Showing posts with label #poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #poetry. Show all posts

Saturday, 1 April 2023

WEP - APRIL CHALLENGE "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL". What inspires you about this film? Write for us ...

WELCOME TO APRIL'S WEP CHALLENGE!
It's a new season!
A new prompt
ISN'T LIFE BEAUTIFUL!

Renee here! In my neck of the woods, it's spring, but Down Under it's fall/autumn. Both inspire beauty in all its glory. So, please write for us. Show us what inspires you! What makes your life beautiful?

XXX

* Did you catch our first 'How-to' post? We started with member Nancy William's story of how after writing all these years, she finally found a way to make some money. Catch Nancy's article HERE.

** Did you take note that WEP winners will be invited to submit their story for the WEP Anthology, an ebook, out early 2024? Stories will go through an editing process so they're publication ready, following the rigorous process used by the IWSG Anthology team. A committee will be formed to expedite the stories for publication. So if you've not been published, this is your chance to gain a publication credit. 




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

~*~

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


This month's prize is from our IWSG liaison and friend of WEP, multi-published author C Lee McKenzie. 
It's always a treat when she writes

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.


 Links:

Ezvid Wiki features DOUBLE NEGATIVE in its TOP TEN Stunning YA Books That Chronicle The Tough Realities of Growing Up.

~~**~~

COMMENTING
Commenting is the lifeblood of WEP. We are a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, and put forth your latest WIP for feedback.

If you have trouble commenting on blogs, please continue to leave a comment here (we're fortunate that Google hasn't messed up our commenting here) or on our C-Box. And if your blog comments are down and you have a blogger blog, consider changing your comment settings to Pop-ups, not embedded, temporarily, until google provides a fix.
~~*~~


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

 

 To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<!-- start InLinkz script -->

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829655"></script>

<!-- end InLinkz script -->


Wishing you a fabulous APRIL
spring or fall. 
Bring on the entries!

Our next movie prompt is for June. How about this?


Post - June 21st  to the 23rd 2023


LE VIE EST BELLE!
Renee for the team:


Tuesday, 31 January 2023

WEP - FEBRUARY CHALLENGE "GONE WITH THE WIND". What inspires you about this film? Write for us ...

 

~*~~*~~*~~*~

Denise here for our first challenge of 2023!

Hope your holiday season was fun and relaxing.  WEP welcomes you to the Year of Movies! We're so excited! Hope you are too! Here is the whole year in a badge, proudly created by WEP's Olga Godim.



But first, we have ...

TEAM WEP NEWS!

- We have created a new website. Do you like our new look? Let us know.

- Notice the gorgeous new badges in our sidebar created by Olga? Choose which of the two you like best and if you're 'proud to be a WEP writer', please post it in your sidebar linking to WEP.

- Laura has taken a leave of absence to care for her family whilst working night shift. She'll be back when she sorts her work/life balance. Take this opportunity to say thank you to Laura for the stellar job she's done for WEP these past years. We look forward to working with Laura again.

- To help ease the load, Team WEP has taken on Sonia Dogra as a trainee. Sonia volunteered to help in any way she could when she saw my blog post about the ups and downs of WEP these past months when life just got too much for many of us. However, we have collectively stood up, brushed ourselves off, and are powering ahead to provide a supportive online writing community of which we can all be proud. Most of you will know Sonia, but here she is in her own words:


Sonia is an accidental poet and short story writer based in Delhi. Her writings have appeared and are forthcoming in The Kali Project, Write in Power, Amity, Kitaab, Tell Me Your Story, Recipe for a Perfect Marriage, A Body of Memories, The Hooghly Review & Flash Flood Journal among others. An ex-educator, copyeditor and nature enthusiast, she dreams of owning a book cafĂ© in the hills. She can be followed on A Hundred Quills (https://soniadogra.com).


Welcome Sonia!

This unfortunate upheaval in late 2022 has forced each one of us to take stock. We find that most of us are at a stage where, for one reason or another – new jobs, new family circumstances or life events - our tranche of time devoted to WEP is no longer as wide or flexible as previously. We agree that we fill a need for many. Whose writing doesn't improve when every two months you find inspiration to write to a prompt? Over the years we've seen such an improvement in each of you. Reading your entries is one of our favorite things!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

           
CHANGES FOR 2023!

There will be several changes to WEP this year. We need a different iteration to suit the changed circumstances of our team members and that is what we present to you in WEP Challenges 2023!

The Changes

1. 5 Judged Challenges instead of 6.

2. No Challenge for December but a Christmas Party post instead. Check the December badge - Over to You. That is exactly it. Over to You to write about your favorite movie of all time.

