Writing Prompts About Social Media Free Instant Download

Writing Prompts About Social Media Free Instant Download PDF

for Teachers and Writing Groups

It is the 15th of the month again, now June 2022. See the full list of previous downloads below. 

This month the theme is social media. Love it, hate it, or neutral, there is no escaping it. Avoid it or spend time on it, opinions abound. How do you feel about it? These writing prompts have text with them for the first six, and then no text just images for the rest. There is one coloring page for any children who may have to endure a writing class. 

Click on this link for the free instant social media writing prompts download PDF

Some of the images will appeal to some writers. Take some time to look over the images and then think of possible writing pieces,. When inspired, take one and begin. These writings may be quick warm-ups, for fast-finshers for teachers, or perhaps will develop as full stories. 

Most social media has an app. When apps first came out, how did you feel about them? Yay or nay? Did your thinking change? I never thought I would end up with so many apps on my phone that my daughter would be surprised. What is your favorite?

Ah, love. Love by messages and texting and emojis. Who would have ever thought? How do you feel about such relationships? Have you or would you use social media in this way? 

Emojis! Fun or not? Which ones do you use? Which ones do you like? Why did these become popular? Why are there more and more and more and more emojis? Do they convey feelings well? 

Has this happened to you, or do you observe this - people gather but most are on their phones? Do you think they are investing with Morgan Stanley as they claim in the commercials? If everyone is looking at a phone, do you also look at yours? Sometimes this is appropriate, like when in a doctors office which is basically not a social situation. Sometimes it is a social situation, yet people do not warm up right away and it may just be to avoid looking awakward. Does it ever seem appropriate or odd? 

It is true that talking to people around the world, family when traveling, and keeping in touch with those who have moved away is easier by technology. Much easier. Remember long distance calls back in the day, or even when iPhones first came out and minutes were part of the bill? Is this something you like? Or do people contact you too easily? 

I have a 96 year old friend who is tech savvy. She uses Zoom to take classes and talk to people. She is still writing books and can easily send the manuscripts to others for proof-reading. She uses instant messenger. Amazing how it helps her cope with living in a care home! Do you know anyone who might use technology to help stay connected to others that would otherwise probably not be possible? 

What might this son be texting to his father? There is an old joke. The son writes from college, Dear Dad, no mon, no fun, your Son. The father answers, Dear Son, too bad, so sad, your Dad. What might a conversation be like today? 

Some people take photos of everything they do. Annoying or intersting? Many times the photo captures something that looks nice, but around the rest of the scene there is a mess. Photos can give an illusion of having everything all together when it is not really so. What do you think?

School in the times of Covid. Do you have a story about trying to learn online, or hearing about others trying to do so? 

And, finally, the selfie. What do you like or dislike about selfies? or group selfies, usies?

Thank you for reading. 

Happy writing!

Carolyn Wilhelm

As promised, here are links to the full list of past writing downloads. 

The prompts are on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers and Readers Blog and post the 15th of each month. 

Adding Color Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Camping Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Comedy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Cyber Crime Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Fantasy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

February Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Halloween and October Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

January Any Year Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Lighthouses through Life post and free instant download

Magical and Magical Realism Writing Prompts post and free instant download

March Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Motherhood and May Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Music Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Mystery and Thriller Writing Prompts post and free instant download

November and Fall Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Pandemic People Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Road Trip Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Royals, Monarchs, Kings, and Queens Prompts post and free instant download

Social Media Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Summer Evenings Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Traveling Abroad Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Twitter Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Western Romance Picture Only Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Women Theme Writing Prompts post and free instant download

What if? Writing Prompts post and free instant download

You might also like the following writing prompt freebies on the Wise Owl Factory blog.

14 Quick Writes or Flash Fiction Animal Theme Prompts Free

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered in its third edition by Modern History Press. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. The Frugal Editor (https://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Carolyn Wilhelm's Dec. 15 Writing Prompt Is Here

It is December 15^th on Sharing with Writers and Readers, so it is time for the new writing prompt freebies. Holidays will be front and center in most people's minds, even (or especially) in 2020. Staying at home? Wearing masks? Shopping by mail or going to the store? Whatever plans and preparations are underway at your house will give you some ideas for writing. 

Holiday picture writing prompts free PDF, downloads here

 

This month, I am going to share a little quick-write story of my own. Family recipes sometimes have stories with them, so here is mine. 

