#WEP 2021 Continues the Artistic Inspiration for October - THE SCREAM! Sign up here. Write your own #tagline!

 Welcome to the October Challenge!

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The link above opens for submissions on October 20 @ Midnight!

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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BLURBS ARE BACK, BUT WITH A DIFFERENCE!

We need your help. Give us your own tagline for the piece you've submitted. All writers know it's an essential part of the writing process when giving your pitch or submitting to agents and editors. 

So here's your opportunity to practice.

An example of a #tagline from Denise's Paris Dreams novel:

"Sometimes, a new life comes at a cost."

Here's an example from my first novel: Murder, Madness & Love:

"After a gritty detective becomes involved with a beautiful widow, rumor and obsession obstruct his quest for justice."

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

Jemi Fraser will collect/collate your taglines during the reading process. They will then be posted in the October winners post. 

October's Prize:

The October Prize is a Beta Read and critique or a content edit of a short story or novel by Yolanda Renée.

Author of a suspenseful romance series, she's all about keeping the reader guessing and the intensity high.

Her latest novel, A Passion for Murder, was called "A Captivating Thriller" by reviewer Mason Canyon.

Amazon     Blog     Facebook     Twitter

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

THE DECEMBER CHALLENGE

Note the Posting Dates!!!!!!

From our CHALLENGES 2021 PAGE

This one depicts a classic subject by an Italian Master and needs no introduction. Narcissus is a well-known character from Greek mythology – his story has been repurposed and retold all through the ages. Caravaggio was one of the prime movers of the Italian art scene of the 16^th/17^th century, and a good few of his artworks are based on the classics. He was a controversial figure in his lifetime but has come to be recognized as an artist with far-reaching influence on modern painting. He was a master of chiaroscuro and developed the use of shadows in art.

This particular painting can be interpreted in many ways – will you update Narcissus' story to fit a modern timeline?

Or retell it from a different angle/POV,  perhaps a Narcissa instead?

Explore the mental disorder that is known after Narcissus and its impact on caregivers/physicians/family?

Or perhaps go in a different direction entirely - make Narcissus quite incidental to the story – maybe the painting is only a prop in the setting?

Remember, there is no right or wrong interpretation. You can make the prompt front and center of your entry. Or not. Totally your call. Think out of the box, or rather, frame – and delight us with yours.

Happy writing!

We'd love if you'd Tweet Tweet Tweet

some / all of these:

WEP writing prompt The Scream @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/10/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html Sign up October 20-22! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry 

Get-your-thinking-caps on for The Scream @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/10/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html Sign up October 20-22! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, for the next Challenge of 2021, October's The Scream. Sign up and Post October 20-22! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/10/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Write with @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, for the October challenge The Scream! Sign up and post on October 20-22! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/10/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html 

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

#WEP #WINNER's #GUESTPOST - Kalpana Misra's Alphabet Circles

Hello everyone! Laura here!

As you all know, the winner of the WEP challenge gets the opportunity to write a guest post. Kalpana Misra's piece Landai moved readers with its portrayal of women in Afghanistan and the power of their poetry. Our judge Nick Wilford said, "This really brought home the terrible reality of what is happening in Afghanistan and how women's voices, which are already clandestine, might be snuffed out completely once again. This shows poetry as a mighty act of resistance."

Today Kalpana talks a bit about a Kashmiri poet named Zareefa. Take it away, Kalpana!

Alphabet Circles

The JCB Prize longlist came out last week. It brought with it feelings of despair. It’s a prize awarded to an Indian author writing in English as well as translations from Indian languages to English. You can read some extracts here. My daughter’s astonishingly good first novel, The Heart Asks Pleasure First couldn’t be considered because she doesn’t have an Indian passport although she lives in India. I don’t know if books should be judged on your nationality.  I know there are excellent reasons for these rules but it is disappointing. Being published as an Indian writer in English isn’t that simple.

So it was all doom and gloom for me in the past week and I didn’t want to read any of the JCB books apart from the translations from Malayalam.

I thought about the Landai the Afghan women write and recite in the face of so much opposition and danger, and my spirits lifted slightly. Here were women who believed in literature enough to defy the patriarchy that blanketed their country. Patriarchy that isn’t only in our part of the world. I went back to Tara Westover and Educated and thought about what it must have taken out of her to write that memoir that made her family cut her off even more effectively than before. Into this frame of mind,  came an article about a 63-year-old Kashmiri woman poet, Zareefa,   who never learnt to write. Her only language is Kashmiri, that’s all she speaks and the government, trying to make that language obsolete, as well as the men who kept her home from school because she was a girl combined their forces to ensure she never learnt to read and write. She didn’t need to. Poems and ghazals just came to her.  But she kept forgetting her poems and wasn’t happy with her children’s methods of recording them - either writing them down for her or making audio recordings. So she invented her own alphabet of circles, which only she can interpret, and through this sign language she reads out her poems.

