Write...Edit...Publish -- Online Writing Community

WRAP UP OF HORRORFEST POST, OCTOBER.

2024-10-30T21:13:00.001-04:00

Hi all!

Thank you so much for posting to WEP's Horrorfest in October. I'm sure everyone enjoyed reading the entries. So good to see so many of the 'oldies but goodies' taking part.

All the entries will remain on the site if you wish to read more at your leisure.

We the team have had some discussion regarding doing another special, and all have decided not to do anything in December except enjoy our families and friends. There is the gem of an idea of another special flash fiction event in February. That too was always a popular month. So if you enjoyed meeting together again, please consider joining us in February. All those who participated in the Horrorfest will receive an email closer to the date.

Meanwhile, enjoy Christmas in whichever way you celebrate. Have a great time! Even better if you can fit some writing in!

Thanks again for turning up in October.

Denise, for:

WEP Halloween Flash Fiction Special Challenge 2024, HORRORFEST!

2024-10-01T03:22:00.010-04:00

Welcome to the October 2024 Special Challenge

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish

October Horrorfest!

Hi, Denise here, announcing WEP is back to offer a flash fiction challenge for October. We didn't want to miss our Thrillfest month.

October is our month to celebrate speculative fiction, horror and paranormal, but as always no bar on any genre except erotica. But a little bit of scary can't hurt...

This is the Horrorfest Challenge in which we ramp up the spook factor, welcoming your creepiest compositions, your most haunting and haunted tales running the gamut of paranormal, speculative, crime and horror genre. However, as always, there are no rigid rules. Feel free to write to any genre if those mentioned are not your thing.

We can't go on without explaining what's been happening. As always, the WEP team have been facing some mountainous challenges. Early this year in April I didn't expect to have my son in Intensive Care for three months and a hospital ward for one month! Was the most trying time of my life. Thankfully, we got through it, but still face day to day struggle.

Meanwhile, we've had bi-monthly meet ups here, where we reported on what we've achieved and some of you dropped us a comment and link to give us your news. I want to thank the WEP team for writing my entry when I couldn't face opening my laptop.

The team was devastated with the loss of two of our original members, Sally Stackhouse after a struggle with liver cancer (her combined prose and poems will be sadly missed) and Nancy Williams who was finding much joy in writing as she battled health problems. RIP, ladies. We love and miss you.

There is a tribute page to Sally here:

https://sallystackhouse.muchloved.com/

Here's to you, Sally!

Will miss your writing, Nancy.

So, hey writers, welcome to our special challenge! Many of you have told us that you have been missing the inspiration of writing to a challenge, so here we are to challenge you to get your flash fiction writing mojo on and pen a thriller for October. The October challenge has always been heaps of fun. Let's make this one the funniest ever!

Post your entries to the Linkup from October 1 to 16, 2024

Remember to add a tagline which should take us to the heart of your story:

"A tagline is more like a catchphrase that conveys a feeling or a promise about the story. A tagline should be catchy, genre-focused, and intriguing."

We'd love it if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network! If you avoid social media, we totally get you.

WEP #writingprompt October 2024s "HORRORFEST" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html Sign up & post-October 1-16! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Let's write for the October 2024 "HORRORFEST"@DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16@jemifraserhttps://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html Sign up & post your entry October 1-16! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser for the Special Challenge of 2024, "HORRORFEST" Sign up and post your entry October 1-16. https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=831269"></script>

Wishing you an amazing October.

Bring on the entries!

Who knows? Perhaps we'll see you in December!

WEP's Got A Challenge Just for Halloween

2024-09-01T00:00:00.047-04:00

Are you ready?

Thought we were caput didn't you?!!

Nope, just dealing with life's issues,

but we're ready once more.

For a NEW CHALLENGE!

It's coming up in October

Just in time for Halloween!

Write about what scares you.

Whether it ghosts, or goblins, or ghouls...

Or it's relationships, spiders, or snakes...

Maybe you fear tomorrow, or yesterday,

the past, or the future.

With so many fears, there's no reason

not to participate.

So we'll see you there!!!!

Post your masterpiece

OCTOBER 1st through the 16th

Just affix your link and get ready for

some amazing writing!!!!!

Don't forget, comments count!

See you then with a link!

#5 WEP Get Together - August 2024

2024-08-01T23:47:00.011-04:00

Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for our fifth Get Together. And boy is life flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal.

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

It's August, the year's more than half over and life hasn't quit throwing drama our way. We, the WEP admins have all dealt with changes, from health issues to family health issues, and major moves. So much so that blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. So if you don't get a personal report below, just know it's due to major life issues.

No changes have been made to the post, like adding a Linky to share personal posts. We may do that in the future, but for now please remember the Chat Box on the side and the comments section to add your links so others can follow.

Our paths are never easy, but we still wanted to touch base, so let us know what you're doing! We love hearing from you.

~*~

Here's what the WEP team has been up to:

Hello, hello, this is Nila with you...

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Well, things haven't changed all that much since I last wrote here...same old same old, at least the change is so incremental that one hardly notices it. BUT the good thing is that it is changing, my vision is getting slowly better, though it is not 100% normal yet.

Meanwhile, I've travelled to Munnar in the Western Ghats, at the extreme south west of India - misty, cool and magical after the heat and humidity of Kolkata. Living in the rainless zones of the Middle East for the longest time has really taught me to appreciate the beauty and the blessings of rain.

I've got back into blogging too, though I'm taking it easy for now with a fortnightly schedule rather than weekly. Last month, I also somehow managed to write a long ballad style poem, like I used to for my early entries for WEP, in spite of the chaos that life seems to be right now :) A real behemoth at 75+ lines, so that's some sort of achievement I guess. Gravitating back to my original modus operandi.

I'm trying to be as much 'myself' as I can - being mindful of both the beauty and the not so beautiful on the journey, because I truly believe nothing goes waste. In a few years time, when the rough edges smooth out, it's all going to turn out a blessing. It will all add up. A path to being one's authentic self, to some insight and maybe even inspiration. If not immediately, then sometime later.

Eravikulam National Park, Kanan Devan Hills, near Munnar.

I hope you are surrounded by beauty and inspiration, deferred or immediate, wherever you are. Keep writing and keep in touch!

~*~

Hello everyone! Renee here, and a bit late. Sorry about that!

August is bringing a number of changes for me. Sold my condo on the beach. So long beautiful pictures of the sunset and sunrise over the ocean. But hurricanes scare the hell out of me, so back to safer lands. We just bought a home in Pennsylvania. This is the third time I've returned to my home state. And they say you can never go home!

***

And I've been blessed to continue my editing business. Thank you Jemi! Your books rock!

Please hit me up if you need help, especially with adding conflict, red herrings, etc.

Click here for a Developmental Edit

All prices are negotiable!!!!

~*~

Hi all! Renee reporting for Denise, again.

Denise wanted me to let you know she is still busy caring for Clarke and she's working to get him home. Soon she says. Also, she wanted me to add this picture:

Please keep her and Clarke in your prayers.

The best news is she plans to be back to

writing and blogging by October if not sooner.

She's invited us to all write a flash

in honor of the month of October!

Join us, please!!!

More information to come...

~*~

Hi from Jemi...

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the kind words and virtual hugs over our loss. Our little guy was the biggest part of our lives and he is greatly missed.

On the writing front, I'm just starting to access the creative part of my brain again. One step, one breath, one moment at a time.

I've had a couple of releases in the last months. I'm glad I never put up a preorder until the draft is in the hands of my editor or ready for that step. Both those releases (No Going Back, No Bed Of Roses) were uploaded and ready to go before our tragedy struck.

With Renée's help (if you need a fabulous editor, look no further!), I've got my next release ready to go for Aug 20th. This one is book 5 in the No Fail Heroes series and I can't wait for it to be out in the world.

First loves, broken hearts, family sabotage, found family, and (of course!) a Happily Ever After! If you like small-town romance with a splash of danger, check it out here!

I hope you're all doing well and treasuring those happy moments.

~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

I've had an adventurous summer with a lot of travel and some writing. I visited my home town, Shimla, after some years. Even at the risk of sounding cliched, I'd like to say that it was like a breath of fresh air after a long and tiring 2023. Meanwhile, my son has been preparing to start college, and we've been busy packing stuff for his new life in a different city. We are travelling as I write this.

On the writing front, I was fortunate to be shortlisted for the Rama Mehta Writing Retreat in Udaipur. It was a wonderful experience with a lot of learning (nuances of short story writing) in very good company. I also have a flash fiction in the July edition of Mean Pepper Vine. You may read it here. In more good news, one of my my stories that had been getting rejections for the past two years, has been accepted for an upcoming anthology titled My India, My Gods.

All this has kept me away from blogging but I hope I can post something on the blog soon. Here is a picture of the retreat in Udaipur where we stayed for the four-day workshop.

Until we meet again, wishing you all well, and happy writing!

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

I don't have much to report, except my experience with the book cover for Pat Garcia. Now that her story is published, I can talk about it. I'm proud of that cover. Collaborating on the ebook cover with Pat was fascinating. Here is the link to the ebook cover image:

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2ba108739f7edbb2c882e1b31bc49b19/4cbadb90b3aa8e78-6d/s1280x1920/a6f59c3620ab9b95adb4311738a9278b9cc149c4.jpg

You could find the story on Amazon (link below).

Even more challenging was making the paperback cover, which includes 3 elements: front, back, and spine. This was the first time I have ever done that. We exchanged quite a few emails until I arrived at the correct size and format. Pat was very helpful.

The Power Of Touch by Pat Garcia

~*~

That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts.

Jemi and Sonia for the team...

See you in October!

#4 WEP GET TOGETHER - JUNE 2024 - An Opportunity to Share!

2024-06-01T00:00:00.050-04:00

Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for our fourth Get Together. And boy is life flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal.

It's June, the year's almost half over and life hasn't quit throwing drama our way. We, the WEP admins have all dealt with changes, from health issues to family health issues, and major moves. So much so that blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. So if you don't get a personal report below, just know it's due to major life issues.

Our paths are never easy, but we still wanted to touch base, so let us know what you're doing! We love hearing from you.

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

~*~

Here's what the WEP team has been up to:

Hello, hello, this is Nila with you...

Gosh! I’ve been away the longest time I ever have since I started blogging - a whole entire month!

The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. ~ Bertrand Russell.

Half this year's nearly over, and well, the blurry vision issues are still ongoing. Life has generously handed me sundry other lemons as well to make lemonade with 😊… Hopefully, my wits are growing sharper, and hopefully, the inner vision crisps up in direct proportion to the fuzziness of the outer one.

While I've waited for things to get better, I have - participated in my own version of the A-Z challenge in April. I've also written a dozen plus poems, collated some of my linked flashes into the final form short story and written down ideas for two more. I've tidied up my blog a bit. So...not a complete waste of time.

I've got to admit though, WEP prompts and my own schedule of posting at the blog kept me disciplined and regular, I miss that. Regular writing is also a way of sharpening the wits, a much pleasanter one comparatively. Hope I can get back to that regularity soon.

Meanwhile, I'm wishing you magical things revealing themselves near you. Keep writing and keep in touch!

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

~*~

Hello everyone! Renee here.

Hey, here's hoping your June is the beginning of new adventures. I'm looking forward to the changes coming into my life with a little trepidation. But isn't that the way with change? You never know what the future holds, but here's to the unknown and the opportunities that come with change.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

I love positive thoughts, so here are a few for you:

"Every day the clock resets. Your wins don't matter. Your failures don't matter. Don't stress on what was, fight for what could be." -Sean Higgins

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new" -Socrates

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -Barack Obama

"When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Benjamin Franklin

***

The one thing I'm most proud of these last few months is the editing I do for others. Please hit me up if you need help, especially with adding conflict, red herrings, etc.

Click here for a Developmental Edit

All prices are negotiable!!!!

~*~

Hi all! Renee reporting for Denise .

Denise wanted me to let you know she's been helping to care for her son Clarke. He's been in intensive care for 8 weeks, and she hasn't opened a laptop in that time. There just isn't time for anything else...

Please keep her and Clarke in your prayers.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

~*~

And again, Renee reporting for Jemi...

Jemi is dealing with a personal loss. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Photo by Sandra Grünewald on Unsplash

~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

Relocating isn't such an adventure, or is it! Well, it feels wonderful to be adding my bit to the WEP get-together, because I've been away from blogging for two long months. I've moved to a new city and state and taking my time to settle down. But I hope to 'break this break' and restart soon.

Meanwhile, I managed to take out time to edit an old flash fiction and it's out there now, looking for a home. In the month of March, I submitted a short story for a Writing Grant, the results of which are expected by the middle of this month. I can certainly do with lots of good wishes!

Some of our members have been facing a difficult time and I wish them lots of strength as they deal with it. As they say, this too shall pass.

While I was away from writing, I took out time to walk around the new city and indulge in a little photography. So, here's something from my camera roll.

Until we meet again, wishing you all well, and happy writing!

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

I recently designed a cover for a story by one of our most loyal members. Not sure I should reveal it for her here before she publishes her story, but I'll definitely do it afterward, with a link to Amazon. It was very satisfactory to work on her cover with her.

Let me know if you're interested in cover design. I'd love to work with you!

Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash

~*~

That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts.

Renee for the team...

See you in August!

#3 WEP GET TOGETHER - APRIL 2024 - IT'S THE A - Z CHALLENGE!

2024-03-31T21:27:00.015-04:00

Hi WEPpers and friends!

Already time for out third Get Together. Life is flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. We'd love to hear from you.

And from now on, we're moving to bi-monthly posts. See you in June!

Seeing it's April, all long-term bloggers know it's time for the A - Z Challenge, currently captioned by our very own JLenni Dorner. I've asked JLenni to give us the rundown on the 2024 challenge. Here's what he sent me:

The ONLY way to officially sign-up for the 2024 April Blogging from A to Z Challenge is by filling out the Google form on the website from now until April 7. More information is available on the site.

The point of the #AtoZChallenge is both to test yourself to create 26 posts using and inspired by the letter of the day on Mondays thru Saturdays in April, as well as to "hop" to as many other blogs in the challenge and leave comments on the A to Z posts found there. This grows our blogging community and creates connections.

If you're looking to increase your blog traffic, grow the blogging community, and maybe learn something or enjoy a fun story, please consider joining us.

The A to Z team is focusing the http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com blog on blogging positivity and blogging your best life/blog.

~*~

Now moving onto what the WEP team have been up to:

Hello, writers! This is Nila with you.

Just logging in here cheers me up. Gosh, I can't believe a quarter of 2024 is already over! - can you? March is cusp season - always a good time to take stock.

The good bits first - I've already spent 3 weeks of these 12 weeks travelling. Including places I've never been to before, both in and out of India. So that takes care of 'go someplace new, learn something new' - my non-resolution for every new year for decades now.

Migratory birds at a river island in the Ganges at Kanpur.

An important industrial city in North India. First settlement

here goes back to the 13th century. Alexander MacRoberts

set up the first textile mill here in late 19th century. Kanpur

was also a major centre in the 1857 Indian Uprising and the

place of the infamous 'Cawnpore Massacre.'

Now for the bad and the ugly - I came back from Lucknow early this month and caught some ghastly virus which gleefully attached itself to the operated eye and scared the bejeezus out of me. Long story short, it was a serious setback so I'm still running round to the eye surgeons' and dealing with a tsunami of eyedrops and blurry vision and limited screen time. No end in sight, pardon another bad pun.

