Cafe Writing

Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My My, just how much I’ve missed you?
Yes, I’ve been broken-hearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I should not have let you go
– “Mamma Mia,” ABBA

Welcome to the July/August Project at Café Writing, and many apologies for being late. Again. This month’s prompts are light and fluffy, and, in honor of the opening of the movie Mamma Mia, based on the songs of ABBA, so put on your favorite retro clothing and find a beat you can write to.

For guidelines, please see The Rules. Remember that you should leave a comment with your link, including the title of the piece that you wrote, and the appropriate option number. Also, I would encourage everyone to visit the blogs of CW participants - most of our Regulars have amazing writing on their sites throughout the month.

If this is your first time here, please be aware that comments from first-time posters are held in queue until they’re approved by a live person.

Option One: Seven Things

Half past twelve
And I’m watching the late show in my flat all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowing outside my window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
There’s not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won’t somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
–”Gimme Gimme Gimme,” ABBA

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

So, gimme (give me) seven things that cause shadows in your life
OR
Gimme seven things that you do to chase the shadows away.

You are not required to provide any explanations, but it’s more interesting for readers if you do.

Option Two: Pick Three

I don’t wanna talk
About things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now it’s history
I’ve played all my cards
And that’s what you’ve done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That’s her destiny
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I’d be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It’s simple and it’s plain
Why should I complain?
– “Winner Takes it All,” ABBA

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It’s fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

talk, belong, victory, destiny, plain, strong, rules, dear

Option Three: Can You Picture That?

Use either or both of the following photos to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry.. Bonus – somehow connect the two photos in a single piece.

Photos courtesy of iStockPhoto. Please copy them to your own server, if you wish to include them in your post.

Option Four: Poetry

Sleep in our eyes
Her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake
I let precious time go by
Then when she’s gone
There’s that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt
I can’t deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well some of that we did
But most we didn’t
And why I just don’t know
– “Slipping Through My Fingers,” ABBA

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about precious time going by or about planned adventures - or both.

Option Five: Fiction

The summer air was soft and warm
The feeling right, the Paris night
Did it’s best to please us
And strolling down the Elysee
We had a drink in each cafe
And you
You talked of politics, philosophy and I
Smiled like Mona Lisa
We had our chance
It was a fine and true romance

I can still recall our last summer
I still see it all
Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain
Our last summer
Memories that remain
– “Our Last Summer,” ABBA

Write a flash-fic, scene, or short story involving either a fine and true romance or memories that remain.

You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
See that girl
Watch that scene
Diggin’ the dancing queen
– “Dancing Queen,” ABBA

Take eight minutes (use all eight), but don’t go over), and write on the subject of dancing. Alternatively, use the words seventeen and/or tambourine as your inspiration, and see where they lead you.
This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

Don’t forget to comment on any April post with the direct link, title, and selected option for each piece you create. Happy Writing!

Hello Cafe Writers.

First, thank you all for your continued participation. I may not have been commenting lately, but I read every post you make, and you’re all brilliant.

Second, July and August will be another dual entry - look for prompts on to appear by Sunday.

I’m going to be away for a good part of August because of a novel workshop / agent pitch conference I’m attending, and then my birthday, so please bear with me.

We’ll resume monthly prompts in September.

If this is your first time here, please be aware that comments from first-time posters are held in queue until they’re approved by a live person.

This post will be updated throughout the month of June.

Option One: Seven Things

There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women.
~Madeleine K. Albright

No man stands so straight as when he stoops to help a boy.
~Knights of Pythagoras

1. Helpful, by MissMeliss

Option Two: Pick Three

Men wake up aroused in the morning. We can’t help it. We just wake up and we want you. And the women are thinking, “How can he want me the way I look in the morning?” It’s because we can’t see you. We have no blood anywhere near our optic nerve.
~Andy Rooney

When you see a woman who can go nowhere without a staff of admirers, it is not so much because they think she is beautiful, it is because she has told them they are handsome.
~Jean Giraudoux

1. Hint of Possible Sound, by Gemma
2. Melinda, by Jane Doe
3. Lancelot has heavy remembrance to wipe off his brow, by Niebla
4. The Dog Makes a Decision, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
5. Seconds in Between, by One More Believer
6. Twisted, by Lissa
7. Morning, by Misanthrope

Option Three: Can You Picture That?

