Writing prompts

Sparks №17: Looking Back to Your Cherished Reads of the Year

A weekly newsletter from Flint & Steel

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Each year, I set my reading goal on Goodreads. In 2020, I set a goal of 50 books, which was my highest goal since tracking my reading. Enter a pandemic and I crushed the goal. I read 95 books last year.

Reading is my escape. It is how I manage anxiety and a racing mind. To jump into another world for a little while.

This year I set the goal of 100 books, but my pace lessened throughout the year because I was writing more (a good thing). So far I’ve read nearly 70 books.

I’m writing a separate article on my top 5-star reviewed books of the year and thought that would make a great prompt.

So my question to you is, what is your cherished read (or reads) of this year? Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. Anything! Write a shortform or a longform article in response.

I look forward to reading about your favorite books and I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

✨ Ellie, editor Flint & Steel

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

💖 Welcome New Writers 💖

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Beverly Annette Little, Aabye-Gayle F., AliciaMarie Belchak | Master Life, Build Dreams

Your Articles

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you about time travel and I loved the responses (keep ’em coming in!).

Yean Foong (M.Ed.) wrote, “I dial the number ‘1992’ as my destination and press the big red button. I close my eyes and wait for the machine to send me back when I was a 7-year-old,” in “Going Back in Time,” so she could spend more time with her grandmother and mother.

Adrienne Beaumont wrote, “If I could travel in time, and place, I’d travel back to the nineteenth century. I’d live in Gruyères Castle, Switzerland — a comfortable but not overly opulent existence,” in “If I Were a Time Traveller,” going back to the late 1800s.

pockett dessert wrote, “If I could time travel, I would return to the year my mother is 25-years-young, console her at my crib — in crisis, suffering from post-partum depression,” in “Time Travel: Recapture The Holiday Magic, Joy of the Season.”

Beverly Annette Little wrote, “Ms. Sarah, as she was affectionately called, studied her reflection in the mirror. Every hair in place, nails polished, make-up expertly applied,” a flash fiction piece in response to the Freewriting Friday photo prompt in “Dismissed.”

Kaori Mitsui continued the fiction series with Buddy and Fish, “‘You can consult with my friend… but he sometimes has a hard time getting to the right manuscript. He may be able to tell you how to meet your dear friend,’ in “Leaving the Beach for the Lodge.”

Karen Schwartz wrote, “I believe my December wish to reach the three hundred published story benchmark is the perfect gift to me. To surpass this goal is divine,” in response to the December wishes prompt, in “Three Hundred Reasons to Smile?”

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!

Let’s Celebrate

In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned we were close to the 100-follower mark at F&S and just like that we did it! Now we are at 105 followers.

Thank you again so much to all the readers and writers at Flint & Steel. I appreciate you all so much. I have plans to expand the publication in the new year, so watch for those updates!

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 fiction with photo prompts with 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.

Penelope Mayfield posted a fun writing prompt asking you to “write a piece of flash fiction or poetry around the theme of bad habits, however you define them. The “Bad Habits Bakery & Cafe” should also be featured in it.” Check out her article for more details.

Sarah Lyall-Neal wrote a piece about the significance of her Christmas tree ornaments and asked, “Do you have special ornament stories?” This would make a great response post article about the story behind some of your ornaments. Make sure to tag Sarah in your response article.

Trista Signe Ainsworth with Thank You Notes, shared this week’s prompt theme of what lights up your life and what are your favorite holiday gifts to create?

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, posted a new prompt in her post, “Thank You for Playing with Me.”

Sahil Patel, with Lifeline, shared their 3rd week prompt about forgiveness.

Amy Shearn, with Creator’s Hub, posted the last writing prompts of the year: Your Own Personal 2021 Summary, The One-Word New Year’s Vision Board, and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Marrisa W., with Coffee Times, asked in their latest book prompts, why do you like to read, a book/series that got you into reading, and favorite place to read.

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, Ellen Andaya, Barb Dalton, Sam Branstner, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Beverly Annette Little

✍ 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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