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Picture Prompt…

September 21, 2018– I love picture prompts! Picture prompts are images that inspire you to write creatively; they’re useful for a couple of reasons:

  1. They get you out of your comfort zone. More often than not, the image won’t match what genre you usually write in. Today’s picture prompt is especially true for me because I’m not a fantasy reader or writer.
  2. They help you focus. Picture prompts force us to focus on an idea, and they don’t allow us to write randomly. They provide the bones for a story and allow us to branch out from there. They give us a bit of structure to get started.

Here is today’s Picture Prompt; Happy Writing!

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Cozy Romance…My Newest Guilty Pleasure!

February 27, 2018– I’m wondering if this happens to you; have you ever stuck to one specific genre for quite a long time when reading? Do you ever feel like you need a break? Lately (I mean for the past five years) I have been completely immersed in the psych/thriller/horror genre of books and I find myself needing something that will allow me to relax and recharge my psyche. It’s funny, because I get this way with movies too! Every now and then I need to throw in a night of Billy Madison or Tommy Boy to balance out the hours of Die Hard or Rocky. I know that none of these particular titles are ones that “make you think”, but sometimes I get sick of all action all the time. That’s why recently I’ve turned to something called “cozy romance.” Now, let me be the first to say that I am NOT by any means a fan of romantic fiction in any way, shape, or form, but there is something comforting about these wonderful books.

Picture this, it’s raining outside, there are two cats cuddled up at the end of your bed, and the only thing you have to do is spend the day relaxing and reading by the fireplace. It’s pure bliss, that’s what that is! That’s what reading a cozy romance feels like to me. They are a particular genre that entertains, but also doesn’t make you think too much, which is something we all need once in a while to just cleanse our literary palettes so-to-speak.

Definition of “cozy romance” according to the Huffington Post: Cozies are fun to read. There’s a formula to the cozies that work very well drawing readers back again and again. The amateurs in such stories are nearly always well educated, intuitive women. Books, especially in series form usually have the story line relate to the detective’s job or hobby. Murderers in cozy mysteries are generally intelligent, rational, articulate people, and murders are pretty much bloodless and neat. Violence and sex are low-key and supporting background characters bring comic relief to the story. Some cozy series are set during holidays such as Valentine Day or Christmas making them more intimate to the reader.

I sincerely hope you’ll check out these adorable little mysteries!

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Writing Prompt of the Day

December 11, 2017- I love to start Monday mornings by drinking coffee and writing things that are outside of what I’m currently working on. I think that writing prompts are important for expanding ourselves as writers and that reading and writing things that are outside of our genres is essential for growth. Today we have a picture that I love because it’s so refreshing. The premise of this exercise is to write a couple of pages, a paragraph, or whatever length you want, about said picture, and today’s particular image can have so many themes! My head is spinning with ideas already:)  Happy writing!

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