• odd, strange, or unusual noises
• lights turning off or on by themselves
• things are moving when they shouldn't be
• some things disappear or can't be found
• shadows that don't match the surroundings
• weird symbols or writing
• animals are sensitive to something unseen
• children or pets react to people only they can see
• something touches you but nothing is there
• unexplained cold spots

Does this list worry you, or do you feel like writing a great horror story about a spooky old house now?

There isn't much left of The Sixty Second Writer now. Just the few pages saved at the Internet Archives. It was a site I liked for writing inspiration. She was also on the old Alltop site (in the writing category) when I was with WordGrrls. Maybe she also got burnt out and felt disappointed about writing online. I was sorry to see Alltop taken over and all the categories turned into big, popular, news sites everyone who cared already knew about. All the less known sites, like mine, were dropped. It was sad because I had actually been invited, chosen, to be linked (RSS feed) by Alltop. Anyway, as you know, nothing lasts forever.

I tried to find the Sixty Second Writer online now. I think it is Sarah Bragg. The Sixty Second Writer blog was written by S.P Bragg. So, its possible. I didn't find anything else that seemed likely. The original site on Blogspot was taken down. So, there isn't anything for the Internet Archive to archive now, just the bits it had before the site was gone.

This is one of the posts I could still find. Not the original post I had linked to, that one was unfound.

You are a chocolate buyer for a high end department store and it is your job to taste every one and then choose which chocolates would be perfect for your store. Focus on flavor and appearance...

Wouldn't this be an awesome job!!

Writing about chocolate is not easy for me to do without thinking about how much I'd like some chocolate. I think I would like plain, but very good, milk chocolate as much as any other. A gooey caramel centre would be good. Maybe a few toasted pecans, like a Turtle. (Not an actual turtle).

The first postcard was (probably) a hand-painted design on card sent by the writer, Theodore Hook in 1840, to himself. The image was a caricature of workers in the post office. He was known for his practical jokes.

Not all postcards are sent from vacations or travels abroad. Many are still used as sales promotions by businesses.

What do you write on a postcard when it isn't about marketing...

• personal news
• something you have done or seen that day
• a short journal with thoughts and feelings
• interesting, motivating, or inspiring quotations
• flash fiction (very short story)
• information, like an address, a phone number
• a recipe
• holiday or seasonal greetings
• gossip
• drawings or cartoons
• mail art
• encouraging words
• interesting facts
• a coded message
• review a book, movie, etc.
• a hand drawn map
• riddles
• share a joke
• an invitation
• an anonymous love letter

Pick out a postcard and send one to family, a friend, or someone else on your mind.

The site has all the questions from Write from Karen's Monday Morning Meme. I'm reposting those I think are most interesting, for me at least.

• Are you an urban dweller, a suburbanite, or a country person? Are you happy where you live? Without giving too many details, tell us about the place where you live. What makes it different than other places? What do you like the most? The least?
• Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed for a party? Why? Tell us about the last time you were overdressed and/or underdressed; what happened? Did anyone notice you were over/under dressed?
• What five things would you put in a time capsule?
• If you could give a single piece of advice to the film industry in Hollywood, what would you say? If you were a powerful film producer, what sorts of films would you produce? Why?
• If you could be guaranteed an honest answer to three questions, what questions would you ask, and who would you ask them of?
• Have you ever worn your slippers, or pajamas, in public? If so, when and why? If not, would you ever consider leaving your house looking less than your best? What do you think of people who do so? (Be honest, we all judge on some level).
• What three sounds do you love? Okay, now tell us WHY you love these sounds.
• Which are scarier to you: ghosts or aliens? Why? Do you believe in either/both? Why or why not?
• What is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have any funny/odd memories of the library?
• If you could interview anyone, who would you interview, and what would the first question be?
• What is the oddest thing you ever bought for yourself?
• What modern day convenience would you be willing to give up forever? Why would you give up that particular convenience and how would you give it up?
• When you are having a bad day, what do you do as a little ‘pick me up’?
• How far do you live from the place where you grew up as a kid? Tell us about the place you grew up – would you choose to go back there and raise your own family (if you have one)? Why or why not?
• If you had to name a smell that always makes you nostalgic, what would it be? What sorts of memories does the smell evoke?
• If you could spend one year in perfect happiness but afterward would remember nothing of the experience, would you do so? If not, why not?
• Do you believe in ghosts or evil spirits? Explain, please. Would you be willing to spend a night alone in a remote house that is supposedly haunted? Have you ever seen, or thought you’ve seen, a ghost or evil spirit? If so, what did you do? If not, how do you think you’d react?
• Do you think that the world will be a better or a worse place 100 years from now? Explain your answer, please.
• Would you accept $1,000,000 to leave the country and never set foot in it again? Explain, please. Is money or love more important to you? How much money would it take for you to step away from your current life?
• You are given the power to kill people simply by thinking of their deaths and twice repeating the word “goodbye.” People would die a natural death and no one would suspect you. Are there any situations in which you would use this power?
• What is your opinion on the death penalty? Let’s say the person is a serial killer and has admitted his/her guilt, and it is your job to sentence that person. Could you give that person the death penalty? Why or why not?
• Would you be willing to become extremely ugly physically if it meant you would live for 1,000 years at any physical age you chose? Explain your answer.
• What do you have to have with you when you travel? Why?
• The getaway car is waiting outside – where is it taking you?
• What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy?
• What’s more important, where you live or what you do for a living? Why?

I haven't heard the term commonplace book until today. It sounds like an art journal, a diary which includes drawings, maybe a scrapbook which includes things cut and pasted in from magazines and other sources. It is a curated collection of thoughts, ideas, and interests. The idea isn't so new but the phrase is new to me.

This description comes from a site which hosted commonplace journals. Its gone now.

A commonplace book is a collection of remarkable quotations, reflections, and oddities gathered from one's reading, thoughts, or experience--in short, a reading and writing journal.

A private commonplace book is also a great way to organize your research by author, source, and subject, and gives you the ability to display and search your notes by each category and by keyword.