Rumplestiltskin Revisited

This is the beginning of a story I am working on. It actually came from a journal prompt in class, but I really enjoyed it! I hope you all enjoy it too! I would love to read what you all are writing too!

Happy NaNoWri,

Kayla

 

How the heck did I get in this mess? Men, that’s how. First, my father tells the king I can spin straw into solid GOLD. Who sells their daughter out like that? I have never even used a spindle before. I know what happened to ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and I just am not about that life. My dear, old father only wanted his daughter to be queen, I suppose that is not so bad. It almost sounds sweet, until I remember that he was probably a hundred percent sure I was going to die the next day. Now that I am thinking about it, he probably was trying to kill me. Murder by kingly lust as a romantic ring to it.

Anyways. I am sitting in the drafty and stone tower in the middle of the night and I’m about to die, when this egg shape of a man comes knocking on my window. Now I am not in the habit of answering strangers knocks, but what is a girl supposed to do in this situation? He’s got this leering smile that makes me feel like ants are crawling in my hair. We both know that he can give me what I need and I cannot refuse him. So, obviously I let him spin the straw for me. I get to live while he gets my first born child and a little something extra for his time. It seems like an even trade to me.

As if all of this wasn’t traumatic enough, now my husband, the king of the world, thinks that I am pregnant. He is so certain that he announced it to everyone in the palace without even asking me. News flash buddy, we haven’t even consummated our marriage. That’s right, call me the Virgin Queen. It is amazing how effective rum is in disguising what is really going on. But, back to panic mode. How in the world am I supposed to produce a baby and then explain why the baby has disappeared? Who even told him that I was pregnant? I am not giving either of those two worms any of my children. When bargains are struck, promises are made on the inside. That day, I vowed I would never ever have any children. I just have to figure a way out of this nonsense.

National Novel Writing Month

Hi y’all!

November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWri, and to celebrate, Vika and I will be posting everyday this month to talk about writing and to share some of the things we have written. Today, since it is day one, I’ll talk about the writing challenge and give you information about where to sign up!

NaNoWri was started in 2000 by Chris Baty. Originally, it was only about 20 people and last year there were over 40,000 participants. To officially participate, you have to make a pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in only thirty days! That averages to about 1,667 words a day. To put it into perspective, that is about 7 pages due every night at 11:59pm! Once you have completed your draft, you send it in and you will win a certificate and variety of other goodies.

This is great for several reasons. The first, it gets you writing everyday. I don’t know about you, but scheduling in writing time can be really difficult. Between school, work, and a social life (ha), taking time to practice my craft seems impossible. By pledging, you are making a huge commitment and forcing yourself to write. Even if the narrative is not your best work, it is a jumping off point. By joining up, you as a writer are participating in the literary community, how cool is that?

For any questions, here is the link to the NaNoWri website: https://nanowrimo.org/

Stay posted for more writers talk!

Best,

Kayla

Writing Workshop

Last Wednesday, the Alchemist Review had a writing workshop on campus! The event was very successful! We were able to talk to people about their works, help authors fine tune their narratives, and connected writers with other writers. It was a lot of fun and we even are going to be getting submissions out of the event!
A huge thank-you to everyone who helped with the event and for those who came out!

 

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Open Mic Advice

Hey y’all!

We know that performing your work outloud, in front of an audience of people you may not know, is probably one of the scariest things ever. Even scarier than clowns and boogey men. As a writer, it is important for you to get your stories out into the world and receive feedback. What you have to say is important! I have found that if you talk people will listen!

Below is a small list of things to help out in an open mic situation!

1. Choose your piece early! This will ensure you have time to do step number two!

2. Practice! Practice! Practicing is so important! It will help with nerves because you will feel prepared and it will also help prevent stuttering and tripping over words.

3. Understand that the audience understands. People attend an open mic knowing that it is an open mic. We expect nerves (its scary) and we expect things to not necessarily go as planned. The audience is not expecting perfection, so you shouldn’t either!

4. Support other performers. This is a literary community! We support and encourage one another, but that goes both ways!

5. Invite your supporters. Never go into this alone! It can be intimidating and although it is a place to mingle and meet others in your craft, it’s not the same as having people rooting for you at the start.

There are so many other things you can do to prepare for an open mic event. What are some other strategies y’all use?

Writing Prompt: Dolls

Here’s a really spooky story prompt!

A child goes missing, perhaps the woods or the super market, and the only thing that is found is a doll. Is the doll the missing child? Did the doll take the child? Is it all a coincidence? Does the doll make those involved paranoid and delusional? That’s up to you to decide!

Your creation could win our fall contest! Make sure to submit by the end of the month to alchemistreview@gmail.com with the subject header, fall writing contest!

See the source image

 

New Logo; New Journal

The 2018-2019 Alchemist Review has created a new narrative for our journal this year! In just over a month we have put together two events, both of which are expected to be successful. We also have initiated a fall writing contest that will showcase fall themed writing. On top of that we have lots of new plans for the upcoming months! We are excited and humbled at the prospect of building up our literary community. This logo signifies our commitment to keep growing as a journal and to keep looking towards the future. We are thrilled to share this journey with you!

alchemist review logo

Slant Rhyme Saturday!

Slant rhymes are defined as “a rhyme in which either the vowels or contestants of stressed syllables are identical.” Other names are the half rhyme, near rhyme, and imperfect rhyme. This form of rhyming is very popular in Irish, Scotish, Welsh, and Icelandic poetry. It wasn’t until Poet W. B. Yeates used it that it became popular in American poetry.

Examples incude: shell/ ill eyes/light  years/yours

For this prompt try writing a poem where every line ends with a slant rhyme!

We hope to see some of your results as submissions!