May 2021 Motherhood Writing Prompts Free Instant PDF Download
Motherhood offers a million possibilities for writing and I'm sure you will have many ideas. But in case you want some structure we are offering our free instant download PDF as always on the 15th of the month. Click on the next link for your copy.
Motherhood isn't all peaches and cream as mothers everywhere realize. However, at first, you may feel as though you can lift your wings and do a thousand things, so the first prompt is about that wonderful feeling.
Then there are the first moments of first seeing your child and being in awe of the entire experience.
Later, the carpools, the appointments, sports, and lessons may take over until "mom is a taxi service." This person has a note to remember she has children. Life can be overwhelming.
Life may not always go as planned. All sorts of things can happen that may make things difficult.
Complications may get so severe that a mother may have to leave a child. What on earth might cause such a situation? Can you imagine?
Not everyone is a mother or has a mother to write to, so there is a lovely swan image as we can appreciate nature.
There are pages with text prompts and pages with image-only prompts. Maybe you will be inspired by one of the pages.
Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE . . . The prompts are on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers and Readers Blog and post the 15th of each month.
April 15th 2021
May 15th 2021
July 15th 2020
MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.
| A message from WinningWriters, one of my trusted partners: | | | | | | | | | North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books | | Deadline: June 30, 2021 |
Winning Writers will award a grand prize of $5,000 in the seventh annual North Street competition for self-published books, co-sponsored by BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson (author of The Frugal Book Promoter).Choose from seven categories:
- Mainstream/Literary Fiction
- Genre Fiction
- Creative Nonfiction & Memoir
- Poetry
- Children’s Picture Book
- Graphic Novel & Memoir
- Art Book (new!)
$13,750 will be awarded in all, and the top eight winners will receive additional benefits to help market their books. Any year of publication is eligible. Entry fee: $65 per book. Submit online via Submittable or by mail. Winning Writers is a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, and this contest is recommended by Reedsy. Click to learn more about our contest. | | | | | | | | | | | Winners of Our 2020 Contest | | | | Final judges: Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleche, assisted by Annie Mydla and Jim DuBois |
| | | | 2020 Grand Prize | | Christine Mulvey, Mine to Carry | | | Ellen LaFleche writes, “Mine to Carry is by far the strongest book I’ve encountered during the years I’ve helped to judge this contest. The writing is a perfectly woven tapestry of lyric description, narrative, dialogue, story, and philosophical and religious musings. It’s extremely hard to weave multiple strands into a perfect literary garment but Mulvey has done just that. We give this book the highest praise. It’s an important historical document about the intersection of women’s rights and cultural and legal norms.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Children’s Picture Book | | Jerald Pope, Fetch | | | Jendi Reiter writes, “In this wordless illustrated narrative, an old man and his shaggy dog go out to a windswept field of tall grass to chase a ball…one last time. This gentle story will speak to readers of all ages who have lost a loved one. I appreciated the subtlety of Fetch, a restraint that was suited to its theme. It didn’t feel manipulatively hopeful and upbeat like some more cutesy picture books about bereavement.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Graphic Novel & Memoir | | Ingrid Pierre, Do Not Resuscitate | | | Ellen LaFleche writes, “A young woman having a difficult time accepting her boyfriend John’s death from cancer is at first overjoyed when he comes back from the dead. But even as the reunited couple make love and bathe and continue on with daily activities, the man’s body begins to decompose. As the boyfriend’s re-animated body continues to vanish, the couple work hard to come to terms with how they behaved toward each other in life, grappling with urgent haste to understand and honor their lost relationship in all its complexity: the good, the bad, the mundane, the loyalties, the betrayals, the joys, the losses.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Poetry | | Caleb Rainey, Look, Black Boy | | | Jendi Reiter writes, “Look, Black Boy has the rhythmic verve and immediacy of spoken-word poetry, yet loses nothing in its transition to print. Rather, Rainey takes advantage of the visual medium to experiment with line spacing, punctuation, and layout in ways that add dramatic tension to his accounts of Black struggle and joy. The poem that caught at my heart and lingered in my memory was ‘A Letter From Red Kool-Aid.’ The personified drink expresses a childlike bewilderment at the premature violent death—implied but not fully comprehended—of the boy who used to love this treat.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Creative Nonfiction & Memoir | | Alicia Doyle, Fighting Chance | | | Jendi Reiter writes, “Award-winning journalist Alicia Doyle’s unique, fast-paced memoir recounts her transformation into an amateur boxer in the late 1990s, and how this demanding sport helped her process her buried rage and pain from a volatile childhood. Throughout the retelling of her sports career, Doyle constantly reflects on the ethics of dealing out and receiving punches, and what it tells her about her own psychology.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Mainstream/Literary Fiction | | Jolie P. Hoang, Anchorless | | | Ellen LaFleche writes, “The opening paragraphs of Jolie Hoang’s compelling novel (based on true events) not only showcase her beautifully rendered lyric prose, but pull the reader into her family’s story of escape from the war in Vietnam, retold in vivid detail through the words of her father’s ghost. The book successfully straddles fiction and memoir; there is a haunting magical realism to the writing that creates a dual sense of reality/unreality. I am awed at how much horror, beauty, and joy Jolie Hoang packed into 100 pages.” |
| | | | | | 2020 First Prize, Genre Fiction | | Rachael A.Z. Mutabingwa, Kunda | | | Ellen LaFleche writes, “A lush blend of magic realism, tropical island life, spirituality, civil war, and love and loss, this is the story of two families connected by a pregnant woman who time-travels between the 19th and 20th centuries. The 20th-century family finds itself returning to its spiritual heritage—a subplot that helps to connect characters separated by some 100 years—when modern medicine cannot help their young son who is dying of cystic fibrosis.” |
| | | | | | Read about the winning entries from all our previous North Street contests in our Contest Archives. |
|
|
MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.
