Winners of the #WEP #AllYouNeedIsLove Challenge for February 2022!

Hi everyone, Jemi here!

Weren't those stories inspired by the first prompt of the Year of Music wonderful?! We at WEP thoroughly enjoyed the reading and seeing how many ways the prompt took you!

Thank you all for writing blurbs/taglines for the stories. Don't worry, if you forgot, we've always got your back. 

We had another fabulous collection of stories inspired by the prompt. We have so many strong writers contributing. Thank you all for sharing your words!

LG Keltner - Conversation Hearts - A poem inspired by candy hearts

Jemi Fraser - Grams - Lessons from the Beatles and Grams

Denise Covey - Learning How To Be You - There comes a time to stop running and embrace life 

Damyanti Biswas - Bar Girl - It is not, until it is

Bernadette Braganza - Love is Not All You Need - A party planner learns to plan for the inevitable party pooper

Nilanjana Bose - Dead Lake  Eyes - A family’s love in all its facets

Shannon Lawrence - All The Time In The World - Sometimes love requires creative measures

Olga Godim - A Quest for a Finder - The mother’s love can’t be denied

Pat Garcia - The Harlot and Her Scarlet Cord - One ounce of love is all you need

Jamie - All You Need is Love and Conflict - Love writing well

Michelle Wallace - Love The Second Time Round - They fell in love as teens, but their families tore them apart

Kalpana - All We Need Is Love - A poem exploring love for our planet

Anstice Brown - All You Need is (Self) Love - Is unconditional love for our children all we need to be a good parent?

NR Williams - Love, love, love! - When love comes around again

Debbie D - All You Need Is Love - The Beatles got it wrong. Or did they?

Carole Stolz - All You Need Is Love - Relationships trump over possessions or hobbies every time

Roland Clarke - Freyja’s Tears - Gold medals are gifted through divine skills and love

Shilpa Gupte - The Dilemma - Haven and hell 

Sonia Dogra - Wild Flowers In The Woods  - Of birthdays and expectations

J Lenni Dorner -Julie Ette - Shakespearean inspiration for love being all you need, with a viral twist

Sally Stackhouse - Walter and Sarah - An abiding love in times of trouble

Pennie Nichols - All You Need Is Love - Love restored

Jackie Begue -All You Need Is Love - Love is really the answer

Hilary Melton-Butcher - All You Need Is Love - These boots were made for walking…

Ornery Owl - An Underrated Quality - It's a poem addressing the fact that when people hear the word "love" they usually think of romantic love…What we need is empathy.

SHORTLIST

Our wonderful judge Nick Wilford has helped us whittle down the shortlist to 3. This month the whole WEP team chose virtually the same 3 or 4 entries.  As always, there were pieces we all loved that did not make the list, so do not despair if you don't see your entry listed here. Maybe next time.

COMMENTING

Thank you once again to all of you who continue to comment widely! Commenting is a major part of WEP's success. The feedback you give your fellow writers helps them improve their craft, and the words of encouragement help to motivate and inspire.

CRITIQUE PRIZE

The winner of each challenge gets the opportunity to receive a critique prize if they have a piece of writing ready, whether it be a full manuscript, a short story or an article. They also get the opportunity to write a guest post for WEP on a topic of their own choice. If a winner has no work for critique, please let us know so we can pass the opportunity on to the next on the list. We need you to contact the editor right away, then send your work in under three months at the most. Editors are busy people who need to plan, so please respect their time.

Our sidebar proudly displays everyone who is offering critique prizes for 2021. You are welcome to contact any of the editors with a request for work. 

The February Prize is a 10k critique by Lynda Dietz!!

Lynda is the editor from Easy Reader Editing Website 

NOW LET'S CONGRATULATE OUR WINNERS!

THE WINNER OF FEBRUARY 2022'S CHALLENGE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE IS:

Congratulations, Sally, for your entry, 

Walter and Sarah

Nick wrote: "This really hits hard given the current situation in Ukraine. Beautiful and heartbreaking."

Sally, please post your badge on your blog and link the badge to your winning entry. Enjoy the critique prize or pass it on if you have no body of work ready. We eagerly await your Guest Post on a topic of your choice!

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF FEBRUARY 2022'S CHALLENGE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE  IS:

Congratulations, Michelle, for your entry, 

Love The Second Time Around

.

Nick wrote: "Very fun with a bouncy rhythm. Shades of Romeo and Juliet although I'm glad there's a happy ending!"

Michelle, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog. Congratulations!

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD WINNER FOR FEBRUARY 2022'S CHALLENGE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE IS:

Congratulations, Anstice, for your stunning entry, 

All You Need is (Self) Love.

Nick wrote: "A reminder that self-love is important as well and a good message to pass on."

Anstice, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog.

~*~

Nick also commented: "Great stuff here. Looking forward to the next round!."

We agree - so many amazing stories and writers!

Read amazing entries from our WEP FEBRUARY 2021 ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/02/winners-of-wep-allyouneedislove.html

#WEPFF ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE winners announced @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/02/winners-of-wep-allyouneedislove.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

Come congratulate our FEBRUARY winners!. #WEPFF ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/02/winners-of-wep-allyouneedislove.html

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Join us in April for our next Year of Music challenge!

Jemi, for ...

#WEP 2022 Introduces the Year of Music Challenges with All You Need Is Love - Sign Up Here!

        

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Welcome to the February Challenge! Jemi here. This is the first post in our Year of Music and we can't wait to see the stories these songs  inspire!

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Please Note:

CRITIQUES

This is a most vital part of participation, but it has also proven to be why folks walk away from participation.

Please be courteous with your words!

For the WEP, a critique is:

Constructive feedback or positive reinforcement of the writer while helping reign in problems or giving helpful suggestions.