I was so moved by this story and Zareefa’s tremendous love for her writing that my bad mood and petulance were completely washed away like a cool mountain breeze washing away the city’s pollution.

It is, of course, nice to be recognised, to win prizes, to have people talk about your books and buy them in huge numbers and I’m not ashamed of saying I want that for my daughter. And for me, when I do get published.  But it is easier to make oneself happy thinking of women like Zareefa.

Kalpana is a poet, writer and journalist who got waylaid by teaching. She has recently broken out of this hostage situation and begun to write seriously again. She is half German, half Indian and lives in New Delhi India with her three indoor cats. She is co-owned by four other feral cats. Her three children are far away now but used to be her entire life. She’s still getting used to cooking for one person. Kalpana is nibbling away at her novel, which is always ‘almost ready’. She might be a perfectionist.

She has been widely published in Indian magazines and newspapers.

Blog: https://www.kalpanawrites.com

Some of her work is visible on https://kalpanamisra.contently.com/

Newsletter: https://kalpanamisra.substack.com/

~*~

Thank you for your guest post, Kalpana. Isn't the power of Zareefa's love for her craft inspiring?

We'd love for you to tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

@Kalpanapster #WEPFREEDOMOFSPEECH #WEPwinner #guestpost Alphabet Circles https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/09/wep-winners-guestpost-kalpana-misras.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge

@Kalpanapster #WEPFREEDOMOFSPEECH #WEPwinner Landai #guestpost Alphabet Circles https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/09/wep-winners-guestpost-kalpana-misras.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge

Learn about an inspiring poet with @Kalpanapster #WEPFREEDOMOFSPEECH #WEPwinner #guestpost Alphabet Circles https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/09/wep-winners-guestpost-kalpana-misras.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge

~*~

Our next challenge is just around the corner! We hope you will all consider joining us for our October challenge, The Scream! We'll post about it on October 1st!

See you all there!

#WEP 2021 Continues the Artistic Inspiration- FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Sign up here

 

The link above opens for submissions on August 18th!

*IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BELOW~

It's time for the fourth challenge of 2021, FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

We hope you're enjoying the Year of Art

Laura is the host for this month. All of our challenges this year have been blessed with enthusiastic participation and wonderful entries. We hope you will continue that with FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Given the importance of this topic, we have no doubt that you will all give us your best work.

So, this is how it goes. There will be a:

• Shortlist created by the team and judged by Nick Wilford
• Winners' post announcement which will once again include blurbs of all entries. Next challenge we will try something new re blurbs. WATCH THIS SPACE!
• Winner's Guest post on topic of their choice
• MailChimp to alert you to posts

Prizes

WEP is continuing with the popular Critique Prize for the winner along with the regular Guest Post. Each challenge, a different editor/author will offer their unique prize. Check out the sidebar for our 2021 offerings. Have some work ready! And feel free to contact any of the authors/editors with an enquiry if you have a ms you'd like edited/proofread/critiqued.

The August Prize is a first chapter critique or a query/synopsis critique from Jemi Fraser. You may recall, Jemi is a much-awarded WEP winner, which gives her the editing chops that may very well help you improve!

Jemi Fraser writes romantic suspense filled with hope, heart, and humour. Her stories combine her love of mystery with the satisfaction of a Happy Ever After. Armed with a mug of tea and freshly baked cookies, Jemi is living out her own HEA in Northern Ontario. Love is always worth the risk!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Jemi’s latest Bloo Moose Romance is Reaching For Family, available at most retailers. Number 8 in the series!

* Before we move on, we'd like to announce Jemi has joined the WEP team as an admin this month. She'll be assisting us in every area of operations. We're thankful that Jemi will take the time to interact with you all in the midst of her crazy writing and publishing schedule. As they say, ask a busy person. Welcome, Jemi!

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

THE OCTOBER CHALLENGE

From our CHALLENGES 2021 PAGE

The Scream by Edvard Munch was a shoo-in for October - this challenge is devoted to the horror genre in honour of the Halloween/Samhain/observances of the other world spirits. Go as creepy as you like. But other genres are welcome too, there’s no genre police here, except that non-negotiable no to erotica.

This is a world renowned artwork symbolising the horror and angst of the human condition. It has since its creation in 1893, become an iconic representation of modern life. Read about The Scream here.

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian born artist who split much of his working life between Berlin and Paris. Mental health issues ran in the family, so Munch had occasion so observe its effects from close proximity. He was much influenced by Impressionists and post-Impressionists such as van Gogh.