2021 April What If Writing Prompt Free PDF Download
What if questions can be thought-provoking and this month we have some for writing groups to look over and select a few pages to print. Usually, there are six text and image prompts, and six picture prompts. This month there are extra pages of picture only prompts.
First, what if you had new neighbors whose teenage son didn't want to attend his new school tomorrow? Would you offer to help out? Would you be willing to help out? To help make up your mind, consider the picture of the new family, below.
What if you could win a house by living in it a year? Which house would you choose? Where would it be located? One of the homes is actually in Iceland. What would you pack and would you take family members with you? Would you be able to survive the year?
What if you saw this woman alone in a field? Consider her plight. It appears she has been stranded with her suitcase and an umbrella and is waiting to meet someone. Will the person arrive? What is going on? Where is she?
What if you were forced to live in outer space a full year? There is no way out and you must leave now. Why? What is happening? How would you cope?
What if you were offered a free vacation to whale watch or tour the desert on a camel? Which would you pick, and why?
As always, the text prompts will help some writers and the picture-only prompts will help others. There are several pages from which to pick. Select something that inspires you to write! Some groups may use writing prompts as warm-ups, some may share the writing pieces after a time limit, and some may all select the same prompt. However your group works, we hope you will like these prompts!
Thank you for reading, Carolyn
You might also like . . . The prompts are on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers and Readers Blog and post the 15th of each month.
MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.
A Memoir—and Marketing Technique--to Be Pondered From your #SharingwithWriters blogger and multi award-winning author of fiction,
poetry and the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers Here is a book that neatly combines my love of memoir and marketing. The dust jacket of this beautifully designed book explains: When God Says No by Judith Briles was first published in 1990, republished in 1994 and again in 1997. But wait! Here it is again published in 2019 when it “took on a life of its own.” As I read, it became clear that in spite of its many touching memoir moments, it was the journey this book took along with that of the author that caught my attention—something that would illustrate to my readers that a book needn’t die. It can grow. It can become a classic. And that reviews are one of the marketing tools that can best make that happen! The thing is, it can only happen if the author (or publisher!) knows or has a sense that it can and also knows how to make something so miraculous transpire. In fact, it is the best example I have run across for the authors I have tried to convince about the value of reviews. It illustrates these steps: - Know that these days books needn’t die as they once did when they were given ninety days before bookstores sent them back to publishers to be remarketed on discount sale tables or shredded!
- The author and/or publisher must realize a potential for a new edition or the magic never happens.
- Such a realization is more likely to work well if the author has been keeping notes about new events, information, or ideas that affect the content—anything really, from a memoir to a how-to book.
- That authors and publishers who keep honing their marketing skills are most like to make this book successful—from the first edition to, well, whatever number the last might be.
Note: The author of this memoir has been sending me copies of her new books for several years, usually with a handwritten note—both a gesture of gratitude and a request for a review or blurb tucked inside the front cover. It’s part of her process and certainly one that should be added to the marketing repertoire of anyone who wants to make a career of writing books! Those who know my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers may have guessed that making a book into a classic by using repeated editions and putting reviews at the forefront of their marketing expertise is the reason I wrote , How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career. One of my favorite sayings is MSNBC’s “The more you know…” The future of one of your books may depend on just such a notion!
More About Carolyn's 'Books Needn't Die' Theory
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel was set in Utah. This is the Place, has won eight awards and, though out of print, the paperback is still available in Amazon’s new and used feature—usually for less than a dollar. That’s another little tips for making a book into a classic. Letting Amazon keep it alive with their New and Used Book feature. Her book of creative nonfiction Harkening, is a collection of stories most of them set in Utah. Also, out of print, it is also still “alive” and has won three . Her practical and detailed how-to book on promotion, The Frugal Book Promoteris an example of using editions for the same purpose. Published by Modern History Press in its third edition, it was once dubbed a “classic” by Bookbaby.com. The flagship book in the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, it is available at http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII.
