Letters for Creatives #20: February writing prompts and my reading list
I ditched Goodreads. The Storygraph is much better.
Hello, I am Celeste. Each week I write about marketing, creativity and writing. You can read the first and second interview for the Interview with an artist series.
Get inspired to write with February prompts below and have a chance to get your writing featured in a future newsletter after you sign up. You can read the archive as well.
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A mysterious group do these things to get inspired
Image: Jez Timms on Unsplash
I used Goodreads for a couple of years but always find myself not satisfied with it. When I stumbled upon The Storygraph, I immediately ditched Goodreads. The Storygraph shows you the mood, pace of the book according to how readers think. It also shows you content warnings if there is any. It also analyses what you like to read according to the books you have read.
Upstream by Mary Oliver
I read everything except the story of spiders. It was such a beautiful book that is filled with beautiful proses. Oliver did not use fancy words like stardust or anything like that to write. It is more towards the spiritual side of nature and animals and how they are alive in their own way. The first paragraph from the book:
One tree is like another tree, but not too much. One tulip is like the next tulip, but not altogether. More or less like people – a general outline, then the stunning individual strokes. Hello Tom, hello Andy. Hello Archibald Violet, and Clarissa Bluebell. Hello Lilian Willow, and Noah, the oak tree I have hugged and kissed every first day of spring for the last thirty years. And in reply its thousands of leaves tremble! What a life is ours! Doesn’t anybody in the world anymore want to get up in the middle of the night and sing?
Her ability to connect with plants and animals makes me envy. I wrote a poem several months ago when I was feeling light. But it rarely happens now. I need to be in the present moment and have my attention towards my surroundings. Maybe I would write something similar in the near future. I will certainly read Devotions as it composes of her best work.
Small is the new big by Seth Godin
Seth Godin put together this book from the daily writing he did for six years. I assume he chose the ones that are thought-provoking for an average Joe. I learn a lot from this book, from marketing, business.
If you are looking to learn about marketing and business, I highly recommend you to read Small is the new big. I am planning to read Purple Cow since he kept repeating it in this book.
Every book by Austin Kleon
It is a no-brainer for someone like me, having the same problems as Kleon had faced it years before me, such as how to build a portfolio of work and keep going in the dip. My to be read pile is only going up at this point as I am a very slow reader.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt spends 10 years writing one book. It must be good. It is really good but it got boring towards the ending. If you asked if I would read it again, I would because the proses are breathtaking and I will push through the boring plot towards the end.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
I fell off and stopped learning about spirituality in 2020. But I want to pick it up again in 2021. Hopefully, I would have an epiphany to stop caring too much about the things I should not be.
Featured poem
I released January prompts in December. Luna wrote a beautiful piece about the world using my prompt ‘awareness, growth, purpose, responsibility and forgiveness - peridot’. Check out Luna’s work if you like her poem below. Looking forward to reading more poems or prose inspired by the monthly prompts from you.
There’s a lot to be said about the world.
Some say that it’s messy. They claim it’s one massive train wreck with no survivors. It’s the type of place that will kick you when you’re down. Living in the past is the only way to survive the present.
Others say that it’s beautiful. They remind you that everyone is good at heart. It’s a good place, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Living in the moment is the key to happiness.
I say somewhere in between.
I think that the world is messy. There are mistakes, failures, and sticky situations. There are disasters that seemed impossible; There are letdowns that were inevitable.
I also think it’s beautiful. There are early morning strolls, picnic lunches, and watercolor sunsets. There are unexpected emails from loved ones; There are happy endings because of them.
I believe that the world is multifaceted. People can be empty and whole. Choices can be wrong or right. Life can be messy and beautiful.
I believe that we are multifaceted. We build and we break. We remember and forget. We are human, but we try so hard not to be.
We are whole and breaking. We are together and disconnected. We are happy and hurting. We are the world, and we are tilted off our axis.
– Luna
February prompts
I love reading your poem and prose inspired by my January prompts. February is here for the theme of lover and valentine. Please mention the prompt you use and mention #poetryandlightfeb21 in Instagram caption, so I can see your poems. I will post my favourites on Instagram story and they will stay on my 2021 prompts Instagram highlight. Please send me a screenshot of the welcome email from me through private message.
Mention #poetryandlightfeb21 in your tweet and I will retweet my favourites on my Twitter. Please send me a screenshot of the welcome email from me through private message.
My absolute favourites from my subscribers will be featured in future newsletter issues along with your social media. Looking forward to reading your work!
For those of you who do not use Instagram or Twitter and want to be featured in the newsletter, email me your poetry or prose and mention your preferred social media (optional). Send it to celestetsang@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission for February 2021 prompt”.
Keep your submissions coming!
If you want your poem and social media to be featured in a future newsletter, sign up, get a free poetry book and a Spotify playlist for writing from my first email to you.
Read January featured writing:
If voices had colours by Emily
Until next time,
Celeste
My featured work in Soon, A New Day anthology and Capsized anthology are now available on Amazon.
P.S. Hayden James has been doing live streams on YouTube for a few months. Virtual festivals may become a trend. If you need something to get you out of the slump (not that I am talking about myself here), it is a great option.
Thank you for reading. Which kind of content do you like the most?
Issue that focuses on one topic
Issue that has tips and resource that I find
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