Summary

The author expresses gratitude for the recognition and inspiration received from the MuddyUm community and its members, despite not receiving tangible rewards from Medium.

Abstract

The author, a writer on Medium, contrasts their experience with that of more recognized writers like Roz Warren, Kristi Keller, and Kim McKinney, noting the lack of physical rewards such as tee shirts or coffee cups from Medium. However, they found a supportive home in MuddyUm, a Medium publication, where their humor and satire pieces, including those inspired by prompts and other writers' works, have been well-received. The author acknowledges the role of prompts in overcoming writer's block and the influence of other writers in sparking creativity, leading to successful stories. They appreciate the encouragement from Susan Brearley and others in the community, which has motivated them to continue writing and improving their craft.

Opinions

The author feels undervalued by Medium but finds solace and appreciation in the MuddyUm community.
They are thankful for the top writer badges in humor and satire received from Medium, yet they humorously lament the absence of physical tokens of recognition.
The author credits prompts and the inspiration drawn from fellow writers for their writing success and productivity, particularly in the context of the May-June contest on MuddyUm.
They admit to repurposing ideas from other writers, such as Roz Warren's take on root canals, and view this as a form of flattery and a legitimate creative process.
The author emphasizes the importance of props (prompts) in writing, likening them to Yorick's skull in Hamlet, as tools that can inspire great work when utilized effectively.
They express a sense of community and mutual support among MuddyUm writers, which is valued more highly than material rewards.
The author concludes with a positive outlook on writing, driven by the encouragement and camaraderie within the MuddyUm community.

Medium Didn’t Give me Jack, but Look what MuddyUm Gave me Without any Prompting!

Oh, okay, with about ten prompts and others I admit to stealing!

I am not as lucky or as well-known as Roz Warren, Kristi Keller, or Kim McKinney. I did not get a tee shirt. Or passed over for one. I did not get passed over for a coffee cup. Though I will say that as a writer who adores coffee, that cup sounds awful enticing…hint, hint.

Be that as it may, I am not on Medium’s radar. So I train myself not to get my hopes up, even though I have helped two people get started on Medium and showed them the few tricks I have learned.

On the other hand, MuddyUm is my home away from home on Medium. I never imagined this would be the case, but my first piece here has got more claps than any other piece I’ve posted on the platform. For this, I am so grateful. I had a huge aha and haha at the same time, coming out as a humorist-satirist all in one fell swoop.

Even Medium recognized this by giving me top writer badges in both humor and satire. But you’d think they could at least give me a top hat to go along with it? Noooooo. No top hat, no bottom hat, no coffee cup, no tee shirt. No nothin.’

But MuddyUm loves me.

And because they, or at least Susan Brearley, read my story about Bill and Kermit, they know how I roll. How I need these dolls or now, an action figure, to motivate, inspire, and aMUSE me.

This little pirate guy reminds me that time is a wastin.’ June is now half over. I have only two more weeks to get as much humor and/or satire in as possible to be able to place in the May-June contest.

The Second 2020 Writers’ Competition

That’s why I love prompts so much.

With a prompt, the question of what to write about is already decided. Carrots! Carrots? Carrots. Hmmm….okay, what about carrots? They should shut up and make room for rutabagas so I can use that funny yodel song by Frank Zappa. If Sue hadn’t handed me a carrot on a silver platter, none of that would have happened.

Calling all Carrots, Root for Rutabagas

Out of the cellars, into the limelight.

medium.com

And that story is doing well. But it’s not my fault. I had nothing to do with its inception. If she hadn’t shared that prompt, I would still be in a vegetative state crying about what to write. Meanwhile, the calendar clock ticks in my ear. Time is wasting, time is wasting.

Same with misunderstood words…I never would have come up with it on my own, but boy did I have fun creating my stories! Since I don’t have much foreplay in my life these days, I have shifted my focus to wordplay. I get off on it!!!

This is not the first time I have transformed a post by Roz Warren into a prompt. Well, actually, I didn’t do that, Kim and Kristi did. I am just chiming in. Jumping on the bandwagon and stealing their idea, but making it my own — and MuddyUm/s. But doing it in an open way that invites other Muddy Ones to take the ball and run.

Yes, I stole an idea from Roz and made it into a prompt.

The subject was root canals. Not usually a funny subject, but I was up to the challenge because, thankfully, I had good experiences with my endodontists and loved having a platform on which to sing their praises.

I don’t feel as bad with this one because it’s thrice removed from the source of origin. And Roz does not seem to mind. Isn’t imitation a high form of flattery? Pass me that joint, and I will flatter some more!

And finally, let me end this piece with a takeaway. Not a keep away or a keepsake or a take out or a take home, but a take away. So, drum roll please, here it comes….

Anything can be a prompt!

Really, anything? Yep, anything. But a prompt is a prop. And a prop doesn’t get up and act out a scene from Hamlet all on its lonesome. That beautiful skull had to be held aloft by Hamlet, to make his poignant point about death:

HAMLET:

Let me see. (takes the skull) Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!

Poor Yurik! He didn’t warrant a speaking part in one of the world’s best plays, but his skull has been immortalized for all eternity. That, my friends, is the value of a prop for thespians and a prompt for us writers.

So my cute little pirate goes right here on my laptop, he’s that small and compact. He inspires me daily to take the crap that happens and make MuddyUmable mud out of it. And where to post it….right here…for y’all!

So whether it be Mars and Venus, carrots and turnips, limericks and poetic tricks, or misunderstood words, prompts rock. They make me wanna be a better writer, and when I am not, they get me over.

So thank you, Susan! Thank you, Roz, thank you, Kim, and thank you, Kristi! What’s next?

Marilyn Flower writes political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. Five of her short plays have been produced in San Francisco. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times.