 

Potica Just Like Grandma Used to Make, Only Store-Bought

 

Oh, how fun to find Potica at the store today! Usually, we can buy some near Christmas time. The price has climbed a bit since we last purchased any, but as the Pope has referred to Potica by name, what could you expect? Grandma would be so happy the Pope mentioned Potica, but I'm sure she would disapprove of "store-bought" bakery items. 

 

Grandma baked all her own bread and pastries, grew substantial vegetable gardens, canned the vegetables, washed clothes in a wringer washer, hung them on the line to dry, and did everything that needed to be done whenever anyone asked. She was no stranger to hard work. 

 

I'm sure we managed to visit when it just happened to be a baking day more than once. I remember everyone fussing about Potica, but I don't remember much about it, just that it was a lot of work and very special. I do remember liking pie crust cookies made from leftover pieces of pie crust and shaped every which way. They were baked in the oven for a few minutes with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. As a child, I thought those were extremely special! 

 

I remember that Grandma made a salad from dandelions. She made her own oil and vinegar salad dressing. She could can venison meat! She could do anything. I am good at buying Potica from the store, so I hope she forgives me. 

 

As usual, there are six picture prompts with a few words to help some writers get started and six without. Images are enough for some people to begin writing immediately. I hope some people find this useful! 

 

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm

MORE ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER

Carolyn Wilhelm is a veteran educator and the owner of Wise Owl Factory LLC .  She reviews for Midwest Book Review  and

New Book Review and is the author of the award-winning Climate Change Captives 2035 and Project SAVE . Learn more about her here: 

A Medium article About Carolyn

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PS: A reminder; Here are six picture prompts for you to use, perhaps in a classroom. Perhaps on Zoom. Perhaps around the kitchen table! 

https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/PDFs/2020/12/December-Holiday-writing-prompt.pdf

The prompts are on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers and Readers Blog and post the 15th of each month. 

Adding Color Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Camping Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Comedy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Cyber Crime Writing Prompts post and free instant download

December Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Fantasy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

February Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Halloween and October Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

January Any Year Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Magical and Magical Realism Writing Prompts post and free instant download

March Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Motherhood and May Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Music Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Mystery and Thriller Writing Prompts post and free instant download

November and Fall Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Pandemic People Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Road Trip Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Royals, Monarchs, Kings, and Queens Prompts post and free instant download

Social Media Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Summer Evenings Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Traveling Abroad Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Twitter Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Western Romance Picture Only Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Women Theme Writing Prompts post and free instant download

What if? Writing Prompts post and free instant download

You might also like the following writing prompt freebies on the Wise Owl Factory blog.

14 Quick Writes or Flash Fiction Animal Theme Prompts Free

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Dear 2020 from the Pandemic People Writing Prompts for the 15th

Dear 2020 from the Pandemic People Writing Prompts for the 15th

I've seen social media memes that suggest some people feel they would like to "return" 2020. We are all thinking about the pandemic at least sometimes, and our lives have changed in some ways. For us, we experienced the birth of a new grandchild several states away. A pandemic baby! And visiting is not yet possible. 

Click here for your free instant download Dear 2020 Writing Prompts free PDF

Our second grandchild was announced in the fall of 2019 to be born this spring. How wonderful! We couldn’t wait to hold, touch, and smell the new baby. Holidays flew by as we made plans and sent baby gifts to our son’s family. Was it a boy or a girl? Yes, they answered.

OK! Whatever!

Before we ever could purchase our tickets, the news of a new illness was making headlines. Maybe the illness wouldn’t take very long, and then we could take the trip.

A neighbor mentioned the airlines sent her a voucher for her ticket for a flight for her Grandmother’s 90^th birthday. Voucher? The airlines canceled the flight? Hmmm? We started thinking twice. 

Soon we were riveted to the news. Our trip plans were cast aside; we began to worry about their trip to the maternity ward. Would they be exposed to Covid-19 in the hospital? Would mom be healthy? Would the baby be healthy? Anxious and concerned, we waited for the call.

Finally, the call. “It’s a boy!”

Good, good, but more importantly, would they get home healthy and without the virus? Yes, they made it home safely. Everyone was OK.

The first and subsequent baby photos reveal a very suspicious-looking baby. Eyes off to the side, he seems to be saying: “What am I doing here during this pandemic? Why was I born now? What is this place?”

This experience helped me realize we are all in the boat together. This month's prompts are all for 2020 and our recent experiences. As always, there are six prompts and six plain pages, all with pictures. The beginning is always selecting a photo you think will inspire your writing. If none of the photos appeal to you, simply get a blank piece of paper and write your own story. 

