Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
We talked about giving kids lots of low-stakes writing opportunities to become the kinds of people who can articulate an opinion. My friend on the podcast is the kind of writer who is exceptional at writing how-to articles. I want to be the kind of person who runs several miles every week.
It’s good to define the kind of people we want to be; the kind of writers we want to be. The invitation is to put in writing the kind of writer you want to be.
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
invite others to join us
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
The quieter you become the more you are able to hear.
[Rumi]
The invitation is to write so we can hear the quiet. This is an invitation to consider the way you will craft your words. Here are four ideas to allow quiet to take the stage.
1
White Space
Use white space to slow the reader by create empty spaces for quiet to fill.
2
Alliteration
Repeating softy sounds will sweep in quiet.
3
Color
Muted, subtle, and soft colors will create a sense of quiet.
4
Punctuation
Consider the way punctuation can create space for silence.
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
invite others to join us
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.
[attributed to John Boswell]
You are invited to linger in your winter memories, reach deep and pick a golden moment to share. Embark on a sentimental journey, and most importantly—enjoy the time while you write.
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
invite others to join us
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
No doubt you have noticed the issues with comments this month. I’m glad you’ve kept writing and sharing as best we can. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m chalking it up to the fact that often when we put good into the world there is resistance…or maybe gremlins. *smile*
Here’s hoping I’ve figured out the issue and we are moving forward, again. (Maybe that Banana Yoshimoto quote will be our theme in 2022.)
Onward!
Shine on, Ruth
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here. Check it out for responses to the past few invitations.
invite others to join us
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
Whimsy doesn’t care if you are the driver or the passenger; all that matters is that you are on your way.
[Bob Goff]
Look around your corner of the world and find something whimsical. Take a picture. Write about it. (Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.)
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
write
Open your blog and write a post. Just write.
share
Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.
comment
Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.
offer an invitation to others
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
grab an image for your blog
Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!
The most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
[Kurt Vonnegut]
I used to think having written was the magical part of blogging. Now I know the magic happens when we share our stories and know the way it impacts another human. Maybe you don’t have the gusto to write a blog post; that’s okay. Instead, consider leaving a comment on someone else’s post. It’s okay if it was a post written long ago. It’s okay if you don’t think the writer knows who you are. It’s okay if you think you don’t have anything special to say.
The act of leaving a comment is a daring thing. Take the time to encourage one another.
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
write
Open your blog and write a post. Just write.
share
Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.
comment
Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.
offer an invitation to others
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
grab an image for your blog
Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!
/’kaCH,frāz/ noun: a well-known sentence or phrase
[Dictionary]
Catch phrases are a great way to show a person’s personality rather than tell about it. See if you can weave a catch phrase into your story this week. Or, write about the catch phrases in your life—your own or someone else’s. (If you think you don’t have a catch phrase, ask those who spend a lot of time with you…chances are there’s a phrase or sentence you often repeat.)
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
write
Open your blog and write a post. Just write.
share
Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.
comment
Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.
offer an invitation to others
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
grab an image for your blog
Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!
Happy New Year, Story Collectors! It is good to share our stories. If you’re looking for inspiration, share about beginning. It can be your intentions for 2022, your One Little Word (OLW), something new, or something you are trying again.
*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.
PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.
invite others to join us
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
I write this letter during one of my favorite weeks of the year: the week between. It’s the last week of the calendar year, and it holds reflection and possibility. I’ve been thinking hard about SOS Magic, and decided a decision needed to be made.
Often in life when I don’t know what choice to make, I write. I began this letter unsure of how it might unfold. The truth is I feel like a failure when it comes to this space.
Recently I was reading a familiar passage of scripture in a different version from what I normally read. This sentence wrapped around me:
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
Matthew 11:28-30, The Message
I’ve been challenging myself to extend the unforced rhythms of grace to my own soul. I read the original invitation of SOS Magic to Story Collectors and was struck by these words:
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.
If any Story Collector told me they feel like they should quit writing because they’ve been stumbling along the journey, I would be aghast. I would tell them the perfect place to begin again is with SOS Magic. It’s the purpose behind this space: a place to share our stories and connect to other story collectors so that magic pulses around the globe. It’s a project that means a lot to me.
Perhaps I can extend the same unforced rhythms of grace to myself?
In the same spirit as the original invitation, I am throwing an SOS out into the world.
This is 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.
An invitation for those who want to know the magic of stories because you imagine being a story collector and sometimes you imagine being a writer.
An invitation for those who wish they could know the magic of stories, but feel like there’s never a story to tell. This is especially an invitation for you.
It is not a secret that I’ve struggled to stack words on my blog or maintain weekly invitations to SOS Magic. Beating myself up for falling short is not going to make the posts magically appear. Giving up on writing or giving up on inviting others to write is not going to make my life better.
Thinking there is no more grace available for Story Collectors to extend to me is just plain silly. 2021 has been a year where I’ve been forced to established a new normal. In some ways I did it well, while in other ways it left a bit to be desired.
We begin again. On January 6, 2022, Invitation No. 70 will be extended. You can expect an invitation each week. I look forward to the surge of magic that will greet us by beginning again (only better this time).
SOS 