3.  No winner's guest post. Instead, a team member will write a 'How-to' post outlining something they've already tried and found successful. Or they may share a post you will find interesting/educational/motivational. If there's something you'd especially like to share in the guest post format, email Denise - den.covey@gmail.com

4.  Critique prizes remain. We have some sought-after prizes this year as always. Check our sidebar. Remember, if you have no WIP ready, please pass on the prize to the runner up and so forth. We encourage you to check out the editors in our sidebar and contact them if you need their services.

5. To replace the winner's guest post, for the 3 winners each challenge there is the option to be included in a WEP Anthology which will be published in early 2024. Here is your chance to garner a publishing credit if you are not yet published.



~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

So, let's do this!


Image courtesy of Freepix


All our challenges in 2023 have the theme, the Year of Movies. As it's Valentine's month, we kick off with the classic Gone With the Wind. Both the movie and the book have broken all sales records so is worthy of its Number One slot. 

From our Challenges 2023 page, use or discard ideas as you wish. Your interpretation of the prompt is totally up to you as long as it is obviously inspired by the image and blurb in some way. 

Nila's blurb says of Gone With the Wind:

Remember, it's all about what inspires YOU:

GWTW can be the springboard for a million ideas- civil war, love, the definition of beauty (‘Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful but men seldom realized it..’), racism, slavery, strong women, gun violence, plantations, breaking conventions, the bond between fathers and daughters, mothers and daughters, the love for a piece of land, a lament for a vanishing society…alternatively, even an essay on the stars or the film director or the author Margaret Mitchell or some aspect of the making of the film...endless opportunities for creativity.

Post - February 15 to the 17th 2023

Don't forget your tagline at the beginning or ending of your entry!! 

~*~


The February prize:

The 3 winners have the option of being published in a WEP Anthology.

The outright winner receives a Critique Prize from our stable of generous editors and authors.

This month's prize is from a contributor to the IWSG, L. Diane Wolfe.

 

L. Diane is the owner of Dancing Lemur Press LC, professional speaker, & author, She  also conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG).

 


http://www.dancinglemurpressllc.com/ - Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C

http://www.spunkonastick.net/ - Spunk On A Stick

http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ - Insecure Writer’s Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/l.diane.wolfe - Facebook

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC4SRKH2
iTunes - 
https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6443336227
Barnes & Noble - 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165920110
Kobo - 
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844903




In Darkness: The Vampire. First in Diane's In Darkness series.

 

Souls shrouded in darkness…

 

Stuck working as a barmaid for her demanding father, Anna dreams of adventure. When mysterious strangers enter the bar, she overhears they seek Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library. Taking her chance, she offers to guide them. The conditions: deliver Zancrela or die.

 

As they journey through the wilderness, she discovers their secret: they are vampires. And most view her as food. One takes interest in her and her heart dares to hope, but it might not be enough to change her fate. Will Anna find Zancrela or become a vampire morsel?


Other books in the series ...




~*~



COMMENTING
Commenting is the lifeblood of WEP. We are a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, put forth your latest WIP for feedback.

If you have trouble commenting on blogs, please continue to leave a comment here (we're fortunate that Google hasn't messed up our commenting here) or on our C-Box. And if your blog comments are down and you have a blogger blog, consider changing your comment settings to Pop-ups, not embedded, temporarily, until google provides a fix.





We'd love if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network!

WEP movie #writingprompt February 2023 "GONE WITH THE WIND" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-february-challenge-gone-with-wind.html Sign up & post-February 15 thru 17th! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for February 2023's first movie prompt "GONE WITH THE WIND" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-february-challenge-gone-with-wind.htmlSign up & post your entry February 15th thru 17th! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the first movie Challenge of 2023, "GONE WITH THE WIND". Sign up and post your entry February 15th thru 17th https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-february-challenge-gone-with-wind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

Check out #stories of #love, #loss, #racism, #war @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the February movie challenge "GONE WITH THE WIND https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-february-challenge-gone-with-wind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

 

 To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<!-- start InLinkz script -->

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829532"></script>

<!-- end InLinkz script -->


Wishing you a fabulous February at WEP. Bring on the entries!

Our next movie prompt is for April. How about this?


Post - April 19th  to the 21st 2023

At the basic level, Life is Beautiful is about protecting children from the trauma of war, about paternal love, about one family's struggle for survival amidst the horrors of the concentration camp. 


Denise for:


Friday, 1 October 2021

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

 Welcome to the October Challenge!

*** ***

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!


***

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 16th/17th 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 


To Post our Link, use this:

<!-- start InLinkz script -->

<script type="text/javascript">

document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=827438&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');

</script>

<!-- end InLinkz script -->

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