Weekly Newsletter | Flint & Steel
Sparks №28: March into a New Month of Writing Prompts & a Writing Group
Your writing prompt resource to spark your creativity
Happy March everyone!
I must apologize for being late with the newsletter (and publishing stories) this week. I’m in the midst of finals week for grad school and had planned on working on Medium yesterday, but there was a gas leak in a downtown building, not far from where we live. In order to deal with that situation, the city took down the power grid, so we had no power or internet most of the day.
Last year I started a writing support group on Facebook, but really didn’t put much energy into it but decided I wanted to revive it. No matter what kind of writing you do, it’s such a solitary bubble. Yes, the Medium community helps make that world less lonely, but I thought it might be nice to have a group where we can hold each other accountable for our writing goals, be cheerleaders for our achievements, and a shoulder to cry on for when the struggle feels like too much.
For example, I read L Burton’s Instagram’s page about one of her writing goals was to submit to Chicken Soup for the Soul, which is something that is on my writing bucket list, but I keep putting it off. I suggested to her we hold each other accountable. This could be the type of support we can provide for each other in this writing group.
I invite you to join this casual, private group where you can feel safe to post what you’re working on or just hang out as you wish.
My question for you this week is. . . how do you feel about writing communities? What experiences have you had writing with others? Bad, good or indifferent? Do they help you grow or make you feel worse about your writing?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or submit a post in response here at F&S.
📣 Next week, I’ll be away from my computer so I won’t be publishing a newsletter. My family and I are finally going on a vacation we were supposed to take two years ago for my son’s birthday.
I won’t be publishing stories from March 7 through Thursday, March 10. I will resume publishing on March 11th.
I hope everyone has a wonderful upcoming weekend!
✨ Ellie, editor Flint & Steel
Thank you pockett dessert for the Ko-fi donation towards the next writing challenge, which will be announced on March 28, 2022.
🎉 Featured Writer 🎉
Sorina Raluca Băbău is our first featured writer at F&S! Sorina wrote, “I used the MWC as a deadline to publish my first two articles. I work better with deadlines. It might sound strange, but I didn’t want to win, just wanted to get started. And ever since, I just kept on writing. I might have stopped though if I hadn’t found such a wonderful and welcoming community here of friends that helped me grow and flourish,” in her article “Bits and Pieces About Me as an off the Clock Psychologist.”
I feel the same about deadlines. They give me that push to write, which sometimes is all I need. It’s not (always) about winning a challenge (yes that’s a nice perk) but it’s about the doing.
Thank you Sorina for sharing more about yourself with us!
Do you want to be a featured writer? Read over the guidelines to find out more about being featured.
✨Your Articles ✨
As always, take time to support your F & S writers! Stop by their articles and share your thoughts, claps and highlights.
Those marked with a✨next to their name mean an Editor’s Pick! (I will be resuming Editor picks in the next newsletter. )
Jennifer Pierce wrote, “The way that she healed us wasn’t by chance,” in her poem, “A Girl Named Honey.”
Amen to the last four lines!
Kaori Mitsui wrote, “What are the three best memories (any achievements before becoming an adult) you have?” in “My Best Memories.”
This is a great writing prompt and check out Kaori’s three best memories (and her writing prompt app)!
Divina Grey wrote, “Loving myself enough to put others on hold momentarily is hard. It’s a life skill I am constantly working on balancing. But Valentine’s Day reminds me to celebrate the progress I’ve made,” in “I Used to Think Valentine’s Day was About Loving Other People,” in response to the Valentine’s Day prompt.
Such an important reminder and, something I’m still working on myself, making sure we take time to love ourselves first.
E. Katherine Kottaras wrote, “Source: Last weekend, my brand new car’s bumper was dented by someone who did not leave a note. Yes, I feel grumbly about it” in “Writing Prompt: Seed Words #3.”
Check out how a dented bumper (I would be grumbly about that too!) inspired Katherine’s latest seed words!
E. Katherine Kottaras wrote,
“my eyes wonder at her spring, her age and wisdom — how special is this brief season”
in her poem “A Fibonacci Ode to This Cold L.A. Day,” in response to her seed words prompt.
Excellent poem, from the cold start to the wonder in your daughter, bringing us hope.
Ravyne Hawke wrote,
“I pretend play — watch my words, sugar-coat them make them easier to swallow or say nothing at all,”
in her poem, “Gently Treading.”
Such a haunting poem, love the way Lori uses “treading” to capture that feeling of treading water.
B A Little wrote, “Take it slow and easy and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Take a few minutes, a few hours, or a day. Your mental health is worth it,” in “Psychological Benefits of the Great Outdoors.”
Being outdoors is one of the best inspirations for creatives and for general mental health.
Barb Dalton wrote, “0300: I was woken with the sound of objects meeting the floor from a height. My tired brain attempted to figure out what it possibly could be, but it quickly decided sleep was more important than fact-finding,” in “Was it Friday the 13th Today?”
You had me chuckling all the way through this Barb but thankful your day didn’t turn worse. You are right that days like this remind us what to be thankful for, especially in light of what is happening in our world. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face as I read this!
✨ Welcome Our Newest Writer ✨
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
In the latest Freewriting Friday post, we are exploring how our lives have changed because of Covid.
📣 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!
⌚ Mary Chang Story Writer, with Six Word Photo Story Challenge, announced the March prompt, Pet People. Mary wrote, ““Pet People” are people who love and care for animals and either have pets, work or protect animals or creatures, and have developed a special emotional connection with them when they’re together.”
Deadline to submit for this prompt is March 31, 2022, at noon, PST.
Grant Faulkner asks, “What story do you see in this photo?” Share a story in 300 words or less.
Liberty Forrest, Author, with Hope*Healing*Humour, invites you to write about filters and perspective. “I would love to see your stories about a time when your filter had a dramatic impact on a situation. Were you able to change your perspective? Was the filter firmly rooted and not budging?”
Marilyn Flower, with Middle-Pause, asks you how do you not just love, but pamper yourself?
Ravyne Hawke, with Promptly Written, posted their March theme, getting to Know You.
Trista Signe Ainsworth, with Thank You Notes, posted the latest prompt about a Fragile Moment You are Grateful For in Life.
Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), with The Brain is a Noodle, posted her latest #WritingPrompt: to be specific to highlight or to generalize to lean into the strength of community and numbers?
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 weekly on Monday.
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, 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 — Susan Poole — Adrienne Parkhurst — Chelsea Marie — Charlie Cole — Katie Michaelson — Sandra B — Buse ermen — E. Katherine Kottaras — Bingz Huang — Winston — Stephanie Stephenson — Marilyn Flower — Kris Bedenian — Kathy K — Nick Stockton — VerityAlways — Makena Darya — Umme Salma — Călina Mureșan — Anne Bonfert — Jennifer Dunne — K-kun Writes! — M Cher — CARMEN F MICSA — Annette Liron
. . . and our 181 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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