Not sure if I will be able to make the A-Z this year, though I can't imagine not doing it either. Maybe I'll do a shadow version like I did in 2022, flying blind and joining in as and when able.

Therefore, all that I blithely said about returning in March with supersharp vision and a different, deeper perspective, well...hah! the gods heard and they fell off their celestial seats laughing. I should have known better...Maybe the inner eye is a tad keener, who knows? certainly not me - but for sure the outer has a long way to go still. Patience has never been my strong suite and it seems to be at a particularly low ebb right now.

However, as the proverb goes - a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. One step at a time. One day at a time. I'll get there, unlikely sooner, so...later.

Meanwhile, you guys keep well, keep writing and keep in touch!

~*~

Hello everyone! Renee here.

Happy Spring / Fall, everyone. Here we’re seeing more of the sun, fewer gray days and all those lovely flowers are wonderful. The pollen, though, I could live without, but it’s part of the process, isn’t it? So, if you see me out and about, I’ll be wearing a face mask. I’ve found it does wonders for keeping the sneezes away, and I’m all for that. Tax season is almost over, too, and I’m thrilled, except that I haven’t done my own yet. This is odd, as I normally have it done by the end of February. Talk about not being on the ball this year.

I’ve done little to no writing this month, which greatly bothers me, but I hope to make up for that in the months after the tax season.

To end my short post, I’ll leave you with this quote:

“Believe in yourself, and your dreams will dance towards you!”

Photo by Frames For Your Heart on Unsplash

~*~

Hi all! Denise here. My month ...:

Well, yippee, we are finally having some autumn weather after a very rough, hot summer which never seemed to end. But it's raining non-stop, so we're all looking forward to bright, sunny weather again!

One thing I haven't mentioned, is that I'm going all out brushing up on my French via Duolingo since last July. It's fun. Takes time though.

Of course the cooler weather helps with writing and I've grabbed every chance I can to print out my complete ms of Angelique's Paris Cookery School (102,000+ words) and self-edit, try to cut etc. Will be ready for Renee soon. (UPDATE - down to 101, 300+)

As my ms nears completion, my mind is on marketing. Due to family situations, I've completely neglected marketing, and any published writer knows without a large fan base, any book relies on marketing to be noticed amongst Amazon's 23 million books available to buy.

Marketing changes all the time. I'm ready to give up on Amazon marketing for everything except for those free days as it changes constantly and is so confusing. I follow a lot of excellent Facebook marketing groups and I'm writing down ideas as they come to light. That way, I'm up to the minute. My plan is to market from release date. See how that goes. I'm such a plod when it comes to writing speed, it may be months yet.

I just bought a book on Social Media marketing, which is where the action is these days:

Let's face it, if writing is your business you need all the help you can get!

And the time has come to go to my cover artist who illustrated my Paris Dreams cover. I'm going to hire her for new covers for my paranormal series (which were created by Fiverr) and for my two new novels. I enjoy this aspect of self-publishing even though it takes so many run-throughs to get it right.

I'm hoping for something more like this ABOVE for my vampire series, although I'm going with different colored roses. I thought readers would be interested in the Renaissance/medieval theme so that is what my covers represent, but even though I have had millions of 'impressions' on Amazon ads, no click throughs on covers like this which I liked:

Ah, self-publishing means try, try, try again until you hit it!

Any luck with marketing?

Any suggestions?

~*~

Hi everyone! Jemi here 😊

It's almost spring here in Northern Ontario! We were down to no snow in February/early March, but then winter returned. We'll see if April can get things smoothed out.

In book news, the No Fail Heroes series is almost here. Book #1, No Good Deed, releases on April 16th. If you like small-town romances with suspense, this one might be for you. The dog Piper rescues is on of my favourite characters ever. Oreo is a total charmer. Barnes and Noble selected No Good Deed as a Top Indie Favorite!

With a surname like his, Troy Phail has learned to do whatever it takes to succeed, but growing his town is out of his experience. He hires an urban planner for two weeks to help him. The sweet and sexy planner turns out to be brilliant—and exactly the kind of woman Troy has dreamed about. When danger from her past threatens, Troy will do anything to keep her safe. Failure is not an option.

If you'd like to read the prequel to the series, sign up for my newsletter to read No Chance In Hell. Happy April, everyone!

~*~

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

It's summer time in Delhi and the mercury is rising. I am busy packing the house, because I am moving to a new Indian state and city. It will be much warmer than Delhi and am I ready to brave it out! But I'm looking forward to the move. The city of Jodhpur is quieter and slow compared to the capital, and I think it might work for my writing.

On the writing front, I have few submission-ready poems and a short story, that I've been slowly working on over the last two months and I am going to squeeze some time into my busy schedule to submit them. I am glad that I could discipline myself to write a little on most days in March, and hope it continues to be like this for the rest of the year.

If you'd like to listen to me recite a poem, I have one on the blog by Edgar A. Guest titled, It Couldn't Be Done. I'm sure you'll come back inspired. Here's a picture from last month, a stubborn story of resilience that finds a mention in this post.

Enjoy the sunny April days, until we meet next time.

~*~

Hello everyone! Olga here.

No news here. I haven't even been writing anything, except one article for my newspaper.

As to the A - Z post, Not sure. I can't come up with anything from the letters JLenni gave us. Plus the theme of blogging. If anyone comes up with anything, I might be able to expand. Otherwise, I'll pass.

UPDATE: Have had an aha moment. Inspiration hit! Will do the A - Z post JLenni asked for.

Can't wait to read your news in the post, ladies.

~*~

That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts.

Denise for:

See you in June!

#2 - WEP Get Together - March 2024

2024-02-29T20:47:00.001-05:00

Hello fellow WEPpers and friends!

Welcome to the second WEP Get Together! Starting in April, we go bi-monthly.

The WEP team decided to keep in touch with each other and any of you who wish to meet each month and chat about our lives, or ask for help in publishing or anything, really. We learn from each other.

The options for participation are -

- create a blog post with the lovely badge we use above and send us the link in comments.

- put the link in our C-Box which is found in the sidebar,

- write us a story in comments.

We don't want this post to be rigid. No specific topics. The topic is up to each of us. Share what's burning in your heart at the moment. It may not be writing related at all! That's totally fine. There's no word limit, but let's try to keep it down.

The writing world changes constantly and is not without its challenges.

For example,

- have you discovered something about your writing/publishing journey that you'd like to share? Please tell us!

- have you found a way around a problem that others may be facing?

- have you found a fabulous editor who gets you?

- or share an interesting factoid - have you been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize???

- have you found a beta reader who made all the difference to your manuscript?

Don't forget to access the 'How-to' posts which will remain in the sidebar.

Nila’s roundup of events:

Hi folks! Nila here, logging in from Lucknow.

Glad and relieved to report that the eye op went well, the right eye is done. I'd thought the other one would be done at a two week gap, -so that the whole tiresome process would be over by end Feb. The surgery gods must have been rolling on their respective heavenly floors laughing at my cluelessness. The left one will be scheduled after I get back, meanwhile I'm struggling with temporary eyeglasses in various denominations. Writing or reading smoothly is still an elusive dream!

Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. Built 1650s.
By the same chap who built the Taj Mahal.

Also meanwhile, officialdom decided they needed to see us physically for various odd requirements, so we've had to zoom up to Delhi. Not that I'm complaining, Delhi is one of my favouritest cities in India - I've spent my some of my growing up years there. I visited some old haunts, some of the famous monuments and caught up with friends and family there. I've now landed up in Lucknow, also a historic city - known for its refinement, chikankari embroidery, a major school of Urdu poetry and amazing kebabs - a foodie paradise.

Son-e-Lumiere at the British Residency in Lucknow. Built
1780-1800. Main site of the Siege of Lucknow in 1857.

My February has just whizzed past. Hoping March will be a little less hectic, but that's just wishful thinking. More eye op coming up and attendant houha.

Hope everyone is doing well. Stay well, keep writing and keep in touch!

Hi all! Denise here. This is my month in a nutshell:

UPDATE on last month.

The heatwave has lost its grip somewhat. Quite bearable to be honest. Still cyclones hovering, but no more vicious damage as of now.

Which has made the writing less of a challenge.

I've spent most of the month editing Angelique's Paris Cookery School so I can catch the superfluous bits before sending to our very own Development Editor, Renee.

A quick mock up cover from Canva so this space is not empty and sad without an image.

AI in writing is on my mind thanks to the IWSG question of the month. I use it as I suck at blurbs. Here is an AI-generated first paragraph of a blurb for my novel:

In the enchanting city of Paris, where the aroma of freshly baked croissants fills the air, Angelique Ravello has decided to revive her beloved cookery school after a devastating loss. Determined to start anew and heal her wounded heart, Angelique has sworn off men, focusing solely on her culinary passion.

Other than study posts from the gazillion Facebook writing/editing groups I'm a member of, that's about it for me.

Congratulations to those of you who have powered on and published and promoted books.

Don't forget to share with us!

I have posted for the IWSG HERE....for Wednesday 6th ... The optional question is: Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Now that's a controversial topic ...

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

Hi everyone! Jemi here😊

We've moved through 1st winter, false spring, 2nd winter, 2nd false spring, and are currently on 3rd winter... all typical for Northern Ontario!

In writing news, I've filled plot holes and corralled the commas in No Good Deed. With Yolanda Renée's help, I'm now doing the same with No Going Back (book 2 in the No Fail Heroes series). Renée's comments are SO helpful!

Hope everyone is doing well and can't wait to read your updates!

______________________

Hey everyone! Renee here 👋

Update on last month's news regarding Conundrum: I did not place in the top three, but I'm still a runner-up. And I'm still celebrating.

Since our last post. I've been working and not writing. In fact, the only thing I wrote was a poem for Sue @ Elephant's Child called An Angel. I'm sharing it here.

Photo by Nico Frey on Unsplash

AN ANGEL

I know an angel

of earthly fame

many seek her confidence

life is tough

living can become rough

this angel understands

many lose hope

but her light's bright

her words pure

this angel

with a heart so true

offers love and advice

recognized truth

means sorrow

disappears

promise returns

her magic works

happy folks

all recognize

her blessing

God's messenger of love

the restorer

of damaged souls

this holy vessel of perfection

but she knows sorrow

and immense pain

more profound than most

suffering despite

her heavenly calling

her beauty shines from within

and still

she gives all

despite her grief

this spiritual being

a guardian angel

of hope.

***

I send my thanks to Jemi again, for letting me be part of her team on No Going Back, book 2 of her No Fail Hero series. Jemi is an amazing writer! Anyone interested in a Developmental Edit just follow the link!

Anyone interested in Jemi's books follow the LINK!

As always, I'm sending hugs and positive vibes to our writing community. Please let us know how you're all doing!

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

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

We are slowly slipping into spring in Delhi, but it continues to play hide and seek with winter refusing to give way any time soon. In writing news, I finished the first draft of a short story for a writing grant and am now going to start with the edits. I've also submitted a poem for an annual anthology that features Indian poets. This is a special submission for me. My poems have been rejected for the last three years but I refuse to give up. Fingers crossed for 2024!

This is picture from the World Book Fair at New Delhi. Fancy, isn't it?

I have a new post on the blog about book fairs (I visited World Book Fair at Delhi in February). It highlights how and why they aren't quite a reader's paradise and the things that didn't work for me. It's called NEW DELHI BOOK FAIR- A LONG & TIRING SWIM. How was your writing month? I look forward to the 'catching-up' this March!

***************

Tbat's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts.

Denise and Sonia for ...

#1 - WEP GET TOGETHER, FEBRUARY 1, 2024

2024-01-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

Hello fellow WEPpers and friends!

Welcome to 2024 and the inaugural WEP Get Together!

WEP has closed down, some say temporarily, but the team decided to keep in touch with each other and any of you who wish to meet each month and chat about your lives, or ask for help in publishing or anything, really. We learn from each other.

This is our inaugural meet and greet post and it may be a little shambolic until we fine tune. But we have to start somewhere.

The options for participation are -

- create a blog post and send us the link in comments.

- put the link in our C-Box,

- write us a story in comments.

- any other suggestions??

We don't want our first of the month post to be rigid. No specific topics. The topic is up to each of us. Share what's burning in your heart at the moment. It may not be writing related at all! That's totally fine. There's no word limit, but let's try to keep it down.

The writing world changes constantly and is not without its challenges.

For example,

- have you discovered something about your writing/publishing journey that you'd like to share? Please tell us!

- have you found a way around a problem that others may be facing?

- have you found a fabulous editor who gets you?

- or share an interesting factoid - have you been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize???

Don't forget to access the 'How-to' posts which will remain in the sidebar. I'm looking at Jemi's post on publishing wide, which is going to be a challenge for me.

THE ANTHOLOGY UPDATE:

Nila here, hi! First off a big fat thank you to everyone who submitted, we truly appreciate your creativity and your making the time to write for us. Thank you Jamie, Cara, Rebecca, Bernadette, Shilpa, Deniz, Pat, J Lenni, and Donna.