Photo Credits: “Morning Smiles” is by Yvonne Chamberlain, and “Computing in a Coffee Shop” is by Quavondo Nguyen. Both are provided by iStockphoto.

1. My Kind of Girl, by Niebla
2. Picture Perfect, by Ambiguity Lotus

Option Four: Poetry

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.
~Ruth E. Renkel

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.
~Honoré de Balzac

1. Inheritance, by Paisley
2. Abyss, by Areet Krsna
3. Goddess Gaia, by Rebecca

Option Five: Fiction

Single men and women who go home to an empty apartment or a dog or cat or child need adult conversation in their lives.
~ Dennis Franck

1. What’s going on in their minds while they’re having a cup of coffee, by Leonard Blumfield
2. An Adult Conversation, by Mike
3. Conversation with a Prince, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
4. Former Reflection, by One More Believer

Option Six: Timed Writing

Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat.
–Author Unknown

1. Approximately Seven Minutes About Men and Women, by James Steerforth
2. Betroth Your Heart to Me, by Rebecca
3. Gulp!, by Sunrise Sister
4. Men and Women, by Lucy
5. Six Pack and a Potato, by Rebecca

Don’t forget to comment with the direct link, title, and selected option for each piece you create. Happy Writing!

Welcome to the May-June project for CafeWriting. Submissions for this project will be accepted until June 30th..

Because this is so late, I’ve provided double quotations to help inspire you, and two pictures that can be taken singly or together. In the United States, May finds us celebrating Mothers’ Day, and June brings Fathers’ Day, while the weather eases from the changing, often flirty weather of Spring, to the steady heat of Summer, so it seemed to be a good time to explore men and women, mothers and fathers.

For guidelines, please see The Rules. Remember that you should leave a comment with your link, including the title of the piece that you wrote, and the appropriate option number. Also, I would encourage everyone to visit the blogs of CW participants - most of our Regulars have amazing writing on their sites throughout the month. Please make sure you’re contributing original (new) pieces, not old stuff from your archives, though if one piece fits many memes you’re writing for, that’s fine.

If this is your first time here, please be aware that comments from first-time posters are held in queue until they’re approved by a live person.

Option One: Seven Things

There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women.
~Madeleine K. Albright

No man stands so straight as when he stoops to help a boy.
~Knights of Pythagoras

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Tell me about seven ways you’ve helped someone else.

OR

Tell me about seven people who have helped you.

You are not required to provide any explanations, but it’s more interesting for readers if you do.

Option Two: Pick Three

Men wake up aroused in the morning. We can’t help it. We just wake up and we want you. And the women are thinking, “How can he want me the way I look in the morning?” It’s because we can’t see you. We have no blood anywhere near our optic nerve.
~Andy Rooney

When you see a woman who can go nowhere without a staff of admirers, it is not so much because they think she is beautiful, it is because she has told them they are handsome.
~Jean Giraudoux

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It’s fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

arouse, morning, nerve, women, men, beauty, admire, nowhere

Option Three: Can You Picture That?

Use one of the following photos to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry. Please copy the photo to your own server if you want to include it in your post.

BONUS: Because this is a double project, use both photos as inspiration, and link them.

If you respond to this prompt, please copy the image to your own server, and credit the photographers. “Morning Smiles” is by Yvonne Chamberlain, and “Computing in a Coffee Shop” is by Quavondo Nguyen. Both are provided by iStockphoto.

Option Four: Poetry

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.
~Ruth E. Renkel

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.
~Honoré de Balzac

Using the quotations above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about mothers and fathers.

Option Five: Fiction

Single men and women who go home to an empty apartment or a dog or cat or child need adult conversation in their lives.
~ Dennis Franck

Write a flash-fic, scene, or short story about an adult conversation.

Option Six: Timed Writing

Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat.
–Author Unknown

Take seven minutes (use all seven, but don’t go over), and write on the subject of men and women. This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

Don’t forget to comment with the direct link, title, and selected option for each piece you create. Happy Writing!

Dear Cafe Writers.

