Write into the Week: February 24, 2025

Elle LaMarca | February 24, 2025 |

“Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”

–Sylvia Plath

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

Write about a moment in your life (or a character’s life) that was altered by a single sentence—something said, written, or read. How did those words shape what came next?

Reading Recommendations:

Poetry:

“Dear Margaret: An Epistolary Collaboration” by CM Burroughs. An intimate exchange between two poets, one writing in the present day and the other from her archival letters.

Fiction:

“Forget Jacob Davis” by Jaime Gill. This flash fiction piece is a haunting and lyrical meditation on death, memory, and the afterlife.

Nonfiction:

“I Know What You Think of Me” by Tim Kreider. A personal essay on the uncomfortable results of accidentally learning what someone else actually thinks about you. Is it our business to know? Should we care?

Listening Recommendations:

From the Poetry Off the Shelf Podcast: “50 Years of Ariel” A wonderful listen from 2016, which marked 50 years since the publication of Sylvia Plath’s Ariel.
From the Write the Damn Book Already Podcast: “Writing Personal Essays with Amy Wilson” A candid conversation about writing personal essays, navigating tricky family dynamics, and embracing storytelling with humor and honesty. Wilson shares insights on people-pleasing, the challenges of publishing, and how to craft relatable narratives that truly connect with readers.

Publishing Opportunities:

Flash Fiction Magazine – Submission Deadline: Open/Rolling. Seeking flash fiction pieces of 300-1000 words with a clear plot and story structure. They publish 365 stories a year. Submissions are always free.
Cream City Review – Submission Deadline: April 1, 2025. Seeking fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and translations. Writers and artists of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to apply. Both beginning and well-known writers are welcome!

Residency & Retreat Opportunities:

Hedgebrook Writing Residency – Application Deadline: April 14, 2025
From their website: Hedgebrook’s Writer-in-Residence Program supports women-identified writers, 18 and older, from all over the world for residencies of two or three weeks. The cottage, all meals, and the entire residency experience at Hedgebrook are free to selected writers. From Elle: I’ve had several friends who were awarded residencies at Hedgebrook. A couple of them were unpublished, while others had a few books out. They all say the experience was a magical one. I encourage you to apply!

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.