Writing prompts

Sparks №14: The Beauty in Breaking from Tradition

A weekly newsletter from Flint & Steel

We are in the home stretch of November and days away from Thanksgiving here in the US.

This week is about traditions, getting together with friends and family, eating way too much, and sitting around the television wishing we hadn’t eaten so much.

Growing up as the only child of a single mother, my mom would sometimes want to break with tradition. She was the youngest of ten children, so Thanksgiving was a huge event. We always went to the same home for Thanksgiving and ate the same food each year, which we adored, creating such cherished memories.

But there were a few times when my mom simply wanted to stay home in the peace and quiet.

We lounged in our pajamas and watched whatever movie was on that evening, ordering takeout Chinese food or pizza.

Whatever struck our fancy at that moment.

My mom worked long hours working as a respiratory therapist, so I understood the appeal of staying home and breaking with tradition. As a child, I didn’t care where I went as long as I was with my mom.

I remember both types of Thanksgiving dearly, the traditional and not so traditional.

So my question for you is . . .

How have you broken from tradition (weddings, funerals, holidays, etc), to make it your own?

Feel free to respond to this prompt at any time. See below for the submission guidelines.

📣 Also, I will be open all week for submissions (with limited hours on Thanksgiving) as I will be writing all week and weekend for NaNoWriMo and for my graduate classes.

📣 I’ve been posting gratitude journal posts in November (can’t do it every day like I originally hoped because of NaNo). You can join in anytime during the month of November.

📣 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 how you get through a struggle.

Ravyne Hawke wrote a stunning poem in response, “Buddhism Paves the Way.”

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!

pockett dessert wrote a powerful response to my signs from the universe prompt with “One Minute: Dying to Find Peace in Life.”

Kaori Mitsui responded to the soulmate prompt with “Remembering a Soulmate.”

Thank you all for submitting your work!

📣 Calls for Submissions

I welcome writers to share their own 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

We explored comforts and self-care in the latest Freewriting Friday prompts.

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.

Amy Shearn, with Creator’s Hub, posted their latest writing prompts, which look very fun called ”Recipes,”

Trista Signe Ainsworth with Thank You Notes, shared this week’s prompt, “Treasure Your Time.”

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, posted a new prompt, “77.4k.”

Sahil Patel, with Lifeline, shared their weekly prompt, “November’s Fourth Week Prompt of Lifeline.”

Squeeze the Avocado shared an excellent prompt, “What Do You Advocate For?”

kasey sparks asked, “What Your Word?”

Marrisa W., with Coffee Times, shared their latest book-related prompts, “Family and Friends | Prompt Times 5.”

📫 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, Karen Schwartz, Divina Grey, Sangeetha Shankar

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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