Writing

Sparks №11-Finding Comfort in November

A weekly writing prompt newsletter from Flint & Steel

“It was a cold November day and she had dressed herself up in layers of cardigans and covered the whole lot with her old tweed coat, the one she might have used for feeding the chickens in.” ― Barbara Pym, Jane and Prudence

Happy November! It is a new month which means fresh, new writing prompts from your favorite publications. It is the month of gratitude and a month of intense writing for many writers who joined NaNaWriMo.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, tomorrow is Stress Awareness Day which I think should be every day, but that’s me. NaNo can be a very overwhelming endeavor leaving writers to freeze up. So my question to you is. . .

What stresses you in your life right now? What used to stress you out, but not anymore? How do you cope with stress? Does stress motivate you or do you burn out?

And if you are in the process of writing a book (for NaNo or not), I welcome you to share your experience at My Novel Journey. I’m journaling my NaNo experience as I write the first draft of my book. Feel free to share your writing advice, recommendations, tips, etc. about writing novels.

I want to invite everyone to the next Twitter Social Hour that will be held this Thursday, November 4th at 7pm, CST. It’s a fun way to connect with other Medium writers and readers. Hope to see you there!

Wanna connect on Twitter and Instagram? Well then what are you waiting for? Follow me and I’ll follow ya back!

— Ellie, editor Flint & Steel

Your Articles

In last week’s newsletter, I asked about superstitions, again a great selection of submissions and fascinating superstitions around the world!

Remember you can submit your articles in response to prompts at any time as there are no deadlines.

Take some time to check out the articles from fellow F&S writers and share the love!

Penelope Mayfield shared her little superstitions in “Don’t Jinx It!”

Pene Hodge shared about her cat in “The Time My Sister Accidentally Killed Our Cat.”

Kaori Mitsui responded to the superstition prompt in “Things I Avoid and Do, and Just Let Them Happen.”

Diana Lotti shared her fears in “The Craft, Snakes, and Fear.”

Leese Wright responded to the internetless world prompt with “A World Disconnected.”

L Burton responded to the superstition prompt with “Seven Years Bad Luck.”

Prashansa Chandekar wrote about writing the first draft, perfect timing for NaNoWriMo in “First Drafts Can Be Shitty.”

Divina Grey responded to all three of the latest freewriting prompts!

Adrienne Beaumont wrote about her special kitty, Mo in “Freewriting-Today is Cat Day.”

Mulan responded to the superstition prompt with “My Superstition: Saying Happy Birthday to Someone in Advance Will Bring Misfortune.”

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles responded to two prompts with:

Elin Melaas shared her November goals with “My November Writing Goal.”

Welcome New Flint & Steel Writers!

A big welcome to. . . Karen Schwartz, Divina Grey, Sangeetha Shankar

If you would like to be a writer for Flint & Steel, please comment on this article and I’ll get you added. Also, make sure to read over the submission guidelines.

New to Medium? Sign up for a membership for unlimited access to all of my articles and the stories of all the outstanding writers here on Medium.

F & S Calls for Submissions

I welcome writers to share their freewriting exercises, writing prompts, and writing contest alerts here at Flint and Steel. You can write short-form or long-form posts.

You can find submission guidelines on our Be a Writer page.

Freewriting Friday

Share your reading journey with the latest Freewriting Friday prompts.

The Writing Accountability Challenge is an ongoing monthly challenge to post your writing goals for the month. Submit anytime!

Around Medium: Calls for Submissions, Writing Prompts, and Challenges

Check out last week’s newsletter for more writing prompts and challenges.

Tips

As always, review each publication’s guidelines for their prompts. Many prompts do not have a set deadline.

Make sure when you are responding to a prompt, you credit where your inspiration came from, like a link to the prompt article.

Many of these prompts could fall under nonfiction, poetry, and fiction so don’t limit yourself. There is no right or wrong. Use these prompts as a springboard to your writing.

Dennett, with Weeds & Wildflowers, posted the November prompt, write a letter of thanks to someone (person or animal) who doesn’t live with you.

Mary Chang Story Writer, with Six Word Photo Story Challenge, shared the November prompt, “Power of 3.”

Ravyne Hawke, with Promptly Written, shared their daily poetry and fiction prompts:

Zane Dickens, with Microcosm, shared the November theme, “All Hail the MICE.”

Diana C., with Know Thyself, Heal Thyself, shared week one of collaborative prompts for November.

Creator’s Hub posted week 19 of their writing prompts: Holidaze, Sunday Scaries, Time Bandits.

Trista Signe Ainsworth, with Thank You Notes, shared this week’s prompt, Reaching Out.

Rose Butcher, with Meld of Minds, shared the November call for submissions, asking, “How do you rest?”

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, posted a poetry prompt, “What are some pieces of feedback you’ve gotten about your writing?”

Subscribe to the Sparks Newsletter

If you would like to subscribe to the Sparks newsletter, visit the newsletter page. You can also find past newsletters for more writing inspiration.

— Ellie Jacobson, editor

Attention Medium publication editors

Have a writing prompt, challenge, or a call for submission you want included in an upcoming Sparks Newsletter? Feel free to leave a comment in the Latest Newsletter (link found on main page at Fleet & Steel), email me at [email protected] or tag me in your prompt article and I’ll include the info in the next newsletter. Newsletters go out on Monday or Tuesdays.

Please include a link to the article that summarizes the prompt/challenge/call for submission and if there is a deadline. I will link to the article and to your publication in the newsletter. I also tweet the newsletter throughout the week for added exposure.

Thank you to all the Flint & Steel writers

Sahil Patel, Shirley Jones Luke, Samantha Jensen, MA, MAEd, Trista Signe Ainsworth, MIGHTY MISCELLANY, L Burton, Heathere CW, Kaori Mitsui, Penelope Mayfield, Pierce McIntyre, Pene Hodge, Yean Foong (M.Ed.), Elin Melaas, Sarah Minnis, Mindy Morgan Avitia, JM Heatherly, Nikki, Andria Kennedy, pockett dessert, Dennett, Diana Lotti, Ronald C. Flores-Gunkle, Mulan, Amanda Laughtland, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Penny Grubb, Sorina Raluca Babau, Prashansa Chandekar, Will Hull, Ravyne Hawke, Jane Grows Garden Rooms (Jane Frost), Mimi Bordeaux, Adrienne Beaumont

Written by Ellie Jacobson, @2021 all rights reserved.

I’m a freelance writer and editor from Minnesota, writing my first novel, a psychological suspense novel. Are you a writer? Check out Sparks, my newsletter filled with writing prompts to spark your creativity.

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