What Others Are Saying About Weekly Writes:

“[Weekly Writes] was such an encouragement to me. The prompts gave me great ideas and really made me do some deep thinking about a great variety of subjects and topics. I would definitely take this workshop again and again since it was those prompts that kept me wanting to write daily and write more.” - Val Gordon (British Columbia, Canada) 

“[Weekly Writes] was truly a gift during a time when that creative spark was seemingly gone. I printed out each prompt and inserted it into a binder with blank pages. At the end of the program, I had a complete writer's journal to look back upon each time I needed that extra boost.” - Jennifer Hollowell (Livermore Falls, Maine), Owner, J.M.H. Creative Solutions (http://jmhcreativesolutions.com) 

“Shery Ma Belle Arrieta has given me a gift that will never get dull, wear out or stop giving. Through Weekly Writes she has given me the place to start, the courage to do it and the encouragement and knowledge that I can be a writer or anything else I choose to be. Thanks, Shery, for designing, producing and writing Weekly Writes. I highly recommend this book to all authors. Newbie or pro – you will gain something from it. Guaranteed.” - Billie A. Williams (Amberg, Wisconsin) Author of Writing Wide and mystery suspense novels Death by Candlelight, Tung Umolomo and Fire at Thunder Ridge (http://www.billiewilliams.com) 

“Weekly Writes provided [me with] the necessary discipline that every writer requires…[and] the modules were great fun to do.” - Mary Attard (Malta) 

“I received Weekly Writes during a low point in my life. [Weekly Writes] gave me an outlet to vent feelings and learn to cope with those feelings. I would recommend Weekly Writes to everyone. Even if you have no desire to be a writer, you will learn a lot about yourself doing each assignment.” - Helen Fields (High Point, North Carolina) 

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the diverse activities and suggestions in Weekly Writes: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! After a long day at work as I sit in front of my laptop, I often find stimulating subject matter evading me. Fortunately, the suggested exercises in the Weekly Writes have helped me to chip away at the spindly legs of that cumbersome pest called Writer's Block. Not only do I have exciting topics to write about, I continue to gain strategies for creating my own alluring writing ideas. Weekly Writes has proven to be a valuable source of motivation to improve my writing. So, as I learn, my students learn.” - Linnel Little (Jacksonville, Florida) 

“The Weekly Writes modules have given me lots of ideas in toying with various aspects of the human emotion. By doing the exercises, anyone can come up with so many ideas to do when writing.” - Alexa Villano (Quezon City, Philippines) 

“I'm a teacher, a mom, a wife, leader of a writer's group and find myself really pressed for time. Sometimes it's just easier to not write even though I know I need to. Weekly Writes was perfect for me: I knew that I would write because the prompts were there waiting for me. It was easy, effective, and challenging.” - Dawn Allen (Olathe, Kansas) 

“As a published author, I value the fifty-two gems of wisdom encompassed by the fifty-two weeks of Weekly Writes. Each of them, studied in no particular order, is of value to any writer. They stir the ‘little gray cells’ to invoke the muse and seriously approach a word processor. I have enjoyed and do enjoy this tutelage on the craft of writing. Bravo!” - Bob Howard (Lakeview, Oregon) 

“[Weekly Writes] is truly excellent. The prompts encourage you to plumb the depths of your memories and experiences to come up with writing that is both unique to you and universal to the human condition. A winning combination, if ever there was one.” - Manjul Bajaj (New Delhi, India)

WEEKLY WRITES:

52 Weeks of Writing Bliss!

by

Shery Ma Belle Arrieta

Copyright © 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 0-9710796-7-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2003115962

First Edition

Published by Filbert Publishing, Box 326, Kandiyohi, Mn, 56251, USA. 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

FilbertPublishing.com

WEEKLY WRITES:

52 Weeks of Writing Bliss!

by

Shery Ma Belle Arrieta

Contents:

