Write into the Week: March 9, 2025

Elle LaMarca | March 9, 2025 |

“Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.”

–Samuel Butler

Dear Writer,

I hope you’re having a good start to your week. In this newsletter:

A writing prompt to inspire your creativity.
Reading and listening recommendations in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Publishing, residency, and retreat opportunities available now.
Join our free Friday write-in, and meet our community of writers.

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writing Prompt

Tell a person’s life story through a series of seemingly small, disconnected moments. How do these snapshots reveal something bigger when pieced together?

Reading Recommendations:

Fiction:

“A Chain of Tiny Disasters” by Rebecca McKanna for Narrative Magazine. A raw and deeply intimate story about grief, self-destruction, and the fragile bonds between sisters. As they navigate a tense trip through Italy—one mourning the loss of her husband, the other reeling from a toxic marriage—old roles shift, and unspoken resentments simmer beneath the surface.

Craft/Writer Inspiration:

“The Off Day” by Jami Attenberg. Feeling uninspired? It happens to all writers for different reasons, at various times. Attenberg delivers some words of inspiration to get you writing–today!

Interview/Nonfiction:

“Sejal Shah: All my life, I have been running with the brakes on.” by Kelly Sundberg. In this insightful interview from 2020, Sejal Shah discusses her debut essay collection, This Is One Way To Dance, delving into themes of identity, cultural expectations, and the complexities of belonging. Shah also shares her journey with the lyric essay form, which allows her to explore fragmented and non-linear storytelling, mirroring the multifaceted nature of identity and lived experience.

Listening Recommendations:

From The Poetry Foundation: Karen An-Hwei Lee reads her poem, “Dream of Ink Brush Caligraphy”
From the Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle Podcast: “#129 Intentional About Structure: Dual Timelines and POVs As a Bridge featuring Strawser” This episode features Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling author and Writer’s Digest editor-at-large, as she breaks down the craft behind her latest novel. She shares insights into structuring dual POV timelines, building tension by giving readers more information than her characters, and weaving themes of friendship, memory, and suspense. You”ll be inspired by her practical advice on maintaining momentum, tackling the murky middle, and crafting submission-ready manuscripts—all while sticking to her disciplined 1,500-words-a-day writing routine.

Publishing Opportunities:

Voicemail Poems – Submission Deadline: April 1, 2025. Voicemail Poems is an online magazine that highlights the intimate and raw voices of new and established writers of all styles. Poets submit to the magazine by reading their work to a voicemail box.
BTWN Magazine – Submissions Deadline: April 1, 2025. Seeking hybrid fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, graphic stories, scripts and screenplays. From their website: BTWN is dedicated to showcasing the vibrant tapestry of diverse voices and experiences. We are actively seeking submissions that are unapologetically weird and push the boundaries of traditional genres. If your work has the power to make us stop in our tracks and exclaim, “wtf?”—but in a positive and thought-provoking way—then we want to hear from you. Embrace the darkness, the rawness, and the realness of being human, and submit your boldest creations that push boundaries and ignite thought.

Residency & Retreat Opportunities:

Southampton Writer ‘s Residency – Application Deadline: April 15, 2025 Offering writers 12 days of uninterrupted time to focus on their work-in-progress while immersing themselves in a vibrant literary environment. Residents enjoy private accommodations, access to readings, craft talks, and networking opportunities with top authors, and the flexibility to balance solitude with inspiration.
From Electric Literature, “7 Writing Retreats Around the Globe for Emerging and Established Writers” – Ideas to turn your next travel adventure into a writing one! It’s my favorite way to travel.

Monday and Friday: Free Group Writing Sessions

Come write with us! Community write-ins are a great way to meet other writers, and carve out space in your calendar for your writing.

Monday: Write Into the Week with Elle

Join me (Elle) for an hour of goal setting, community, and dedicated time to write! We’ll meet on Monday at 11 AM Eastern time, at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83999379617

Friday: Open Write-In

Join the Writers.com staff for a 90-minute writing session each Friday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern time. We will write together for the first hour. In the last, optional half hour, we’ll share our writing with one another and connect.

To add yourself, join our newsletter using the join box above, and add yourself to the “Friday Write-Ins” list at the bottom of any email. We’ll send you a Zoom link the morning of the call.

Posted in: Write into the Week

Elle LaMarca

Elle LaMarca is a writer, novelist, and curriculum specialist at Writers.com, where she develops new courses in all genres, and teaches courses on creative mindset and sustainable writing practices. She also writes the weekly Write into the Week newsletter and hosts the accompanying Monday live sessions, where writers gather to set intentions, write in community, and begin their creative week with momentum. Originally from the Buffalo, New York area, Elle now splits her time between Kailua, Hawai‘i and the Netherlands. An avid traveler, she has lived in and explored more than 40 countries, experiences that continue to shape both her storytelling and her perspective on creative life. Before joining Writers.com, Elle worked as an educator and curriculum designer through Teach for America, teaching in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Boston. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from George Mason University and an M.A. in Education from Johns Hopkins University. Elle is passionate about well-crafted sentences, memorable metaphors, and helping writers build a steadier relationship with their creative work. She is currently at work on a novel about the complexities of female friendship and a collection of personal essays about creativity, travel, and the search for belonging.