invitations (blog) – Page 3

open invitation no. 36: dessert

Keep a cookie in your purse.

When I was in college, Nancy the librarian who worked with my mom and fed me books my entire life, sent me a card and a cookie. The card read, “When life is hard and getting worse, keep a cookie in your purse.”

It was a little jingle that has stayed with me for decades. Though simple, it is lovely life advice. Sometimes I drop a cookie in my purse, just as a reminder that even when life is heavy, I can still be lighthearted.

If you’re looking for a writing topic, tell us about a cookie.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 35: childhood loves

Take time to remember what you loved to do as a child.

What did you love to do as a child? Pause and remember. This isn’t something you need to race to do; linger. Consider different locations where you could be found as a child—what did you love? Consider food you ate—what did you love? Consider your hobbies—what did you love?

You can use these memories as a starting point to a story, but that isn’t the invitation. The invitation is to bring something you loved as a child back into your life. This is best if childhood love has been absent for a long time.

Savor the enjoyment and remember the bliss of childhood loves.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 34: definition inspiration

Use a definition as inspiration for your writing.

A quick search on Merriam-Webster revealed this definition of thanksgiving…

I like looking up definitions because they often reveal new truths and ideas to me. Try to use a definition as an inspiration for your writing. Use thanksgiving or select another word and then do a quick search on Merriam-Webster. (You can use any site, but I’m partial to Merriam-Webster because of their Word of the Day.)

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 33: gratitude

Make a gratitude list.

Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul. —Amy Collette

Make a gratitude list.
Be creative.
Use photographs or doodles.
Collect some ephemera. (That’s a fancy word writers use that loosely means stuff you’d throw away if you didn’t have notebook to stick it in.)
Write captions or blurbs.
Use different pens, markers, paint or chalk.
Change the font style, size or color.

Make a gratitude list and you will find that you are happier.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 32: write off of a photograph

Look at the background.

We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.—Ralph Hattersley

Use a photograph to inspire your writing. Bypass the foreground and look to the background. What do you notice? What didn’t you see before? What is unexpected? Allow the background to guide your writing.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 31: listen

Listen for gratitude.

Sound is a huge influence on people’s attention.—Walter Murch

Lately (like for my entire life), I have been opening my eyes to discover gratitude. A well-lived life hinges on a grateful outlook. Lately (like in the last few months), I have been having a harder time hearing. I’ve chalked it up to getting older. I’m stronger at gratitude; weaker at hearing.

Sometimes when it’s harder to hear, we pay attention a little more. I’ve been including sounds when I consider the things for which I’m grateful. Each day I’ve been listening for gratitude, which makes me think about including more sounds in my writing.

How about you? What sounds are you glad to hear? What sounds make up the moments of your life? What sounds catch your attention? Consider capturing sounds in your writing.*

*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write—sounds or not. Sharing our stories is magical.

PS—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 30: magic unmasked

Masks hide magic.

The idea of a mask in any scenario has always fascinated me. Not only does it protect identity, it also allows one to hide. —Jason Reynolds

Today’s invitation to magic is to consider a mask you have encountered. It can be one you’ve worn; it can be figurative; it can be from a long time ago. Allow yourself to be fascinated.

Or, don’t write about a mask at all. Other topics can be magical, too.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 29: shed all the shoulds

Be true to you.

There is no one in the world like you, and you are just the way you should be. When the year piles up, sometimes it can weigh us down and be heavy on our shoulders. It’s easy to think we should be different than we are. Take time today to shed all the shoulds, and relish in being you.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Pop around and visit some other blogs. Leave a comment about the ideas or the craft…encourage and soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 28: what stifles you?

Don’t be stifled.

What stifles you? It’s not about what stops you, nor what makes things difficult for you. When I made a little list about what stifles me, I found it was all within me.

getting it right
not doing things wrong
feeling like I’m a silly girl in the middle of a cornfield
thinking I shouldn’t spend time writing my stories

The world likes to stifle storytellers. Don’t be stifled.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Pop around and visit some other blogs. Leave a comment about the ideas or the craft…encourage and soak up the magic that will find you.

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!

Offer an invitation to others.