More About When God Says No
Title: When God Says No
Subtitle: Revealing the Yes When Adversity and Loss Are Present
By Judith Briles
Publisher: Mile High Press, Ltd. (2019)
Genre: Memoir
ISBN: 9781886431731
Available on Amazonas hard cover, paperback and e-book
Legitimate Ways to Make Money as a Stay-at-Home Parent
By Gwen Payne We writers are lucky. The ability to stay home and care for your kids is an invaluable gift. Beyond the savings involved in skipping years of outsourced childcare, you get to be around for all of those important early childhood moments. Of course, becoming a stay-at-home parent also means losing work income. If you’re worried about making ends meet, or you’d just like to put some extra money away for the future, a work-from-home job will give you the best of both worlds.
Making money from home is easier than you may think! Are you wondering where to start? Tales2Inspire presents these tips to help you begin.
Start a Home-Based Business
Have you always dreamed of running your own business from home? Don’t let anything stop you! Countless people have launched successful home-based businesses while juggling the demands of parenting — and you can, too. All it takes is a little self-discipline and your ever-present writing skills.
Before you start, make sure your idea--what your writing will do--solves a real problem or entertains in way that will encourage people to want more of what you do. A great way to generate business ideas is to think about the problems you encounter in your everyday life and come up with effective solutions for them. For example, if you’re a writer and you know business owners who would love to start a blog, offer to write some articles for them. Before you know it, you could start a business as a professional content writer.
Once you have a business idea, you will have to pick a business structure and register with your state. Forming an LLC could be a great idea if you’re looking to minimize your taxes and protect yourself from potential lawsuits should things go awry. Research how to start an LLC so you can get your business up and running as soon as possible.
Become a Freelancer
If you’re looking for a way to make some money on the side while building your business, freelancing is an excellent idea. You can freelance in a wide variety of industries. Some great freelance jobs to consider include writing, transcribing, online tutoring, marketing, and social media management.
The best part? You don’t need any training or qualifications to get started. Create a few portfolio pieces to share with potential clients and learn how to write amazing proposals. Freelancing platforms are a good place to find your first clients, but you may also want to set up a basic website where you can showcase your professional portfolio.
Work as a Virtual Assistant
Do you need something a little more stable than a freelance job? While many freelance contracts involve one-off projects, virtual assistants often work for the same clients on a long-term basis. Some even work as remote employees. If you’re looking for employee benefits, virtual assisting may be perfect for you.
Virtual assistants perform a variety of tasks on the job. As Desire to Done explains, virtual assistants offer all kinds of services, ranging from blog maintenance and social media content creation to bookkeeping and email management. Try to find a virtual assistant job in an industry that interests you, whether it’s fitness, real estate, photography, web design, or business.
Start a Home Daycare
Not so tech-savvy? There are plenty of money-making opportunities for parents who prefer to work offline, as well. Running a home daycare is one of them. You’re already home with your own kids all day, so why not add a few more?
Operating out of your own home means very low startup costs, but you might have to invest in toys, cleaning products, mats, food, insurance, and first aid supplies before launching. Hunting down funding to cover these minor costs shouldn’t be too difficult. Consider asking your friends and family to invest in your business or checking with your bank about a small business loan.
Be sure to consider your legal obligations, as well. For example, most states require that daycare staff have CPA certification. You’ll also have to check your state regulations regarding health and safety inspections, facility requirements, child-staff ratios, and zoning regulations.
How to Find Work-Life Balance
When you’re juggling remote work and childcare responsibilities, life can get out of control very quickly. Make sure you’re prepared to find a work-life balance before you start working from home. First, manage your expectations. You might not be able to get as much done in a day as you expect — and that’s okay! Count on everything taking longer than planned so you can avoid overbooking yourself and causing burnout.
Try to maintain a routine, but be okay with some uncertainty. A few hours of focused, kid-free work every day can be invaluable to busy parents. Consider getting up before your kids and plugging away at your most important projects during this sacred time. Save the more mundane tasks — answering emails or creating invoices — for those hours when you have to keep an eye on the kids.
Practical By Default also recommends setting a timer to block off work periods during which your kids know not to interrupt you. Once your kids learn what the timer means, you should be able to focus for 15 to 30 minutes at a time without distractions. Most importantly, remember to give your kids plenty of attention when your work block is up.
Thanks to the internet, there are countless ways for stay-at-home parents to make money. And you don’t have to stick with just one method. Consider juggling a few different gigs to maximize your money-making potential. For example, you could run a home daycare business and work as a freelance writer on the side — whatever sounds good to you!
More on Today's Guest Blogger
Gwen Payne runs InvisibleMoms.com.
MORE ABOUT THE SHARING WITH WRITERS BLOGGER
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series
of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide).
In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. More Recent Articles
|
