Writing Exercise
Mad Moby
In case some of you aren't aware, I'm a super nerd. I'm just a couple of grammar police convictions away from earning my cape, and I'm super excited about it. In addition to caring about the grammar of this beautiful train wreck of a language we use to make meaning out of squiggly lines, I lke the partsof speech, the way they work together, the system of language. That's why Mad Libs have always delighted me. I started this series two weeks ago as a distracton to help take the edge off waiting for challenge results. I'll post the third one today, and I'm alternating poetry and prose, so we're back to poetry in the next one.
By Harper Lewis 4 months ago in Writers
Paul and John's 47-Words Short Story Unofficial Challenge Results!
Apologies, apologies, apologies! Paul and I have finally extracted ourselves from weeks in virtual confinement in our efforts to judge 53 stellar entries to the 47-word short story unofficial challenge, 54 if you include Harper's 2nd entry (which we did not, sorry Harper, rules may be for chumps, but they are still rules).
By Paul Stewart4 months ago in Writers
The Hand That Reached Back
The path was already there, though I could not remember stepping onto it. It opened beneath my feet as if the world had been waiting for me to notice it. Grass leaned softly against my ankles, bright with the kind of green that looks impossible until it is right in front of you. The air was warm, but not heavy. Sunlight poured through the high leaves in broken streams, touching the ground in gold and then disappearing again beneath patches of shade. It was not a field, but it was open like one. It was not a forest, but it breathed like one. The place refused to be only one thing. It stretched wide enough to run and deep enough to get lost. It gave room to laugh, but kept secrets between the trees.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast4 months ago in Writers
Catching Fire
CATCHING FIRE The prompt given at our last meeting was "Catching Fire". Of all of the prompts so far this one seemed to be the hardest one to complete. I tried at least two threads of thought which led nowhere where I was comfortable. It was those two creative dead ends that resulted in:
By Alan Russell4 months ago in Writers
The Winners of the "Time Travelers Challenge"
Congratulations to all the writers who entered the Time Traveler Challenge. I and the three judges want to sincerely thank every participant for the creativity, imagination, and effort that went into each submission. The range of time periods, voices, and interpretations made this an exceptionally strong and memorable collection of poems. In fact, the judging process was incredibly difficult because so many entries stood out in powerful and unique ways. I knew this would be a hard decision and that's why I choose three judges to determine the winner.
By Tim Carmichael4 months ago in Writers
Where the Dreamwalker Treads
A Dreamwalker has the ability to enter dreams, to watch or manipulate them. Some have the power to travel to other realities. Honored in some cultures, they're feared in others. Their rituals can be simple or complex, each one personalized to the individual walker.
By Mother Combs4 months ago in Writers
Building Blocks
I grew up with this photo, framed near the front door, exactly where the incident happened. My mother was in the kitchen; I suppose she was cooking. At 3 years old, I still didn’t understand that the world didn’t revolve around me. After being exiled from said kitchen, I immediately came up with plans to gain her attention. My beautiful pink dress didn’t seem to be working anymore. Then it came to me, “the front door!” If I were to build something here, everyone would have to notice. I was lacking some tools. I only came prepared with my wooden building blocks, each one with a soft velvet outline in the shape of numbers or the American alphabet. All my other toys were in the playroom, just down the hall, but I was running out of time! I could hear The Doors playing softly in the background, and that meant dinner time was minutes away. I started by stacking 5 blocks, one on top of the other. Then it finally happened, my Picasso moment.
By Whitney Louise4 months ago in Writers
Lit Lit 1 Results
Last week, I began a new series here: literary Mad Libs. I used Shakespeare's Sonnet XXVIII for this one. I think I will alternate between poetry and prose for this. I only had three participants, but that's okay; this is something I expect to slowly build momentum, not become an overnight phenom. Okay, Leslie, Mikey, and Paul all played. Here are their results. Please vote for your favorite in the comments.
By Harper Lewis 4 months ago in Writers
Leadership Summit 2026 Highlights Strategies To Navigate Economic Downturns Without Losing Momentum
Economic downturns are inevitable, but losing momentum is not. The difference between organizations that stall and those that grow during uncertainty often comes down to leadership strategy. As per the highlights shared by the experts of the upcoming leadership summit, such as the CXO 2.0 Conference, smart leaders do not just react to downturns. They reposition, optimize, and prepare for the next wave of growth.
By CXO 2.0 Conference4 months ago in Writers
Authorship vs Refinement
Much of the confusion surrounding artificial intelligence and writing comes from a failure to distinguish between two fundamentally different acts: originating ideas and refining their expression. These acts are often treated as interchangeable, as though whoever touches the final form must also be the source of the thought itself. That assumption does not reflect how writing has ever worked, nor does it reflect how human thinking actually unfolds.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast4 months ago in Writers