How to Use this Book 9

Week One: Twists 11

Week Two: Sovereign 15

Week Three: Bounties 25

Week Four: Lessons 29

Week Five: Seasons 33

Week Six: Spaces 35

Week Seven: Meanings 39

Week Eight: Creations 41

Week Nine: Solutions 43

Week Ten: Baggage 45

Week Eleven: Wrappings 55

Week Twelve: Detours 57

Week Thirteen: Loopholes 63

Week Fourteen: Indecision 65

Week Fifteen: Reactions 69

Week Sixteen: Peaks 73

Week Seventeen: Word Strings 75

Week Eighteen: Wallpaper 79

Week Nineteen: Visions 81

Week Twenty: Steadfastness 85

Week Twenty-One: Sobriety 87

Week Twenty-Two: Absurdities 89

Week Twenty-Three: Disguises 93

Week Twenty-Four: Frames 95

Week Twenty-Five: Secrets 99

Week Twenty-Six: Rings 101

Week Twenty-Seven: Choices 103

Week Twenty-Eight: Tales 105

Week Twenty-Nine: Voices 107

Week Thirty: Images 109

Week Thirty-One: Eloquence 113

Week Thirty-Two: Customs 115

Week Thirty-Three: Waves 119

Week Thirty-Four: Portraits 121

Week Thirty-Five: Byways 123

Week Thirty-Six: Preparations 125

Week Thirty-Seven: Steps 129

Week Thirty-Eight: Warnings 131

Week Thirty-Nine: Rebirths 133

Week Forty: Expectations 135

Week Forty-One: Possibilities 137

Week Forty-Two: Proverbs 139

Week Forty-Three: Musings 141

Week Forty-Four: Pressures 147

Week Forty-Five: Self-Image 149

Week Forty-Six: Legacy 151

Week Forty-Seven: Keepsakes 155

Week Forty-Eight: Firsts 157

Week Forty-Nine: Growth 159

Week Fifty: Heroes 163

Week Fifty-One: Self-Awareness 167

Week Fifty-Two: Goals 169

100 Writing Sparks 171

Contributors 177

How to Use this Book

This book is designed to keep you writing for fifty-two consecutive weeks – one whole year. The writing activities are short and approximately take five to twenty minutes of writing time every day.

It is best to start Weekly Writes on a Monday, and tackle one prompt each day. When you are done with one writing activity, do not proceed to the next one right away. Come back to this book after twenty-four hours and then do the next one.

Tackle the writing activities in the book this way and you will be able to develop the habit of writing regularly no matter what mood you are in.

Selected chapters include examples by writers who have taken the e-mail workshop version of this book. The examples you will read are rough drafts or first drafts.

Additionally, a section of this book contains 100 writing prompts and ideas. These prompts were generated by WriteSparks!™, a software I created for writers. Information on how you can download this software is included in this section.

I hope you experience writing bliss with the help of this book. I would love to hear all about it so do e-mail me! Have fun writing!

Shery Ma Belle Arrieta, Author

E-mail: writershery@ewritersplace.com

Web site: http://ewritersplace.com

Week One: Twists

This week, you will experiment with different endings, and you will take your cue from the movies you have seen.

First, pick a movie. Any movie will do. Next, in your notebook, write a summary of the movie. Keep this under three paragraphs. Below the summary, describe the ending or the final scene.

When you work with the prompts in this book, do not stop to edit your work. Write as fast as you can and simply let yourself go. You can have a go at this in two ways:

1. Set a timer for say, five minutes, and then write everything that comes to mind based on the prompt and stop when the five minutes are up.

2. Write for as long as you can and when you are tired or have filled an entire page, stop.

Now you are ready to write...

Monday: Today is Science Fiction day.

Re-read the ending or final scene of the movie you picked then re-write it by giving it a Sci-Fi twist. Think Star Trek, Matrix or Men in Black.

Be descriptive. Do not be limited to the movie's plot. Add a character or an event. Be creative. Give your imagination free rein.

Tomorrow, you will use the same ending and give it another twist.

Tuesday: Tuesday is Drama day. Re-write the ending of the same movie by giving it a dramatic twist. Make your ending as emotionally charged as you can make it.

Wednesday: Wednesday is Horror/Suspense day. Re-write the ending of the same movie by giving it a horror twist. Scare yourself.

Thursday: Thursday is Romance day. Re-write the ending of the movie by giving it a romantic twist. Make your characters fall in love. Be as cheesy and sappy as you want.

Friday: Friday is Adventure day. Re-write the ending of the movie by giving it an adventure twist. Think Indiana Jones or The Mummy.

Hannibal has set the table and made preparations for the dinner with Clarice. Paul is tied up and drugged, spouting babble as he watched Hannibal sauté the mushrooms with fine wine. These complete, Hannibal sets them aside and turns to the main dish: Paul. Hannibal knows a lot about Paul from his meticulous research—but also by the mere fact that he had been living here in Paul's cabin for several weeks.

Not even sure what’s happening, Paul keeps babbling as Hannibal busies himself cutting open Paul's brain. As the blades of the Stryker saw cut through the skull, the saw suddenly hits something metal and stops! Cursing, Hannibal peers down to see what's keeping the blade from its work. Seeing metal, he assumes it's a plate and casually asks Paul if he was perhaps a veteran. Not understanding Paul's incoherent response, Hannibal decides to cut around that part. Finished with all but the one area of the skull, he pulls an instrument from his medical bag and chips away the last part very gently.

