Easy Street Prompts

I've done a little housekeeping on the site lately. This always happens when school is out and I have a little time on my hands to play around. There's also a new Easy Street Facebook page, because I know scads of folks begin and end their days there. In addition to Twitter updates, it's an easy way to keep up with new prompts on The Street.

If you're like me, you've been letting the effluvia of everyday to-do get between you and your daily scribbling. Now is the time to give yourself the gift of writing time - ten minutes if that's all you can manage, more if you can swing it. It's your creme filling, your winning lotto card, your birthright. Let the rest of your life continue in it's chaotic scrabble, that ten minutes will save you. I promise.

When you're finished writing, go take a look at this Site of the Week. Something about a circus always makes me giddy.

Big Tent Poetry is a fairly new site where you can post to prompts, find interviews and reviews, and join a growing community of poets. Check out their link collection - excellent resources. I love what they've done with the place. Note: BTP's "ringleaders" were part of the creative group that gave you Read Write Poem, which became inactive a few months ago. This site's even better.

Don't forget - deadline for the 10th edition of Easy Street's Carnival of Writing and Art is June 25th. Be sure to read the submission guidelines HERE, then choose your best post for this edition. Haven't written it yet? Click the "Random" button at the bottom of the screen, set the clock for ten minutes, and go to town.

It's just that easy.

One of the pitfalls of teaching writing and keeping a few writing blogs afloat is I tend to preach a daily writing habit that takes a backseat in my own busy life. Not today. I'm veranda-writing this morning just for me, practicing what I preach. Find your favorite notebook, journal, laptop, or typewriter and give yourself the gift of an hour. Don't have a whole hour? Thirty minutes is more than enough to remind you why the scribbling is so important. We deserve it.

This week's sites are two of my favorite resources for submission and contest information. Both offer newsletters that pop up in your email, so be sure to sign up.

It's easy to get lost in this site. The Writer Gazette is so cram-packed with publishing opportunities that (first time 'round) you might look up and realize you've lost a couple of hours. That's a good sign. Whether you're looking for a contest, submission info, or a job, this is the place to scan first. It's my go-to.



Wow, indeed. Here's the place to hone your craft. Women On Writing (WOW) offers classes, articles, and contests for women who write. Agents judge the contests, so shine up your writing and dive in - the exposure's good for you. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you don't miss a thing.

Submissions for the Second Easy Street Carnival of Writing and Art have been sliding under the door for a week now and it already looks like this month will be stunning! Don't forget to submit your post by Friday, October 30 at midnight CST to be considered for October's edition.

Artists, photographers, mixed media folk - join these fine writers and submit a post that blows us all away. I can't wait!

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.
  

3. If you are chosen for the monthly magazine, you agree to post a link to Easy Street's Carnival of Writing and Art, as well as to the carnival submission link within seven days of the Easy Street Carnival posting.

4. There will be an Editor's Pick for each genre, as well as Notable Pieces. These are selected at the discretion of the editor.

5. Being selected does not disqualify you from submitting the next month. Or every month.

6 You retain all rights to your work. Each piece chosen will include a link to the original post. No work will be posted in its entirety on Easy Street without permission.

7. Yes, there will be blog-bling for the chosen.


Click here to submit today.

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!"

Nothing like the freedom to create and a blogging/Flickr community to offer encouragement and inspiration. Marvelous.

In fact, I'm inspired already. Off to scribble...

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.

Self-publishing isn't the devil, in fact as I'm lounging around this morning I'm thinking about what a lovely gift a personally written, professionally bound book could be.

You see, the writing (or photographs, or art) should at times be the very gift you give. For those of you whose work has been hung proudly on a fridge, the gift of something bound can make the holidays very special. Since organizing your work into a publishable form takes some forethought, I suggest you begin thinking about it now while there's no holiday panic.

Go ahead, I dare you to move from the fridge door to the coffee table.



Blurb is a fairly new self-publishing service. I'll admit I haven't yet tried it out yet, but the possibilities for art books as well as print-only look fabulous. Dart around the site and check it out. Worth a look.



