Writing 
For thoughts on writing and the creative process.
Writing Challenge 59
Is it a dark tower? Rapunzel’s tower? Just what is this medieval structure that looms before you? Is it our reality or something from a fantasy world? Architecture, like art, can spur writers to delve into the possibilities of what did/could/will take place in the buildings and structures that we see in our travels. These… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 58
Food. Delicious, succulent, and mouth-watering. Cuisine is often written about with poetic language describing the flavors and composition of the dish’s presentation. The taste and experience of eating evokes strong memories and creative writing. Increasingly what we eat is photographed. Any dish may serve to inspire both a writer’s palate and mind, and each may… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 57
Art. Sculptures. Paintings. They are a completed, visual work that can serve to inspire a writer’s blank canvas. Any work of art may serve as a muse to a writer, and each may speak to the writer in a different manner or not at all. Choosing a work is subjective to the individual, but below… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 56
Celebrate a little Christmas in July with this month’s writing challenge. Can you believe Christmas is just five months away? Long before the hectic season arrives set aside some time to spin a Yuletide tale. Take up your pencils, your pens, or your keyboard and follow your instincts and write. What will this month’s image… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 55
“Folly? What is that—a masquerade?” “No, it’s architectural. One of those little sort of temple things, white, with columns.” —a snippet of conversation between Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver from Agatha Christie’s Dead Man’s Folly Such a structure, as mentioned above, graces this month’s writing challenge. Such architectural spaces, designs, and structures serve as… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 54
Architects have imagined some incredible spaces that they’ve designed in reality. These architectural structures can in turn inspire our imaginations. Imagine touring a city. Walking along boulevards and streets and passing by shoppes and residences. Everything you see has a similar look and feel… until you come upon one that seems out of place. How… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 53
What goes into getting the perfect picture? I’m told it took me an hour to snap the photo below. I can scarcely believe it took that long. I had wanted to get the perfect picture, one with no tourists marring the scene. I managed it! Well, nearly. You can just see a lone individual exiting… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 52
Leap Day brings a bonus writing challenge for February… Sometimes it’s not a photograph that inspires, but a postcard bought, sent, or lost. Discovering a vintage postcard—whether or not there’s writing on the back—may spark ideas for a story in progress or a new one. And since March tends to brings wind and rain (which often reverts… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 51
A curious gathering appears in this month’s writing challenge. Have you entered Medusa’s garden? With snow on the ground, winds howling outside… it’s the perfect time of year to stay indoors and write! Take up your pencils, your pens, or your keyboard and follow your instincts and write. What will this month’s image inspire? Each… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 50
With snow on the ground, winds howling outside… it’s the perfect time of year to stay indoors and write! Each month, The Poisoned Martini presents a photo to spark your creativity. Because of their visual nature, images vividly speak to writers and spark ideas for writing. View the photo below, ponder what you see, and… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 