However, not all winners/members were able to submit, due to a host of personal and family reasons. There are not enough submissions as of now, much short of the 20 targetted. I'm truly sorry to have to tell you that the anthology is not happening at this moment in time. To those of you who submitted, please feel free to submit your flash elsewhere. We wish you all the very best with publication.

~~~

Nila’s roundup of events:

The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas had put up the 'JFK was here'
banners for the 60th anniversary of the assassination.

Rather a lot has transpired for me personally since I last wrote for WEP. I travelled to the USA, spent an extremely pleasant month catching up with family members and childhood friends, some of whom I'd last met 40+ years ago. Visited museums and national parks and river trails to my heart's content. Learnt a whole heap of things about American history, geography, culture and values...And I got to see their cities at their sparkling best for the festive season. That was the great part.

Poster from the women's suffragette movement
1915-1920. The NC History Museum, Raleigh.

However, 2024 so far has been the same old same old mixed bag - I lost an elder relative and then my routine visit to the eye doctor has wham! fetched up the need for urgent corrective surgery - the first is scheduled for this Saturday. As you can imagine, not much writing is happening.

Could have been a lot worse though...so...grateful for mercies big and small. Hoping to be back here with supersharp, corrected vision and some more life lessons in patience learnt, in March! Till then, keep safe, fit and happy. And keep writing!

_________________________________________________________________________

Hi all! Denise here. My past month can only be described as:

Challenging.

Australia, especially where I live in sub-tropical Queensland, has been in the grip of a heatwave since before Christmas while Northern Queensland has experienced cyclones, one I got caught up in as I was traveling at the time.

To writing.

"I'll think about it tomorrow!"

I had such high hopes for January but, whatever, all good things come to those who wait, eh?

I have two novels pretty much ready to go - one completely finished romance novel, Fijian Princess. It's been professionally edited, but I've found ways to make the Prologue more interesting. Just can't decide what to do with it. Think I may try traditional publishing?? Not sure. I never submit to publishing houses, but I did bite the bullet and submit to Storm Publishing. To encourage anyone who has ever felt the sting of rejection, take encouragement from me. I've decided to go ahead and work the traditional publishing trail for just this one novel.

I have my favorite novel up til now, Angelique's Paris Cookery School, which is still on the back burner, LOL. It proved popular when I offered the first six chapters on Book Funnel. I tweak it at times, but I'm just waiting for summer to be over. Extreme heat is not conducive to writing, even when locked in an air-conditioned office. It does something to your headspace.

So whenever I want to escape, I reach for my latest thriller, or stream an episode of The Bridge, a great scandi noir crime thriller. Hopefully watching/reading scandi noir will help me finish the last half of my very first thriller.

Highly recommended if you need help plotting. The plots/twists are superb.

I take my hat off to those of you who have powered on and published books. Go Jemi! Anyone else?

Maybe by March 1, I'll have some great news!!!!

I've been reading posts from the team as they come in. It's great to hear everyone's news and have links to follow! Thanks all!

I have blogged my post HERE...live Thursday 1st...and it doubles as my IWSG post for next week...

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

Hi everyone! Jemi here😊

We're having a very strange winter here in Northern Ontario (Canada). We've had very little snow. My front snow bank is generally over 6 feet/2 metres tall at this point. Currently, it's about 1 foot/30cm. Climate change is real and scary!!

In writing news, the last book in my Small Town Heroes series came out a few weeks ago and I'm having so much fun writing a new small-town romance series called No Fail Heroes. The first book will be out in April. I'm having a blast digging into the edits based on notes from a FABULOUS editor (our very own Yolanda Renée). She really gets the story and the characters. I still have a big mess (of my own making) to fix up, but the story is going to shine so much brighter when I'm done!

Hope everyone is doing well and can't wait to read your updates!

______________________

Hey everyone! Renee here 👋

I received great news today: my story, Conundrum, has placed in the top ten with WOW-Women On Writing. I don't know my actual placement, but I'm still celebrating.

Conundrum is a flash that I re-wrote from a story called Be Careful What You Wish For, which was originally published with the Romantic Friday Writers Challenge in 2015. Thanks to Denise and Donna, it was a time when I learned with every submission.

So, every now and then, I pull out a story and re-work it for submission elsewhere; this time, it paid off. Other than that bit of excitement, I'm working on a new noir called Pink City, and I'm still working on finishing the edits for the 7^th book in my Alaskan series, Murder on Mount Fairweather.

Tax preparation and editing are quite different, but still loads of fun. So I'm keeping crazily busy.

Thanks, Jemi, for letting me be part of your team. You know how much I love your books! Anyone interested in a Developmental Edit just follow the link!

Sending hugs and positive vibes to our writing community. Please let us know how you're all doing!

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

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

It is wonderful to share updates on this inaugural WEP Get Together. January was a very cold month for Delhi and the winter blues aren't over yet. I haven't had a very good start to the year on a personal front, but I am grateful for the kindness of those around me, and also for the online community here.

In writing news, I don't have much to show, except two blog posts. I'll Do Me is my first attempt at reading a poem, something that I wish to explore this year. I'd love for you to listen to it and leave your valuable feedback.

Understanding Life Through a Keloid Scar is an introspection on loss and life.

There are two things I am looking forward to in the first half of the year, even though I'm struggling to do some real writing - curating all the stories I've written for the WEP for a Kindle Version, and writing a short story for the Rama Mehta Grant, which is a scholarship and writing programme. I hope that I will have some solid updates on these when we meet next.

I am grateful to the WEP members for the community support. I wish you all a good writing year and look forward to the writing news at your end.

***************

Hello everyone! It's Laura here.

I know it's been a long time since anyone has heard from me. Between demanding hours at work and raising four children, it's a wonder I ever find time for anything. That also means that writing has unfortunately fallen by the wayside over the past year. Some of that is due to a lack of time, and some is due to lack of inspiration. However, I want to change that.

Part of that involves me coming here and saying hi to all of you and promising that I will return to blogging. My posts won't be frequent, but doing this will hopefully help motivate me. I will also try writing some short stories over the next few months. I even had a bit of inspiration the other day, so that seems like a great place to start.

I'd like to thank the wonderful WEP team and all of you who've participated over the years. This truly is a wonderful community.

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

Hi everyone! Olga here

I haven’t done anything interesting writing-wise in the past couple months, but I did play with imagery, to no one’s surprise. I was re-reading Michelle Diener’s sci-fi novels belonging to her Verdant String series. I enjoy Diener’s writing, but I don’t like her covers. So I decided I would make my own covers (strictly unofficially, for my own amusement) for the books I’ve finished this time around. There are 2 so far: Breakaway and Breakeven. Here are the existing covers, published by the author.

Here are the images I have created. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of anything, so I didn’t put the writer’s name on the covers, but I like my covers better all the same. :))

All original images come from Pixabay.com. The artists I used for my composite covers are:

ParallelVision
AlanFrijns
Jcoope12
Diversicat
MythicSon
BrinMacen
Majabel

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

#WEP #NEWLOOK #WRAP-UP OF #DECEMBER POST #GOODBYE FROM THE TEAM

2023-12-29T18:22:00.002-05:00

Hello friends! Denise here for the team.

I'm sorry some of you were shocked that we're closing down - at least as far as bi-monthly challenges go. We could no longer sustain the workload. One door shuts, another door opens I believe, so who knows what's in store for everyone who found WEP a great place to test your writing.

And we're definitely looking for more entries for the WEP Anthology. READ MORE HERE. Time is running out, so get your stories to us by December 30. BE IN IT!

And don't forget, we celebrated our 10th anniversary along the way:

So ... now let's look at our final WEP challenge where you were asked to basically write what you wanted. We were thrilled that some of our oldies turned up and penned something by way of saying farewell.

Jemi has collated the taglines, so you can quickly check out any stories you missed.

TAGLINES:

Denise Covey - The Song Of Bernadette - Do you believe in magic? The miraculous? The humble being exalted?

Yolanda Renée - Hope On The Silver Screen - The movie whispered truths she hadn’t dared to acknowledge

Nila Bose - Chiaroscuro VII - Sometimes just the touch of a finger can change the direction of an entire life

N.R. Williams - It’s a Wonderful LIfe - Your life matters

C. Lee McKenzie - The Conversation - A fond farewell

Jemi Fraser - Underdogs - Everyone loves an underdog

Shilpa Gupte - Rusty - A tribute to the movies and Chikoo

Rebecca M Douglass - Aftermath - After the wars, it’s time to rebuild

Pat Garcia - The Screenwriter - Last week’s question about her short, teeny-weeny-afro (TWA) almost caused her to explode and show him that she had muscles. She was ready to give him her Ali left punch and knock him out.

Sonia Dogra - Everything Will Be Alright - everything will be alright!

Roland Yeomans - No Safe Mode To Life - every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end

Olga Godim - Scarlet Sails - A centennial celebration of a beloved story and author

Roland Clarke - Svenigora Snow - Slava Ukrayini

Bernadette Braganza - A Starry Affair - A silly conversation with Promilla

Ornery Owl - The Xenomorphs Understand - Thoughts from Outsiders on Aliens and Acceptance

Jamie - Interview with the Vampire - Interview with the Vampire, opening scene with some twists

J lenni Dorner - Origin Story Of The Seven - Where’s Fluffy?

Hilary Melton Butcher - Out Of Africa - A farewell to WEP

Thanks Jemi.

Now, as we said, there are no prizes this month. We just wrote for love of writing.. But one entry stood out, and I have her permission to repost here. Hilary's farewell to WEP. Unique as always. (I wish I'd have thought of it!)

Over to Hilary -

Write … Edit ... Publish ... Bloghop: Out of Africa …

Out of Africa – never – so true that phrase – anyone having spent time or lived in Africa - it is not possible to take Africa out of one's system ...

… embedded for ever – perhaps tied to the roots of the human race, or perhaps just imprinted into this blogger's life … BC blogging …

… then along comes the Write Edit Publish group with prompts for the blogger of positive intent to join in with … at first with trepidation, then later with random abandon, as the poor Phantom of the Opera found out, regarding her input …

Freedom Morning has arrived … Freedom of Speech was accomplished … the Caged Bird escaped into the WEP world …

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall … which created an Urban Nightmare from The Great Wave … but The Kiss had a fun story to tell …

There was Grave Mistake, a smelly Antique Vase, a pretty Jewel Box, Long Shadows spread over a delicious meal, Horrible Harvests did not prevail at that time, Dark Places were brightened with memories of the Red Wheelbarrow days …

There was a Thriller in the authorship of A Change of Heart (ugh!) … Gone with the Wind hastened the Unravelling of the Yarn …

A Grave Mistake could have been made when the Back of the Drawer was opened to find the Letter that was begging Please to be Read, while the Moonlight Sonata resonated in the background …

Bridges were mended, a Reunion would take place in the Cafe Terrace, besides the river where Like Water for Chocolate was enjoyed by all the WEP group remembering All You Need is Love …

The Last Remembrance we will have is of Footprints for our memory bank … while we as a group will all reflect Peace and Love for the world.

The little Voodoo is doing its thing weaving, diving, spinning and in true childish passion will be remembered in our penned compositions …

From this Blogger to all WEPpers, particularly the administrators, I acknowledge you … and even though I for The First Time I Ever Saw Your Faces was and is on the screen … where you were Unmasked … this End is now the Beginning for you to enjoy your Freedom Mornings …

… before I get In Too Deep and mushy in thought … I will say Farewell to WEP and thank you all profusely for organising, initiating the fabulous thought provoking prompts, for all generous commenters, and supporters …

A fond goodbye to Write Edit Publish … and I've just scraped into the time frame … though Out of Africa was going to be my last WEP – it changed its spots! …

… however if a piece for the Anthology is required, please administrators let me know … and I'll craft an entry before the year end.

Cheers from the Positive Blogger …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Thanks Hilary! I'm sure many who read this post will be thrilled to see WEP in retrospect.

Bye for now!

Denise for the team:

and we remember past team members/admin:

Francine Howarth

Donna Hole

Laura!

Elephant's Child!

If you have news, new release, writing success, need help? email denise ... den.covey@gmail.com

#WEP December Challenge "Over to You" The Movie That Inspires and must-read news!

2023-11-30T20:00:00.158-05:00

Welcome to the December Challenge

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish...,

Over to You!

Can you believe this year's ending and the holidays will soon be upon us?! The year's simply zipped past!

Hello writers, this is Nila with you with our December Challenge. A few things are different for this month's WEP Challenge – okay, correction, a lot is different. We are leaving the fun and creativity in, taking the pressure out. It’s an open prompt this month – it’s Over to You!

Think of your favourite movie - whichever film inspires you - and shape your entry around it. And there’s no time squeeze either, post anytime between 1^st and 15^th , we’re leaving the linky open for an extended period because...well, it’s the festive season and year end and family visits and travelling out and a hundred other things besides, so how can a three day period be enough to fit the writing in, right?

This Challenge is purely for the love of writing - a celebration of the creativity that bubbles and fizzes here for each Challenge and blows us away every time. Even when the numbers are down or there are other, unforeseen spanners hampering the works. We will be reading and commenting as and when we can, many of us are travelling or otherwise away from our devices, so bear with us. There will be no prizes this Challenge, this is purely a blogfest to showcase our passion for our craft and to get together to enjoy each other's blogs.

Now for the less pleasant difference. Many of you will have noticed already that there is no mention of next year’s challenges – that’s because there aren’t going to be any. So this Challenge will also be our swan song – I’ll hand you over to Denise in a minute, who is the founder member and has been the creative vision, the driving force behind WEP from start to finish. She will explain how we’ve reached here and what happens going forward, but before that I’d just like to say – this is the very last time we’re getting together, so let’s make this party rock!

XXX XXX

This is our final WEP challenge, as after 13 years, WEP is closing down.

This is partly due to the stressors on the team which have been relentless since Covid and are ongoing, and partly because of the drop in the number of participants this year. We know many WEP members are experiencing their own stressors in the form of health challenges in themselves or family members which impacts writing time.

After much consideration, the WEP team concluded that this is the time to finish. Not exactly on a high, but not exactly at the bottom of our game.

For thirteen years we have been a light for many struggling with their writing life, and many of you credit WEP with the improvement in your writing and confidence when submitting your work to publishers. This is what WEP set out to do and we can be happy in that we achieved the supportive writing community we set out to create. I know we could have done better in some areas, but due to time constraints we could not follow every avenue we would have liked.

Thank you to all who have visited our website over the years and offered us words of encouragement and thank you to those who took up the challenges which made the hard work rewarding. Our wonderful judge, editor/formatter Nick Wilford, attests to the quality of WEP writing when he judges each challenge, so it’s not just us. Nick never asked for a financial reward, so if you appreciate what he has done, please feel free to say thank you by buying his latest book, The Becalmer.

A special thank you to those of you who have been with us for the whole journey and we’re sorry that closing down WEP will have a great impact, but all is not lost. #Read below.

Your writing success has made us proud.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

#The WEP site will remain open, and the team and anyone else who wishes may return to the site on the 1^st of each month (beginning February 2024) to chat about the ups and downs of our writing and family lives.

- Have you had a book/short story/flash fiction published?

- What challenges are you facing in your writing?

- Share an extract from your WIP and we will happily give feedback.

We'd love to hear from you!

Remember the WEP How-to posts which we collated on the site to help you in your publishing and marketing.

THE FUTURE OF THE WEP ANTHOLOGY

The anthology is going ahead at this stage, but as yet we do not have enough entries to take it forward. The end of December is the close of submissions, but if you intend to submit, please send Nila your information. We need at least 20 more submissions to make the anthology viable. It will be a precious keepsake, so if you want to see your story included for perpetuity, gain a publishing credit, send it in! (Check out the information on the WEP Pages above.

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

Tweet if you will ...

#WEPFF DECEMBER ’23 #OVER TO YOU #amwriting,#favoritemovie,#WEPfinal writingchallenge, @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser #amwriting #nocontest #flashfiction https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/11/wep-december-challenge-over-to-you.html

