Category Archives: Writing Wednesday

I Inherited It – Writing Wednesday

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Did you participate in last week’s #WritingWednesday post? It was about a Mirror. If you haven’t posted your response, click HERE so you can do that now. Then, make sure you check in here ~ every Wednesday ~ for the latest #WritingWednesday writing prompt! Now, back to today’s regularly scheduled post…

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Tanja, a character in one of my current ‘WIP’ manuscripts.

Today’s writing prompt:

Describe in detail one thing you would love to inherit from a relative, or that you have inherited.

Most girls will tell you about a necklace, a ring, or something else that is shiny and sparkles. Not me. When my mother died, I inherited the only thing of hers with any real value. It’s been in our family for centuries, at least that’s what she told me when I was just ten years old. It’s a six-inch blade, hand-carved from the jaw bone of an alligator. At one time I’m sure it was bone white, bleached by the hot summer sun. With years of use, it has been stained red with my ancestor’s blood.

“The ritual won’t work if you don’t spill a little blood,” my mother always said. “Blood is the key to pouring life back into the dead.”

But you didn’t ask about that, did you? No, you wanted to know about my most prized heirloom. Isn’t that right?

The blade. My mother’s blade. Her mother’s before her and her mother’s before her and on and on back as far as my family goes.

Now, its mine!

© 2020 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt [Describe in detail one thing you would love to inherit from a relative, or that you have inherited.] inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What books have made your April 2020 reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out my latest post for the New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION TOP 10
YOUNG ADULT TOP 10

MIRROR – Writing Wednesday

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Did you participate in last week’s #WritingWednesday post? It was about an unopened box. If you haven’t posted your response, click HERE so you can do that now. Then, make sure you check in here ~ every Wednesday ~ for the latest #WritingWednesday writing prompt! Now, back to today’s regularly scheduled post…

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of The Twin, a character in one of my current ‘WIP’ manuscripts.

Today’s writing prompt:

MIRROR

Have you ever been in a fun house? You know the kind with the mirrors covering every wall. You go in a dark entryway and come face to face with what seems like a thousand clones of yourself. It’s not dark, not really, but it isn’t light either. Because the walls are made out of mirrors, you can’t tell which way to go or even which ways you can go.

That’s me. I’m the mirror.

They call me ‘The Twin.’ They have since I was a little girl.

“Which one are you? Are you The Twin?” they would ask.

Sometimes they were right, but most times they were wrong. I was pretty good at mimicking others when I was young. Now that I’m older, they’ve stopped guessing. I guess when you’re always wrong, you stop playing the game.

I don’t mimic people any more. I become them. If you’re my target, good luck. You’re going to need it.

© 2020 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt [MIRROR] inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What books have made your March 2020 reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out my latest post for the New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION TOP 10
YOUNG ADULT TOP 10

The Unopened Box – Writing Wednesday

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Did you participate in last week’s #WritingWednesday post? It was all about Dreams. If you haven’t posted your response, click HERE so you can do that now. Then, make sure you check in here ~ every Wednesday ~ for the latest #WritingWednesday writing prompt! Now, back to today’s regularly scheduled post…

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Tanja, a character in one of my current ‘WIP’ manuscripts.

Today’s writing prompt:

THE UNOPENED BOX

A coffin is just a box. A box we fill with the bodies of our lost loved ones. A box we fill with tears at the passing of friends and family. A box designed to keep out unwanted pests and vermin, vandals and thieves. A box not to difficult to unlock, from the inside, even when buried six feet under. All it takes is a little magic and a talented guide.

I am that guide!

I learned the ritual from my mother and my Aunt Clara when I was only ten years old. Although they were well known throughout our community and thought of as true practitioners, they had only scratched the surface of what it really means to be a necromancer.

By the time I was eleven, my mother was gone, sealed in a pine box and buried six feet below the earth’s surface. For the last six years, I’ve been salting the earth, above her body, weekly to protect her remains from those who practice the black magics. She was powerful, maybe not as powerful as I, but powerful enough that others might want to steal an ounce of blood, a sliver of skin, a lock of hair, or even a bone or two in an effort to intensify their own magic. It would work too. That’s why I salt the earth. That’s why I’ve never left New Orleans. That’s why, when Operation Atlas came knocking on my door I insisted that if I were to work with them, I wouldn’t be one of their pets, locked in a cage… or cell… or wherever they kept them at the corporate offices. When I showed them what I was capable of, they agreed to let me stay in my home in New Orleans. Not that they really had a choice.

