Writing prompts

Sparks №21: Do You Have a Green or Black Thumb?

A weekly newsletter from Flint & Steel

“Plants are like people: they’re all different and a little bit strange.”

— John Kehoe

Happy Houseplant Appreciation Day! Seems like houseplants have made a resurgence because of Covid, thus my small rack of plants above. I find plants comforting and cozy.

Unless they are dead, which seems to be the fate of mine half the time.

I’ve always attempted to have a green thumb since I was a teenager. One of my first “real” jobs was for Bachman’s, a local plant and garden center. I think the desire stems from my mother’s mother.

My grandmother was known for her green thumb, specifically African Violets. It was her passion and I know how difficult they can be to grow.

See that green teapot planter by Mr. Percy’s head? That’s supposed to be a violet. It was doing well for months, even reflowering. I thought, “Hey I’m doing it!” Then one day I noticed it was dying. I’m still not sure what happened. I will try again, some other day.

So today’s writing prompt is simple. . .Do you have a green or black thumb? Or maybe, like me, in between? How do you feel about houseplants? Love them? Hate them? Write about it. Or share a photo essay (good or bad). Take the word houseplant and go with it. See where it takes you!

✨ Ellie, editor Flint & Steel

📣Update! Writing Prompt Challenge Contest

So excited to see the articles starting to roll in for our first writing challenge!

Remember, the deadline to submit and have the article be published is February 2, 2022, at 8 pm CST.

Also, feel free to write in response to the prompts and submit them to F&S. This is a great way to get some new ideas for your Medium articles.

Kaori Mitsui wrote, “Where She Finds Her Cooking Recipes,” with her prompt “Where do you find your (good) cooking recipes?

and “What kind of pet(s) do you want to have, and why?”

Adrienne Beaumont wrote, “Writing Prompt-Have You Ever Broken a Bone?”

Thank you all for submitting your work!

✨ Welcome New Writers ✨

Susan Poole — Adrienne Parkhurst

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

I will be posting a new Freewriting Friday article next Friday, January 14, 2022.

I asked you about how you leave your mark with three new writing prompts 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.

⌚ = time-sensitive writing prompt!

⌚ Ellie Jacobson wrote about the Writing Prompt Challenge at Flint & Steel

⌚Sahil Patel, with Lifeline, announced a new poetry challenge that sounds great! It starts January 15 and runs through February 9th. Make sure to read all the details for this exciting challenge.

Dennett, with Weeds & Wildflowers, shared the January Prompt, “What’s Missing.”

Trista Signe Ainsworth with Thank You Notes, shared the weekly prompt, Precious Treasures. What treasures do you have in your home?

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, shared her latest prompt, “The Gap Between Expectation and Reality.”

Chelsea Marie, with The Storyteller’s Vault, wrote some excellent nonfiction writing prompts, “this month in my city,” “finding a new normal,” and “fitness journeys.”

Bingz Huang, with Gentleness Ambassadors, shared their January prompt, “How Are You Easing into 2022?”

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, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Beverly Annette Little, Aabye-Gayle F., AliciaMarie Belchak | Master Life, Build Dreams, Danielle Hestand, Rick Allen, Jennifer Pierce, Tamil — Amy Rosie — Jennifer McDougall

. . . and our 129 followers! 💖

✍ Written by Ellie Jacobson, ©2022 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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