I’m so sorry - I haven’t forgotten about you, have just been dealing with work craziness and prepping the house for the arrival of my parents (who got here at midnight), because even though I’m over thirty, my mother still has the power to make me feel inadequate if things aren’t perfect.

I’ll be posting prompts this weekend, and giving y’all some extra time, as well.

Welcome to the April Project at Café Writing, and many apologies for being late. As you may not know, April is the month in which we celebrate the birthday of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare. (His actual birthday is unknown. He was baptized on April 26th, however, and died on April 23rd, which date is also used to celebrate his birth.). It seems appropriate, then, that we take our theme from his works, this month. (This post will be updated frequently until the month changes.)

For guidelines, please see The Rules. Remember that you should leave a comment with your link, including the title of the piece that you wrote, and the appropriate option number. Also, I would encourage everyone to visit the blogs of CW participants - most of our Regulars have amazing writing on their sites throughout the month.

If this is your first time here, please be aware that comments from first-time posters are held in queue until they’re approved by a live person.

Option One: Timed Writing

I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix’d and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
–Julius Caesar Act III, scene i

Take seven minutes (use all seven, but don’t go over), and write on the subject of loyalty or constancy. This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

1. Hopelessly Devoted to You, by Becca
2. Home, by Rebecca
3. The Triumph of the Human Spirit, by Rebecca

Option Two: Seven Things

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
–As You Like It, Act II, scene vii

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Tell me about seven stages or changes in your life.

You are not required to provide any explanations, but it’s more interesting for readers if you do.

1. Seven Changes, by Medhini Seshadri

Option Three: Pick Three

Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft’ is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
– William Shakespeare Sonnet #18

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It’s fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

brag, course, decline, eternal, possession, rough, temperate, wander

1. Eternal Rain, by Lissa
2. The Laysan Albatross Faces Extinction, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
3. Ms. Literate Speaks, by Niebla
4. Beaming, by Lucricausa
5. Dear C–, by Ambiguity Lotus
6. Set Me Free, by Jane Doe
7. Petrified Wood, by AmarettoGirl
8. Eye of the Beholder, by J. C. Montgomery

Option Four: Can You Picture That?

Use the following photo to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry. Please copy the photo to your own server if you want to include it in your post.

If you respond to this prompt, please copy the image to your own server, and credit the photographer L. H. Prior

1. Back to the Bar, by Paisley
2. Back Home, by James Steerforth
3. Redrum, by Ambiguity Lotus
4. Faded Red Velvet, by Tiel Aisha Ansari

Option Five: Poetry

Edgar:
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to plague us:
The dark and vicious place where thee he got
Cost him his eyes.
Edmund:
Th’ hast spoken right, ’tis true.
The wheel is come full circle, I am here.
– King Lear Act V, scene iii

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about coming full circle.

1. Edgar on Time, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
2. Who, Not What I Am, by Paisley
3. Circularity, by J. C. Montgomery
4. Sacred Circles, by Gemma

Option Six: Fiction

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
–Twelfth Night Act I, scene i

Write a flash-fic, scene, or short story involving music.

1. Musical, by Niebla
2. Vision, by Tiel Aisha Ansari

Don’t forget to comment on any April post with the direct link, title, and selected option for each piece you create. This post will be updated frequently until the month changes. Happy Writing!

Welcome to the April Project at Café Writing, and many apologies for being late. As you may not know, April is the month in which we celebrate the birthday of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare. (His actual birthday is unknown. He was baptized on April 26th, however, and died on April 23rd, which date is also used to celebrate his birth.). It seems appropriate, then, that we take our theme from his works, this month.

For guidelines, please see The Rules. Remember that you should leave a comment with your link, including the title of the piece that you wrote, and the appropriate option number. Also, I would encourage everyone to visit the blogs of CW participants - most of our Regulars have amazing writing on their sites throughout the month.

If this is your first time here, please be aware that comments from first-time posters are held in queue until they’re approved by a live person.

Option One: Timed Writing

I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix’d and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
–Julius Caesar Act III, scene i

Take seven minutes (use all seven, but don’t go over), and write on the subject of loyalty or constancy. This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

Option Two: Seven Things

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
–As You Like It, Act II, scene vii

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Tell me about seven stages or changes in your life.