During the "surgery," Hannibal notices that only a small amount of blood is dripping from the makeshift cap and as he lifts it off Paul's head, he could see why. Paul's brain is made entirely of electronic components—it’s a computer! Stunned, Hannibal steps back and as he did so, Paul's eyes turn red. With an unexpected strength and swiftness, Paul breaks free from his bindings and lunges at Lechter.

Upstairs, Clarice is putting on makeup and fixing her hair, not sure why this felt so important to her. In fact, she can't remember much about her life before these hazy weeks in the cabin. However, she does know that Hannibal is her savior and the center of her life at this time. His gentle care of her had eased her pain over these weeks and even the pain stemming from her childhood. She finds him charming and quite funny as well. Not only that, but Hannibal is an excellent chef, as evidenced now by the odors wafting from the kitchen to her room. She feels grateful to Hannibal and pleasing him tonight is her only focus, and focus is hard to come by for Clarice these days.

Downstairs, she hears a loud thump and wonders what Hannibal is up to. What could be the disturbance? Not feeling panicked or even upset, just mildly curious, Clarice walks downstairs and saunters to the kitchen. It is empty. Didn't she hear voices earlier? Stepping in a little bit closer, she notices the back door swinging open in the wind. She peers outside. The only movement is the gentle sway of the weeping willow as the wind tickles its branches; the only sound is the music of nature on an early summer day by the ocean.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement. She turns to look. She finds herself staring into the crimson eyes of Paul. How did she know his name is Paul? Before she could figure it out, he reaches for her and pulls her into his arms.

"Are you all right, Clarice?" His voice sounds oddly mechanical.

"Where's Hannibal?" she asks.

"The monster is dead," says Paul and he begins to steer her back into the house.

"Dead? But we're supposed to have dinner tonight," she murmurs. Her head feels foggy and she desperately wants to lie down for a nap. "Paul, I'm so tired."

"Yes, I know. You've been through a lot. Let's get you back to the city where you can be plugged in and recharged."

Copyright © 2003 by Karen A. Izzard

Week Two: Sovereign

The New International Webster's Dictionary defines sovereign as:

1. having undisputed rights to make decisions and act accordingly;

2. having unlimited, absolute power [over something]

This week, you are the King or the Queen of your own world. You control everything and you have power over all things.

Power comes with responsibility, though, so every decision is not just something you make based on a whim.

Monday and Tuesday: You have recently inherited an island from a distant relative. The fun part is that you can bring people with you to populate the island. However, you can bring only 21 people.

Who will they be?
What are their areas of expertise?
What can they do?
How old are they?

This is like the biblical Noah's Ark, but instead of choosing pairs of animals, you are choosing the kind of people you need to be with you in your island.

So go ahead, make a list of 21 people you want to bring with you. They do not have to have names while you create your list. Create fictional people or people based on your ideals. Give them occupations, personalities and quirks.

Next, create a short profile for each person on your list. This time, give each person a name. Your profiles can be one or two paragraphs. Get to know your people.

Wednesday: Last Monday and yesterday, you created 21 profiles of the 21 people you intend to bring with you to your island.

Today, you are going to convince these people to come with you. What is in store for them? Why would they want to go with you?

So imagine yourself in front of your chosen 21. You have their undivided attention. You need to make that one great speech, and if there ever was a perfect time to deliver it, it is now.

Be persuasive. Market your island. Make your speech so great, none of your chosen 21 will ever want to be left behind.

Thursday: If you are going to own an island, govern it and lead 21 people, you have to have rules in place. These rules will (hopefully) keep things in order in your island.

For ten minutes, jot down rules or laws everyone in the island must follow. Hey, your rules do not have to be conventional. Remember you are the boss so you can be creative with your rules or laws!

When you are done, go over your list of rules and choose one. Visualize yourself explaining to your chosen 21. Make them see the importance of this rule. Do this for 10 minutes.

Friday: Freewrite for ten minutes using "power" as your focus word. What is power to you?

Here is an activity to tide you over the weekend:

Choose one person or two (or more) from your profile list. Write a short story about her. Make her the 'star' of her own story. Perhaps a monologue of someone who is about to leave behind everything in order to come to the island. What is going on in her mind? How does she feel about starting all over again?

Father John Bowsley,Ordained Minister, 42. Father John believes in non-denominational religious practices and is willing to conduct services in a different faith each week. He will also run the Sunday school for the children when the need arises.

