by Naomi L. | June 1, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to June! Why don’t we start off with another post for Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I’ve been having a lot of fun with these lately, especially since they help keep me creatively inspired through a particularly stressful time. Thanks, Silver and Ronovan!
Appropriately for Memorial Day, the theme for this week was freedom! The quote I chose comes from the collection of Benjamin Franklin’s works:
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. – Benjamin Franklin
There’s an interesting history behind this quote: originally taken from a letter Franklin wrote regarding a tax dispute and the necessity of military defense, it has since become a popular saying in arguments about the risks of modern technology and surveillance, and has even been paraphrased to defend the fundamental right to privacy. Evidently there are quite a few ways to interpret this quote, which makes it great inspiration for a creative writing exercise!
So in the spirit of Memorial Day, here’s a poem I wrote inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s words on liberty and safety. Enjoy!
Liberty or Safety
If you had to choose,
Would you rather
Have Liberty
Or Safety?
Would you rather
Be free to make choices
Or be safe from their risks?
Would you rather
Be free to make mistakes
Or be safe from their consequences?
Would you rather
Be free to speak your thoughts
Or be safe from their dangers?
Would you rather
Be free to live your life
Or be safe from the fear of death?
Safety always seems appealing
To those who lack courage,
But in the end it comes
At the cost of true Liberty.
For Safety oftentimes
Is merely temporary,
But Liberty is forever
An essential right.
Those who would give up
Essential Liberty
To purchase a little
Temporary Safety
Deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | May 25, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
While work keeps me busy these next several weeks, why not help yourself to some more “What If?” Writing Prompts? Since the last set was about history, I thought today I’d continue on a similar theme and share some mythology-themed prompts. See what mythical tales you can create from these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… you were descended from a long line of legendary heroes?
What if… your best friend were a mythical creature?
What if… you discovered you had the divine power to harness the elements?
What if… you found out you were the reincarnation of an ancient hero?
What if… a god or goddess granted you a blessing of your choice?
Good luck writing more stories about mythology!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | May 18, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Who’s up for another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I know I am! With all the schoolwork taking up my time lately, it’s good to keep up on my creative inspiration now and then!
This week’s theme was change, and the quote I chose is one that’s commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
Like a certain “Dr. Seuss quote” I shared a while back, there is no evidence to support that this one was ever actually said by Gandhi, though many sources agree that it may have been paraphrased from a much longer quote of his about the possibility of changing ourselves to change the tendencies in the world:
We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do. – Mahatma Gandhi
Still, I found this famous “bumper sticker quote” too uplifting to resist, so I decided to use it anyway as inspiration for a motivational poem. Enjoy!
Be The Change
If you wish to
Change the world,
Start with yourself.
If you wish to
See more peace,
Be mindful of your actions.
Avoid resorting to violence.
Know when to be patient,
And learn how to forgive.
If you wish to
See more kindness,
Be compassionate toward others.
Smile often at strangers,
And always be there
To help your friends.
If you wish to
See more tolerance,
Be open to the new.
Don’t be quick to judge.
Exercise understanding,
And treat others as your equals.
If you wish to
See more love,
Be a caring and generous soul.
Promote affection and respect,
And always do unto others as
You would have them do unto you.
If you wish to
Change the world,
To see more peace,
More kindness,
More tolerance,
More love,
Start with yourself.
You must be the change
You wish to see
In the world.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | May 11, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
I hope you’re ready for more creative inspiration! I’ve been feeling inspired by period drama lately, so today I’m sharing a few more “What If?” Writing Prompts set to the theme of history. See what historical pieces you can create from these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… the entire European continent had developed a unified culture?
What if… the Renaissance hadn’t begun in Italy?
What if… East Asian countries had never opened their doors to Western influence?
What if… the Great War (World War I) had never happened?
What if… the United States hadn’t joined World War II?
Have fun writing more twists on history!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | May 4, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
A year ago, I shared a blog post dedicated to two of the most important people in my life: a list of lessons on romance inspired by the love I’ve seen between them my whole life. I learned almost everything I know about love from them, which is why most of the romantic stories I write are about couples who started out as friends. If my parents taught me anything about romance, it’s that the best kind of love is based on friendship!
So to honor them again this year, here’s a new list of five details of loving relationships that you’re more likely to see in couples who started as friends. Keep these in mind if you ever write romance that blossoms from friendship! Enjoy!
1) You enjoy each other’s company.