Come say hello and goodbye to the #WEPteam, #finalstories, DECEMBER’23 @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #nocontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/11/wep-december-challenge-over-to-you.html

Grab the Code

Thank you once again for being here, thank you for making WEP part of your writing journey and making it the lively, supportive, creative community it has been all these years.

We'd love to hear your WEP stories if you have one. How has WEP helped you over the years?

With heaps of best wishes for the holidays and New Year 2024 to all of you -

Denise and Nila for the team:

#WEP WINNERS - OCTOBER CHALLENGE - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

2023-10-31T19:00:00.013-04:00

Hi! This is Renee & Denise for the team, to sum up the October Challenge and to announce the winners!

Thanks for joining us this Halloween month of October and for taking on the story of the Phantom. Amazing work all - the information regarding the story by Gordon Leroux, was most enlightening, stories just perfect for a campfire setting, or poetry for lovers of the art. I think one of my favorite aspects of the WEP is the different takes on the prompt! Again, thank you for your participation, it was wonderful seeing new entrants and returning entrants! As always the choice for the top was tough!

Here is a synopsis of all the entries via the tagline the author provided.

Denise Covey - The Ghost of Opéra Garnier - Love will find a way despite exceptional circumstances

Yolanda Renee - Premonition - Pay attention to your sixth sense

Olga Godim - The Phantom Of The Opera - Music on Mars sounds just as beautiful as it did on Earth

Nilanjana Bose - Chiaroscuro VI - An old radio goes berserk in the middle of the night

Beth Camp - First Time - What do we learn when we close our eyes?

Kalpana M - Undisguised - A self-satisfied man immerses himself in his needs

Shilpa Gupte - Rukhsar Khala and her Kitties - Love thy neighbour, but from afar

Roland R Clarke - Masked Nemesis - Chaos from the shadows delivers a crippling blow to the night witches

Pat Garcia - Joy Comes In The Morning - The kids fell in love with him, a man whose face they couldn’t see. Fascinated by the white gauze covering his head, ears, face, and neck, each wanted to be like him

Jemi Fraser - Think Of Me - Deep in the tunnels, surprises await

Sonia Dogra - Phantom - Stories that did rounds of villages were, after all, only stories

Jamie - Phantom of the Boarded Up House - Teen initiation includes B&E to Phantom’s ghostly concert

Christopher Scott - Phantoms - Inspired by Lon Chaney’s portrayal of the Phantom

J Lenni Dorner - Phantom Wolves - Phantom wolves battle our heroes

Ornery Owl - The Star Child and the Phantom of the Opera - The Other remains reviled

Hilary Melton-Butcher - Phantom Of The Opera - Who But Me Could Come Up with This Post for the poor Phantom (of the Opera) prompt – I feel for him … I wonder if they had Bile Beans on the Nile

Damyanti Biswas - Have You Met the Phantom of My Life’s Opera? - Things only begin with mistakes. That’s not where they end

SHORTLIST

As always our talented writers make the task pretty tough for the team.

For the prompt 'The Phantom of the Opera', here is the not-so-short shortlist (in no particular order)!

Shilpa Gupte

Hilary-Melton Butcher

Ornery Owl

Beth Camp

Kalpana Misra

Carole Stolz

Pat Garcia

Jamie Dorner

Damyanti Biswas

JUDGE'S CHOICES

Ornery Owl

Shilpa Gupte

Beth Camp

but as Nick says:

Great stuff all around! Other selections were bubbling under. Well done to all!

Thank you for the haunting quality of each contribution!

COMMENTING

WEP is a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, and put forth your latest WIP for feedback. Commenters are asked to be respectful, and sensitive and to keep comments positive.

The trouble with commenting on blogs continues (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.

And if you're using Pop-ups and people still can't comment, we hope would-be commenters will post at WEP or C-Box.

This month's prize is from me, Yolanda Renee, a mini Developmental Edit.

Please email me at yolandarenee@hotmail express for further details!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

And, the Oscars go to...

Three winners, three Oscars!

AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION, THE WINNER OF THE OCTOBER 2023 CHALLENGE

~THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA~

CONGRATULATIONS Ornery Owl!

Please accept our thanks for writing such a great essay. READ IT HERE. Please accept your badge and add it to your blog.

Nick says: 'A really thought-provoking essay that shows how the story is still relevant today. Sadly, like she says, we need to do so much better.'

Remember, if you can't use Yolanda's generous gift, please let us know so we can pass it on. We hate it when a gift remains unopened.

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE OCTOBER 023 CHALLENGE

~THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA~

CONGRATULATIONS Shilpa Gupte!

Thanks, Shilpa for an innovative read. READ IT HERE. Please post the badge to your blog with a link to your story!

As Nick says: 'Fun and playful, but subtly terrifying as well - this is a treat!'

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE OCTOBER 2023 CHALLENGE

~THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA~

GOES TO

CONGRATULATIONS Beth Camp!

Thank you for a short entry packed with good things. READ IT HERE. Please accept the badge and display it on your blog.

Nick says: 'Short and sweet, a feel-good dopamine lift, a nice message to take forward.'

~*~

CONGRATULATIONS ALL!

REMEMBER!

THE WEP ANTHOLOGY

A mock-up temporary cover was created on Canva.

WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOUR ENTRY!

UPDATE: The entries are trickling in. We are concerned we won't receive the numbers to go ahead. If you intend to submit, please let us know.

WEP 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY - to be released approx. May 2024.

All winners are automatically invited to submit.

Anyone involved in WEP in the past is invited to submit.

Nila is in charge of bringing this baby home. For now, any questions, please post in comments so all can see the answers.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES WHO LOVE WRITING FLASH FICTION:

You are personally invited to submit a flash fiction piece of between 500 min - 1,000 words max to our upcoming anthology. This will be a work of prose fiction – no poetry, although a poem may be included within your predominately prose story.

Many of the finer points of the anthology are still being finalized, but we have a concrete theme -- Gone! Gone! Gone! All stories submitted will be written to this theme from which the WEP team envisages many possible genres - thriller, romance, fictionalized memoir, horror, crime, women's fiction, paranormal ... and others. By the August post, you will know all there is to know.

What do we want? We want standalone, complete, previously unpublished stories - no extracts of a WIP or serialized story, photo essay or opinion piece. A solid flash fiction. This will be submitted to technical guidelines to be announced in August. This is when WEP will publish an Anthology Page on the site where you will see various ideas for stories, but none is binding. We stress - this is YOUR story, written YOUR way in your chosen genre.

We aim to publish a high-quality eBook and print book. If your entry is accepted, you will be asked to perform further self-edits and the editorial team will do any final editing. WEP's raison d'etre is to improve writing, so the writing must be well-edited and excellent overall.

The Anthology is the culmination of the work and collective wisdom of 13 years of enthusiasm for flash fiction. Most of the current team have been with WEP in one role or another for the duration.

We envisage submissions closing at the end of December ‘23.

Please join us for the Challenge in December! This is a post where you aren't painted into any corners. Give us your real self!

For the festive season, we're taking the stress out and leaving the fun in. No competition, only creativity. We're inviting you to a Holiday Writing Party and we're saying Over to YOU.

Remember to post December 1 through the 15 so everyone can get on with the festive season!

~OVER TO YOU~

Click on our Challenges 2023 page for ideas for December. But we stress, write your entry your way! What movie inspired you?

SHARE THE LOVE IF YOU WISH. IF YOU DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.

We announce our WEP OCTOBER‘23 #THEPHANTOMOFTHEOPERA #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16 #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-winners-october-challenge-phantom.html

#WEPFF OCTOBER ’23 #THEPHANTOMOFTHEOPERA #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-winners-october-challenge-phantom.html

Come congratulate our OCTOBER’23 #THEPHANTOMOFTHEOPERA #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontesthttps://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-winners-october-challenge-phantom.html

Signing off for now

Renee & Denise

for the team

#WEP - October #FlashFiction Challenge - The Phantom of the Opera - Post October 18 - 20

2023-10-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the October Challenge

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish,

The Phantom of the Opera!

Hey writers, Renée here with our next challenge. We chose the movie The Phantom of the Opera to inspire your writing for this month's WEP Challenge.

Post October 18th to 20th, 2023

xxx

FYI: Nila summarizes and gives possible scenarios. But it's all up to you.

What did you find the most inspiring? Rich pickings here for interpretations - obsessive love, abduction, child abuse, period romance, horror, disfigurement and disability and their acceptance, body image and confidence, music and musical careers...

We set aside October to celebrate speculative fiction, horror, and paranormal, but as always no bar on any genre except erotica.

See the menu above for the link to 2023 Challenges: or click here.

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Remember to add a tagline:

"A tagline is more like a catchphrase that conveys a feeling or a promise about the story. A tagline should be catchy, genre-focused, and intriguing."

Go Here to Learn More about Taglines.

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CRITIQUE PRIZE -

Beta read of your latest novel with a mini developmental edit.

From Yolanda Renée

About (me) Renee:

I'm a writer and blogger. My favorite genres are mystery/suspenseful romance, poetry, and horror.

I have six published novels, a book of poetry, 2 books of short stories, and several short stories in anthologies.

LINKS:

Blog Twitter Facebook

Check out all our critiquers in the sidebar. If you want a critique or a professional edit, think of our generous critiquers who give of their time, gratis.

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In case you missed our latest HOW TO by Jemi Fraser just follow this link:

#WEP HOW TO BE A #WIDEAUTHOR - Article 4 of the 'How-to' series

Check out the new #WEP #Anthology Page We are open for #submissions to all #WEP or #RFW members, past and present. @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser

We'd love it if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network! If you avoid social media, we totally get you.

WEP movie #writingprompt October 2023s "The Phantom of the Opera" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html Sign up & post-October 18th thruv20th! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for the October 2023 movie prompt "The Phantom of the Opera"@DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16@jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html Sign up & post your entry October 18th thru 20th! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser for the fourth movie Challenge of 2023, "The Phantom of the Opera." Sign up and post your entry October 18^th thru 20^th https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829658"></script>

Wishing you an amazing October.

Bring on the entries!

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

The subject is all up to you!

Go HERE for ideas ...

Post - December 1st thru the to 15th, 2023

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Renée &Denise for the team:

#WEP HOW TO BE A #WIDEAUTHOR - Article 4 of the 'How-to' series

2023-09-06T00:25:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! Denise and Sonia here! Time for our ...

Do you want to make your books available to readers in every format, in every online store and library, in every country? If yes, it's time to go wide for the win!

This month we have the immensely talented Jemi Fraser sharing with us how becoming a 'Wide' Author works. As I understand, with several publishing opportunities today, it is a wise choice to make to go 'wide' instead of being exclusively on Amazon. How we should navigate through the process, what are its benefits and challenges - Jemi brings it all here for our readers.

Over to Jemi!

Being a Wide Author

First off - what does being a wide author mean? A wide author is one who publishes on more than one retailer and doesn’t belong to an exclusive program (for example, Amazon's Kindle Unlimited).

I’ve chosen to be a wide author for several reasons. While I’m still a relatively new author (started publishing in 2020), I’m very happy with my choice to be wide.

For me, being wide makes me happy because:

1. My books can be available in libraries. Libraries have always been one of my happy places. Once I decided to be an author, I knew I wanted my books available to all libraries (FYI - Patrons often have to request books by indie authors as these are not stocked automatically).

2. Because my books are available in libraries, I get a yearly check from PLR (Public Lending Right). Not all countries have a PLR program, but if you do, check into it. It’s a great program and a nice boost in the spring!

3. My books are available in countries that don’t have access to Amazon. My readers and newsletter subscribers come from all over the world and several have mentioned they are thrilled to be able to access my books through their favourite retailers.

4. I like not having to rely on one company for my income. In this economy, the more streams of income coming in, the better!

5. Several retailers (Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble) allow indie authors access to special promotions and will promote indie authors right alongside trad authors in these promotions. This is a far cry from when indie authors were treated as second-rate.

6. Some of those same retailers also allow you to use coupon codes you can create and share as you wish. I haven’t tried these yet, but they’re on the to-do list!

7. There are distributors like Draft2Digital (D2D) that help indie authors access any retailers and libraries (for a small % of royalties earned). They also have special promotion arrangements with some retailers. And they're always ready to answer author questions.

I know some authors are a little intimidated by going wide. They feel that there is too much to learn.

Personally, I didn’t find it too challenging or time-consuming. While every retailer’s dashboard is different, they are all pretty clear and easy to use. If any particular retailer is too frustrating (here's looking at you, Apple), then the author can choose to use a distributer like D2D to access those retailers.

Once you have your accounts set up and you’ve published once, it becomes easy. I can upload a new book on all the sites in less than thirty minutes. Do set up your accounts well in advance though as some retailers take time to verify banking data.

A question I’ve been asked by other authors is, “What do you say to readers who want your books in an exclusive program?”

I’ve never been asked that by a reader. Not once.

If I was, I’d point them to their local library. Authors are paid a small fee every time a book is checked out. Not only is it a win for both the authors and the readers, it helps support our libraries!

I’d also point them to Kobo Plus. Kobo has a subscription program for those who like to pay a monthly fee and have access to all the Kobo Plus books. Like Kindle Unlimited, authors can choose to enrol their books in this program or not. The best part about this subscription program is that it is NOT exclusive. The program isn’t available world-wide yet, but it’s growing with the UK, USA, with Australia and NZ being added recently.

So, those are my top reasons for being wide. Any questions? I’ll do my best to answer!

Jemi Fraser writes small-town romantic suspense filled with hope, heart, and humour. Her stories combine her love of mystery with the satisfaction of a Happy Ever After. Love is always worth the risk!

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If you'd like to read more about going wide, go HERE to read more from that creative Joanna Penn.

Or VISIT/JOIN the Wide for the Win Facebook Group HERE.

There are lots of helpful articles available on this topic. You might know of some. Please share in comments.

Or tell us in comments about your experience publishing wide.

Or feel free to ask Jemi questions.

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TWEET THIS ARTICLE IF YOU LIKE TO 'X'

Read all about #publishing #wide. #wideforthewing.@DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/09/wep-how-to-be-wideauthor-article-4-of.html

Denise and Sonia for:

#WEP WINNERS : AUGUST 2023 CHALLENGE - CHOCOLAT

2023-08-27T19:31:00.001-04:00

Hi! This is Sonia and Denise for the team, to sum up the August Challenge and to announce the winners!

To begin with, a big thank you to all participants for joining us in August and for blowing us away with their nuanced, intricate, brilliant responses to the prompt. We had some first timers for 2023 and the overall reading experience with the range of genres and plots was certainly gratifying. Why don't you read them for yourself if you haven't already to check the incredible range of talent pool.

Here is a round up of all the entries.

1. Denise Covey - Food is a memory trigger extraordinaire!

2. Nilanjana Bose - Engraved: a double scoop sundae romance story in a story

3. Yolanda Renée- Solace is found in the simplest gesture

4. J Lenni Dorner- Elves trade with chocolate, but that's poison to wolves

5. Sonia Dogra- The Circuit of Life

6. Jamie Dorner- Chocolate and Death: A tragic, controversial, trigger-heavy, realistic fiction.

7. Bernadette Braganza- The Workshop After Christmas : A behind-the-scenes look at Santa's workshop during the year.

8. Olga Godim- How to grow cocoa trees on Mars.

9. Pat Garcia- After working throughout the night making her sweet round dark chocolat balls, she had wanted to stay home, but Friday afternoon was the usual time she went to Mass.

10. Carole Stolz- The Sinking and the Sweet: To a young woman depressed and without means after a shipwreck, salvation comes from an unexpected encounter.

11. Hilary Melton-Butcher- Like water, like chocolate... both lifelong intimate companions...

12. Damyanti Biswas- Stay in your lane.

13. Jemi Fraser- Brownies: Not quite how mom used to make.

14. Ornery Owl- Fudge: Treat the patient, not the chart!

15. Donna- Guarding the chocolate-finding a way from fascism to hope

16. Shilpa Gupte- A Bittersweet Tale of a Chocolate Pastry : The Hunger Games

17. Beth Camp- Memories: One day we'll return to Paris

18. Roland Clarke- Chocolate Pots: The Night Witches taste from the past and discover new delights.

19. Kalpana Misra- Chocolate Queen writes a letter to the Carrot Queen.

20. Silver Tree- Chocolate in Renaissance Times: A world without chocolate would be a sad world indeed; thank God for the adventurous ones who brought chocolate home from distant lands!

