The Spotlight page got off to a great start for 2024 with the New Beginnings prompt, delivering a mailbox chockfull of fresh and fabulous writing linked by the theme of starting, in some way, over. One of the things that makes reading the submissions for this page a particular pleasure is the individuality of the writing and the vast array of differing approaches the writers take – all demonstrating that from the same initial starting point, the spark of creativity will ignite in each writer in their own unique way.
Reading for this page is terrifically enjoyable but whittling the submissions down to the final two is always a challenge, and this month was no exception. In the end there were two pieces that, after several readings, drew particular attention to themselves for their outstanding originality and execution: Sarah Hindmarsh’s beautiful, fierce eco-poem and D. X. Lewis’s quirky, funny, off-the-wall take on the new beginnings theme. We hope reading them will inspire you to write something new of your own.
TJ