Writing
Find Your Writing Inspiration (Prosers & Poets)
JamieG, 20 from Phoenix, AZ, USA writes...
A site rec for people who like to write fiction (prose), but maybe don't always have the inspiration:
http://community.livejournal.com/tamingthemuse/
It's a community on LiveJournal, and the entire concept is that every week a new prompt is posted. Members have one week to write a story relating to that prompt (in theme, using the word, or something else) that fits certain other criteria (it has to be readable/spellchecked, it has to be a certain length). The trick is, though, that you're supposed to do this every single week. If you do it for a certain number of weeks, you can start to get awards (which are essentially bragging rights and a pretty banner).
Janet says...
If anyone wants to give this a shot and write some stories based on prompts from this community, please feel free to use the submission form at the bottom of the page to share them with the rest of the PurplePJs community! We love to showcase the work of our readers!Tags: prosers poets, writing, prose, writing communities
Changing Directions: From Middle School to Grad School ()
I came across PurplePJs, then known as Cybergrrlz, not long after it began in 1997. I was 10, maybe 11. I can’t even imagine that. Now, I’m 23. I’m not in the middle school years. In fact, I barely remember them. Today, I’ve got a master’s degree, am working on a doctorate, have a “real” job, and am trying to work my way to the top of the transportation field. Boy, how things have changed!
But this isn’t all about me. Rather, it’s now about what I can do for you. In the past, we’d post generic articles about school or work. And you know what? You could have found those articles anywhere. Now, it’s about telling the next generation of PurplePJs what works and doesn’t work from personal experience—both on the job and in school.
But still, it’s not just about me. If any of you out there feel like you could teach others based on your life experiences, we’d love to have you as part of our writing staff. With a goal to offer young women (and smarter guys!) a place like no other to be themselves and learn from each other—a REAL online community, not a suburb where you’re simply eyeballing your neighbor from afar—we sincerely invite your application to write on our staff. In your application email just give us a taste of what you’d like to write about! Diversity is desired! There is no minimum or maximum age for writers, either! Whether you’re 14 and a master of how to succeed in middle school or a college student that can tell the world how to do freshman year right, you’re wanted here.
Meanwhile, you’ll start seeing the lessons I’ve learned while trying to apply myself and succeed. I hope this shift in content is refreshing for readers, and as always I welcome your feedback.
Tags: school, life, purplepjs, coming of age, writing