WHAT INSPIRES?
Photo by Daniela Paola Alchapar on Unsplash
At the basic level, Life is Beautiful is about protecting children from the trauma of war, paternal love, and one family's struggle for survival amidst the horrors of the concentration camp.
The setting for the film is WWII and the Holocaust, and the wider issues surrounding them. But war and weaponry aren't the focus, more on using wit and humor as weapons. It's the story of Guido, a Jewish young man set in 1939 in fascist Italy. He meets Dora, a woman from an upper-class family and so, out of his reach. But he wins her over gradually by arranging 'accidental' meetings.
They marry, run a bookshop, have a son, and...life is beautiful. This idyll is rudely interrupted by Guido and his son being captured suddenly and sent to a concentration camp. Guido seeks to protect the child from the harshness of camp life by making it into a game.
In the end, Life is Beautiful teaches us that with courage, humor, and love, the most daunting of challenges can be overcome. That love doesn't balk at sacrifice and can triumph even over death.
As with all our prompts - there are many potential directions to explore. First, the indirect - the setting: war, fascism, the Holocaust, Italy. Any of them can inspire a flash or a poem. The underpinning issues of World War II or any war - the racism, the random cruelty, the injustice, the tragedy, the humor and poetry, and other spinoffs. Then there is the direct, intimate angle - the not-so-rich-boy-meets-upper-class-girl motif. There's the bond between father and son to weave into a story. The games adults play with (their) children. The desire to safeguard one's own, even at the cost of death. Countless possibilities.
Go HERE to our Challenges 2023 Page to read about ALL our prompts for the year!
Post - April 19th to 21st 2023
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WEP NEWS!
Did you receive the WEP Survey? We at Team WEP want to make your experience writing for us as fulfilling as possible. We have begun collating answers which we will share with you at a later date.
CRITIQUE PRIZE
Lee says:
When I’m not writing, I’m hiking or traveling, or practicing yoga. I love to eat, I love being with friends, and while I’m not a snob about it, I appreciate good wine.
I live in a forest and don’t exactly hate cities, but I can only take them in short stays before I itch to return to where there’re trees or an ocean.
Ezvid Wiki features DOUBLE NEGATIVE in its TOP TEN Stunning YA Books That Chronicle The Tough Realities of Growing Up.
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We'd love if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network!
WEP movie #writingprompt April 2023s "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/04/wep-april-challenge-life-is-beautiful.html Sign up & post-April 19th thru 21st! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction
Get your thinking caps on for April 2023s movie prompt "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/04/wep-april-challenge-life-is-beautiful.html Sign up & post your entry April 19th thru 21st! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction
Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the second movie Challenge of 2023, "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL". Sign up and post your entry April 19th thru 21st https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/04/wep-april-challenge-life-is-beautiful.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.
Check out #stories of #love, #loss, #sacrifice, & #war @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the April movie challenge "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL" https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/04/wep-april-challenge-life-is-beautiful.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction
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Post - June 21st to the 23rd 2023
I look forward to lots of delicious reading.
ReplyDeleteHey, Sue! Me too. It's an interesting prompt. So happy to see you here!
DeleteLooking forward to the challenge. I tried to use my Q excerpts, but that didn't work. So I went with my Lenni-Lenape roots for a flash fiction. 🤞🏽 Hopefully it goes well enough with the theme. I hadn't heard of this movie before, and couldn't find it streaming anywhere. 😕🤷🏽♂️
ReplyDeleteIt's April, so I'm focused on the #AtoZChallenge.
Proof of Existence, book two in my dark urban fantasy series, is out this month. Very exciting.
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Reference& Speculative Fiction Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge
I've no doubt that you'll have something amazing. Good luck with your challenge!
DeleteI'm so looking forward to reading Life is Beautiful stories! Don't forget to go to our CHALLENGES 2023 pages (above) for ideas, but really, whatever floats your boat!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to some wonderful reads this month!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm offering the prize for this contest, but I'd like to participate as well, just because it's such a great theme! I'll do so and disqualify myself from being considered as any kind of winner! Okay?
ReplyDeleteThat's fine Lee. Glad you're inspired by the theme this month! Consider yourself disqualified from winning!
DeleteYay! Just for the fun of writing. I love it.
DeleteHi Jen! It would be lovely to see you around the ridges and to have you participate again when you find the time/inspiration. We at WEP do our best to up the inspiration. (I know April is a terrible month, so busy with everything).
ReplyDeleteRescued comments from spam
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem. Some comments from friends went into spam. I fixed it. But I commented on C Lee McKenzie's post a couple days ago, and my comment is still invisible. In fact, she has only 2 comments visible. I don't believe only two people commented on her story. It was so warmhearted and full of humor, despite the war background. Maybe the rest of the comments are in spam too. Lee, you should check it.
ReplyDeleteI checked Lee and she now has 25 comments showing, including yours, Olga. Who knows what's going on. We need to be so diligent.
DeleteThis sounds so interesting
ReplyDeletehttps://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/05/how-to-know-that-you-are-addicted-to-nzu.html