SHORTLIST

This month we had an eclectic mix of genres, ranging from poetry to romance, contemporary to nonfiction. The interesting part is that the shortlist isn't really 'short'! It goes on to show that we have a great bunch of writers who make the task pretty tough for the team.

With six members in the team, it's not easy to reach a consensus. As they say, readers are a subjective lot. All the WEP members have good reasons to support their choices, before a final list is sent to our judge, Nick Wilford.

For the prompt 'Chocolat', here is the not-so-short shortlist (in no particular order)!

Shilpa Gupte

Hilary-Melton Butcher

Beth Camp

Kalpana Misra

Carole Stolz

Pat Garcia

Jamie Dorner

Damyanti Biswas

BUT...We love our WEP writers and see you all as winners! Sometimes the attention to craft combined with explicit research delights our writer's heart. Thank you for a feast of Chocolat!

COMMENTING

WEP is a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, and put forth your latest WIP for feedback. Commenters are asked to be respectful, sensitive and to keep comments positive.

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.

This month's prize is from Christine Rains

LINKS:

Website

Facebook

Twitter - X

Goodreads

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

And, the Oscars go to...

Three winners, three Oscars!

AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION, THE WINNER OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~CHOCOLAT~

CONGRATULATIONS SHILPA!

Shilpa's short and effective flash, A Bittersweet Tale of a Chocolate Pastry, blew us away!

Nick says, "Succulent and heart-breaking at the same time - showing the societal divides that still exist through a device as simple as a pane of glass."

Shilpa, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your winning entry. Tweet (X) it/Facebook it if you desire to share the love! Use the critique prize from our loyal supporter Christine Rains or pass it on to the next winner if you can't avail yourself of it in the next few months.

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~CHOCOLAT~

CONGRATULATIONS JAMIE!

Jamie's story Chocolate and Death was achingly beautiful while terrifying.

Nick says, "Hard hitting and hard to read, in a way. But worthwhile for raising such issues that many will be unaware of."

Jamie, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~CHOCOLAT~

GOES TO

CONGRATULATIONS CAROLE!

Carole's flash, The Sinking and the Sweet, brought a smile and a lovely twist to a beautiful tale.

Nick says, "Tragedy and delight combined - and a testimony to the power of chocolate for sure!"

Carole, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

Be in it!

A mock-up temporary cover created on Canva.

WEP 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY - to be released approx. May 2024.

All winners are automatically invited to submit.

Anyone involved in WEP in the past is invited to submit.

Nila is in charge of bringing this baby home. For now, any questions, please post in comments so all can see the answers.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES WHO LOVE WRITING FLASH FICTION:

Many of the finer points of the anthology are still being finalized, but we have a concrete theme -- Gone! Gone! Gone! All stories submitted will be written to this theme from which the WEP team envisage many possible genres - thriller, romance, fictionalized memoir, horror, crime, women's fiction, paranormal ... and others. By the August post, you will know all there is to know.

The Anthology is the culmination of the work and collective wisdom of 13 years of enthusiasm for flash fiction. Most of the current team have been with WEP in one role or another for the duration.

We envisage submissions closing at the end of December ‘23.

GUIDELINES FOR NEW RELEASE POST!!

Hey WEP writer friends!

If you'd like to promote your latest release, we offer a shout out.

email Denise: den.covey@gmail.com and

CC Sonia -soniawrites2018@gmail.com

and read more details on this here

Please join us for the Challenge in October!

The Phantom of the Opera

Your host is Renee and she is excited to host October! She loves the creepy thrills, but all genres are welcome, not just horrot!

If you're excited too, please invite your writer friends to join us. We'd like to read more awesome stuff. As they say, the more the merrier!

Click on our Challenges 2023 page for ideas for October. But we stress, write you entry your way! As we said in the June 1 post -

"None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of anything." But most of us have a deep knowledge of chocolate and the way it adds sweetness to our life.

SHARE THE LOVE IF YOU WISH. IF YOU DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.

We announce our WEP AUGUST‘23 #CHOCOLAT #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16 #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

#WEPFF AUGUST ’23 #CHOCOLAT #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

Come congratulate our AUGUST ’23 #CHOCOLAT #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

Signing off for now

Sonia and Denise

for the team

#WEP August Challenge "#CHOCOLAT" - post August 16 - 18

2023-07-31T20:00:00.264-04:00

Welcome to August's WEP CHALLENGE!

CHOCOLAT (Aug 16-18, 2023)

Hello! It's Sonia here, along with my co-host Denise, and we're excited for the August Challenge! This month's prompt is "Chocolat" based on the iconic movie title/poster. Before we get into the challenge, I'd just like to clear up a small point. The WEP Challenges are to flex the writing muscles and to enjoy the process. Please note,

None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of the film.

We are a diverse community spread across the world, from Australia right round to America. The primary thing that binds us together is NOT any specialist knowledge of movies, art or books, but our love for writing. That's what we get together here to celebrate and to nurture and support. You don't have to be published or perfect (heck, who is?!) to write with us at WEP. All you need is love. For writing.

WEP is open to all levels of writing - from newbie right through to published authors. Many published authors got their start by writing to WEP prompts.

This year, our prompts happen to be based on movies but I'll say it again -

You don't have to know any background, nor watch the movie, nor write to that specific genre or plot.

All you need to do is to bring your imagination and a writing device. Look at the title, look at the poster if you like and run with whatever element inspires you. The suggestions are just that - suggestions. We're uber happy for you to ignore them and come up with your own interpretations.

"Chocolat"+ YOU is all that's needed.

We look forward to where this Challenge takes all of us!

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

The Story:

Set in a 1950s French village, during Lent, and based on a novel of the same name (author- Joanne Harris), Chocolat is the story of a "pagan" heroine Vianne and her battle against a repressive mayor Reynaud, who encapsulates the fear of change. No prizes for guessing the winner here, friends. It's the time of Chocolat!

But hey, we can put this story right behind us and allow the imagination to run wild!

The Possibilities:

Chocolat has many possible interpretations - base your flash on the confection itself, a chocolate shop, a café, a 1950's setting, France or French cuisine, a suspected witch, a character with magical powers/recipes, a romance between two disparate or the outsider versus insiders theme, settlers versus nomads, prejudice, morality, hedonism, entrepreneurship, Lent, Easter and resurrection - or spring festivals from other parts of the world. So many ways to go and get creative!

As always, over to you.

Go HERE to our Challenges 2023 Page to read about ALL our prompts for the year!

Post - August 16 - 18 2023

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CRITIQUE PRIZE - 10k word critique

From Christine Rains

Christine says:

I am a writer, blogger and geek mom. I write paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I love a dark and gritty story. I have four degrees which don't help at all with motherhood, but make me a great Jeopardy player. Member of S.C.I.F.I and Untethered Realms.

Christine has four novels and several short stories and novellas published.

LINKS:

Check out all our critiquers in the sidebar. If you're wanting a critique, or a professional edit, think of our generous critiquers who give of their time, gratis.

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COMMENTING

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Be in it!

A mock-up temporary cover created on Canva.

YOU ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT TO THE WEP 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY - to be released approx. May 2024.

Submissions close on or before the end of December ‘23. So get your thinking caps on!

Nila is in charge of bringing this baby home. She has produced an Anthology Page. Check it our HERE.

All challenge winners are automatically invited to submit.

Anyone involved in WEP in the past is invited to submit.

You are invited to submit a flash fiction piece of between 500 words min - 1,000 words max to our upcoming anthology. This will be a work of prose fiction – no poetry, although a poem may be included within your predominately prose story.

All stories submitted will be written to the theme of Gone! Gone! Gone! Check the new Anthology Page to have your questions about the theme answered.

Don't forget to go to the new Anthology Page to read the full details!

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SOMETHING NEW!

SHAMELESSLY PROMOTE YOUR NEW RELEASE!

And... hello again! On behalf of the team, Denise & Sonia here.

At the WEP, we have an exciting, new section where you can keep an eye on all the new and upcoming book releases by members. New titles are luring and we have an eclectic list to help you find your next best read.

So, friends, if you have a new release (maybe a few months ago) hitting the shelves, check out the GUIDELINES FOR NEW RELEASE POSTS above in Pages, follow carefully - we need you to speak big in few words with minimal editing from the team. Send it to:

den.covey@gmail.com CC soniawrites2018@gmail.com

We work on posts in advance, so the next opportunity for you is:

~~October 1~~

We'll need your copy in plenty of time to incorporate it into the post.

First, our friendly judge who always manages to judge WEP for us no matter how busy he is:

NICK WILFORD

THE BECALMER

Preorder your copy today! https://books2read.com/u/4j5V85

Amazon

In this YA sci-fi adventure, Harica is gifted with the ability to defuse conflicts using her mind. When she is recruited to assist in resolving a war via an arranged marriage, she discovers that the reluctant bride-to-be has similar powers. Princess Jasmila doesn't use her powers for good and when Harica arrives to help with the marriage arrangements, she fights back and sends Harica into a coma.

It is through this comatose state that Harica discovers a mysterious liminal space populated by others who share her gift. In this new realm, she learns to do things she never believed possible, but soon things spiral out of control.

In the face of a terrifying and seemingly unstoppable adversary, Harica wrestles with the decision to come to terms with the dark side of her gift. Will she take ownership of it or turn her back on it forever?

Nick Wilford is originally from Brighton, England and now lives in a quiet town in Scotland with his wife, three daughters and six dogs. He enjoys writing speculative fiction, exploring the things that cannot be seen and “making the impossible reality.” By day, he works as a freelance editor and also has the pleasurable (and often highly challenging, given the talent on display) job of judging the entries to WEP. Amazon Author Page

And the second author is our very loyal WEP contributor,

JLENNI DORNER

PROOF OF EXISTENCE

Goodreads

Amazon Kindle

World-ending secrets and threats…

In Proof of Existence, the thrilling sequel to Fractions of Existence, Gwendolyn is held captive by the Eyes in the Shadows, a dangerous religious sect hell-bent on freeing humanity from the shackles of life. The Existence must reveal themselves to rescue her. She confronts her true identity, self-doubts, and her forbidden attraction to Xavier.

When Existence member Heath goes off the grid, his life becomes a bargaining chip. With the Eyes in the Shadows poised to end human life forever, the Existence must reunite and harness their full power to stand against the looming threat.

Proof of Existence is a mythological urban fantasy where the choices of a few could determine the destiny of all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J Lenni Dorner (he/him or they/them)
Speculative Fiction & Writer's Reference Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge
Happily married and living in Pennsylvania (USA) on the original lands of the Lenni-Lenape people.
Sharing wisdom and knowledge passed on through stories is the goal of his soul.

Go ahead and grab your copies of these two fabulous books. And if you have a new release, get in touch with us now!

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* Did you catch our third 'How-to' post?

'How-to-write-flash-fiction'

All published How-to posts are linked in the sidebar!

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

We'd love if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network! If you avoid social media, we totally get you.

WEP movie #writingprompt August 2023s "Chocolat" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-august-challenge-chocolat-post.html Sign up & post-August 16th thru18th! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for August 2023s movie prompt "Chocolat" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-august-challenge-chocolat-post.html Sign up & post your entry August 16th thru 18th! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the fourth movie Challenge of 2023, "Chocolat". Sign up and post your entry AUGUST 16th thru 18th https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-august-challenge-chocolat-post.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

Check out the new #WEP #Anthology Page We are open for #submissions to all #WEP or #RFW members, past and present. @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/p/submit-to-weps-first-anthology-release.html

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Wishing you a fabulous August.

Bring on the entries!

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

It will be hosted by our very own much beloved horror queen, Yolanda Renee. Go HERE for ideas ...

Post - October 18 to 20, 2023

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Denise & Sonia for the team:

#WEP 'How-to Write #FlashFiction - article No 3

2023-07-09T23:55:00.032-04:00

Hello all! Denise here!

Welcome to our third How-to post. You'll find the other two readily accessible in the sidebar.

So this time, especially with the Anthology to be released approx. May 2024, it is timely to write another post on:

How to Write Flash Fiction

Read as much or as little of this article as will be helpful to you. WEP has writers at all levels of their careers - some newbies who are just beginning to put themselves out there, to professionals who have spent years learning their craft.

My aim is to provide something for everyone, not exactly an easy remit.

Jump to HERE *** to skip the preamble and go straight to THE STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF FLASH FICTION.

Flash fiction is simply one way to tell a story. Telling stories is natural to all societies and appears to play a part in our individual and communal health. Once fire was discovered, the ancients gathered and unleashed their imaginations after a hard day hunting and gathering, swapped stories, or told of past generations.

Often more recent traditional societies gather around the campfire, sharing oral histories or news of the day – perceived threats to their lifestyle, where the animals and fish hung out, which they needed for the hunt … and so on.

These days, in First World societies, stories are more likely to be other people’s stories, gathered and curated for us and presented to us in the form of television news or documentaries, or streaming services where many of us binge-watch. Our smart phones or other devices contain many shared stories which makes it easy to read stories during our commute, which has led to a strong demand for shorter episodic stories (Kindle Vella, Radish, Wattpad...).

So … we know stories come in all shapes and sizes – (definitions may vary)

· the epic novel of the style of GRR Martin’s Game of Thrones of a gazillion words - vary from the 200,000+ to Storm of Swords (424,000 words).

· the very popular commercial fiction of around 80,000 - 100,000+ words

· the short novel, Harlequin-style - 50,000 words

· the novella, 10,000 – 40,000 words

· the novelette, 7,500 – 19,000 words

· the short story, over 1,000 words – 10,000 words

· then FLASH FICTION ... 1,000 words and under. Under 1,000 words we have more specific names for 100 word stories, 200 word stories etc. Dribbles and Drabbles etc.

This article is about writing flash fiction to the 1,000 word count, small enough to write on your smart phone during work breaks.

How-to-Write-Flash-Fiction

"Each drop encases its own separate note, the way each drop engulfs its own blue pearl of light." This description of rain, from Stuart Dybek's story "Nighthawks," is as close to a definition of flash fiction as I can offer. A successful flash enchants us, each small story successfully rendered engulfing us for a brief moment - in a 'flash,' in its own brand of light, or truth. And the effects linger on...

From the Flash Fiction article that has been reclining on WEP pages for many years, but in the way of Pages, rarely accessed.

Let’s nail what exactly is Flash Fiction.

It is simply a story in miniature, a work of art carved on a grain of rice—something of import to the artist or writer that is confined and reduced into a small space with the purpose of creating an intense, emotional impact.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe gave us the definition of the short story – must be able to be absorbed in one sitting - captures a mood or feeling which translates to the same mood or feeling in the reader.

Ernest Hemingway

Credited with the flash fiction craze, (no wonder I admire his fiction so much), Hemingway said: 'I am trying in all my stories to get the feeling of actual life across. Not to just depict life, but to actually make it alive.'

*** STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF FLASH FICTION

Story, according to EM Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel, is ‘a narrative of events arranged in a time-sequence…the king died and then the queen died.’ A plot is also a narrative of events but with the emphasis on causality: ‘The king died, and then the queen died of grief.’

If it is in a story, we say, ‘and then?’ Forster tells us: ‘If it is in a plot, we ask ‘why’?’

The story is the what, the plot is the why. They both have to do with events occurring in time. Dealing with time is one of the most challenging aspects of fiction writing because what is on the page rarely corresponds with the passage of real time. A character may have a memory that lasts for pages, although in life those pages would have passed in only a second or two. Conversely, fiction writers can make lifetimes disappear with just a wave of their typing fingers. ‘Centuries passed’, we say, and as far as the story is concerned, they have.

