open invitation no. 25: commentary on the setting

Take time to offer commentary on the setting.

Writers often add setting description to their scenes. It is fun to use the five senses, metaphors and similes to paint a picture of the setting for the reader. As readers we know that too much description can sometimes cause us to slog through the sentences.

Take time to offer commentary on the setting. What is happening inside of you—your thoughts and soul—as you experience the place? Share it with the reader.

If you need inspiration, check out Terje’s Instagram feed. She often shares her thoughts on the setting. I’ve realized that this makes me feel like I’ve visited the place and it makes her writing reach my soul.

I want my writing to reach souls, too, so I’m going to start adding a bit of commentary on the setting.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 24: Make writer friends.

Writer friends are important.

The act of writing is rather solitary, which is why writer friends are essential. It’s one of the endearing things about Sharing Our Stories and the abbreviation — SOS. The distress signal, SOS, is not an abbreviation. I wrote about it here, when I was first dreaming about #SOSmagic…

For a long time I thought the magic of story came from stacking words. Recently, I realized the magic of story happens when a story is released into the world and it wraps around someone’s heart. The magic pulses when that someone lets the writer know the story mattered.

Reach out to someone who you know wants to write and invite them to join us. Help them set up a blog…or dust off an old one. Reach out to someone from our #SOSmagic community and nudge them to write. Even if you haven’t written for awhile, it’s still okay to reach out to a writer friend.

Writer friends are important.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 23: a series of three

Three is magical.

When you write in a series of three, magic is stirred. It is true. It is lyrical. It is bold. You can use a series of three by repeating sentences, phrases or words. It can add structure, cadence and meaning to your writing. I do it all the time, and I lovelovelove it.

Give it a try — a series of three — although you may want to think of it as The Magic of Three*.

*Early in my career, I heard someone refer to a series of three as “The Magic of Three,” I do wish I remembered who so I could give proper credit.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 22: you have time

Find time.

It has been many weeks since I’ve written a blog post on my own blog. Each week I know exactly what I want to write:

A list of things to never-forget from Hannah’s graduation party
The way whimsy took over and led us to offering a win for the kids
A few lines about my writer-self
The gratitude that comes with the shift from summer to fall

Each week light and darkness, mostly light, fill my days, and before I know it the moon is high in the sky and my blog post is only written in my mind.

Find time. It’s a discipline writers must develop. There will always be one more thing tapping for attention. Let’s make time to write and share our stories with this charming community. It’s a challenge that is for me, and I hope you’ll accept it, too!

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 21: seasons change

Seasons change.

I live in a part of the world where we have four distinct seasons. Every few months the outside world changes. Colors change; sometimes things die and other times things sprout; animal rhythms shift; the sky looms and the noises of earth adjust to the new season.

The same is true for all of us: seasons change. It might not be as abrupt as trees shedding their leaves and the autumn corn fields turning harvest brown. Sometimes it is a quiet shift and a new stillness. Perhaps it is a resilient bud boldly announcing the arrival of the next leg of the journey.

If you are looking for something to write about today, consider the seasons. Perhaps you will write a “Goodbye Summer” or a “Hello Autumn” post. Use your five senses to convey the changes in seasons.

Of course, the magic of this community is you can write about anything you want — even if you haven’t written for a few weeks, even if you’ve never joined #sosmagic. I promise, the community will welcome you with wide-open arms.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 20: just write

Just write.

It’s easy to not-write…at least it is for me. I write all day for my job; I write in a morning journal — every single morning; I write in a draft notebook; I write in a writing notebook. The thing that’s easy for me to not-write is a blog post…writing that is just for me, because I like to write.

There’s a difference between writing what needs done and writing just because. Today I need the reminder that it is okay to just write. And, I have the time to just write. We all do. Just write.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 19: your writer self

Describe yourself as a writer.

My son Jordan is a high school sophomore and in creative writing. On his first day of school he came home with an assignment: to describe himself as a writer. “I’m halfway done,” he said.

It made me chuckle, because I wondered if he were halfway done with the assignment or halfway done with being a writer.

It wouldn’t take me long to complete the assignment: I write. That’s it. It is the basic tenet of my writer self.

I’ve been thinking about the way Jordan wrote a whole lot more than two words to describe his writer self. Perhaps it is a worthy exercise. Perhaps you want to try it. Perhaps you don’t. Either way describes a bit of your writer self.

And in the end, the important thing is to write.

write

Open your blog and write a post. It doesn’t have to be a heart stretched story…it just needs to be written…and shared.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 18: lists

Make a list.

When I’m not sure I have the capability to write, I make a list. Lists are low-pressure. Lists are forgiving. Lists are acceptable.

List of Lists to Write

  • Current Favorites
  • Gratitude List
  • This I Know
  • Things I Wonder
  • Recent Small Moments

List Tips

  • Be specific…write the tiny details.
  • Don’t worry about the order.
  • Italicize. And then write a little more before moving to the next item.
  • Tell yourself a list is a worthy thing to write.

Be a little “listy,” and you will find the joy that comes from writing is right there waiting for you (even when it feels like writing is too much to do).

write

Open your blog and write a post. It doesn’t have to be a heart stretched story…it just needs to be written…and shared.

share

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.

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

open invitation no. 17: have fun

Write for the fun of it.

There are many reasons to write. Today, write for the fun of it. Writing is fun. Let the words wiggle and make something just because making stuff is fun. Write everything you know about zucchini or tooth brushing. Look for an unexpected color and write about it. Allow yourself to be charmed by the flowers or the lightening bugs.

Let’s not get caught up in the have to-s, as in I have to write a blog post today. Let’s not get caught up with the should haves, as in I should have written a blog post last week. Let’s not get caught up with the weight of a hard story or difficult times.

Smile while you write. Did you know that smiling can actually trick the body into a better mood? The act of smiling can trigger good feelings (powered by dopamine and serotonin) and lead you to being more open to fun.

PS — When you have fun while writing more magic is released into the world, making your corner of it a little more beautiful.

write

Open your blog and write a post. It doesn’t have to be a heart stretched story…it just needs to be written…and shared.

share

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.

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