Writing inspiration

Sparks №15: Your December Wishes

A weekly newsletter from Flint & Steel

“December. A desperate celebration of an end.” ― Chandrama Deshmukh, A Teaspoon Of Stars

Here we are approaching the end of 2021. How can that be? The last two years have blended together in my mind. This year feeling like an extension of 2020.

✨ My wish is to make sure 2022 does not feel like any other.

I dream of finishing my novel in this next year. I’m nearing the end goal of NaNo. Still a sizeable chunk of words I must write on the last day of the month and many more in December in order to complete the first draft.

For all those who challenged themselves this NaNo, I’m so proud of you! Keep the momentum going into December. Make your wishes come true by putting in the work each moment you can.

We are all traveling this journey at the pace we can handle. That pace ebbs and flows with our lives. The way it should be.

December is a magical month in my mind. I’m going to give myself grace in terms of my writing goals, to go more with the flow. I want to focus on my family in December, making as many new memories as I can.

I ask you. . .

What do you wish for in this last month of the year? And I don’t mean the things. But what experiences do you wish for? For yourself? With your family? What are you most looking forward to in December?

📣 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 you about breaking from traditions. I loved the submissions in response to the prompt:

Penny Grubb wrote, “The excitement was all in the occasion, the build-up, the snow, the tree, the decorations, fresh grapefruit for breakfast, and of course, presents in What is the Tradition for Christmas Decorations?

And Dennett wrote, “This year think about your holiday traditions. Maybe we Americans should have a cultural conversion and spend time with one another, not in stores, not wrapping presents, and not in post office lines” in Cultural Conversion.

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!

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 your first gift, shopping, and small businesses 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.

Tracy Aston, with House of Haiku, shared their latest poetry prompt, “composure. What brings you ease or makes you feel composed?”

Ravyne Hawke, with Promptly Written, shared their December prompt, “Reason for the Season.”

Luba Sigaud, with The Happy Human, posted their December prompts.

KiKi Walter, with The Memoirist, posted the December writing prompt, “Tell an engaging story about a memory you hold dear (or maybe not so dear…perhaps it impacted your life in an important way) from the holiday season of your youth.”

Trista Signe Ainsworth with Thank You Notes, shared this week’s prompt, asking, “Have you experienced an event that renewed your energy or feeling of purpose? What was that moment like? How did you feel?”

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, posted a new prompt, “Illusion gives us perspective.”

Sahil Patel, with Lifeline, shared their weekly prompt centered around goodbyes.

Marrisa W., with Coffee Times, shared their latest book-related prompts in “Money Can Buy Happiness.”

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 to be 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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