I wanted to add a baby writing prompt page. I have seen some hysterical images on social media of mad babies, and was able to find these. This is one page from the PDF. 

The stories may be shared with family and friends, and help to tell the story of living during this time in history. 

This prompt is about working from home. The commute from BDR (bedroom) to LVR (living room) couldn't be better! 

I hope you like them! Carolyn Wilhelm

BS Elementary Ed, MS Gifted Education, and MA K-12 Curriculum and Instruction

The prompts are on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers and Readers Blog and post on the 15th of each month. 

Adding Color Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Camping Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Comedy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Cyber Crime Writing Prompts post and free instant download

December Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Fantasy Writing Prompts post and free instant download

February Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Halloween and October Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

January Any Year Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Magical and Magical Realism Writing Prompts post and free instant download

March Days Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Motherhood and May Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Music Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Mystery and Thriller Writing Prompts post and free instant download

November and Fall Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Pandemic People Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Road Trip Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Royals, Monarchs, Kings, and Queens Prompts post and free instant download

Social Media Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Summer Evenings Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Traveling Abroad Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Twitter Writing Prompts  post and free instant download

Western Romance Picture Only Writing Prompts post and free instant download

Women Theme Writing Prompts post and free instant download

What if? Writing Prompts post and free instant download

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page (http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile). Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/Last-MinuteEditing) is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) helps writers who want to be traditionally published. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com)

Pushcart Prize Nominee Shares Winning Writers Resources with Sharing with Writers Blog

Jendi Reiter, Poet and Novelist, 

Shares Talents with Fellow Creative Writers

Interview by Carol Smallwood

Jendi Reiter, vice president of Winning Writers, a “101 Best Websites for Writers” (Writer's Digest) pick , oversees the Winning Writers literary contests. The website, founded in 2001 to help poets and writers, is located in Western Massachusetts. Jendi is also an award-winning author with a new book of short stories, An Incomplete List of My Wishes (Sunshot Press/New Millennium Writings, 2018).

 Smallwood: How long did it take to organize the help so many poets and writers depend upon in Winning Writers? What was the spark that started it?

Reiter: WW is always evolving and refining our features, which include a monthly e-newsletter, four writing awards, and a database of the Best Free Literary Contests.

Nearly 20 years ago (!) my husband, Adam R. Cohen, and I were working in the publishing industry in NYC, but wanted to start our own business that we could take outside the big city and corporate life. He brought his marketing expertise as the Atlantic Monthly's former circulation director. I had been winning professional awards for my writing since high school, so I was familiar with many contests and could guide writers to find the best ones for their particular style and experience level. It took us half a year to get the business up and running. 

More than simply another directory, WW's mission was twofold: to educate emerging writers about contest scams, and to bring writers together to shed light on important social issues. The former objective was accomplished through the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. The latter goal has informed all our contests, from the War Poetry Contest we launched after 9/11 to our current North Street Book Prize for self-published books.

Our two-person shop has grown to a staff of about 8 freelancers who help judge our contests, keep the database current, and do marketing research and diversity outreach. We find some of them through our local writing community, and others by approaching writers we admire and asking them to be guest judges. The benefit of an all-online business is that our talent pool isn't limited by geography. Our former next-door neighbor now screens the North Street Book Prize entries from her home computer in Poland, where she is researching her graduate thesis!

Smallwood: Please tell readers about “Hand-Picked Resources for Writers” that you edit:

Reiter: Adam and I read a lot of books and social media, which we're constantly harvesting for interesting links for our website. By curating these resources pages, we help writers find the best deals for self-publishing packages, book design services, stock photos, and other services for putting their work into the world.

Reading widely is essential to growing as a writer. We review our favorite books on the website, and also link to magazines and online archives of classic literature. In recent years we added a category called "Writing for Social Change", which spotlights journals, contests, and articles that promote minority voices or social justice issues.

Smallwood: the website requires a great deal of work to keep the literary contests current. How do you manage?

We are very grateful to our assistant editor Samantha Grace Dias for maintaining the database. So smooth, it's like it runs itself! Sam thoroughly understands the contest landscape and often alerts me to changes in contest guidelines that merit a ratings upgrade or downgrade. Hire her to edit your book or academic paper (samantha@winningwriters.com), but please don't steal her away from us!