Knowla Henderson,Supreme Court Judge, 44. Knowla has sat as a judge for the past 15 years and is very well respected, fair and equitable. Knowla brings with her a wealth of judicial knowledge that we can use to establish our governing system on the island.

Mary Jane Wilkens,Government Purchasing Agent, 35. Mary Jane is a logical choice because we will need to have access to many products at a reasonable price if we wish to establish a market economy on the island.

Letta Markus,Chartered Accountant, 28. Letta is smart as a whip when it comes to financial decisions. She will make sure our market economy, having a solid investment strategy, flourishes.

Leland Miller,Disk Jockey, 41. Leland, rated as the world’s number one disk jockey for the past seven years, will be an asset as he is very entertaining. He will be functional in establishing our tourism industry – dancers, performers, actors – while keeping the islanders entertained (mainly, of course, the ladies).

Franklin Dejong,Entrepreneur (Northwest Cruise Lines), 45. Franklin has a world of experience in the tourism industry, having run cruise liners for the past twenty years. He will be an asset in establishing our transportation to and from the island as well as our gambling and entertainment business. He will assist John West with the accommodation end of the business.

John West,Architect/Building Engineer, 30. John will be responsible for designing and overseeing the building of every structure on the island. He will create both public and private habitats, as well as simple outdoor structures, such as public restrooms, creative and useful artistic elements, and distinct landmarks, which will make our island unique.

Marcus Longlimbs,Investment Banker, 55. Marcus will be essential in obtaining financing for our development from his many rich business clients and investment personnel at various large corporations through sponsorship, advertisement, and development projects that will pay huge dividends. He will also open our island, once developed, onto the New York Stock Exchange.

Marianne Mercer,Chief of Staff, Mercer Hospital, 30. Marianne is renown for the medical breakthroughs at many of her hospitals on the mainland. She will be beneficial in establishing an excellent medical facility on the island to treat our guests and residents when needed.

Liddia Langley,Surgeon, General Practice, 27. Liddia is well known as an excellent surgeon at Marianne Mercer’s Boston Hospital. Before becoming a surgeon, Liddia was a general practitioner. Therefore, she will be able to cope with everyday illnesses and meet the needs of the more seriously ill at the same time.

James Queens,Electrician/Instrument Mechanic, 31. James is a good looking, top of his class, electrician with a background in instrumentation, which we will be able to use in every facility on the island. His background includes electrical, plumbing, gas fitting, and electronics, but he also has experience in various other trades, which will serve the island well.

Katey Carpenter, Interior Designer, 23. At the young age of 20, Katey has already established herself as a world-class interior designer, and has since designed residences and business establishments all over the world for the rich and famous. Her specialty is making things look expensive for very little money, which is why she has made it to the top so quickly.

Marcie North,Master Chef, 33. Marcie opened a chain of restaurants a few years ago that has become very chic. The restaurants are a hit with everyone as they serve superb food, following in detail Marcie’s recipes, and are reasonably priced so that the common man can enjoy them as well.

Henry Lakeside,General Contractor, 35. Henry has overseen many building projects and has gained an international reputation for bringing a project, big or small, in on time and on budget. He will oversee all aspects of the buildings as well as staffing.

Nancy Wilcock,Public Relations Executive Secretary, 28. Nancy will be responsible for all documentation on the island and scheduling and itineraries for all personnel as well. Nancy will deal with every aspect of public relations and media relations, which is her specialty.

Julie Dwight,Hair Stylist/Beautician, 24. Julie is a leading hairstylist and beautician in New York City. She will fit in well on our island. As an entrepreneur, she will be able to add additional information to our tourist industry requirements – especially from a feminine viewpoint.

Tim Bechary,General Laborer, 29. Tim has worked in many fields and has vast experiences that will add to our growing population. He is fun loving and good-natured.

Glenda Jackson,General Laborer, 23. Glenda has worked in every field, from chambermaid to waitress. She has a wonderful sense of humour, but a temper to match her red hair. She will add a certain spark to the island’s population.

Jeremy Philips,General Laborer, 35. Jeremy holds a degree in law and security, but has not used it in many years. Here on the island, he will work as a general laborer, jack-of-all-trades, until we are established and then he will take over as the chief security officer.

Nathan Wilson,General Laborer, 28. Nathan’s background is in carpentry, but he has also worked in the entertainment industry as a bouncer. Although he is large, his temperament is one of a gentle giant. He has a thing for red heads.

Jeff Bridges,General Laborer, 31. Jeff is a teacher by trade, but has worked in several other trades over the years, including plumbing, carpentry, millwright, etc. He will run the local school once our island is established.

