Oh wow. I love this. And I honestly love this 10 item list-making as a way to quickly outline a new idea. To try out the arc or final punch of a story. Kathy, every prompt of yours that I've tried has resulted in Something. If you wrote a whole book of just prompts, I would buy it immediately. Thank you :)
You brought in white what was hiding in the darkness of my mind. This is the most helpful post on substack this month. Will note the points down. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Kathy. Very inspiring. I loved the recommended reading and your tips on writing. I've already started a little piece of flash based on what I have learned.
No, Doha, I meant to say, “subtext, baby, I’d where it’s at!” I am fishclamor.Substack.com. Love for you to stop by! Just posted a favorite tiny prise poem!
Kathy I love this and have a poem and a particular story, two favorites, that work on this principle. Subtext.baby, is more powerful than text if you ask me....maybe I will post them in my Substack soon....oh! Yes! One of them is published and will be my next post in a few days. I love this idea you write about Abd especially the assignment and want the book desperately. In another season if my life I guess. Digging your newsletter! --jennifer
This is my first day in Substack. I finally have time to read after getting laid off yesterday. First time being let go in my 15 year career. They're letting many more go, too. New fathers on paternity leave. First-time homeowners. Sweet friends of mine. Job loss certainly pales compared to the loss of death. But it is a white space nonetheless. I am so pleased that, amidst the Substack wonderland, the white rabbit led me here. Thank you!! This prompt will be a wonderful processor for my loss. And hopefully kickstart writing for life (thats lingered on my To Do list, too)!
I am so sorry to hear you lost your job! There are so many losses in the course of a lifetime, aren't there. I feel like aging is a form of loss over time, too. I'm glad you're writing. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment!
Kathy this is both a beautiful line and great advice: “ What loss lives in the white space?”.
Love that.
Fan letter: I have thought you were the bomb Kathy, btw, since I first read you in your “collective nouns” piece. My favorites were the two about toddlers, especially the “jubilance”! That’s what even one riddler is to me (I had the easiest baby in the whole entire history of babies though).
I am really glad you have this Substack. You have a lot of good stuff in there!
Now, do you know Amy Hempel and can we get her to write a newsletter for us? She is to DIE for! And a magnificent poet though she pretends her poems are fiction somehow. :).
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I really appreciate the read and comments! I wish I knew Amy Hempel personally, but I do not. I would love a newsletter from her!
Kathy I have recently lost my writing partner if 20 years (daily work together just about) to severe be two illness so anyplace where I get writing stimulating conversation is just huge to me. How I miss him. But new friends are great in a different way. I hope he gets well….
I'm sorry to hear about your mother. My father (in his seventies) is dying from skin cancer right now. (I'm 39.) I'm writing about it on here. Re the white space concept: Makes me think of “Hills Like White Elephants," of course, aka my college creative writing days. It's very true, still: What a writer doesn't say often speaks the loudest, just like in real life the things one person doesn't say speaks volumes about what they truly feel. And, as we know, good fiction mirrors real life, at least to a degree, if not literally then figuratively and aesthetically.
Hi Michael! Thanks so much for reading and for leaving a comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my piece and I am very sorry to hear about your father. I will check out your newsletter. Thanks again. ~Kathy
Hello! Just found you, Kathy, via Michael — who I just found after he liked a comment I posted somewhere else. Will follow you both. Nothing more enjoyable than roaming around and discovering interesting stuff! I’ve always loved exploring old attics and used bookstores.
Loved everything about this post. I am excited for the prompt as I feel like it was tailor made for me. Dina published my first piece and I love her writing. Will definitely check out The White Book.
Hi Kathy, this is an old post, I realise but I was in your workshop (online flash festival) one last week and on the back of that I bought 'the White Book,' which is truly wonderful as is your connected prompt. Also, I actually wrote something in that workshop, which has been difficult for me over the last year. I don't know if you remember (or know!) but the first flash I ever got published was written in one of your workshops in 2018. I hope to do another some time! Thank you again..
Mary Ruth, thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts here. I'm beyond happy to learn your first published story came from my workshop (I do remember that, now that you mention it). I will be announcing new workshops in the new year, though I am also considering using this platform to run some community workshops as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed The White Book!
That would be great, Kathy. I'll definitely look out for them. I'm trying to find a gentle way back into writing and all your material etc. is so helpful..
I love the value you bring to fiction, if you enjoy what I write and wish to ever cross-promote (never really done this) or share recommend, please let me know, big fan of your newsletters, and short fiction - an example of my work for you to consider Kathy, was also published in a lit mage - https://tumbleweedwords.substack.com/p/street-legal-fiction
Kathy, just saw this much older post. I've been struggling with a poem that has so much emotional freight. Set in a cemetery. I will try this single word list as a way to discover hidden meanings and elements so full of sunlight that I haven't yet seen.
Oh wow. I love this. And I honestly love this 10 item list-making as a way to quickly outline a new idea. To try out the arc or final punch of a story. Kathy, every prompt of yours that I've tried has resulted in Something. If you wrote a whole book of just prompts, I would buy it immediately. Thank you :)
Aw, that's great to hear, Evan! Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
You brought in white what was hiding in the darkness of my mind. This is the most helpful post on substack this month. Will note the points down. Thank you!
Wow, thank you, Romana! I appreciate the read and kind words. I'm glad you found it useful.
Thanks so much, Kathy. Very inspiring. I loved the recommended reading and your tips on writing. I've already started a little piece of flash based on what I have learned.