But let’s not get too carried away with plots in flash fiction. Some writers claim that flash fiction is about ambiguity. In other words, life does not contain plots. Life is fragmented, chaotic and captures some of that ambiguity. Flash fiction is one of the most difficult forms of storytelling because it must embody all the techniques and consummate skill required in short story construction and then some.

BEGIN YOUR STORY AT THE MOST OPPORTUNE MOMENT

You have at most, 1,000 words to play with. There is no time for elaborate preambles. Drop your reader directly into the action. Start your story as late in the narrative as possible. The conflict and tension should already be present from the beginning. You just need to drop your characters in the midst of it.

For example, in the flash I've written for Chocolat (upcoming August WEP) I begin with my main character arriving at her favorite restaurant in Paris:

"The restaurant, with its silky red walls and black chandeliers, wrapped its dark arms around me, welcomed me home to Paris after a long absence."

So we know the setting already, and I hope the reader is already wondering where she's been. So I drop that in the next sentence:

"As a war correspondent in the Middle East, food, any food was a bonus eaten on the run, but I can’t recall the taste, but I recall much else I’d rather forget."

IS THE STORY’S CONFLICT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR?

Conflict is at the heart of story. As James Scott Bell said in his Lock Method for Structure: Put your characters up a tree and throw rocks at them. You may think that a story about a man wandering up and down the city streets contemplating the meaning of life will wow your readers. Think again. The ‘navel-gazing narrator’ is usually a bore. Too often he or she is simply an excuse to keep you, the author, from delving into more emotionally troubling, but far more interesting, material. Your reader should be able to answer the crucial question: ‘Where’s the trouble?’ by the end of the first sentence, paragraph or page. It’s not impossible to write a story in which a character is in conflict only with his or her environment, but it’s much easier to bring two people into conflict. Someone wants something, but a second person is in the way of them getting what they want. Or to make a story super interesting, maybe the protagonist wants to get away with something and someone tries to stop him. It is the oldest plot formula in the world. Which means it has been working for millennia.

DOES SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OCCUR DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR STORY?

There isn’t time for extended rising action of a novel or a short story or a long story. Still, there must be movement/action/conflict in your story. Maybe your protagonist suffers a sudden lapse of self-confidence. Perhaps. Maybe he encounters some aspect of the world so chilling that it stuns him into silence. Your characters might succeed, or they might fail, in facing the challenges in front of them, but at the end of the story they should be different than they were when it began. Understand the story arc.

My flash builds on the hints I drop throughout the story.

"The drink the waiter brought me tasted of rose perfume, a sweet flavor that clashed with my morbid thoughts. Guilt crept over me; I try to push it away, but it is impossible. Why should I survive to live another day, eat another joyous meal, while my fellow correspondent, Benoit, ate his last meal then stepped onto an IB?"

SETTING

IS THE DESCRIPTION OF PLACE AND TIME APPROPRIATE TO YOUR STORY?

Most flash fiction stories use one setting only as moving between locations takes up too much time. Some stories need lots of detail. Some work well without too many specifics. Check your story for spots that seem blank or blurry (add more details) or cluttered and jumbled (eliminate unnecessary information). Remember that the simple fact of naming or not naming a location - Wal Mart or a large retail store, or Chicago vs a small town, may affect the level of detail you need to include in your story.

IS YOUR DESCRIPTION OF REAL PLACES ACCURATE?

Paris is a great city in which to set a story, but do you know much about it? There are ways to find out precise details about settings, but arguably the best stories encapsulate details only a native (or regular visitor) will know.

DOES YOUR STORY END AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PLACE?

You may feel that your story requires a sentence or two of tying things up, you don’t want to end before your conflict has played itself out, but don’t hang around too long after the climax. Consider deleting the last paragraph or two of your first draft. Leave it to your reader to puzzle out the meaning of your story.

For example: The where-to-end is always tricky. I played with several and still was not convinced it ended where it should. Then I remembered the theme, Chocolat, so I added the chocolate touch.

“I saw in the waiter's doleful eyes that he’d realized Benoit wasn’t coming back, and he offered succor in the way he knew best. He raised his eyebrows.

I nodded. Yes, please.

Chocolat.”

So, to summarize this section:

Flash fiction is a form of extremely short story-telling characterized by its brevity and conciseness. It is a literary genre that focuses on telling a complete narrative or conveying a significant moment or idea in a compact and condensed manner.

What sets flash fiction apart is its ability to create a complete story arc, including characters, setting, conflict, and resolution, within a limited word count. Due to the strict constraints, flash fiction often relies on evocative language, powerful imagery, and precise word choice to maximize the impact on the reader. Flash fiction can encompass various genres, themes, and styles, offering a quick and intense reading experience that captures the essence of a larger narrative in a condensed format.

I hope you learnt something about writing Flash Fiction, and we'll see some great stories submitted for the WEP 2024 Anthology. Happy writing!

Let's rock this Flash Fiction world!

Spread the word. A tweet is pre-written below. Add the Chocolat image to it if you like. Twitter loves images.

#How-to-write-flash-fiction, #amwriting, #writersoftwitter, #writingcommunity,#writingcraft, #flashfiction @DeniseCCovey, #@yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-how-to-write-flashfiction-article.html

ANOTHER TWEET FOR YOU!

The best examples of a fine Chianti are a visceral tasting experience; an intense sense of place developing with a single sip – the same can be said of #flashfiction #writingcommunity #writersoftwitter #amwriting

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/wep-how-to-write-flashfiction-article.html

FURTHER READING:

Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction by The Rose Metal Press - my go-to.

Up in Michigan by Ernest Hemingway – one of the flashes that began the short, short story revival in the 1980s.

Flash Fiction Examples - https://examples.yourdictionary.com/5-flash-fiction-examples-to-inspire-and-entertain.html

Flash Fiction - WEP Pages - has many sites to access and more information.

Denise

#WEP WINNERS : JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

2023-07-02T06:56:00.004-04:00

Hi! This is Nila with you for the summing up of the June Challenge and to tell you who all won!

Before we get into that - thank you to all participants, who as usual blew us away with the variety and depth of their interpretations of the prompt. Our participant numbers have remained the same this year...but I can honestly say that what we've lacked in quantity we've made up in creativity and quality. The writing at these challenges never ceases to amaze!

Let's kick off with a round up of all entries, put together by your co-host Jemi. Hop over and read them for yourself to experience the awesome range of our talent pool.

Nilanjana Bose - How not to meet an online friend face to face.

Denise Covey - Life can be over in 60 seconds

Yolanda Renee - Even witnessed phenomenon is not proof

Olga Godim - Aliens are just like us. Probably…

Jemi Fraser - Sometimes it's best to trust your gut, not your colleagues

Pat Garcia - The closer she got, the clearer her head became until she stood before Strain Man with his cone-shaped head and dressed in metallic clothing

Jamie - What if you’re an alien to those in your refrigerator?

Ornery Owl - Just who is responsible for this travesty?

NR Williams - Alien Discussion

Silver Tree - Close Encounter with a Vampire Queen

J Lenni Dorner - A fantasy adventuring party of three must cross a river by communicating with a sky creature

Sonia Dogra - The Many Faces Of Truth

Roland R Clarke - Shaped Encounters

Hilary - Close Encounters from life experience

Shortlist

The interpretations ranged from witty humour to fantasy, war to adventure sports - our writers do NOT make the job of shortlisting easy. In fact, they make it more difficult with every passing challenge! Which is exactly the way it should be - because they are a superlative bunch and getting better by the minute.

What doesn't quite show up here is the long and passionate process involved in choosing the shortlist, each host reads and rereads and defends her choices to the team; there is much discussion and debate before we arrive at a consensus.

The shortlist was whittled down to:

Ornery Owl

Pat Garcia

N.R. Williams

Hilary

J Lenni

Jamie

Here are the four that the team finally picked to pass onto our judge Nick:

Ornery Owl

Pat Garcia

Hilary

Jamie

COMMENTING

This month's prize is from Lynda Dietz from Easy Reader Editing.

Easy Reader Editing

Facebook

Twitter

Finally, the Oscars go to...!

Three winners! Three Oscars!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

THE WINNER OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~ CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ~

Congratulations, Pat!

Pat's Story The Strain Man was:

Nick says: So beautifully done in a few short paragraphs, hinting towards other worlds and letting the reader's imagination go wherever they want with it. I love how music featured as communication.

Pat, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your winning entry. Tweet it/Facebook it if you desire to share the love! Use the critique prize or pass it on to the next winner if you can't avail yourself of it in the next few months. (Lynda has offered her critique prize twice before and has never yet been asked to critique!) I'm hoping someone will take up her generous offer this time. I'd love a critique from Lynda. She's awesome at what she does.

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~ CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ~

Congratulations, Jamie!

Jamie's story Kitchen Counters and the Refrigerated Kind was a ton of fun!

Nick says: Whimsical, enchanting, laugh-out-loud, a brilliant idea done really well.

Jamie, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE

~ CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ~

GOES TO

Congratulations Ornery Owl!

Ornery Owl's poem Gross Encounters of the Worst Kind was also a lot of fun!

Nick says: Just a good dose of pure fun. Puts a smile on your face and sometimes that's all that's needed.

Ornery Owl, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

WEP 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY - to be released approx. May 2024.

All winners are automatically invited to submit.

Anyone involved in WEP in the past is invited to submit.

Nila is in charge of bringing this baby home. For now, any questions, please post in comments so all can see the answers.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES WHO LOVE WRITING FLASH FICTION:

Many of the finer points of the anthology are still being finalized, but we have a concrete theme -- Gone! Gone! Gone! All stories submitted will be written to this theme from which the WEP team envisage many possible genres - thriller, romance, fictionalized memoir, horror, crime, women's fiction, paranormal ... and others. By the August post, you will know all there is to know.

The Anthology is the culmination of the work and collective wisdom of 13 years of enthusiasm for flash fiction. Most of the current team have been with WEP in one role or another for the duration.

We envisage submissions closing at the end of December ‘23.

Please join us for the Challenge in August!

Chocolat

Your hosts are Sonia with Denise assisting. Both are so excited to host this delicious theme!

If you're excited too, please invite your writer friends to join us! We're not getting enough stories to satisfy our insatiable desire to read! Please help us!

Click on our Challenges 2023 page for ideas. But we stress, write you entry your way! As we said in the June 1 post -

"None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of anything." But most of us have a deep knowledge of chocolate and the way it adds sweetness to our life.

SHARE THE LOVE IF YOU WISH. IF YOU DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.

We announce our WEP JUNE‘23 #CLOSEENCOUNTERS #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16 #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-winners-june-2023-challenge-close.html

#WEPFF JUNE ’23 #CLOSEENCOUNTERS #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-winners-june-2023-challenge-close.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest

Come congratulate our JUNE ’23 #CLOSEENCOUNTERS #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/07/wep-winners-june-2023-challenge-close.html

Signing off for now

Nila

for the Team

See you in August!

#June WEP Close Encounters of the Third Kind

2023-06-01T00:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to June's WEP CHALLENGE!

Close Encounters!

Hello! - it's Nila here, along with my co-host Jemi, we're excited for the June Challenge! This month's prompt is "Close Encounters" based on an iconic movie title/poster. Before we get into the challenge, I'd just like to clear up a small point that came up last month. Hey listen, there is no homework given out around here!

None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of anything.

This year, our prompts happen to be based on movies - I'll say it again -

You don't have to know any background, nor watch the movie, nor write to that specific genre or plot.

"Close Encounters"+ YOU is all that's needed.

We look forward to where this Challenge takes all of us!

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* Did you catch our second 'How-to' post? We started with HR Sinclair's guide to publishing on Google Play. Catch Holly's article HERE.

** Did you take note that WEP winners will be invited to submit to the WEP Flash Fiction Anthology, an ebook, out in 2024 (date to be announced)? After submissions are collated, there may be room to offer more members a place. Submissions will not be automatically accepted, and if they are, will go through an editing process so they're publication ready, following the rigorous process used by the IWSG Anthology team. A WEP 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.

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WHAT INSPIRES?

Photo by Daniela Paola Alchapar on Unsplash

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an iconic 1977 Spielberg movie, in fact Ray Bradbury called it the greatest sci-fi movie ever made. The storyline combines three threads in parallel - broadly reflecting the three kinds of encounters, i.e. sighting, evidence and contact with alien life. An ordinary electrician sees an UFO and has his life upended. A little boy finds his toys operating spontaneously and is later abducted, his mother believes by aliens. Meanwhile, a group of scientists are trying to establish contact with lifeforms in outer space and are nonplussed with the response they get. All three converge to a spot where the climax - a monumental event unparalleled in human history, unfolds. The film tells the story of the first contact between non-invading aliens and earth. It is characterised by opulent sets and mind boggling special effects and many instances of Judeo-Christian imagery. For all the opulence and slick effects, it is a simple, engaging story compellingly told.

Go HERE to our Challenges 2023 Page to read about ALL our prompts for the year!

Post - June 21st - 23rd 2023

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WEP NEWS!

We at Team WEP want to make your experience writing for us as fulfilling as possible. We pride ourselves on being a supportive writing environment so we're always open to feedback.

The response was good. So far, one of the main points, was that you are busy people and cannot find the time to write to every challenge. We totally get this and are delighted whenever you turn up.

THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID:

- I don't enjoy continuation stories based on prompts. I'd like to see something new and original from those writers.

- Please don't make rules - as they've done in the A-Z ... let us just do our thing at whatever level we're at ...

- Don't make us do FB, or Tw, or anything else -

- If it doesn't suit - move on ... don't criticise ...

- Thanks - it's great - and I enjoy it ... and do what I can ...having committed to write WEP prompts ....

- The prompts such as the music prompts were about a song, but with all the possibilities suggested, I was confused on what you were actually looking for...

- Anthology could be cool. Would probably have to be a .99 cent one, because those rarely sell very well. But they're great for running a giveaway with as a prize.

- I'm still participating but I think it would be great to offer an anthology, and not just to the winners, but give a theme and accept submissions.

THIS IS WHAT WE SAY:

We hear you.

We try to be as rule-free as possible. Some don't like the 1,000 word limit, but that is the Flash Fiction limit. We don't mind if entries are over 1,000 words at times - we don't count them.

We don't make you do social media. Some like it, so by pre-writing tweets it makes it easy for those of us who like to tweet. Also it brings more readers to your stories.

We get that some are finding the music prompts confusing. Nila has dealt with that above.

We are working on the concepts of the anthology and a theme has been mentioned rather than strictly adhering to the year's prompts. And we'll see how the words go and may well open for submissions to all members. Not all submissions will automatically be accepted. We're looking for well written and well edited work. An editorial team will read each entry and decide.

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CRITIQUE PRIZE

This month's prize is from Lynda Dietz from Easy Reader Editing.

Lynda says:

I’m a wife, mother, and worship leader from northwest PA. Though my kids don’t think I’m funny, I make myself laugh frequently. Everyone in my family lives, breathes, and eats music, so I’m always picking up some new instrument and giving it a try. I edit books with the help of my four assistants, all of whom are cats.

Links:

Easy Reader Editing

Facebook

Twitter

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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.

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

WEP movie #writingprompt June 2023s "Close Encounters" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html Sign up & post-June 21st thru 23rd! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for June 2023s movie prompt "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html Sign up & post your entry June 21st thru 23rd! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the third movie Challenge of 2023, "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS". Sign up and post your entry JUNE 21 thru 23rd https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

Check out #stories of #love, #loss, #firstcontact, & #closeencounters @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the JUNE movie challenge "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS" https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829656"></script>