Everyone loves Lulu, including hordes of public school teachers who I know have saved themselves time, trouble, and printing costs publishing student anthologies on Lulu. But you don't have to teach to self-publish, so warm up your pdf converter and get going.

And if your self-publishing plans are more serious than mama's coffee table, all the more reason to get going. Neither of these services cost you a dime until you order a book. It doesn't get any better than that.

Ah, Sunday morning. Nothing like it. We used to read the paper in bed, but now I suspect most of us wander around in wrinkled bedclothes, moving from the coffee maker to the computer for a little surf time.

At least that's what I do. Here a few excellent sites to get your inner author scribbling. Enjoy. You deserve it.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) isn't just a writing site, it's a cult. Each November, writers of all ability and aspiration gather at this site to provide each other encouragement. And they need it. It's no small feat to write 50,000 words in a month. Whether you decide to write more than the goal or less, it's well worth signing up for the challenge.

I completed NaNoWriMo last year, and I have to say it was the most invigorating writing experience of my life. Would I do it again? Absolutely.


Dr. Wicked is a scream. His Write or Die program goads you into getting the words on the page no matter what. I suggest giving it a test run - pick an EasyStreet prompt, then fly over the Dr. Wicked and choose your setting. "Kamikaze" is my favorite, but there are three other levels of goading to choose from. I promise, you'll slam it out.


So where do all the published writers hang out? In the Red Room. Join this community to keep up with your favorites or sign yourself up as a resident writer. This site offers blogs, podcasts, videos, everything. Note: if you teach writing or literature, sign up now.

On the Veranda is a weekly collection of fabulous online finds for the creatively inclined. I'm always stumbling across this and that, so now it's time to share a few things with you. Look for online communites, publishing info, and crazy-fun sites.

Why the veranda? Because it's Sunday and I'm out here writing, creating, enjoying the inspirational abracadabra of scribbling outside the usual box. Visit these sites and go make something today. You deserve it.


I saw this on CNN yesterday and rushed to the the computer for the site. Louder Than Words Memoir Series has been on Youtube and will begin publication this month. Editors are taking new teen writers now. I'll let them tell you.

"What do you get when you give talented teen girl writers a chance to share their life story with the world? The first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs . . . Louder Than Words. Inside each Louder Than Words book, authors share their powerful stories through unique prose, journal entries, and poetry."

This is ground-breaking work and a perfect opportunity for young female writers.



Write a Six Word Memoir, post it on the site, and you could be included in Smith Magazine's next book. This is another of those highly addictive scribbling projects. This time, though, you could see yourself in print. Not bad.

Artists, I haven't forgotten you. Either I'm totally out of my element, or the internet is out to get me. Every art site I find is either a gallery or uninteresting. If you're an artist of any kind and know of some fabulous communities (other than DeviantArt), inspirational websites, or something that's just plain fun, let us all know and I'll feature them.

On the Veranda is a weekly collection of fabulous online finds for the creatively inclined. I'm always stumbling across this and that, so now it's time to share a few things with you. Look for online communites, publishing info, and crazy-fun sites.

Why the veranda? Because it's Sunday and I'm out here writing, creating, enjoying the inspirational abracadabra of scribbling outside the usual box. My veranda's not terribly impressive. Yours might not be, either. Who cares. Visit a few of these sites and go make something today. You deserve it.

(Note: There's still a daily writing prompt. I'll never shortchange you. Pinky-promise.)

If you write, then bookmark or subscribe to Websites for Writers. It's a clearinghouse of all the best writing sites out there. I'm in love with this and check it every day.


What can you say in 100 Words? This is a social network where writers have a chance to answer the question and post their work. I can't tell you how much fun this is - you'll just have to jump on board. Warning: This is more addictive than haiku.


Artists, blow off a little creative steam and doodle. The Box Doodle Project is almost more fun than is legal - and you can keep those doodles. Just promise you'll post a link to your doodle here so we can all admire your handiwork.

Now, go enjoy yourself.