Write into the Week: July 13, 2025

“Art lies in the moment of encounter: we meet ourselves and we meet our self-expression. We become original because we become something specific, an origin from which work flows.”
–Julia Cameron

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 Monday and Friday write-ins, and meet our community of writers.

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writing Prompt

Return to your origin. Start with a detail that feels entirely your own—a sound, an object, a place, a phrase, a feeling. Let that detail lead you. Write a poem, scene, or essay that explores where it came from, what it means to you now, and what it might become in your work. Try not to explain—just follow the thread. See what unfolds when you begin from something specific and true.

Writer to Writer: The Origin of Originality

As writers, we often think of originality as something we have to chase—an elusive quality reserved for those with bold ideas, complex minds, or experimental voices. But what if it’s not about invention at all, but about encounter? This week’s quote from Julia Cameron reminds us that originality isn’t something we force; it’s something that flows when we meet ourselves honestly on the page.

Breathe. Delay. Be still. Sit with yourself in silence. When we pause long enough to notice what we’re feeling, what we’re afraid to say, what images our minds create when we slow down—that’s where the work begins. The more specific we get in the details of these encounters, the more universal our writing becomes.

If you’re feeling stuck, scattered, or unsure what to write next, don’t search for something clever. Instead, try to name what’s true for you right now. Go to the origin; you are the source. That’s where the story lives.

Reading Recommendations:

Fiction:

• “Last Lights” by Jack Durant. In this flash piece, Durant captures the haunting dissonance of returning to a place once called home and finding it irrevocably changed.  Feel the ache of realizing some versions of ourselves are lost to time.

Nonfiction:

• “Being the Bridge” by RM Davenport. Davenport captures the surreal, fractured reality of a life lived at the intersection of caregiving and collapse. As a case manager balancing motherhood, mental health, and institutional absurdity, the narrator moves through fluorescent-lit potlucks and late-night Google searches with sharp humor and weariness. 

Poetry:

• “Infusion Suite” — by Todd Robinson. This spare, aching poem captures the quiet, suspended world of long-term illness—not in crisis, but in the slow-drip of existence.

Listening Recommendations:

• From The Poetry Lab Podcast: “How Not to Be Your Own Worst Enemy”. In her debut episode, new host Ravina Wadhwani gets real about a struggle many creatives face: standing in our own way. With warmth and vulnerability, she reflects on impostor syndrome, self-sabotage, and the pressure to succeed even when we’ve already achieved so much. This episode is a compassionate reminder that your magic deserves room to breathe, and you are not alone in this work. 

Publishing Opportunities:

• The Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Book Prize – Submission Deadline: August 1, 2025. Seneca Review Books, in conjunction with the TRIAS writer-in-residence program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, is continuing its a biennial book series to encourage and support innovative work in the essay. Cross-genre and hybrid work, verse forms, text and image, connected or related pieces, and “beyond category” projects are all within the ambit of the contest. They are requesting original manuscript submissions of 48-120 pages. 
• The NOMAD Review – Submission Deadline: August 1, 2025. Seeking poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art submissions on the theme of “Fragility.” No fee. 

Fellowship Opportunity:

Emerging Writer Fellowship in Hybrid Writing by Brink Literary – Application Deadline: July 31, 2025. The fellowship is open to all writers and artists who identify their work as hybrid or cross-genre in nature or who are interested in the process of learning how to hybridize their work in a readable, creative manner. The fellowship offers editorial support, guidance, and mentorship to previously unpublished writers who demonstrate exceptional promise in hybrid and cross-genre writing. The fellow will work alongside the Brink editorial team to prepare their piece for publication. The virtual fellowship takes place over a period of four months.

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 mindset support, 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.

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