The prompt is wide open to interpretations - who will it be that screams? And why – in pain, terror or exultation?

Will it be a human scream that rends the air? Or an animal one?  Or a scream from another world altogether? Or will it be a cosmic scream of the planet?

A silent scream in colours, like the one Munch felt in a sunset sky above a fjord? Or an articulated one in sound and words? Just a gasp or piercingly loud? That’s up to you, we’ve got our ears cocked and ready listening for it.

We'd love if you'd Tweet Tweet Tweet some/all of these:

WEP writing prompt Freedom of Speech @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html Sign up August 18-20! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry

Get-your-thinking-caps-on for Freedom of Speech @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html Sign up August 18-20! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, for the next Challenge of 2021, August's Freedom of Speech. Sign up and Post August 18-20! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Write with @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, for the August challenge Freedom of Speech! Sign up and post on August 18-20! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html

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

Your host for FREEDOM OF SPEECH--

Laura, for the WEP team.

#WEP #WINNER's #GUESTPOST – Steph Wolmarans' Writing with Change in Mind

Hello everyone! Renée here! 

As you all know, the winner of the WEP Challenge gets the opportunity to write a guest post. Steph Wolmarans' story Storm of the Water Dragon moved its readers from hopelessness to hope. As our judge, Nick Wilford said: "Very imaginative and otherworldly. Impressive world-building in this short piece."

Today Steph has addressed Writing with Change in Mind. So take it away, Steph!

 Writing with Change in Mind

When I taught writing to elementary students I used to tell them no one would care about Cinderella if her father never died, or her stepsisters were really nice to her. People want to read about conflict, otherwise what is the point?

Source:

I also taught them to look for a change in the character from beginning to end when reading stories. Did the character want to change? What happened to their feelings?

I had plenty of time to think about these lessons while I worked on my manuscript this past year. I focused a lot on the story arc, character arc, and moral arc. Simply put, arcs occur because of change. The conflict causes a change or prevents it. Whichever occurs is generally the opposite of the main character’s original desire or goal.  

I feel like this is more relevant to readers today than ever before. It seems like everyone has “change” on the brain. Some fight for change, others fight to prevent it. Humans have accomplished so much by adapting to change, and preserved truly beautiful cultures by refusing to change. No matter which side of change we find ourselves on, we are generally very passionate about it.

Source:

I think because of the recent intensification of change, authors must also step up their game. Perhaps it is my personal preference, but I tend to relate better with characters in extreme situations. For this reason, I prefer speculative fiction. It provides a lens through which I can contemplate reality. The best authors create elaborate, but tidy worlds that allow readers to see the conflict with crystal clarity. The result is an emotional attachment to the characters caught in the arc of change.

I was recently stuck in a car dealer waiting room awaiting repairs. I worked on my manuscript to pass the time, but the other woman was glued to the HGTV episode. In the show, wealthy celebrities were “giving back” by fixing the yard at their friend's house. The writers for the show pulled her in by discussing all the hardships this “poor” woman had suffered with the loss of her mother and husband in the past year and her move to a smaller mansion. Each time they mentioned these hardships, the woman in the waiting room would utter a sound of sympathy. I could not help but think she was crazy for caring about this woman. Is that outdoor kitchen and luxury spa pool really going to make her life better? Obviously, the recent events in her life were tragic. If the same happened to me, I would be devastated. But I had a lot of trouble attaching to the story. They could build an entire subdivision of tiny homes for refugee families for what they spent on this woman’s backyard. Is it just me? My age or personality?  

For me, these writers failed to create a relatable story. Personally, the show would have been more enjoyable without the “story” part. It was reality TV, but it was a very narrow view of reality. That is why I like stories that push readers beyond reality. I think authors have a big challenge to keep up with the drastic changes in our world today. The next generation of readers may have trouble relating to the conflicts of yesterday. What do you think?

Source:

Steph Wolmarans is a speculative fiction author. Her short story, The Utten Mission, was recently published in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology Dark Matter:  Artificial. Steph’s flash fiction, short stories, and novel updates can be found at https://www.teasighcreate.com/.

~~***~~

Thank you so much for your guest post, Steph. How about you, readers? Is conflict key in your writing?

We'd love for you to tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

@StephWolmarans #WEPGREATWAVE #WEPwinner #guestpost Writing with Change in Mind https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-winners-guestpost-steph-wolmarans.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchalleng

@StephWolmarans #WEPGREATWAVE #WEPwinner Storm of the Water Dragon #guestpost Writing with Change in Mind https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-winners-guestpost-steph-wolmarans.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge

@StephWolmarans #WEPGREATWAVE #WEPwinner Storm of the Water Dragon #guestpost Writing with Change in Mind https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/07/wep-winners-guestpost-steph-wolmarans.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge

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Our next challenge will be here before we know it! We hope many of you will consider joining us for our August challenge. Freedom of Speech! We'll post about it on August 1.