© 2020 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt [THE UNOPENED BOX] inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What books have made your March 2020 reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out my latest post for the New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION TOP 10
YOUNG ADULT TOP 10

Dreams – Writing Wednesday

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a #WritingWednesday post because I’ve been knee deep in my 397 page manuscript. Yeah, its a doozy, and I can’t wait to release it and find out what you guys think of it. But, I’m back and ready to get back to my regularly scheduled posts, so make sure you check in here ~ every Wednesday ~ for the latest #WritingWednesday writing prompt!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Nigel, a character in one of my current ‘WIP’ manuscripts.

Today’s writing prompt:

DREAMS

I can’t always remember my dreams, but when I do, they are significant.

This morning I woke up, in my small ten foot by ten foot room, and I couldn’t breath. It wasn’t the confined space, I’m used to that. No, it was the smoke. It surrounded me, blurring my vision and clogging my lungs. The only problem was that there was no smoke in the room.

I tried to call for help but was unable to find my voice. I could hear people all around me, but couldn’t see them.

“Are you alright?”

“What’s your name?”

“Are you in any pain?”

They kept asking me questions, over and over. Finally, I could feel scrapping all down my back, as if someone was dragging me across a bed of rocks or glass. That’s when I realized I wasn’t in my room. The first glimpse of my surroundings came moments later with a wall of fire lifted the smoke in the distance. There was a car, burning on the side of the road in a town I’d never seen before. Locals stood a safe distance away, just staring at the car and back down at my broken, bloody body.

“Ma’am, are you alright?”

“Ma’am?” I asked. Was she talking to me?

That’s when I realized I wasn’t actually awake. It was my first subconscious, dream induced, precognitive vision. My first, but not my last.

© 2020 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt [DREAMS] inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What books have made your March 2020 reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out my latest post for the New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION TOP 10
YOUNG ADULT TOP 10

2020 Pitch Contests

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If you’re an author looking to pitch your story to agents, you need to check out the 2020 Pitch Contest Calendar below! Enter these Pitch Parties or Blog contests for a chance to have an Agent consider and/or critique your work!

Upcoming 2020 Pitch Contests

Feb 1-29 — 10th Annual Pitchapalooza – hosted by The Book Doctors

Feb 12-14 — Sweetheart Pitchfest – hosted by SavvyAuthors

Feb 14 — #KissPitch Twitter Pitch Event for Romance and Women’s Fiction – hosted by All The Kissing

Feb 20 — #PBPitch Twitter Party – hosted by PBPitch

Feb 27 – #FaithPitch Twitter Pitch Party for Christian Books – hosted by FaithPitch

Mar 5 — #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party – hosted by PitchWars

Mar 9-13 — Pass or Pages Query Contest – hosted by Operation Awesome

Apr 22 – #DVPit Twitter Pitching Event – Children/YA – hosted by DVPit

Apr 23 – #DVPit Twitter Pitching Event – Adult – hosted by DVPit

Apr 23 – #DVArt Twitter Pitching Event – Illustrators – hosted by DVPit

June 4 — #PitMad Twitter Ptich Party – hosted by PitchWars

June 8-12 — Pass or Pages Query Contest – hosted by Operation Awesome

Sept 3 — #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party – hosted by PitchWars

Oct 5-9 — Pass or Pages Query Contest – hosted by Operation Awesome

Dec 3 — #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party – hosted by PitchWars

Finding Inspiration in the least likely place!

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My university degree is in the performing arts; a dual major in Theatre & Communications. Acting has been my passion for a very long time. After college, I moved to Los Angeles, like so many other hopeful young actors, to make a go of it. I booked a few low budget films, a dozen commercials, and a handful of indie-films, but my big break never happened.

Eventually, some life changes took me away from Los Angeles and my dreams of becoming a professional actor. Don’t get me wrong, I did NOT give up on acting. I still do the occasional play, every now and then, when I can make my real job line up with rehearsals. Although, it isn’t the same. 

I’ve been away from Los Angeles, and my dreams, for over 15 years now and I still find myself overcome with sadness every time the Academy Awards are on.

How’s that for honesty?!

Truth be told, I have a great life and a family I adore. Plus, I’ve been lucky enough to have found other artistic outlets that bring me true happiness; theatre of course, but also writing. 

Last night, while I sat with my son while he watched an episode of Liv and Maddie (Season 2 Episode 2) I found inspiration in something the father said to Maddie, “Just because you can’t do something you love, doesn’t mean you have to stop loving it.”

For the last 15 years, I’ve felt guilty for missing Los Angeles. As if leaving my dreams behind meant that I had to give up that passion. I felt like the ‘move’ was supposed to be easier and that there was something wrong with me because I wasn’t able to just let go of the goals I had been working toward for so long. Last night I realized that it’s ok to hang on to that passion, those goals, those dreams. It’s okay to embrace them not only through theatre but also through other forms of art such as writing. 

So, whatever your passion is, know that you don’t ever have to give it up – not fully.