  

Smallwood: When did your annual humor no-fee contest begin? Please share with readers how they may enter and also about the other contests Winning Writers sponsors:

Reiter: To enter any of our contests, go to the WW homepage, click on "Our Contests" at the top menu bar, and select the one you want. The submission period for each one is listed on the rules page for that contest. We prefer to receive entries through Submittable, but will consider mailed entries if you do not have Internet access.

The humor contest began in 2001 as a fun way to expose vanity contest scams: those "free" contests that accept nearly every entry and expect you to pay for a copy of the winners' anthology. We invited people to write the worst imaginable poem, submit it to a vanity contest, and then send it to us with their "acceptance" letter full of fake praise from the vanity sponsor. I believe we played a role in driving the largest scam contest, Poetry.com, out of business. Now our Wergle Flomp contest is just a free contest for the best humorous or parody poem.

The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest and the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest are open-theme contests that we took over from our former affiliate, the Australian novelist John H. Reid. Mr. Reid passed away earlier this year and we are glad to continue these contests in his memory.

In 2015 we launched the North Street Book Prize for self-published books of fiction and memoir; in the 2018 contest (entries currently being judged) we added categories for poetry collections and children's picture books. Self-published and small press books face unwarranted prejudice from review outlets, bookstores, and awards committees. This prize allows us to signal-boost excellent books that are excluded from mainstream distribution channels.

 Smallwood: I first enjoyed reading your award-winning poetry chapbook, Swallow (Amsterdam Press, 2009) and have followed your progress. Please tell us about your most recent book that the Midwest Book Review noted has “Astute windows into society’s secrets, prejudices, double standards, and individual purpose.”

Reiter: My debut short story collection, An Incomplete List of My Wishes, was a runner-up for the Sunshot Prose Prize from the literary journal New Millennium Writings. These pieces, which I wrote over the past decade, won contests from journals such as the Iowa Review, Solstice Lit Mag, Passages North, and Bayou Magazine. Some of them began as character sketches for my novel Two Natures (Saddle Road Press, 2016), a coming-of-age story about a NYC fashion photographer during the 1990s AIDS crisis. The short story form allowed me to understand other perspectives apart from the novel's first-person narrator. 

Other stories grew out of my journeys through Jewish and Christian spirituality, weighing the comfort of collective belonging versus the danger for those who don't fit in—exiled because of our queerness or our refusal to be silent about abuses of power. Is love ever not conditional, and what price are we willing to pay for attachment?

Over this same period, I was trying to adopt a child, while becoming estranged from my family of origin. So there is a recurring theme in these stories of broken or never-formed bonds between parents and children, though sometimes life on the other side of that loss is better (or wiser) than what was left behind.

 Smallwood: your prize-winning books include poetry and fiction. Do you find it challenging to switch from one to the other?

Reiter: I always have several projects going simultaneously, because it's very easy for me to get bored or lose my confidence in whatever I focus on for too long. I don't necessarily recommend this as a strategy—it's just how my brain needs to be fed! My history as a poet makes me more attentive to the sound of every word in my prose. And I'm now discovering, upon my return to poetry, that my near-exclusive focus on fiction in the past four years has given me a better grounding in the details of our current cultural moment, and an increased interest in narrative and persona poetry to expand my poetic subject matter beyond my personal feelings.

Smallwood: do you have another book in mind? How much note taking, planning do you do before beginning your books?

Reiter: I am working intermittently on Origin Story, the sequel to Two Natures, as well as a chapbook of politically inspired poetry. Most of these poems aren't "ripped from the headlines" exactly, but are informed and energized by current themes (such as my gender transition, climate change, and the #MeToo movement), in a way that's different from my earlier, more philosophical and inward-looking poetry.

Disclaimer: The owner of this SharingwithWriters blog supports Winning Writers' North Street Book Prize as a way to help the general writing community know more about  how to avoid unethical contests and other scam and to help them judge contests and participate in them in positive ways. This interview, however, was acquired through serendipity and is offered solely on its value to SharingwithWriters visitors and subscribers.   

 MORE ABOUT JENDI REITER:

Read Jendi's books: 

•  Bullies in Love (poetry)

https://www.amazon.com/Bullies-Love-Jendi-Reiter/dp/1935656368/

• Two Natures (novel)

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Natures-Jendi-Reiter/dp/0996907424/

• An Incomplete List of My Wishes (stories)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944977201/

MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

Carol Smallwood’s most recent poetry collection is In the Measuring (Shanti Arts, 2018). A recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, she’s founded, supports humane societies.