See you all there!

Here we go again. #WEP 2021 begins with the first of our arty prompts - The Kiss! Get on board! Sign up on this post on February 17.

The link above opens for participation on February 17

Welcome everyone to WEP 2021! 

Renée and Denise are your hosts this month. We're relieved to see the end of 2020 and we're sure you are too. Here's hoping this new year will treat us kindly.

WEP is an enormous amount of work, so in the interests of the team's health and other commitments,  we're making the 1st of the month post do some heavy lifting. There will be no post on the due date. Instead, the InLinkz is embedded at the beginning of this post and will go live on the due date. 

WEP lite

We are continuing with WEP lite. This means that:

WEP is stripped of everything but the absolute essentials.

There will be no...

• Comment counting. We rely on your goodwill to read as many entries as you can, remembering how it sucks if only 2 people read yours. Don't let this happen! We applaud you for reading as many posts as you were able.
• Blurbs. Blurbs are a lot of work. We'll hold off on them again until further notice. 
• Constant post monitoring. We'll still try to check the website and C-Box as much as possible, but if you have a very urgent query, email Denise at den.covey@gmail.com or Renee at yolandarenee@hotmail.com.

There will continue to be...

• Shortlist and judging
• Winners' post announcement
• Winner's Guest post
• Mail Chimp emails (most of the time) - please check your spam folder as our emails contain links - some email providers are over zealous and send them straight to spam! 

  
  While we're talking about reading each other's entries, how about following WEP members on their blog/twitter/FB if you haven't already?

  PRIZES

  WEP is continuing with the popular Critique Prize for the winner along with the regular Guest Post. Each challenge a different editor/author will offer their unique prize. Check out the sidebar for our 2021 offereings. Have some work ready! 

   If you had a successful exchange of work with an editor/author in 2020, please email Denise on den.covey@gmail.com and tell her about it.

  
  

   MEMBER SHOUT OUT THROUGH IWSG, FACEBOOK AND WEP

  Our partners at the IWSG regularly promote WEP challenges on Facebook, so if you see them, please 'like' or leave a comment. Also, the IWSG offers us an opportunity to post our entry to a list after the challenge. So there's two opportunities to promote!

• Tell WEP about your success and struggles in the writing world. Have you published a new book? A story included in an anthology? Found an awesome editor/cover artist? Found a sure fire way to beat rejection/depression/self doubt? Drop us a few lines, along with an image and link if applicable. Email den.covey@gmail.com with the subject line: "WEP Promo".

 The February Prize is a beta read with critique or plotting advice from  

Yolanda Renée

To place her credentials before you,  Renée has (5) published novels, all part of a suspenseful/romance series set in Alaska. And she's had two short stories placed in the IWSG Anthologies. 

Renée adores writing flash fiction. Horror, romance, and mystery are favorite genres, but she loves her poetry too. Her specialty is plotting, so tell her what you need and she's there.  

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

THE FEBRUARY CHALLENGE

What could be more appropriate for Valentine month than Gustav Klimt’s  The Kiss?

This shimmery, early 20^th century painting of a couple embracing in a patch of wildflowers has riveted art afficionados  across the world for decades.

Use this amazing painting to kick off  a romantic love story of star crossed lovers. Or maybe a much married pair who’ve been together for years. Of unrequited or lost love. Or any love of the other gazillion types.

For unValentinish souls, remember that there are kisses other than romantic ones.  The kiss of life, the kiss of death, the kiss of betrayal, the angels’ kiss in spring. The mystical thousand ways of kneeling and kissing the ground.

One golden artwork, a zillion directions to go. Pick yours and run with it. We’re cheering for you. And can't wait to see what you come up with!

READ MORE IN CHALLENGES 2021

We'd love if you'd Tweet Tweet Tweet some/all of these:

WEP writing prompt The Kiss @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/02/here-we-go-again-wep-2021-begins-with.html  Sign up February 17-19th! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get-your-thinking-caps-on for The Kiss @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/02/here-we-go-again-wep-2021-begins-with.html Sign up February 17-19th! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the first Challenge of 2021, February's The Kiss. Sign up and Post February 17-19th! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/02/here-we-go-again-wep-2021-begins-with.html  #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Step into the New Year by joining @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the first challenge! The Kiss! Sign up and post on February 17-19th! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/02/here-we-go-again-wep-2021-begins-with.html  #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

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Welcome, everyone to what we hope is a

 most creative year!

Your hosts for The Kiss 

Denise & Renée.