Wishing you a fabulous June.

Bring on the entries!

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Our next movie prompt is for August. How about this? Sure to be a favorite~

Post - August 16th to the 18th 2023

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Nila & Jemi for the team:

WEP- 'HOW-TO' SERIES II - HOLLY SINCLAIR on HOW TO SELL YOUR #INDIEBOOKS ON #GOOGLEPLAY

2023-05-17T00:55:00.003-04:00

Hello friends! This is Sonia and I am excited to bring to you the second offering of the new segment of #WEP, your foremost online writing challenge site. Denise has put me in charge of the guest posts.

We are already into the fifth month of the year and the results of the second WEP challenge 'Life is Beautiful' have been announced. You can check them here. I loved the entries this time and am sure, so will you!

This year we are offering a new format to replace the automatic guest post from the winner which some found intimidating -- a 'HOW-TO' SERIES for our readers. These informative posts are by invitation only and will help us all navigate the up and coming challenges as well as changes/innovations happening in the writing world. If you have an area of expertise you'd like to share with us, email Denise - den.covey@gmail.com

For our second post of the segment we are happy to present an informative article on selling your indie books on Google Play. We are grateful to Holly Sinclair for sharing her wisdom with us. I am sure many of our readers will benefit from this piece.

And now, over to Holly!

How To Sell Your Books on Google Play

You’ve got your book all done. You’re selling it through KDP and a book aggregator like Draft2Digital. Many of the aggregators don’t upload to Google Play (GP). This has to do with restrictions and requirements. From what I gather, it’s because GP requires authors to have an account with them as well.

Note: PublishDrive is the only place I know that publishes to Google Play.

Pre-pandemic Google Play was difficult for authors to not only get on, but navigate, and there were a few auto-pricing issues. That’s all changed!

Advantages of Selling on Google Play

You don’t have to pay the aggregator. Meaning, you get the full royalty.
You’ll reach readers in more countries. As of April 2023, Amazon reaches 13 international markets. Google Play reaches over 75 countries.
You’ll reach Android users worldwide. (2.5 billion people own an Android device.)
Google Play Books pays authors 70% on eBooks in most countries.
Google Play Books has an affiliate program.
They also take audiobooks.
At Google Play you can run discount promotions and promo codes.
You can just make a preview available on Google Play.

Google Play VS Google Books

Google Play is an online store where people buy books. Google Books is an index of books. It shows previews of books, which are searchable.

How to Get Your Books on Google Play

Setting Up Your Account

If you don’t have a Gmail or google account, get one. Agree to the conditions, etc. (https://accounts.google.com/signin)
Go to the Partners Center (https://play.google.com/books/publish/) and log in. Add your details, continue, review and agree to terms. Add your financial details (tax information, link your bank account), so you can get paid. Which is the point!
Note: You can skip this step until you make $$. However, it may take a couple of weeks for all your payment information to go through.

Uploading Your Book

Step 1: + Add Book

Have your epub and book cover ready for upload. Login to https://play.google.com/books/publish
Click on “Book Catalog” in the left navigation menu.
Click on the “+ Add Book” blue button in the upper right corner.
The drop-down menu will give you three choices: Sell eBook on Google Play, Create an auto-narrated audiobook, Offer a preview on Google Books only. Choose Sell eBook on Google Play.
A second dropdown will appear. Here you can add an ISBN if you own one or have Google assign it a unique identifier.
Save and Continue.

Step 2: About the Book

This will include a publication date and an “On-sale date”—if you put it up for presale, a preview will still be available for view unless you turn that off.*
This is where you add a publisher or use your author's name.
Save and Continue

Step 3: Add Genres

Google Play does not use keywords. Select as many BISAC that work for your book.
Save and Continue.

Step 4: Add Contributors

Add author name(s) and a bio (optional)
Save and Continue.

Step 5: Create or Add to a Series

Or skip by clicking continue.
If you create a series there, once done, you’ll need to go back to your book using the links on the left as it doesn't take you back automatically. It won’t allow you to add the book until after it’s published.
Fill out the settings. Be sure to look at the Advanced settings on this page for more options.
Save and Continue.

Step 6: Upload Book

Upload your cover and epub.
You can upload pdf, epub, zip, jpg, png, webp, and tiff files.
This threw me at first. They upload to the same area and then give them new titles (a bunch of numbers).
Continue.

Step 7: Add your price.

Save and Continue.

Step 8: Publish

Review your information and click publish.
In your Book Catalog, it will say “Action Needed.” It will take 24 hours for that to disappear and your book to go live. If it’s there longer, click it. It will tell you about issues they need you to fix.

*Pre-orders Previews

Turn off preview for pre-order books
Select Book Catalog from the left navigation area.
Select your title > select Book Info > Settings > Show advanced settings > Under "Allow preview before on sale date," select "No".

About H. R. Sinclair (blog)

Join her newsletter which is called ...

H. R. Sinclair is a left-handed hermit prepping for the squirrel apocalypse. She writes fantastical stories and visits cemeteries for inspiration. Here's an article on her blog about some Google Play perks. Her latest book is A Writer’s Guide to Crystals & Gemstones.

See the book on Google Play.

***

Thank you, Holly! This article is so informative. I'd also like to say thanks to WEP for putting together all the up-to-the-minute writing advice.

We would love some feedback on this article by Holly and any questions that you may have, dear reader. Drop them all in the comment box. Are you enjoying the 'How-to' series? Is there an area of expertise you'd like to share with us all? Then write to us and add to our 'How-to' repertoire.

If you like this post, how about sharing the information with the writing community? Spread the love!

PLEASE SHARE TWEETS AND ADD ONE OF THESE IMAGES BELOW- TWITTER LIKES IMAGES! (SORRY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EMBED IMAGES IN TWEETS YET!)

The all-new HOW-TO SERIES! #No2'HowTo'series #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-how-to-series-ii-holly-sinclair-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16, @SouthpawPOV #GooglePlay, #Indiebooks, #amwriting,#writersoftwitter #self-publishing

Navigate your writing journey! #No2'HowTo'series https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-how-to-series-ii-holly-sinclair-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16, @SouthpawPOV #GooglePlay, #Indiebooks #writersoftwitter #self-publishing

Sell What You Write! #No2'HowTo'series https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-how-to-series-ii-holly-sinclair-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16, @SouthpawPOV #GooglePlay, #Indiebooks, #writersoftwitter #self-publishing

And, before you leave, here is everything you need to know about the June WEP Challenge. Flex your writing muscles with this prompt.

We repeat, there is no need to have seen the film or look up the plot summary unless you so choose! Just use the title if you wish! Give us some sort of close encounter and we're sure to love it!

And if you go over 1,000 words, that's okay. Anything up to 1,300 is fine and even more if you can't help yourself. Just let the readers know!

Dreamstime images (above) of close encounters.

Look up the detailed Challenge blurb here. These ideas are purely to get you going if you're having trouble with which way to go here!

There are a gazillion ways to interpret this sci-fi classic of a film - use the genre as a base to write your own sci-fi flash. Or riff off the idea of first contact. Celebrate cross-cultural communication between groups without a common language/reference points like the film. Use kidnapping, a failing marriage, a paranormal event turning life upside down - any or all to build your flash around. Maybe use three characters' experiences of an event. The basic human hankering for exploration, connection, for finding a place in a community, even up to a galactical community. Maybe take up the story from where it ends - what happens after first contact. How the alien lifeforms and humanity build a relationship and navigate it in the future.

Can't wait to read your stories/poems/essays!

Post - June 21st to 23rd 2023

Sonia, signing off for now but I'll look forward to reading you in June.

#WEP WINNERS : APRIL 2023 CHALLENGE - LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

2023-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL - but our writers are beautifully talented, and boy, do your entries prove it!

Thank you, everyone, for the amazing entries for Life is Beautiful. Sadly, our numbers were down by half again, but we see a drop off in blog activity across the blogosphere. We hope this is only temporary as the more who write to the WEP challenges, the better.

Hello, this is Renee with you, to sum up the April challenge results. But first a round-up of the entries via Jemi:

Yolanda Renee - Life is beautiful, family is everything

Olga Godim - Even after a tragedy, life could be beautiful

Nilanjana Bose - Colour it beautiful

Denise Covey - Life is beautiful, but death can be better

Jamie - Two girls in Nazi times, one Jewish and one not, are separated

Sonia Dogra - Pickle, Bicker, Smile!

Jemi Fraser - Even when sirens shatter the night

Hilary - Ugliness and cruelty are unnecessary

C. Lee McKenzie - The German Goose

Beth Camp - Regardless of how it may begin, life can be beautiful

J. Lenni Dorner - A father prepares his son to leave with him in hopes of surviving

Sally - That will be her mantra – do not interfere and then life will be beautiful for everybody.

Roland R. Clarke - Night Witches find family, new friends and allies

Kalpana - The Journey

Damyanti Biswas - In a halo of the senses

Shortlist

Such a bunch of awesome entries! It made the shortlisting super difficult this month even though the entries were down. Each of the team brings a slightly different perspective to the shortlisting process. Someone gives a tad more weight to the creative interpretation, another to the execution, yet another to reader engagement, but all of us are looking for the same final result - a thundering good story, well crafted and well told. We each shortlist and defend our choices passionately, there's a lot of back and forth that doesn't show up here before we pass them on to Nick, our judge.

And Nick takes his time even though he also "felt all the stories were really on par in terms of quality and impact. It was hard to leave one out. Brilliant stuff. All the entries were so moving. This challenge was a great one!"

Here's the shortlist we sent on, but only three can win!

Beth Camp

Damyanti

J Lenni

Kalpana

Jamie

Sally

Commenting:

Thank you to all those who comment widely, especially those who read and comment even when they do not have an entry in the ring or are unwell. Our top supporter and commenter, Elephant's Child is having health issues and could not be present this challenge. We send our thoughts and prayers to you, Sue. Commenting is the lifeblood of WEP both as feedback towards the improvement of writing craft and as a communication channel for community building.

Sadly, this month as in months past we've had commenting issues. No one's quite sure what is going on, but it is not just a WordPress/Blogger issue. Please check the comments on the WEP post or the C-Box where we posted comments that wouldn't take on blogs.

Please note that due to incessant spamming issues, we have had to keep comment moderation on. So your comment may not show up right away, but we will get to it soonest possible. We value your comments, please keep them coming.

THE APRIL PRIZE

This month's prize is a first chapter critique from our IWSG liaison, friend, and ofttimes participant of WEP, multi-published author C Lee McKenzie.

Check our previous post for more information about C Lee McKenzie.

Three winners! Three Oscars!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

THE WINNER OF THE APRIL 2023 CHALLENGE

~ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ~

CONGRATULATIONS, Jamie!

Jamie's story, Pearl and Sarah brought hate and prejudice to us through the eyes of innocent children. Masterfully done, Jamie!

Nick said, "Hatred and prejudice seen through the eyes of an uncomprehending child. If only that innocence could be preserved. Devastating, in a quiet way."

Jamie, if you will please post this badge on your blog and link it to your winning entry. Tweet it! Share the love! Use the critique prize or pass it on to the next winner if you can't avail yourself of it in the next few months. Remember that this story will be considered for a place in the WEP anthology to be published next year. Details will follow.

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE APRIL 2023 CHALLENGE

~ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ~

CONGRATULATIONS, Kalpana!

Kalpana, The Journey broke our hearts as we read this horrific truth, but love and hope survive all.

Nick said, "This is beautiful because it shows how those who survive horror can still find meaning and beauty in life. Love has to win."

Kalpana, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your entry. Promo any way you wish! This flash also will be considered for a place in next year's WEP anthology. Details will follow.

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE APRIL 2023 CHALLENGE

~ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ~

GOES TO

CONGRATULATIONS, Beth!

Beth's Poem, Life is Beautiful highlighted the journey from despair to happiness.

Nick said, "Short but very effective. Shows resilience and how we can make the best out of life no matter where we come from."

Beth, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your Flash. Promo any way you choose! You also will be considered for a place for this story in WEP's anthology scheduled for next year. Details will follow.

Thank you to all our participants for each of their captivating entries!

We had such a varied and creative bunch of flashes this month. Each one a gem!

Please share this across your social media sites.

We announce our WEP APRIL‘23 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16 #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-winners-april-2023-challenge-life.html

#WEPFF APRIL ’23 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-winners-april-2023-challenge-life.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest

Come congratulate our APRIL ’23 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/05/wep-winners-april-2023-challenge-life.html

PLEASE JOIN US IN JUNE FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

OF THE THIRD KIND

Your hosts will be Nilanjana and Jemi!

WIN A CRITIQUE PRIZE!

BE INVITED TO SUBMIT TO OUR ANTHOLOGY!

Look up the detailed Challenge blurb here.

There are a gazillion ways to interpret this sci-fi classic - use the genre as a base to write your own sci-fi flash. Or riff off the idea of first contact. Celebrate cross-cultural communication between groups without a common language/reference points like the film. Use kidnapping, a failing marriage, a paranormal event turning life upside down - any or all to build your flash around. Maybe use three characters' experiences of an event. The basic human hankering for exploration, connection, for finding a place in a community, even up to a galactical community. Maybe take up the story from where it ends - what happens after first contact. How the alien lifeforms and humanity build a relationship and navigate it in the future.

Post - June 21st to 23rd 2023

Please join us for another fun prompt in June

See you then!

Renee, signing off for now but see you in JUNE!

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

2023-04-01T00:00:00.215-04:00

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:

Website: http://cleemckenziebooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2809083.C_Lee_McKenzie

Amazon Profile Page:https://www.amazon.com/C.-Lee-McKenzie/e/B0042M1KYW%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-lee-mckenzie

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cleemckenzieauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleemckenzie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleemckenzie/

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.

~~*~~

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:

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

WEP- 'HOW-TO' SERIES I - NANCY WILLIAMS on HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR WRITING!

2023-03-07T17:30:00.017-05:00

Hello friends! This is Sonia, the new WEP team member, welcoming you to a new segment of #WEP, your foremost online writing challenge site. Denise has put me in charge of the guest posts.

We are into another year and the first challenge on the prompt 'Gone With the Wind' is already past us. Please check out the winners' post here!

This year we are offering a new format to replace the automatic guest post from the winner -- a 'HOW-TO' SERIES for our readers. These informative posts are by invitation only and will help us all navigate the up and coming challenges as well as changes/innovations happening in the writing world.

For Part I of this new segment we are proud to present an enlightening article on KINDLE VELLA by N.R. Williams (Nancy), a long-standing founding member of WEP. We know Nancy is especially impressed with her Kindle Vella experience and are grateful to Nancy for sharing her learned wisdom with us. Over to her!

What’s up? - Kindle Vella!

Greetings, WEPers. Denise has asked me to write an article about Amazon’s new platform, Kindle Vella. So, here are the nuts & bolts of it. Pass the cashews, please.

Kindle Vella is two years old. Just a toddler, really. And only available in the USA. I’ve been writing to Vella since May 2022. Instead of writing chapters, you write episodes. It’s not a screenplay mind you, but episodes just the same as your favorite TV (tellie for some of you) show.

Some writers say it is different than writing a book, but for me, I just write and try to make it compelling. You do want to end each episode with a cliffhanger, which isn’t necessary if you’re writing romance. The first three of every episode are free. So, you want to grab the reader by the seat of their pants. Amazon requires that you write at least 600 words and no more than 5,000 words per episode.

After that, the reader pays in tokens, and each story is measured by word count. So, if you have 600 - 699 words, the reader pays six tokens. If 1,000 - 1,999, the reader pays ten tokens. I write until the episode is complete without paying attention to word count, but generally, my episodes are anywhere from 600 to 1,400. I recently had to buy tokens. To give you an idea -

Cost of Tokens - $$

200 $1.99

525 $4.99

1,100 $9.99

1,700 $14.99

If someone is a new reader to Vella, Amazon gives them 200 tokens free. After that, there is a small fee to buy more. I buy the max when I do for $14.99, which gives me 1,700 tokens.