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page (http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile). Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/Last-MinuteEditing) is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) helps writers who want to be traditionally published. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com)

#WinningWriters #NorthStreetBookPrize #SharingwithWriters #TheFrugalBookPromoter #CarolynHowardJohnson

Writing Teacher Passes Along "Legacy" Writing Tips

It’s been over 30 years since this happened, so there are details long lost in the fog of my teaching memories.

It was in one of my World Literature evening classes when we were all listening to student reports discussing one author or literary work or another. Then she took the podium.

She was a rather exotic Mediterranean (I think) blonde beauty. An art student. The sort of student a teacher is well advised to keep his thoughts about to himself.     I did.

She stood at the front of the class and asked for a volunteer. One gentlemen joined her and she asked him to turn his back to her and cup his hands behind his back. She said she was going to place a series of objects in his hands, ask him to describe the object in question without identifying it, and then ask the class to guess what the object was. She didn’t reveal what each object was until the guessing game was over.

I don’t remember what her objects were—I think they included a hairbrush and seashell. I don’t remember how well the class did at guessing the objects. But I do remember that, when she was done, she looked out at us and said, “This is what a writer does. Try to describe something so we can identify it without seeing it.”

  

She didn’t elaborate on that point, if memory serves. I do know I imitated her demonstration for many years in my writing classes and kept a bag of objects I used over and over.  I’m pretty sure I had a clothes brush and a genuine cowboy spur in the mix. If memory serves, many classes did very well at guessing the objects, others not so much.  One thing was consistent. For a few minutes, I definitely had their attention.

If you’re a writing teacher, writing coach, the like, try this little demo yourself. If nothing else, you’ll engage your students for a few minutes and perhaps give them writing prompts to play with.

MORE ABOUT THE ESSAYIST

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of The Beta Earth Chronicles and reviews books for BookPleasures.com. Learn more about him with these links: 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

Enjoy the videos at Wes Britton’s YouTube Channel:

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER


Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors)  and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )

Showcase Your New Book to Agents

I am eager to meet this agent when I present at this conference on Saturday. I will be talking about The importance of getting reviews for your book as a means to launching it in style and keeping it alive – – perhaps for your lifetime. Make your reservations now for private interviews with one or more of the featured agents and to attend all the great seminars that Tony has planned. ( Hotel reservations are still available, too! )

The GenreLA Creative Writers Conference is pleased to announce the appearance of ten agents and publishers looking for fresh talent with polished manuscripts.  

Today's featured agent is Literary Agent Charlotte Gusay.

Her love of the literary has deep roots. She has come to be known as the “Diane Keaton” of agents - eclectic, quality, and very selective in choosing projects to represent. Founded on the basis of her hands-on experience in the book business (as a bookseller for many years,) Charlotte Gusay (founder-owner of The Charlotte Gusay Literary Agency) represents both fiction and nonfiction books, entertainment rights, books to film, selected screenplays and screenwriters and she often partners with WGA film agents. 
The Charlotte Gusay Literary Agency is looking for those books – both fiction and nonfiction that are both quality and commercial. For example, the Agency is particularly interested in innovative, unusual, eclectic, literary, historical, humorous books and those on any issues or topics, timely or socially important. Selection always comes down to the writing. The writing must be superb; the voice, seductive.

Some Areas of Interest: 
Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mainstream Fiction, Military/War Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Mystery, Regional Fiction, Suspense, Agriculture/Horticulture, Alternative Lifestyles, Anthropology/Archaelogy, Art/Architecture, Biography, Communications, Cooking/Foods/Nutrition, Ethnic, Feminism, Film/Cinema/Stage, Gardening, Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Gift Book, Government/Politics, Health/Medicine, History, House and Home, Humanities, Humorous Nonfiction, Language and Literature, Literary Criticism, Multicultural Nonfiction, Music and Dance, Nature and Environment, Philosophy, Popular Science, Psychology, Reference, Regional Nonfiction, Religion, Sports, Travel.

Attendees to the GenreLA Speculative Fiction and Creative Writing Conference can make FREE pitch appointments to meet with the literary agents January 27-29 in Los Angeles. Learn more and register here: http://www.wcwriters.com/genrela/

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and The Great First Impression Book Proposal, another booklet, helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. 

In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart,and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com)