Write into the Week: May 25, 2025

Elle LaMarca | May 25, 2025 |

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.”

–Oscar Wilde

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

Write a scene, story, or poem in which the past interrupts the present. What happens when memory refuses to stay quiet?

From Writer to Writer: Reframe the Block

Feeling stuck? Try shifting from “I don’t know what to write” to “What haven’t I said yet?”

Writer’s block often shows up when we believe the words must arrive fully formed or perfectly polished. But what if the block isn’t a lack of ideas—it’s a signal you’re circling something meaningful but hard to say? Instead of forcing clarity, give yourself permission to write the blurry version. Get messy. Be wrong. Let the page be a space for not-knowing, for exploring, for finding out.

Reading Recommendations:

Fiction:

“Angels and Blueberries” by Tara Campbell. A whimsical, heart-tugging flash fiction piece that blends myth, science, and imagination into a playful origin story for the color of the sky. It reminds us that sometimes the best answers are the ones we invent ourselves.

Nonfiction:

“Why I Write” by Joan Didion. “Of course I stole the title from George Orwell.” In this deeply reflective essay, Didion explores the link between writing and seeing—how the act of putting words on the page is her way of understanding the world and herself. She reveals that she writes not to explain what she thinks, but to find out what she thinks.

Poetry:

“How to Stop a Heart” by E.F. Shraeder. An exploration in form as the poem shifts between verse and prose to mirror the fluidity of movement and memory. It invites you to consider how place—and the people we meet there—shape who we become.

Listening Recommendations:

From the Poetry Off the Shelf Podcast: “Long Song“. This episode features Catherine-Esther Cowie on Saint Lucia, breathing life into history, and the violence in our heart.

Publishing Opportunities:

Vagabond City Lit – Submission Window: Open. Open to poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and interviews. Note: Submissions are open year round, except for poetry, which is open September-May.
Autumn House Press– Submission Deadline: June 30, 2025. Publishes poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. A nationally renowned nonprofit publisher, whose mission is to publish and promote poetry and other fine literature. The press believes literature is an affirmation of the deep and elemental range of our human experience, and our need for it is crucial now more than ever.

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

NOTE: There will be no Monday session on May 26th. See you next week!

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.

Join us on Instagram for more writing inspiration!

We’re sharing writing tips, creative prompts, and a steady stream of encouragement—follow us @writersdotcom. Click below to check out one of our latest posts on writing about love.

Posted in: Write into the Week

Elle LaMarca

Elle is a writer and novelist originally from southwestern New York, now residing on the central coast in California. She does not miss the snow even a little bit. As an avid traveler, Elle can frequently be found wandering the globe, having lived in and explored over thirty countries, all while gaining inspiration for her writing and new perspectives on life. Elle is a former educator and Teach for America alumna, having taught in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Boston. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from George Mason University and a M.A. in Education and Curriculum Design from Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about well-crafted sentences and memorable metaphors. Elle is currently at work on a novel and a collection of personal essays.