This one is a bit obvious, but it deserves to be pointed out nonetheless. You choose your friends based on how much you like them, and that depends on how much you enjoy spending time with them. Logically, the same principle should apply to romance: if you like being with your partner, you make an effort to prolong your relationship. One of the great advantages of starting out as friends is that you already know you like each other by the time you get together. When you already have fun together and make each other laugh often, the romance simply enhances an already beautiful connection. It’s like fast-forwarding through the awkward getting-to-know-you phase to the actual fun part of a relationship! Admittedly this might not be to everyone’s taste, but I highly recommend it. It worked for my parents, and it’s certainly working for me!
2) You know each other well and accept each other for who you are.
There’s nothing wrong with a little mystery in romance, but it’s so great when you don’t have to hide every little flaw you might have for fear of driving your partner away. A true friend is someone who not only knows almost everything about you, but accepts all the things that make you you, good and bad alike. In my experience, the freedom to openly express yourself and everything you like to your partner makes a relationship much more enjoyable in the long run, especially when that freedom is mutual. Let’s face it, you can’t hide your real self forever and you should never try to change yourself to please someone else, so if you’re lucky enough to fall for a friend who already loves you exactly the way you are, I say keep them!
3) You respect and value each other more.
You wouldn’t be friends with someone you don’t respect, right? So it stands to reason that if you’re romantically involved with someone you consider a friend, you’re much more likely to treat them as an equal. Respect is key in any relationship that hopes to last, so lovers who started as friends have the advantage of already beginning on an equal footing. This makes it much easier to build and maintain a healthy relationship: by respecting and valuing one another, you’ll help each other grow and become better people over time!
Move over, Ross and Rachel; Monica and Chandler are the real greatest couple of Friends!
4) You have greater intimacy with each other.
Ah, the best part of being in love! Superficial flings may be appealing to some, but when it comes to long-term commitment, romances based on friendship definitely have the upper hand. Enjoying each other’s company and knowing each other well leads you to trust each other completely, and with trust comes greater loyalty and intimacy. A deep emotional connection with another person is something most of us search for our whole lives (and many of us never find), so your best chance at finding such intimacy is with someone you’d consider your best friend!
5) Your love is more likely to last forever!
For all the above reasons and more, lovers who started as friends are more likely to stay together for life. Friendship is the most solid foundation for love because life is most enjoyable when shared between two people who enjoy talking to each other, often make each other smile, understand each other well, and value each other for who they truly are. So try exploring this kind of love in your romantic stories, and maybe if you’re as lucky as my parents, you too will discover (or perhaps already know) that the best romance is based on friendship!
What are your favorite kinds of romance? Do you write stories about love that starts as friendship?
Today’s creative writing post is dedicated to my parents, the happiest couple I know. Thank you for teaching me the value of love founded on friendship! Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you both so much!
by Naomi L. | April 27, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Yes, it’s another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge! School has been keeping me extra busy and exhausted these days, so I figured now would be a good time to seek inspiration and recharge my creative energy!
The theme for this week was mystery, and the quote I chose is another one from the brilliant mind of Albert Einstein:
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. – Albert Einstein
This lovely quote pretty much sums up why I’m so fascinated by both art and science, so for this challenge, I decided to write a free-verse poem inspired as much by Einstein’s words as by my own experience as an “artistic scientist”. Enjoy!
Artistic Scientist
With the mind of a scientist
And the heart of an artist,
I look around me
And I can’t help but wonder:
How does a world
That we’ve known for so long
Still have so many mysteries
Yet to be solved?
Why are we so fascinated
By the world we live in?
What drives humans to discover,
To learn, to know more?
How do the colors and shapes in nature,
In the land and the sea and the sky,
Inspire us to create
Such beautiful works of art?
How do so many animals
That seem so simple
Have such perfect designs
And sharpened instincts?
How does a dog or a cat
Know exactly when to comfort you,
To nuzzle up against you,
Like it senses the pain in your heart?
Why are we always seeking happiness
Yet unable to live without suffering?
Why do dreams so often show you
Secrets you didn’t know you had?
What’s swimming deep down
In the depths of our oceans?
What’s lurking out there
In the great space beyond?
Is there a higher power
Somewhere far above us,
Existing just beyond the boundaries
Of our known limited world?
And how can we humans
Think ourselves so grand
While being mere specks
In the vastness of the Universe?
Mind of a scientist,
Heart of an artist,
I see so many questions
Still longing for answers,
And I smile as I think how
The world is full of
Beautiful discoveries
Just waiting to be made.
So don’t shy away
From the wonders of the world.
Marvel at the mysteries of life,
Lest your eyes become dim,
And you someday find yourself
As good as dead.
Embrace that artistic scientist in you,
And you’ll discover that
In true science and true art,
The most beautiful
Experience we can have
Is the mysterious.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
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