Weekly Newsletter | Flint & Steel

Sparks №32: What the Library Means to You

Writing prompts across Medium-land to spark your creativity

“That perfect tranquility of life, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, a faithful friend and a good library.” ― Aphra Behn, The Lucky Chance, Or, the Alderman’s Bargain

This week marks National Library Week! If I could design my heaven, it would be a library with a fireplace and never-ending flow of coffee. Oh and chocolate.

The smell of paper and leather mixed with dust and the dreams of the authors whose books sit upon the shelves.

Memories as a child going with my mother on Saturdays to pick out our books for the week. She told me later that one of the first books I picked out as a young child was this huge DIY home improvement book that probably weighed as much as me. All I remember is it had a bright orange hardcover. Maybe that’s why I love HGTV shows so much.

During my college years, spending more time at the library than in my dorm room. The internet barely a blip on the horizon. Lost in the tunnels of books buried in the basement, finding my way by the fluorescent glow, wondering what time it was when I forgot to wear my watch.

Then sharing that love of the library with my boys when they were first learning to read. How proud and excited they were to pick out any books they wanted on each trip.

A simple joy that I hope they get the chance to pass on to their children.

I ask you this week to write in response to the word: library.

Share a specific memory that took place in a library. Write a poem inspired by a library. Maybe you have recently read a book that took place in a library, write a review about it. Write a 100-word flash set in a library.

Remember, there is no right or wrong.

I look forward to reading your stories!

I hope everyone has a wonderful upcoming week!

✨ Ellie, editor Flint & Steel

Writing Challenge

Last week, I announced Flint & Steel’s latest writing challenge with the prompt survival. For all the details, make sure to read over the guidelines. You have until May 2, 2022, to get your post submitted.

As a reminder, the donations at my Ko-fi page go towards these writing challenges. Thank you to all who have donated this year!

Supportive Writing Groups

For those who are participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, I created a writing group over at the NaNoWriMo website to help cheer each other on! The direct link to the group isn’t working for many, so let me know your NaNo profile name and I’ll send you an invite!

Don’t write alone!

Come on over to our writing group over on Facebook. This is a safe, private group to share your writing questions, goals, and advice with writers of all skill levels.

One of our writing group members asked about what your favorite writing books are. Pop on over to the group and share your fave craft writing books!

Featured Writer

🎉 Dennett is our Featured Writer this week! 🎉

“90% of the time, I’m sitting in my swivel-rocker in our living room typing on my Acer Spin laptop. Sometimes, a cat sits next to me. I can see out our patio doors into our backyard that slopes down to Unicorn Lake,” Dennett writes.

Make sure to check out Dennett’s stunning photos as well and I must say, “I want to live by a lake named Unicorn Lake!”

Would you like 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!

E. Katherine Kottaras wrote,

“invite to your body and to your mind the wild gift of patience.

when you are ready ( — you’ll know that you are) — then you can launch, and you can take flight, held on your journey by your internal strength /&/ wild, inborn knowledge of grace,” in “Undomesticated Tarot: Bringing Back the Wild to a Domesticated World.”

The challenge of sitting in the stillness before you are ready to take flight. I needed these words on this snowy/icey morning where I am forced to sit, when in reality I’m ready to jump.

✨ Anne Bonfert wrote,

“Without failures and setbacks, we wouldn’t know what to fight for in life. We wouldn’t know the value of a successfully completed task,” in her latest photography prompt “Placing a Mirror into Nature.”

Make sure to check out Anne’s latest photography prompt and her stunning photos. This is something I’ll be doing this spring and summer with my teenage sons.

Sahil Patel wrote,

“I want to just make myself burden-free.

I want to run behind the sea,

And want to feel the sun.

I want to tell my all secrets to my parents,”

in “The Last Day.”

Sahil captures in his poem what he would do if it was his last day.

What would you do if it was your last day?

Karen Schwartz wrote,

“That’s the problem with inspiration. It can grab your creativity and stretch you as far as your elastic mind can take you until you bounce. And suddenly, you’re skipping from side to side, focusing on plenty, but concentrating on nothing,” in “Why Do We Stretch Ourselves So Thin?

That is my daily struggle, learning to balance between pushing myself, but not beyond the point of getting nothing done.

Writers, how do you manage the balancing act? This is a great starting point to write your own response post (make sure to tag Karen).

Tamil wrote,

“I recall shaving my head at least 5 times up until middle school. I never gave importance to how I looked. Instead, I focused on how I felt,” in “Ten things you don’t know about me.”

That is something I’ve dreamed of doing a few times but never brave enough. Thank you Tamil for sharing more about yourself. Such a fun writing prompt I’ve been seeing around Medium-land!

The Collection of Flint & Steel Articles

✨ Welcome TO Our Newest Writers ✨

Angie Mangino, Obinna Uruakpa, Shanice Lawton

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 the role of stress in our lives.

📣 Around Medium: Calls for Submissions, Writing Prompts, and Challenges 📣

Check out last week’s newsletter for more writing prompts and challenges.

And all our newsletters for even more writing inspiration

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!

New Pub Alert! Megan Llorente announced a new publication, Midform.

⌚ Mary Chang Story Writer, with 6 Word Photo Story Challenge, posted the April challenge, “Graffiti & Street Art.”

Trista Signe Ainsworth, with Thank You Notes, posted this week’s theme of “Your Loving Circle,” asking “Is there a group of friends or loved ones that you appreciate? Share a note, story, or poem dedicated to how they help you every day.”

Iva Ursano posted a fun writing prompt that has been floating around Medium-land, “10 Things You Don’t Know About Me.”

Marilyn Flower, with Middle-Pause, posted their latest prompt asking, “What kind of fool are you?”

Ravyne Hawke, with Promptly Written, posted the theme of sowing seeds for April.

Dennett, with Weeds & Wildflowers, posted their April prompt, Tiny Packages.

Julie Ranson, with Koinonia, posted their April prompt, Galations 2:20

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, 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, Sam Finlayson, Ian Hanson, LM, Elizabeth Kasujja, Sandi Parsons, Veronica Haunani Fitzhugh, BichoDoMato, Jules Starley, Jordan Richardson

. . . and our 192 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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