#WritingWednesday #WritingPrompt Challenge

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Today is the 36th Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Austin, the main character in my current work in progress, The Beast Within.

Today’s writing prompt:

Write a quick love story. The story must end badly.

“It isn’t love,” I tell myself, mumbling as she walks away. “You don’t love her. Don’t follow her,” I say, as I stand and start toward the door she just disappeared through. “Wait, Sophie, please don’t go.”

I watched as her steps slowed and finally stopped, but she didn’t turn around.

“I… I can’t lose you too,” I said, instead of the words I knew she wanted—needed—to hear.

Her back stiffened. She rounded her shoulders and held her chin up high as she gripped her car keys in her fist. I could imagine the look on her face, strong yet sad—broken yet determined, but she never looked back.

The car beeped twice. She had unlocked the door.

I’m losing her, I thought. I reached out, started to call her again, but she didn’t give me a chance. She took the last few steps toward her car door and climbed in. The door slammed shut with a load echo that reverberated off the building behind me and a shutter shot through my body. I crumpled to my knees as I watched her car drive away.

“I love you.” It was only a whisper, one she would never hear, yet they were the truest words I’d ever spoken.

© 2019 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

Write a quick love story. The story must end badly.

What books have made your November reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out the December 2019 New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION
YOUNG ADULT

Week 35 – #WritingWednesday Challenge

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Today is the 35th Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of my turtle, Elle.

Today’s writing prompt:

Look around you and choose an object in the room. Now write something from the point of view of that object.

There she is, the one who feeds me. My human. I don’t know what to call her, she hasn’t told me her name yet, but she calls me Elle, or Elle-belly which I really like. Especially when she sings to me. I may not know her name, but I do know how to make her smile. She likes it when I swim laps. I start at the soft tentacle covered plant that sticks out of the side of my cozy little room. Then, I climb onto my sunbathing rock and run across it to dive into the water. From there, I spin around and shoot myself through the water, as fast as I can, until I end up back at the plant. I could do it over and over for hours and she would just giggle and smile the whole time. I like making her happy.

© 2019 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

Look around you and choose an object in the room. Now write something from the point of view of that object.

What books have made your November reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out the November 2019 New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION
YOUNG ADULT

Week 34 – #WritingWednesday Challenge

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Today is the 34th Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE (which is why I’m not stressing that this post is a day late), weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Tanja, one of the characters in the novel I’m currently outlining. I’m not sure if this will be a selection in the novel, or just part of my character development journal.

Today’s writing prompt:

Describe one odd item you always carry with you, in your purse, your wallet, or just a pocket.

I was young when my mother died, but before she did, she shared the secrets of our lineage with me. She didn’t want to, but having watched as she and my aunt raised my grandmother’s body from the grave, she kind of had to. When she believed I was ready, or maybe just because she knew her time was coming to an end, she gave me her sacred ritual knife. It was an ivory white, alligator jaw bone boline-athame-knife. It was razor sharper and as strong as any knife I’ve ever seen. The blade is only three inches long, but it doesn’t have to be long when you’re only using it to slice into the palm of your own hand, or that of a relative of the dead you’re trying to raise. Since my mother died, I’ve kept that blade with me without fail. She had used it since she was a child, learning her craft. It felt like a piece of her was always with me, guiding me, and protecting me.

© 2019 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

Describe one odd item you always carry with you, in your purse, your wallet, or just a pocket.

What books have made your October reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out the October 2019 New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION
YOUNG ADULT

Week 33 – #WritingWednesday #writingprompt Challenge

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Today is the 33rd Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

 Today I am writing in the voice of Phoebe, the main character in PURSUIT (Book 4 in the Blood Angel Series)… BONUS – She also makes an appearance in my upcoming novel The Beast Within!

Today’s writing prompt:

Do you have a tattoo? What is it and why did you get it?

I’m a tracker. I work for the High Council. Unlike most trackers, I wasn’t born with the blood. My sister was; she was naturally talented. I had to learn the skill, through the taking of the blood ritual. To be honest, blood tastes disgusting. The first time I tried it, I nearly vomited. But that isn’t want you want to know about. You asked about my tattoos. Yes, I have them. Many, in fact.

Most are runes. They are mostly along my arms, but I have a few on my back and my upper thighs. They help protect me from the evils I encounter while I’m hunting. They also help remind me of my roots, where I came from and where, someday, I might return.

In my family, I was always the most artistically inclined. That earned me the privilege of branding those that came after me with our family’s mark. I won’t share that with you, but I will tell you this; there is power in my bloodline and those that recognize the mark respect it. It gives me strength and courage. Its my moral compass.

© 2019 Nina Soden

Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

Do you have a tattoo? What is it and why did you get it?

What books have made your October reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to check out the OCTOBER 2019 New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books you’d like to add to your reading list!

FICTION
YOUNG ADULT