At the end of each episode is a place for the writer to leave a note. You should make this as personal as possible, such as…’Oh my, do you think Cyril is guilty? Or has he been framed? Whatever will happen next?’ Or ‘As a writer, I always end up doing a little research…’ etc. I have noticed the more successful authors follow this with directions on what the reader should do. Each episode has a thumbs-up symbol the reader needs to press, or you won’t get paid. There is also a + sign, which will notify Amazon that the reader wants to follow this story, and they will get notified when new episodes are uploaded. Then, remind the reader to make this story a ‘fave’ so other readers can find it. Amazon asks readers to pick a ‘fave’ once a week from the stories their reading. This makes you highly visible to other readers. And last but definitely not least, ask them to leave a review on the first story page. If a review is left on any other episode page, it doesn’t show up on the main story page. That’s a problem in my view. Also, as a writer, don’t leave a review because if the person who’s reading also leaves a review on your story, neither of you will be allowed to publish to Amazon in the future, on any platform. (That just irritates me no end.)

I’ve since learned that the sky won’t fall if your episodes are more than a month apart. I’ve left a lot of reviews of everything I’ve read. So, I had a panic attack when I first heard that.

You can also run a poll at the end of each episode if you’re inclined to do so. I rarely do that.

The best part about Vella is in publishing your story. No formatting is required. Just cut and paste. It’s so easy. Then you fill in all the info, title, author notes, poll, and select a publishing date, or just hit publish. I’m a just-hit-publish kind of girl. Amazon reviews what you wrote to make sure it’s within their standards. (Not to worry, I’ve read sex scenes and cuss words.) After that, it’s just a few hours before your story is live.

Now what?

There are thousands of stories on Kindle Vella, and your new baby is at the back. Thus begins your quest to make it visible to readers. Fortunately, there are Vella groups on Facebook designed to help you do just that. There’s one set up to help authors with questions. Several are designed just to let you advertise, and more than two run challenges. I do two of them. Hella Vella runs a challenge every weekend. You post your link, and then you have to read ten other people’s stories, at least 5 paid episodes each. And there is Story Stash, where you post your links and read 4 episodes from ten people. The free ones are okay. I spend every weekend doing this. And my stories are climbing toward visibility. Now, just between you and me, I can’t actually read that much. So, I start out reading, but if the story lacks quality or doesn’t interest me, I scan it and hit the thumbs up to make my quota. I’m sure others do that too. I can honestly say I understand the problems agents have much better now.

Anyone can write to Vella, and they do. Many would-be authors don’t know the first thing about writing, but they still write to Vella. Don’t try to correct anyone because you’ll be eaten alive. But, the good news to that is, those of us who are seasoned shine. The philosophy is for most writers that this is a way to make money while writing their book. So, even good authors don’t always catch mistakes. I run my stories through Grammarly because quality is important to me.

How do you get paid?

There is a two-month delay in being paid for one month. You’re paid based on how many thumbs up you get in the month and how many episodes you publish. So, it’s good if you are dedicated to producing a lot of work. I usually get six episodes written a week and publish on two stories - currently, King Julian and 5 Friends & Lovers. Julian gets 4 and Friends gets 2. Someone figured out you make about $9.00 per story if someone reads all the episodes. Of course, this depends on how many actual episodes you have. But what you actually get is very small. What matters is the Amazon bonus. Each month varies. The most I’ve made so far is $149.19.

What’s New?

Amazon just released the option for readers to connect with the author by commenting. A link is at the bottom of every story. Once you have readers, this promises to be an exciting tool.

Reading Vella

If you live in the USA, you can read Vella on your computer. If you have an e-reader registered with Amazon, the story will automatically download to your reader once you start reading on your computer. If someone deletes your story from their e-reader, it won’t affect you negatively because your paid per episode.

Negatives

Sad to say, there are negatives to Kindle Vella. First, Amazon doesn’t have the option to advertise. Sometimes they promote, but individual authors don’t have an advertising platform with Vella on Amazon. So, Facebook and other social media platforms are the only way to advertise at the moment. I tried Fussy Librarian, but it was expensive, and I only had one person read more than three episodes, so not a money maker.

Second, it’s hard to find Vella stories on Amazon’s webpage. First, you have to type in Kindle Vella in their search box. That takes you to a page with books on Vella. At the top of the page, in small print it says, Kindle Vella: stories that pull you in one short episode at a time. Click on that, and you go to the Vella Stories. That takes you to a page that gives you search options to find the type of story you’re interested in and also shows you any stories you’ve read a little or a lot of. From there, you can scroll down to see the top ‘fave.’

That’s a total of 3 clicks. Most people won’t do that. So, room for improvement.

The Future

Amazon said they wanted to keep Kindle Vella just in the USA to test it and see if it would succeed. Well, I think the answer to that is, yes, it’s a success. It will be an even bigger success if and when it becomes international. So, all you great international writers, contact Amazon and let them know you want the opportunity to write to Kindle Vella.

Dashboard

Just like with your books, you’ll have a separate Kindle Vella dashboard to keep track of your stories and to upload your episodes.

Have I answered all your questions?

If not, ask in the comments, and I’ll try to answer.

Now it’s time to kick your heels up and enjoy a Vella story.

Nancy

N. R. Williams

***

Thank you, Nancy! This article is very informative. Give us some feedback in comments on Nancy's article. Do you like the idea of 'How-to' posts? Is there an area of expertise you'd like to share with WEP?

Dear reader, after all. what can be better than getting paid for your writing? Guess, participating in the #WEP Challenge, right? So, join us all through 2023. Check out the prompts given below and jump right in.

Here's more about Nancy Williams:

N. R. Williams - website

FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER

N. R. Williams

@authornrwillia1

Formerly from Colorado, Nancy now hails from New Mexico.

In her own words: Who knew I'd grow up to be a writer? Certainly not me. Stories wove from my imagination changing me from a day-dreaming kid to a published author.'

The story of King Julian, available to read on Kindle Vella.

Link

Check it out. Nancy has other stories/episodes available to read.

In the beautiful month of April we will be celebrating life with the lovely Roberto Benigni & Nicoletta Braschi film, Life is Beautiful.

Look up the detailed Challenge blurb here. There are many potential directions to explore. Firstly, the indirect - the setting : war, fascism, the Holocaust, Italy, any one of them can inspire. The underpinning issues of World War II or any war - the racism, the random cruelty, the injustice, the tragedy, the humour 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. The games adults play with (their) children. The desire to safeguard one's own even at the cost of death. Countless possibilities. Use any of these, or ignore them totally and come with your own - it's up to you!

Post - April 19th to 21st 2023

The all-new HOW-TO SERIES! #No1'HowTo'series #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/03/wep-how-to-series-i-nancy-williams-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16,@authornrwillia1,#kindlevella,#amwriting,#writersoftwitter

Navigate your writing journey! #No1'HowTo'series #KindleVella https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/03/wep-how-to-series-i-nancy-williams-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16,@authornrwillia1,#kindlevella, #writersoftwitter

"Writing" Beyond Writing! #No1'HowTo'series #HowToMakeMoneyFromWriting https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/03/wep-how-to-series-i-nancy-williams-on.html @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16,@authornrwillia1,#kindlevella,#writersoftwitter

#WEP WINNERS : FEBRUARY 2023 CHALLENGE - GONE WITH THE WIND

2023-02-27T06:00:00.057-05:00

Wow! - did you guys blow us away or what? But on second thoughts, not surprising, given that the prompt was -

And you are what you are - a super talented bunch of people writing here - it makes the reading beyond wonderful, but the judging a herculean task. Thank you everyone, for the amazing entries for GWTW. Sadly, our numbers were down by half, but we see a drop off in blog activity across the blogosphere. We hope this is only temporary as the more who write to the WEP challenges, the better.

Hello, this is Nila with you, to sum up the Feb challenge results. But first a round-up of the entries:

Denise Covey - Love and loss, a nation mortally divided, a people forever changed.

Yolanda Renee - Surrender does not mean giving up.

Nilanjana Bose - A bunch of B/W photos can open a can of worms.

Olga Godim - What do Martian women of the 24th century think of a classic love movie from three hundred years ago.

Sonia Dogra - Tomorrow is another day.

J Lenni Dorner - Literally about a character who is GONE in a scene with THE WIND.

Donna Hole - Loss of culture, loss of life, loss of dreams. Loss of family.

N.R. Williams - Family Issues.

Jemi Fraser - Gone isn't always gone.

Ronald Yeomans - And here you thought you knew all about Gone with the Wind!

Ronald Clarke - Night Witches prepare for an imminent offensive.

Pat Garcia - When Miss Scarlet slap me, it hurt. Sometimes me gets pains in my head. We human beings too.

Damyanti Biswas - What do words like love and freedom mean to you?

Beth Camp - An Old Man remembers his life in the south.

Hilary Melton-Butcher - The wind that blows no ills.

Sally Stackhouse - The world is changing.

Shortlist

Such a bunch of awesome entries! It made the shortlisting super difficult this month even though the entries were down. Each of the team brings a slightly different perspective to the shortlisting process, someone gives a tad more weight to the creative interpretation, another to the execution, yet another to reader engagement, but all of us are looking for the same final result - a thundering good story, well crafted and well told. We each shortlist and defend our choices passionately there's a lot of back and forth that doesn't show up here, before we pass them on to Nick, our judge.

Here's the shortlist we sent on, but only three can win!

Sally Stackhouse
Beth Camp
Damyanti Biswas
Dolorah
Pat Garcia

Commenting:

THE FEBRUARY PRIZE

This month's prize is a first chapter or 10,000-word critique from L. Diane Wolfe whose work has been anthologized in the IWSG publications and the owner of the Dancing Lemur Press. Check our previous post for more information about L Diane.

Three winners! Three Oscars!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

THE WINNER OF THE FEBRUARY 2023 CHALLENGE

~ GONE WITH THE WIND ~

CONGRATULATIONS, DAMYANTI!

Damyanti's story made us consider what do words like love and freedom mean to you?

Nick said, "Elegant and yearning, this brings up all sorts of thoughts and emotions about the different things love might mean. Really well done...."

Damyanti, if you will please post this badge on your blog and link it to your winning entry. Tweet it! Share the love! Use the critique prize or pass it on to the next winner if you can't avail yourself of it in the next few months. Remember that this story will be considered for a place in the WEP anthology to be published next year. Details will follow.

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE FEBRUARY 2023 CHALLENGE

~ GONE WITH THE WIND ~

CONGRATULATIONS, Beth!

Beth brought to mind an Old Man's remembrances of his life in the south.

Nick said, "A different take and one that I didn't expect - Quite sobering and humanises some harrowing history really effectively..."

Beth, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your entry. Promo any way you wish! This flash also will be considered for a place in next year's WEP anthology. Details will follow.

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE FEBRUARY 2023 CHALLENGE

~ GONE WITH THE WIND ~

GOES TO

CONGRATULATIONS, Dolorah!

Dolorah's story highlighted the Loss of culture, loss of life, and loss of dreams. Loss of family.

Nick said, "A snapshot of a young man's family and friends all rallying around when things go awry. In that situation, you hope for the best, but there is really no way to prepare for the worst. Heartbreaking....."

Dolorah, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your flash. Promo any way you choose! You also will be considered for a place for this story in WEP's anthology scheduled for next year. Details will follow.

Thank you to all our participants for each of their captivating entries!

We had such a varied and creative bunch of flashes this month. Each one a gem!

Please share this across your social media sites.

We announce our WEP FEBRUARY ‘23 GONE WITH THE WIND #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16#amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/02/wep-winners-february-2023-challenge.html

#WEPFF FEBRUARY ’23 GONE WITH THE WIND #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee #jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/02/wep-winners-february-2023-challenge.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest

Come congratulate our FEBRUARY ’23 GONE WITH THE WIND #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/02/wep-winners-february-2023-challenge.html

PLEASE JOIN US IN APRIL FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

WIN A CRITIQUE PRIZE!

WIN A PLACE IN OUR ANTHOLOGY!

Post - April 19th to 21st 2023

Please join us for another fun prompt in April

See you then!

Nila, signing off now for:

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

2023-01-31T20:02:00.081-05:00

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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 café 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!

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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.

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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.

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

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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:

#WEP DECEMBER CHALLENGE WINNER PAT GARCIA WRITES FOR US! #HOW TO BECOME A NOVELIST

2023-01-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

Hello friends of #WEP, your foremost online writing challenge site. Pat Garcia blew us away with her beautiful rendition of THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE, a heartfelt tome of love, as our judge Nick Wilford said. We could all do with a positive love story at this turbulent time and Pat has delivered.

Pat has sent her article which we proudly present below. An excellent way to begin the New Year here at WEP where I'm sure many of you have made resolutions to write more. Writing 6 times a year for WEP must surely improve our craft.

#HOW TO BECOME A NOVELIST

As a kid, I was always writing something. I didn't have any direction, but the desire deep within me was to become a novelist. I discovered reading, which strengthened my craving to be a writer, but I didn't know how to become that novelist with the deep voice I wanted to have until I met Dorothea Brande in her book Becoming a Writer.

I had enrolled in a Writer's Digest class, and an instructor offered to look at 250 words of each individual's manuscript and tell us what she thought.

At that time, I thought, "I got this" until she returned my snippet. I was so devastated that I didn't see her last sentence, "You've got potential."

To make a long story short, this tough lady, who was passionate about writing and had worked in several of the top publishing houses as a consultant in their merger and acquisition departments, had shot my baby (my story) and left me depressed.

I finally pulled myself up and sent her a note during the last week of class. She recommended that I read Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande and get back to her if I still wanted to be a Novelist. And that is precisely what I did.

The book challenged my thinking on the first pages. After reading them, I knew I didn't want to be a one-book writer, an occasional writer, or an uneven writer.

I also liked how she explained that having all the technical writing books on my shelves (and I had plenty of them) would only make me a successful writer once I knew how to work as a writer.

Brande connects the writer's vision with their willingness to become vulnerable to themselves. It reminded me of what Socrates said, "Know yourself." She talks about the child in the writer, and I thought of William Wordsworth's statement, "the child is the father of man."

I only knew then what to think about her book once I realized that I had to cultivate my writer's temperament and that it didn't happen overnight. Slowly, I began to grasp that writing is like painting a picture.

With each chapter I read, I recognized that I had a lot of work to do within me and that I didn't have any guarantees about the outcome. But I knew this was the type of development I sought, and regardless of the cost, I would do whatever needed. Since then, it has been and still is a risk I am willing to take.

I am continually learning to be vulnerable or aware of the voice within me to write good fiction.

Shalom aleichem,

Pat Garcia

A writer, singer, and musician, Pat Garcia, lives as an Expatriate on the European Continent. She is a voracious reader of literature from all genres and loves knitting, playing chess, playing her piano and watching Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes films.

A multicultural writer, she writes stories that encapsulate Romance with a mainstream touch, a sense of suspense, and fantasy.

As it was the Movie Poster we found

most inspiring we'll be starting off

in February with

"GONE WITH THE WIND"

Remember, it's all about what inspires you:

Post-February 15 to the 17th 2023

#WEPWINNER #How to become a writer #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-december-challenge-winner-pat.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim @jemifraser
@pat_garcia #amwriting #writingchallenge

#WEP #How to become a writer #guest post #WEPwinner https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/01/wep-december-challenge-winner-pat.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim @jemifraser
@pat_garcia #amwriting #writingchallenge

Please read and enjoy Pat's post. See you in February 2023 with your entries inspired by Gone With the Wind.

Denise, for

Write...Edit...Publish -- Online Writing Community

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#WEP WINNERS : FEBRUARY 2023 CHALLENGE - GONE WITH THE WIND

Sally StackhouseBeth CampDamyanti BiswasDolorahPat Garcia

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

#WEP DECEMBER CHALLENGE WINNER PAT GARCIA WRITES FOR US! #HOW TO BECOME A NOVELIST

Sally Stackhouse
Beth Camp
Damyanti Biswas
Dolorah
Pat Garcia