Twenty Something Writers

This week’s writing prompt is from one of our frequent contributors, Pam @ Reflections from a Neurotic Writer.

Write a short story based on your favorite song, using the song’s title as your story’s title and the lyrics for your plot.

*Remember to create a blog post responding to this prompt and then come back here to leave us the URL to your post. If you do not want your post to be considered for the “Tuesday Featured Response” spot, then please make a note in your comment.

As promised, today we’re featuring one of the responses to our writing prompt from Friday. Thank you to everyone who submitted a response. We enjoyed reading them

This was published on “Life On My Own Terms“. Enjoy!

There are many things I want to share with my future children. Narrowing the list down to five has been difficult and fun. I’ve had a evaluate things that my parents shared with me and combine those nuggets with my own philos0phies.

There are many things I want to share with my future children. Narrowing the list down to five has been difficult and fun. I’ve had a evaluate things that my parents shared with me and combine those nuggets with my own philos0phies.

1. Remember Where You Came From – we are all products of our parents, families, friends, environments, and experiences. All of these things help shape the people we are.
   
2. Don’t Forget the Big Picture – the world does not revolve around you. Stop to consider your place in it. Also remember that the details we obsess over can sometimes get in the way of realizing your bigger goals and dreams.
   
3. This Too Shall Pass – life is fleeting. The bad times never last as long as you think they will and the good times should be treasured. Time stops for no one.
   
4. Take Care of Yourself – you only have one body and one mind. Listen to your needs. Go to the doctor. Exercise. Express your feelings. Eat healthy and fresh foods. Sleep.
   
5. Live Your Life With No Regrets – I don’t mean that you should live recklessly. Instead, live your life in a way in which you are comfortable. Regularly evaluate your priorities and make changes as needed. Be mindful of your decisions. No one is truly stuck in a bad job/marriage/friendship etc. We all have choices; some are easier than others, but they are choices nonetheless. Don’t look back while on your deathbed and wish you had done something differently.

Happy Friday! As Ashley did earlier in the week, I also wanted to apologize for the lack of content on the site. We’re going to make it up to you, I promise.

We’re going to be doing something new with our writing prompts. As you’ve probably noticed, most of our prompts are posted on Fridays. Moving forward, each Tuesday we will feature one of the responses from the previous week’s writing prompt.

Please note: By submitting a comment with your link, we assume that you are okay with your post possibly being featured on the site (with full credit).  If, however, you’d rather your submission not be considered for feature, please leave a note along with your comment saying so. No hard feelings, we promise!

On with the show! This week’s writing prompt:

Make a list of 5 things that you would want your children to know. (Credit: Michael)

*Remember to create a blog post responding to this prompt and then come back here to leave us the URL to your post. If you do not want your post to be considered for the “Tuesday Featured Response” spot, then please make a note in your comment.

Thanks for your continued support!

J.D. Salinger is not someone who appears in the news often. He’s been a recluse for nearly 50 years. But, I clicked on CNN.com today to get my political fix, and the featured article was about a “rip-off” of The Catcher in the Rye that Salinger is contesting in court. You can read the full article here, but to give you a quick summary, a Swedish company is planning to publish a book called 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, which is the story of Holden Caulfield 60 years after the events of The Catcher in the Rye.

Salinger has blocked all but one (a short story) adaptation of his work and he is quoted as saying in 1980 that “There’s no more to Holden Caulfield. Read the book again. It’s all there . . . Holden Caulfield is only a frozen moment in time.” Now at the age of 90, he is contesting this latest attempt to adapt The Catcher in the Rye.

This article raised many questions for me, so feel free to share any reactions. But, in this age of open source and creative commons, how do you feel about a writer preventing anyone from adapting his work? The question is not whether J.D. Salinger has the right to prevent such adaptations, but if something is lost by holding on so tightly to that intellectual property. As a student of philosophy, sharing ideas is important to me and I think that though you might take the risk of having your thoughts twisted or your work transformed into something you don’t approve of, opening your work up to others allows for many new creative possibilities. Though you might approve of what Salinger is doing as a personal choice, how do you feel about it generally?

Special Note: Sorry things have been slow around here in the last few weeks. We’re back this week with new posts. If you’d like to contribute, see the Contribute page or email twentysomethingwriters[at]gmail[dot]com. I’d really appreciate your help in keeping the site going!

For me, music has always been a big part of the writing process. It’s rare that I write without headphones on. If you’re like me, what kind of music or, more specifically, what musical artists inspire you to write?

I could answer this question a million different ways. But, the music that inspired me to ask this question was that of Simon and Garfunkel! I’ve heard it all a million times, yet a quick listen this weekend gave me so many new ideas.

Please discuss your responses to this question in the comments. Is there something you’ve always wanted to ask your fellow writers? Email your discussion question suggestions to twentysomethingwriters[at]gmail[dot]com.