Denise E Lindquist
Bio
I am married with 7 children, 28 grands, and 13 great-grandchildren. I am a culture consultant part-time. I write A Poem a Day in February for 8 years now. I wrote 4 - 50,000 word stories in NaNoWriMo. I write on Vocal/Medium daily.
Stories (1210)
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September 14, 2025. Top Story - September 2025.
The word for today is Perpetuity, and some may call this timeless (Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day Calendar, with other definitions) Perpetuity (noun) the state or quality of lasting forever, or a very long time: a bond or other security with no fixed maturity date. a restriction making an interest in land inalienable perpetually or for a period beyond certain limits fixed by law. Timeless (adjective) not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion: “Antiques add to the timeless atmosphere of the dining room.”
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Poets
Suggesting An Approximate Age
Author's Note: My life today and early life, or non-fiction, are mostly what I write now. I also started writing poetry while writing rap for a grandchild who thought that, because I wrote, I might be able to write him a few rap songs. He came back with I didn’t rhyme enough.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
A Fiction Character, I Already Wrote About
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts - My life today and early life or non-fiction are mostly what I write now. I also started writing poetry while writing rap for a grandchild who thought because I wrote, I may be able to write him a few rap songs. He came back with I didn't rhyme enough. Now I can rhyme. Poetry came from that. This is what I started with. Fiction is difficult for me I want to write rap to be a rapping granny you see to write about a way we can see that life and maybe some other fun fiction hehe The Exercise: First work with a story that you've already written, one whose characters need fleshing out. Write the character's name at the top of the page. Then fill in this sentence five or ten times: He (or she) is the sort of person who ___________________, For example: Meyer Wolfsheim is the sort of person who boasts of wearing human molars for cuff links. Then determine which details add flash and blood and heart to your characters. After you have selected the "telling" detail, work it into your story more felicitously than merely saying, "She is the sort of person who..." Put it in dialogue or weave it into narrative summary. But use it. The Objective: To learn to select revealing concrete details, details that often tell us more than the character would want us to know.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
Naming Fiction Characters
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts — The Exercise: Name the following characters, keeping in mind that you can plant, within a name, a clue to their role in your fiction. * A petty, white-collar thief who robs his boss over several years. * An envious, bitter woman who makes her sister miserable by systematically trying to undercut her pleasure and self-confidence. * A sweet young man too shy to speak to an attractive woman he sees every day at work. * The owner of a fast-food restaurant who comes on to his young female employees. * A grandmother who just won the lottery. The Objective: To recognize that the names you give your characters should not be drawn out of a hat but carefully tested to see if they "work". Sometimes you may want to choose an "appropriate" name (Victoria for a member of the British aristocracy) and once in a while it's a good idea to choose a name that seems "inappropriate" (Bruce for the child of migrant farm workers). In each case, you are sending a message to the reader about who the character is, where he came from and where he is headed. A name can send a message as powerful as a title.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
Written As A He
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts — The Exercise: Write a page in the first person, assuming the voice of someone of the opposite gender. This can be a description, a narrative, or a segment of autobiography. The main point is to completely lose yourself and become another. The Objective: To learn how to draw convincing verbal portraits of characters different from yourself and to make them sympathetic, rounded, and complex, even though you don’t especially “like” them or admire what they represent.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
Notebook Entries. Top Story - September 2025.
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts — The Exercise: Write one page a day. Concentrate on observation and description, not feeling. For example, if you receive a letter, the ordinary reaction is to write in the diary, “I received a letter that made me happy.” (or sad). Instead, describe the size of the envelope, the quality of the paper, and what the stamps looked like. Keep your diary without using the verb to be. Forms of the verb to be don’t create any vivid images. By avoiding its use, you get into the habit of choosing more interesting verbs. You’ll also be more accurate. For example, some people will say “John Smith is a really funny guy,” when what they really mean is “John Smith makes me laugh,” or “I like John Smith’s sense of humor.” Experiment with sentence length. Keep the diary for a week in sentences of ten words or less. Then try writing each day’s account in a single sentence. Avoid use of “and” to connect the long sentence; try out other conjunctions. Switch your diary to third person for a while, so that instead of writing I, you can write about he or she. Then, try mixing the point of view. Start the day in third person and switch into first person to comment on the action. By interspersing first and third-person points of view, you can experiment with stream of consciousness and the interior monologue. Try keeping your diary in an accent — first the accent of somebody who is learning how to write English, then the accent of somebody learning to speak English. Keep it in baby talk; Baby want. Baby hurt. Baby want food. Baby want love. Baby walk. Try making lists for a diary entry — just a record of the nouns of that day: toothbrush, coffee, subway tokens, schoolbooks, gym shoes. The Objective: To enhance your powers of observation and description without having to juggle the demands of characterization and plot.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
The First Day Of School
“Mom, can you take Paxton for a haircut? School starts tomorrow. I’m sorry for this last-minute thing. I am taking Brynn for school clothes later today.” Really? No problem. I can do that. If I leave now, I will pick him up and see if we can find a place before my noon meeting, or get it cut afterward.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Families
Word For The Day
An AI Summary: To enhance your vocabulary, consider today's dictionary word for September 1, 2025: Word of the Day: "Ephemeral" Defined as lasting for a very short time. Often used to describe fleeting moments or temporary experiences. Commonly associated with nature, like flowers that bloom briefly. Can refer to trends or fads that quickly fade away. Encourages appreciation for the beauty in transience. Used in literature to evoke themes of impermanence.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Poets
