Stephanie is an award-winning copywriter, aspiring novelist, and barely passable ukulele player. Here, she offers writing prompts, tips, and moderate-to-deep philosophical discussions. You can also find her on and Pinterest.

How the Awesomeness Went: Voice Week 2013 Recap

I think my favorite thing about Voice Week is that it’s like Inspiration Monday on steroids. Everybody posts some amazing piece on Monday, and then the awesomeness just keeps coming at you from different angles all week.

I’m so grateful to each of you for taking the time to join this project, both to create and to appreciate other writer’s voices. I’m astounded and humbled every year, when I write a few blog posts asking a bunch of strangers (but are we really strangers?) to do something crazy with me, and you all come up with this art that makes me gasp and giggle and tear up. There’s a heck of a lot wrong with this world, but if a bunch of random people can get together and do this – that’s a good reason to walk around with a grin on your face.

Every one of you impressed me. Every one. Here are some of my favorite lines from this week – and believe me, they were hard to choose!

 

He watched on the outskirts, unmoved by the tears. Hypocrites, all of them.  Anger swirled like a fog, draping over his shoulders.

From Carrie. Read about the funeral from the beginning.

 

As I fell I hoped he would remember me, and I hoped he could forget me too.

From Christina. Read about the fall from the beginning. Christina has also written a lovely recap of the week and what it taught her about her novel.

 

He says he’s careful: prays away from the others, doesn’t rub his faith in their faces, but a mother worries.

From Elmo. Read thoughts from the mothers of warriors from the beginning. Read Elmo’s recap, too.

 

They were different, all of them–different hues, different subjects, different strokes–but they all had the same eyes.

Leonardo’s eyes.

From Evan. Read the story of two renaissance legends from the beginning. Evan also has an interesting post on how much of yourself to put in your characters.

 

As fiercely intense as they looked in their full pads and helmets, it was easy to forget that they were just boys, and Michael had more reason than most coaches to remember that.

From Jennie. Read about the last nine seconds from the beginning.

 

The world is full of smells and, if you pay attention, your nose will tell you more than your eyes and ears combined.

From Jubilare. Read about the eerily empty house from the beginning.

 

The furnace is blazing, the bellows are blowing; a man must stand amid adversity and forge his own fortune.

From LLD Fiction. Read thoughts from the New World from the beginning.

 

He suddenly feels so young, so burdened. A wish burns within his chest—a heart-pounding desire that this sword remain lodged in place, a stubborn tribute to a monarch who could not possibly be him.

From Love The Bad Buy. Read the voices of the Aurthurian legend from the beginning.

 

Sunken, skeletal features look hollowly back.

You’re so fat, I hate you. You are a weak pathetic loser.

You had three grapes today, that is a small victory, but don’t backslide.

From Mr. Perfect. Read the voices of hunger from the beginning.

 

Do these words I’m reciting mean something to them?  Or is it just background noise?

From The Imaginator. Read thoughts from the gravesite from the beginning.

 

I am used to indifference; but how to confront love which is thicker and quicker than blood?

From The Inner Zone. Read about the boy who found his family from the beginning.

 

I can see the medics watching me. They’re waiting for me to fall down so they can run in and help. Stop watching me, you vultures.

From Writing Sprint. Read about the last leg of the race from the beginning.

 

Subconsciously I go to twist the gold band on my ring finger -except it’s not there, I look down at my hand, diverting my eyes from the phone; an indentation of the ring screams stark realisations to me…it also explains Tom’s cold cup of coffee each morning and the dinner he never eats.  It makes sense, but it does not…

From Yikici. Read a wife’s reactions to a life-altering phone call from the beginning.

 

The Prize

Remember that? The random number generator gave me #2, which make Christina Kann the lucky winner of a lovely hardcover copy of one of my favorite voice-ridden books, The Book Thief! Christina, I’ll be emailing you for your address so I can send it to you!

What were some of your favorite moments from Voice Week? Tell me in the comments!

 

Inspiration Monday: Universal Door

Voice Week was a huge success! I’ll give a complete recap on Friday, but for now, take a load off and bask in the joy of it all being fantastic. Unless you’re doing NaNoWriMo. Then you better be pounding on that keyboard.

Here are some excellent sources for procrastination inspiration! Prompts further down for more. : )

DJMatticus

ARNeal

LLD

PinkWoods

Elmo

Evan

WritingSprint

The Rules

There are none. Read the prompts, get inspired, write something. No word count minimum or maximum. You don’t have to include the exact prompt in your piece, and you can interpret the prompt(s) any way you like.

OR

No really; I need rules!

Okay; write 200-500 words on the prompt of your choice. You may either use the prompt as the title of your piece or work it into the body of your piece. You must complete it before 6 pm CST on the Monday following this post.

The Prompts:

UNIVERSAL DOOR

DON’T SMILE

UNSCIENTIFIC

SILENT ALARM

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Want to share your Inspiration Monday piece? Post it on your blog and link back to today’s post; I’ll include a link to your piece in the next Inspiration Monday post. No blog? Email your piece to me at bekindrewrite (at) yahoo (dot) com. (I do reserve the right to NOT link to a piece as stated in my Link Discretion Policy.)

Plus, get the InMon badge for your site here.

Happy writing!

Voice Week 2013: Friday

Ah, the end! Read carefully. The clues are there.

Catch up: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

“I was going to call him. That day. I loved him. I should have told him. I just…when he proposed I just freaked out. He’s my best friend. I was afraid getting married would ruin everything. I mean, my parents…they don’t even talk to each other anymore. I know it was stupid. I realized it was stupid. Will would never hurt me like that. I was going to tell him I was wrong. But Hank said he needed cooling off, and you know, they’re really close. If I had just been brave enough…”

Voice Week 2013: Thursday

In the home stretch now!

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…Yes. I knew they were seeing one another. I knew my son was in love with her. He always was. They both were, since they were little, chasing after that girl. I always knew it was my Will who would win her in the end. They’re both good boys, but Hank, he’s always had a wild streak. And she’s a nice girl, good head on her shoulders. And Will’s such a good…was a good boy. God, why would he do this? Oh, my boy. I just want him back. God, I want him back.”

Voice Week 2013: Wednesday

Hump day for Voice Week!

“Yes, Mr. Carson worked under my supervision. I hired him. I would describe him as…dependable. Professional. I can’t attest to his mental state. He didn’t bring his personal life to work with him, but he seemed a very stable young man. To be honest, this came as a surprise. I thought at first there must be some kind of mix-up and it had been Hank Martin. People often mixed the two of them up; they shared an office, were old friends, I believe. Will Carson was not the one I would have guessed would go off the deep end.”