My pleasure, Belinda. This is great to hear. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
No, Doha, I meant to say, “subtext, baby, I’d where it’s at!” I am fishclamor.Substack.com. Love for you to stop by! Just posted a favorite tiny prise poem!
Will do! And thanks, again!
Jeez I am tired fat thimbs. What is Doha? My address is right! I am always fishclamor…!
🤣🤣
Kathy I love this and have a poem and a particular story, two favorites, that work on this principle. Subtext.baby, is more powerful than text if you ask me....maybe I will post them in my Substack soon....oh! Yes! One of them is published and will be my next post in a few days. I love this idea you write about Abd especially the assignment and want the book desperately. In another season if my life I guess. Digging your newsletter! --jennifer
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Jennifer! Is "Subtext, baby" a link to your own newsletter? I didn't work for me...
Oh if you click on a persons gravitar it takes you to their Substack! That’s cool!
Jeez I wonder which story Abd poem I meant now….! Ha! I’ll re-read you to find out!
This is my first day in Substack. I finally have time to read after getting laid off yesterday. First time being let go in my 15 year career. They're letting many more go, too. New fathers on paternity leave. First-time homeowners. Sweet friends of mine. Job loss certainly pales compared to the loss of death. But it is a white space nonetheless. I am so pleased that, amidst the Substack wonderland, the white rabbit led me here. Thank you!! This prompt will be a wonderful processor for my loss. And hopefully kickstart writing for life (thats lingered on my To Do list, too)!
I am so sorry to hear you lost your job! There are so many losses in the course of a lifetime, aren't there. I feel like aging is a form of loss over time, too. I'm glad you're writing. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment!
Thank you, Kathy.
Kathy this is both a beautiful line and great advice: “ What loss lives in the white space?”.
Love that.
Fan letter: I have thought you were the bomb Kathy, btw, since I first read you in your “collective nouns” piece. My favorites were the two about toddlers, especially the “jubilance”! That’s what even one riddler is to me (I had the easiest baby in the whole entire history of babies though).
I am really glad you have this Substack. You have a lot of good stuff in there!
Now, do you know Amy Hempel and can we get her to write a newsletter for us? She is to DIE for! And a magnificent poet though she pretends her poems are fiction somehow. :).
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I really appreciate the read and comments! I wish I knew Amy Hempel personally, but I do not. I would love a newsletter from her!
Well. See fane will get you nowhere. :)
Fame!
Kathy I have recently lost my writing partner if 20 years (daily work together just about) to severe be two illness so anyplace where I get writing stimulating conversation is just huge to me. How I miss him. But new friends are great in a different way. I hope he gets well….
me too - fab line
I'm sorry to hear about your mother. My father (in his seventies) is dying from skin cancer right now. (I'm 39.) I'm writing about it on here. Re the white space concept: Makes me think of “Hills Like White Elephants," of course, aka my college creative writing days. It's very true, still: What a writer doesn't say often speaks the loudest, just like in real life the things one person doesn't say speaks volumes about what they truly feel. And, as we know, good fiction mirrors real life, at least to a degree, if not literally then figuratively and aesthetically.
I'm glad I found your Substack. You write well :)
Michael Mohr
Substack: "The Incompatibility of Being Alive"
https://reallife82.substack.com/
Hi Michael! Thanks so much for reading and for leaving a comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my piece and I am very sorry to hear about your father. I will check out your newsletter. Thanks again. ~Kathy
Always good to connect with fellow Stackers!
Yes!
Hello! Just found you, Kathy, via Michael — who I just found after he liked a comment I posted somewhere else. Will follow you both. Nothing more enjoyable than roaming around and discovering interesting stuff! I’ve always loved exploring old attics and used bookstores.
Hi and welcome, Minna! Thanks for stopping by!
Just posted my 10 word writing exercise on my latest Substack. Thanks for inspiring!
Ooh, just subscribed. Will have a look when I can. I'm running a workshop this weekend...
Loved everything about this post. I am excited for the prompt as I feel like it was tailor made for me. Dina published my first piece and I love her writing. Will definitely check out The White Book.
Thanks so much, Tiffany!
Hi Kathy, this is an old post, I realise but I was in your workshop (online flash festival) one last week and on the back of that I bought 'the White Book,' which is truly wonderful as is your connected prompt. Also, I actually wrote something in that workshop, which has been difficult for me over the last year. I don't know if you remember (or know!) but the first flash I ever got published was written in one of your workshops in 2018. I hope to do another some time! Thank you again..
Mary Ruth, thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts here. I'm beyond happy to learn your first published story came from my workshop (I do remember that, now that you mention it). I will be announcing new workshops in the new year, though I am also considering using this platform to run some community workshops as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed The White Book!
That would be great, Kathy. I'll definitely look out for them. I'm trying to find a gentle way back into writing and all your material etc. is so helpful..
I'm so glad to hear it. I'm all for gentleness, too.
Some lovely words here :)
Thanks for reading, David!
I love the value you bring to fiction, if you enjoy what I write and wish to ever cross-promote (never really done this) or share recommend, please let me know, big fan of your newsletters, and short fiction - an example of my work for you to consider Kathy, was also published in a lit mage - https://tumbleweedwords.substack.com/p/street-legal-fiction
Kathy, just saw this much older post. I've been struggling with a poem that has so much emotional freight. Set in a cemetery. I will try this single word list as a way to discover hidden meanings and elements so full of sunlight that I haven't yet seen.