Open your arms. Still wider. It’s special, the way this community is built around invitations. I’ve had a lot of fun extending invitations to writers. One person responded, “I’m sure you sent this to a huge group of people…” Actually, it’s not been like that. I’ve waited until I’ve felt a nudge to mention itContinue reading “open invitation no. 7: open your arms”
Author Archives: Ruth Ayres
open invitation no. 6: be wild
Be a little wild. I love the children’s book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are. Like many of us, my mom made it one of my favorite bedtime stories, however, it solidified a spot on my favorites list many years later when I was in a children’s literature class to round out myContinue reading “open invitation no. 6: be wild”
open invitation no. 5: favorite words
Collect favorite words. Write them down. Writers get to have favorite words. It’s one of the perks of being a writer. Favorite words can happen because you like the meaning — hug, light, watermelon, fun. Favorite words can happen because you like the sound — sizzle, pumpkin, baloney. The ultimate favorite words are the onesContinue reading “open invitation no. 5: favorite words”
open invitation no. 4: inside stories
Characters have an inside story. Tell yours. All of us always have two stories happening — the one that is happening on the outside and the one that is happening on the inside. It is natural to tell the outside story — those events that are happening around us — when we write the storiesContinue reading “open invitation no. 4: inside stories”
open invitation no. 3: open arms
Open your arms. Wide. Wider. We know that writers must pay attention. It is with open eyes that writers notice things the rest of the world scurries past. When we see the ordinary and the small, then magic brews. This week, let’s consider living with wide open arms, too. Fling open your arms, and youContinue reading “open invitation no. 3: open arms”
invitation no. 2: small things
Notice small things. Make a list of 7 things you have noticed. Review your list and challenge yourself to notice even smaller things. Perhaps you noticed the dishes that need hand washed. Look again and learn to notice the way the soap bubbles crackle with tiny rainbows. The world is full of ordinary moments andContinue reading “invitation no. 2: small things”
invitation no. 1: begin
It isn’t important why you stopped. It matters why you begin. There are good reasons for quitting things, but sometimes the important thing is to begin…or to start again. You could lament all the reasons why you don’t write. Some of them are valid. Many are reasonable. Most are understandable. None of them are important.Continue reading “invitation no. 1: begin”
you’re invited
This isn’t a challenge or a competition. This isn’t something we track. This isn’t something to join, which means it isn’t something to fail. This is simply an invitation. An invitation for those who discover the magic of stories because you write. An invitation for those who know the magic of stories because you used to write. Continue reading “you’re invited”
Sending an SOS
Did you know that the letters in SOS do not stand for anything? It’s not an abbreviation, it is just three capital letters that stand together as an international code for “extreme distress.” Perhaps making an SOS blog is a bit dramatic? It’s not meant to be dramatic. For a long time I thought theContinue reading “Sending an SOS”
SOS 