated over and over, God helped me realize the sore point was completely untrue. I was able to head back home and diffuse the situation.
I wouldn't have been able to do that six months ago.
It's strange too, but I've been focusing on ten Bible passages about being strong in God, having an abundance of Godly friendships, and being content right now. And guess what? These things are snowballing in my life.
We all have hard times. Sometimes these hard times last a long, long time. The circumstances in my life have not changed--but my attitude has. And that's made all the difference.
Interested in Joyce's book? Here's my Goodreads review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528467-change-your-words-change-your-life, links to purchase it are in the upper left corner of the page.
How do you stay positive?
Have a wonderful Monday!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Brainstorming Fail
Shockingly enough, not all of my brainstorming sessions result in usable ideas. In fact, the majority of them don't!
Since I want to have three solid plots in my head before February, I've been spending a lot of aimless, brain-run-free time. I must admit, normally I'm oozing with ideas. At any given moment, I might have the next two books all plotted out in my head, but last fall the well started running dry, and I was too tired and mentally defeated to look for fresh water.
Though the ideas weren't leaping into my brain like salmon on a run, I never worried I wouldn't be able to come up with a good story line...eventually. So it meant a slew of brainstorming sessions chasing bunnies into dead ends. They eventually led me to two solid book concepts. I'm still working on a third.
I recorded one such failed session and am sharing it with you.
Creativity isn't a lightbulb that can burn out. It may dim, yes, but if you keep at it, you can nurture the smallest idea into a unique plot. Don't wait for inspiration to strike! Play with ideas, try them on, ask questions, throw away the generic ones, nurture the mediocre ones, and treasure the terrific ones!
Do you make time for brainstorming sessions? Have you ever recorded yourself, either via webcam, video recorder, or a voice recorder? Did it help?
Have an amazing weekend!
Since I want to have three solid plots in my head before February, I've been spending a lot of aimless, brain-run-free time. I must admit, normally I'm oozing with ideas. At any given moment, I might have the next two books all plotted out in my head, but last fall the well started running dry, and I was too tired and mentally defeated to look for fresh water.
Though the ideas weren't leaping into my brain like salmon on a run, I never worried I wouldn't be able to come up with a good story line...eventually. So it meant a slew of brainstorming sessions chasing bunnies into dead ends. They eventually led me to two solid book concepts. I'm still working on a third.
I recorded one such failed session and am sharing it with you.
Creativity isn't a lightbulb that can burn out. It may dim, yes, but if you keep at it, you can nurture the smallest idea into a unique plot. Don't wait for inspiration to strike! Play with ideas, try them on, ask questions, throw away the generic ones, nurture the mediocre ones, and treasure the terrific ones!
Do you make time for brainstorming sessions? Have you ever recorded yourself, either via webcam, video recorder, or a voice recorder? Did it help?
Have an amazing weekend!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Writing Prompt 2: The Facts
This week's writing prompt is a little different. It's based on who, where, when. You provide the what.
Remember, writing prompts are to encourage free writing and creativity. They aren't for following "rules" or revising. If what you write sparks a story idea, fantastic! But it's okay for your writing to exist just for the sake of existing. :)
At the end of the prompt, I'll share my unedited free-writing based on it. Do NOT feel obligated to read my piece.
Writing Prompt 2: The Facts
Who: Bob Smith
Where: Poolside in Cancun, Mexico
When: Dusk
What is happening?
***
Here's what I came up with.
"Mommy, what's that man doing with that brown ball?"
Earlene shaded her eyes and crouched next to Tammy. The man her four-year-old pointed at held a coconut high in the air. She couldn't see his face, obscured by the assorted palms and bushes bordering the pool. The shadows of the coming night played illusions on the figure, like curtains blowing in the breeze.
Something was off. His posture sent red flags flapping in her brain.
"I don't know, honey. Come on, let's find Daddy." She pulled Tammy by the shoulders and hurried away before the man could see them, but she peeked back before they slipped around the corner. The man crushed the coconut into the bush--but she knew it wasn't just a bush. Two bare feet were visible under the lush vegetation.
Shuddering, she tossed one last glance at his face.
Bob Smith. What was he doing there? Foreboding pounded her, made her breath come in shallow gasps. She clutched Tammy's hand tightly and started jogging toward the lobby. She had to protect them both from the man who'd turned her teenage years into a nightmare.
She wouldn't relive them. She wouldn't go back.
***
As I read this over, I would have expanded the setting. I wanted to go with an early eighties vibe. Bob would be wearing short, Hawaiian print swim trunks, and Earlene would clutch her terry-cloth cover-up closer to her. There would be an ominous ocean breeze to contrast her earlier contentment watching Tammy build sandcastles. And, I would have fixed the grammar issue of the misplaced modifier and omitted one of the similes referring to "flapping" or "blowing."
I'm really enjoying taking ten minutes a few times a week to try these writing prompts. I hope you'll spend a few minutes too. It's fun! And feel free to share any in the comments or even by e-mailing me [jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com]. I would love to see what you come up with!
Have a great day!
Remember, writing prompts are to encourage free writing and creativity. They aren't for following "rules" or revising. If what you write sparks a story idea, fantastic! But it's okay for your writing to exist just for the sake of existing. :)
At the end of the prompt, I'll share my unedited free-writing based on it. Do NOT feel obligated to read my piece.
Writing Prompt 2: The Facts
Who: Bob Smith
Where: Poolside in Cancun, Mexico
When: Dusk
What is happening?
***
Here's what I came up with.
"Mommy, what's that man doing with that brown ball?"
Earlene shaded her eyes and crouched next to Tammy. The man her four-year-old pointed at held a coconut high in the air. She couldn't see his face, obscured by the assorted palms and bushes bordering the pool. The shadows of the coming night played illusions on the figure, like curtains blowing in the breeze.
Something was off. His posture sent red flags flapping in her brain.
"I don't know, honey. Come on, let's find Daddy." She pulled Tammy by the shoulders and hurried away before the man could see them, but she peeked back before they slipped around the corner. The man crushed the coconut into the bush--but she knew it wasn't just a bush. Two bare feet were visible under the lush vegetation.
Shuddering, she tossed one last glance at his face.
Bob Smith. What was he doing there? Foreboding pounded her, made her breath come in shallow gasps. She clutched Tammy's hand tightly and started jogging toward the lobby. She had to protect them both from the man who'd turned her teenage years into a nightmare.
She wouldn't relive them. She wouldn't go back.
***
As I read this over, I would have expanded the setting. I wanted to go with an early eighties vibe. Bob would be wearing short, Hawaiian print swim trunks, and Earlene would clutch her terry-cloth cover-up closer to her. There would be an ominous ocean breeze to contrast her earlier contentment watching Tammy build sandcastles. And, I would have fixed the grammar issue of the misplaced modifier and omitted one of the similes referring to "flapping" or "blowing."
I'm really enjoying taking ten minutes a few times a week to try these writing prompts. I hope you'll spend a few minutes too. It's fun! And feel free to share any in the comments or even by e-mailing me [jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com]. I would love to see what you come up with!
Have a great day!
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