You are not required to provide any explanations, but it’s more interesting for readers if you do.

Option Three: Pick Three

Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft’ is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
– William Shakespeare Sonnet #18

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It’s fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

brag, course, decline, eternal, possession, rough, temperate, wander

Option Four: Can You Picture That?

Use the following photo to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry. Please copy the photo to your own server if you want to include it in your post.

If you respond to this prompt, please copy the image to your own server, and credit the photographer L. H. Prior

Option Five: Poetry

Edgar:
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to plague us:
The dark and vicious place where thee he got
Cost him his eyes.
Edmund:
Th’ hast spoken right, ’tis true.
The wheel is come full circle, I am here.
– King Lear Act V, scene iii

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about coming full circle.

Option Six: Fiction

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
–Twelfth Night Act I, scene i

Write a flash-fic, scene, or short story involving music.

Don’t forget to comment on any April post with the direct link, title, and selected option for each piece you create. Happy Writing!

…or two.

Note the First:

This is late because during the upgrade of wordpress I did something stupid, and broke the code. I fixed it, but there was a lot of cursing involved.

Note the Second:

Last month’s experiment with creating multiple posts with participant links was just that, an experiment. We’re reverting to one post, this month, updated every few days.

Note the Third:
You can leave your links in comments on the original project post for each month, or on the participant’s post. As long as I have the link to the specific entry, the title of the entry, the option it’s for, and some kind of a name for you, I’ll find it.

Thanks bunches.

Option One: Fiction

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.
- George Santayana

Write a flash-fic, scene, or short story about a happier state of mind.

1. Miss Knit Brow, by Medhini
2. Journey, by One More Believer
3. Salt, by Melissa A. Bartell

Option Two: Timed Writing

Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat.
–Author Unknown

Take seven minutes (use all seven, but don’t go over), and write on the subject of fleeting gifts. This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

1. Fleeting Gifts Are…, by A~lotus
2. The Future is Now, by J. C. Montgomery
3. Fleeting Gifts / Easter Runup, by James Steerforth
4. A Dream Divine, by Rebecca

Option Three: Seven Things

Never think someone will be there forever…forever is a long time and time has a way of changing things.
–Author Unknown

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Tell me about seven people who have influenced you.

You are not required to provide any explanations, but it’s more interesting for readers if you do.

1. List #4, by LovesMukiwa
2. Seven People who have Influenced Me, by Janet
3. Seven Things: Influential, by Melissa A. Bartell
4. Seven Influences, by Zan

Option Four: Pick Three

The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for nature to follow. Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase.
– E.B. White

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It’s fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

spring, change, virgin, dalliance, fertile, nature, oil, crank

1. A Mere Dalliance, by James
2. Autumn is the Bridesmaid of Spring, by Gemma
3. Eden Lost, by Tiel
4. Forever Fall, by Jane
5. The Felling of a Tree, by Rebecca
6. Technicolor, by Paisley
7. Early Spring, by Richard
8. The Knifemaker, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
9. Renewal, by J.C. Montgomery
10. Mass Astrological Influences, by Zan
11. Spring, by Lissa

Option Five: Can You Picture That?

Use the following photo to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry. Please copy the photo to your own server if you want to include it in your post.

If you respond to this prompt, please copy the image to your own server, and credit the photographer Therese Chase. Her web page is here: http://velma-dacron.livejournal.com/.

Click for full-sized image.

1. Butterfly Delight, by Gemma
2. Metamorphosis, by Rebecca
3. Butterflies, by Melissa A. Bartell

Option Six: Poetry

Each leaf,
each blade of grass
vies for attention.

Even weeds
carry tiny blossoms
to astonish us.
- Marianne Poloskey

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about something you find astonishing.

1. A Gift of Wonder, Love, and Sacredness, by Rebecca
2. Astonishing, by Thaleia
3. Perpetual Amazement, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
4. Flight, by Sunrise Sister
5. Astonishing, by J.C. Montgomery
6. Haiku…Spring, by Beloved Dreamer

Despite the fact that I do own a calendar, April snuck up on me.

The March participant wrapup will go up tonight or tomorrow.
The April prompts will be up by Saturday morning.

Thank you for your patience.