The great speech:

Hi Everyone,

Well, by now you are asking yourselves why I invited you here. The truth is that I want you, my friends, to be in on the ground floor of something positively wonderful. I am offering you a solid investment in your future and something that will bring you an insurmountable amount of pride and satisfaction.

As you may remember, last month, I inherited an island from my grandmother. The island is uninhabited and as such belongs to the United States, but has not, as of yet, become an independent country. What I am proposing we do, and please hear me out before making comments or asking questions, is to set up and run a world-class tourism industry on this island. You may have noticed I have been very selective of those I have asked to join me. Each of you has a specialty that will enhance the island’s prospects. Each of you will also contribute to the others' economic survival, as well as the islands.

My grandmother also left me a tidy some of money, which will sustain us while we build our masterpiece, but we will require additional revenue to build our homes, condos, tourism facilities and that is where you come in. Before making our way to the island, each of us needs to raise as much capital as possible to invest. The return on the money will come in the form of percentage of ownership. For each dollar you invest or your clients invest, you will receive one share of the ownership. I, too, will be on equal footing and have already had the island appraised at fair market value. Your return will be twofold. You will receive your share’s return on every dollar of profit made, plus you will have a say in establishing a place like nowhere else in this world.

I know this is asking you to take a big step away from your current life, but everyone here is single and performs a specific function required on the island. I have one other incentive to offer each of you. A life in paradise, so how could you possibly refuse?

Okay, now I will entertain your questions and discuss your specific function on the island and at the end of this question period, we will see who is with us.

(Three hours later, it became apparent that many of these individuals definitely were interested. To my surprise, when I asked for a decision at the end of the meeting, only one individual was undecided. I pondered replacing the person, but before I could decide my course of action, that person joined in as well. Now all we had to do was raise the funds necessary and build it.)

Rules of the island

A list of rules and regulations:

1. Everyone must marry someone from the island within the first year of being there – myself included.

2. Divorce is forbidden; therefore we offer family counseling services for free.

3. Everyone will have a say in every decision made, but majority will rule, and with twenty-one people there will never be a tie, which means I will not vote, as owner.

4. All children born on the island will attend church and school on the island until the completion of their high school education. Jeff will take correspondence school to upgrade his high school teaching requirements. Upon completing high school, the children are free to leave the island for higher education, which we will pay for on the condition they return to the island as a permanent resident and practice their craft – no matter what it is. If they do not wish to return to the island, their parents will pay their educational fees from their portion of the profits.

5. Rules from the basic charter of rights and freedoms will be observed here, with the exception of the above rules.

My idea of rule number one: I feel that if everyone marries someone from the island, the likelihood of them leaving the project lessens by half, and when the children come along, it lessens by even a great amount. You will note, with the inclusion of myself, a female, the number of males and females are equal; therefore providing a partner for each person. This is an insurance policy, which will be enforced by rules number 2 and 3. Father John will upgrade his counseling services through correspondence school, until electrical hook up is complete and then he will finish his studies using television learning and the Internet.

The meaning of power

Power to me is an optional word, which, in this instance, I have used to seduce people into traveling to the island with the understanding that they have equal say in all matters related to the effective construction and operation of a major tourist function. This power structure puts everyone on equal footing, making it possible for a craftsman to marry a Supreme Court judge and feel that they weld the same amount of power. It thereby takes the sting of position out of the equation and makes it a more harmonious situation for all involved.

By granting equal power, you not only encourage and build on the strengths and weaknesses found in each individual, but you also establish a new set of rules, which in itself allows for self–governing and little or no law enforcement requirements. By using this method, each individual involved retains his or her structure and status as part of the pride of the community, and as such, would not want to fall down in anyone’s viewpoint, and especially not in their spouses. By adding the children to the equation, this strengthens the unions and sets a moral standard for all to follow and exemplify to visiting tourists and their own children.

Another profile:

The person I have chosen to profile is myself, as I have not been introduced into the equation:

Trish McQueen,Con Artist, 26. I am feisty, athletic, and a likable individual. I am an open-minded, free spirit who believes in the impossible. I have always taken from the rich and given to the poor. As a professional con artist, I have spent my life, to date, making people believe I can do the impossible, with a little help and financial contributions from them. To date, my criminal record reads like the who’s who in the society column of the local newspaper. So as you see, this situation is no different from any other situation I have created in the past, except that this time, I have full intentions of going straight. Unless of course, this endeavor fails, at which time, I shall be sailing somewhere in sunny Florida with a rich widower in tow. ;-)

Copyright © 2003 by Patricia MacQueen