The point is to be helpful, not hurtful.

The WEP is a place where writers can confidently share their work without fear of harsh words or biting feedback. No matter what the choice is by the author of the type of critique.

Check the Menu Items Under The Critique for more information!

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Please remember to include a blurb/tagline with your story! 

Short and sweet. A tagline doesn't have to tell the story. It captures the theme. Go on, give it a try!!!! 

February's Prize:

The February Prize is a 10k critique by Lynda Dietz!!

Lynda is the editor from Easy Reader Editing. 

Lynda provides editing that covers many levels, from line edits & copyedits to partial manuscript evaluations and beta reading. She'll tidy up your blog posts, read through your website content, and check for errors in your query letter or newsletter, too.

Easy Reader Editing Website

You've got to be in it to win it!

THE APRIL CHALLENGE

From our CHALLENGES 2022 PAGE

A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall has been described as the ‘most idiosyncratic protest song ever written.’ Bob Dylan, the Nobel Laureate and another 60's icon, wrote, composed and sung it in 1962 when he was only 21. It’s been covered by many artistes including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and has never really stopped being sung ever since. Dylan has sold  more than 125 million records/albums making him one of the most popular artistes of all time.  

This one is wide open to all kinds of interpretations. Because human suffering – it’s as wide, deep and long as life is, of a trillion takes potential.

Happy writing!

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WEP writing prompt All You Need is Love @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/01/wep-2022-introduces-year-of-music.html Sign up February 16-18! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry 

Get your thinking caps on for All You Need Is Love @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/01/wep-2022-introduces-year-of-music.html Sign up February 16-18! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner @jemifraser, for the next Challenge of 2022, February's All You Need Is Love. Sign up and Post February 16-18! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/01/wep-2022-introduces-year-of-music.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Write with @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner @jemifraser, for the February challenge All You Need Is Love! Sign up and post on February 16-18! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/01/wep-2022-introduces-year-of-music.html 

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We are looking forward to seeing where this month's prompt takes you! 

#WEPwinner #guestpost - #Anstice Brown - Wellbeing for Writers During Challenging Times

Hello there! 

How are you doing in times of Coronavirus? Hope you're all safe and well and protecting yourself by social distancing. Thankfully, online pursuits can go ahead. 

We're running late this month. But we have a treat for you today as this month's winner of Cafe Terrace, Anstice Brown, has prepared a wonderful guest post, reaching out to writers at this challenging time. 

Thank you Anstice!

Wellbeing for Writers During Challenging Times

With all the fear and uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, I wanted to contribute something positive for my fellow writers, so here are my tips for staying creative in these difficult times.

Start Small

With everything that’s going on, you could forgive your muse for forgetting to turn up to duty. Your strict writing schedule may need to be abandoned in favour of a more flexible approach. Try setting a timer for short intervals and writing without allowing yourself to edit. Online writing sprints can help with motivation, as can having a writing buddy to cheer you on and hold you accountable.

Make Contingency Plans

Planning can make you feel more in control of your situation. It’s not helpful to dwell on worst-case scenarios, but if you have looming deadlines, you should discuss your options with your editor or publisher. It might be possible to extend deadlines or postpone things in the event of illness or ongoing social distancing. Planning for it now will reduce your anxiety about what might go wrong in the future.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome

If your day job is currently suspended, you are probably juggling working-from-home, housework and home-schooling your kids. You might need to think outside the box when it comes to finding the time to write. Meetings with your writing crew will have to be via video call from now on (Microsoft Teams is a brilliant tool for this).

However, this unique situation does offer some interesting opportunities for book marketing as the majority of people will be at home and needing entertainment. Here are some ideas:

●      Run an offer or giveaway for your books.

●      Hold an online launch party or author event. You could invent your own hashtag for the occasion, make custom graphics, run giveaways and fan art competitions and post fun excerpts on your blog.

●      Video yourself reading from your book or host a writing webinar and share across social media to generate a buzz.

●      Put together a free pack of bookish resources for school students.

●      Look into writing for Chatables (https://www.chatables.com/), Amazon Alexa’s new conversational storytelling feature. 

Be Kind to Yourself

Writers are often self-critical but it’s now more important than ever to prioritise our mental and physical wellbeing. Writing should be a welcome escape, so if it’s adding to your stress, I’d suggest you take a break. Soak up some sunshine in your garden, stretch your body, get creative with your kids or lose yourself in a good book. 

Reach Out

Now is the perfect time to connect with an online writing group like the WEP, IWSG (https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/)  or the #WritingCommunity on Twitter. Join in with online events such as Camp NanoWrimo (https://campnanowrimo.org/) in April/July or The Blogging from A-Z Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/) in April to give you a boost of motivation.

We all have to stick together through these challenging times. If you feel yourself struggling, please reach out to someone for support. Stay safe and write on everyone.

Author Bio

Anstice Brown has a BA in Literature and Philosophy and adores her role as a Literacy Learning Assistant. She lives in England with her wonderful husband, daughter and their mischievous cat, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. Her short story “Sea of Sorrows” appears in the IWSG anthology Masquerade: Oddly Suited (https://books2read.com/masqueradeoddlysuited).

Blog: https://curiousdaydreams.com/

Website: https://ansticebrown.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoransticebrown/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnsticeBrown

 Thanks Anstice!

• Please everyone, feel free to share how you're feeling. It is a trying time! WEP is a safe place. We welcome your input! Do you have any well-being hints?

See you all at our next challenge - April - Antique Vase. Eyes out for the April 1 post which will explain all, and feature two more writers who've been with WEP for 10 years!

Please tweet!

@AnsticeBrown #Covid-19 #WellbeingforWriters #WEPwinner #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/03/hello-there-how-are-you-doing-in-times.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, #@LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge