Easy Street Prompts

Welcome to the September 27, 2009 edition of the Easy Street Carnival of Writing and Art. Thanks to everyone who fearlessly submitted their work! I should call this the "Brief Issue" since everyone had only two weeks to post and submit, but that didn't affect volume of submissions that poured in. My only sadness was the absence of any art, photography, or 'genre bending' submissions. Nothing but writers this time around.

The competition was stiff! Take a little time to enjoy this month's Editor's Picks and Must Reads. Leave a comment on their posts and congratulate them. They deserve it.

Don't forget! Tonight at Midnight CST is the deadline to submit to the First Easy Street Carnival of Writing and Art.

Tick-tock, the deadline for submissions to the First Easy Street Carnival of Writing and Art is Friday, September 25 at midnight (CST). Folks of all creative persuasions are sending in links to their posts and I'm excited!

Still thinking it over? Take a look at the guidelines, a deep breath, and jump in. When you're ready to submit your art or writing visit the easy submission site, fill in the info, and hit the magic button. Done and done.


This site is everything an online writing community should be. No wonder Toasted Cheese has been listed on Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers over and over. Forums, contests, writing resources - they've got it all. If you've hesitated joining an online writing community, take a cruise around Toasted Cheese and see what they've got to offer. No one should write alone.

I love challenges. Creative Every Day has an ongoing challenge to push you past the rank-and-file of your everyday into a fuller, more creative life. What I like best about this particular challenge is its inclusiveness:

"Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!"

Welcome to the opening salvo for the Easy Street Monthly Carnival of Writing and Art, first edition. Maybe you're a blog carnival professional. Maybe you don't know exactly what I'm talking about.

It's easy. This blog carnival is a monthly "magazine" of the best writing and art posted on the internet. Those who would like their pieces/posts considered will submit them by midnight CST on the final Friday of every month. I'll chose the best and brightest from these submissions and post them with links and commentary the following Sunday. This format allows you to be seen by a larger artistic and literary community, as to share in the glory of others' talent.

What sort of thing are we looking for? Startlingly fine writing. Freshness. Art that makes us want to pull out our credit cards. I've always believed that the best inspiration is someone else's creative excellence. We feed off of others' energy. Because the sky is the limit and everyone should be creatively fearless, there is no "theme." Just submit your best, most carefully crafted and edited work. Push yourself and go for broke.

Deadline: Friday, September 25, Midnight CST

Guidelines:

1. You may submit one piece/post per month, per blog. The submission link is HERE.
2. You may submit in the following categories:

• Poetry
• Fiction (over 1,000 words)
  
• Creative Nonfiction
• Flash Fiction (up to 1,000 words)
  
• Art
• Photography
• Genre Bender (for those pieces that defy or mix previously stated genres)
• Note: We do not take novel excerpts at this time. If your chapter is a complete fiction or creative nonfiction piece, you're more than welcome to submit it as such.
  

It's a little rainy on the veranda this morning, but the writing time is good. Nothing like the three-day, Labor Day weekend to mess around with something fun. And that's what I've found for you this week - inspiration to make you smile.

Enjoy. Oh, and wear those white shoes quickly, because after Monday it's a sin.

If you enjoyed writing six-word stories, then Espresso Stories should be exactly what you're looking for. On this site you have twenty-five words "complete stories that take no longer to read than an espresso takes to slurp." Take a look at the submission "genres," (my favorite is 'Burb Brevity) and start writing. Aside from the obvious fun, it's a sure-fire way to crawl out of a creative pothole.


Everyone knows about fridge magnet poetry - nothing new there. So what's different about ISnoop's Fridge 3.0? The fridge - if you scroll down - is HUGE, and many people are working on it at the same time - in real time. When I tried the site out, for example, there were six other people making fridge poetry with me simultaneously, on the same fridge. Completely bizarre and more fun than anyone should ever have. Knock yourself out.


Artists, whatever the question is, Mr. Picassohead is the answer. Drag and drop the pieces, change colors, spin elements around, change the scale, and create your own. It's Mr. Potatohead-meets-fine-art here. When your masterpiece is complete, add it to their online gallery and email it to a friend. I did a quick screen-capture and, voila. I call this one Em Has a Date. She'll kill me, but it's worth it. Start your Picassohead gallery and embarrass everyone you know.