Your Writing Mentor

Mary Knippel

What’s Your Feisty & Defiant Story?

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Are you starting the year feisty? Are you defiantly taking aim at new challenges? Is this the year you claim your voice and share your message with the world?

You know that YOU are the SOLUTION to their DILEMMA. Yet, your message is not heard out there in the Marketplace. Are you stuck writing blog posts? Do your e-mails go unread? Has lack of sign-ups forced you to cancel an event?

Your Crystal Ball reveals a very different picture! No matter how frustrated, weary, and just plain tired you are, you will not give up. You pick up your bow and take aim at your success. You have a clear vision of the difference you are here to make in the world. You have an unshakeable faith that once you master your biggest challenge, clients and customers will flock to you.

Your story matters because no one can tell your story from your perspective. Your personal story is forever connected with the universal story. Think of your story as a single thread in a beautiful tapestry that represents all the other stories of the Universe. Without your story, that tapestry wouldn’t be complete, and the picture would be missing a vital piece. Someone out there is waiting to hear you give voice to your story so that they will not feel so alone in their story.

Along with your faith in your abilities and gifts, you must share your gifts. Share with them your journey. Let them know how you have fallen down and gotten back up; not just once. You’ve gotten up over and over. Hearing your story could be the inspiration they need. Your story could offer them hope that they could change their situation the way you have. First, you have to be vulnerable and transparent with your story. They need to know, like, and trust you to do business with you. Knowing who you are and that you believe in what you do is vital to your success. Share your vulnerability…your standing defiant story…how you defy the odds in business…in life…to show that you are one of those people who stands up to be heard and to make a difference.

I wasn’t encouraged to pursue my writing. In fact, I wasn’t sure that anything would come of all the time I spent writing in my journals. At the same time, I was compelled to keep writing in those journals.  And I kept reading. I loved devouring the short stories in magazines. I loved reading personal profiles and learning about people’s lives. I guess the story of my becoming a college freshman at the age of 30 is one of my feisty and defiant stories. I had been taking Continuing Education classes at night but decided it was time to pursue my degree full time. My first application as a freshman got rejected. I had the nerve to call the admissions office and ask why I was rejected. The response was an uninspired suggestion that I take Continuing Education classes. When I pressed for more specifics, they had no better answer and asked why I wanted to start full-time college as a “mature” woman. I insisted that was my intention to attend full-time classes and the result was my admission. I spent my 30th birthday in an Introduction to Film class along with 100 other college freshmen. Four years later, I received my degree from the School of Journalism. I was defiant and feisty. I persisted and changed my story.

So take aim and let your readers hear your feisty & defiant story. Let them know that YOU are the SOLUTION to their DILEMMA.

photo credit:  Dreamstime.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your dreams matter…

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http://www.dreamstime.com/-image5840193As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech I have to admit that I don’t remember much about what went on beyond my small 12-year-old Minnesota farm girl world back then. I didn’t care much about what happened in Washington, and the Deep South might have been the moon for that matter. Today, I do identify with the passion and courage that speech represents as a source of inspiration for a better life.

View your dreams as a sign pointing you towards your purpose; as a call to action.  Recognize that your dreams do matter. Pursuing your dreams makes a difference and change lives beyond your own.

My dream today is to build relationships where I can support reluctant writers who have been silent too long to come home to themselves, to reclaim their voices, and go from making dinner to making a difference. 

It’s a scary thing to have a dream and feel so overwhelmed with the enormity of having to do it alone.

The truth is we are never alone. Not really. Over and over, one individual has affected the lives of many. Take Martin Luther King, Jr as an example. As a Baptist Minister, I’m pretty sure that he knew he was never alone. He had, just as you and I have, the support of the God who instilled that dream in us in the first place!

Yes, making dinner does make a big difference to the people you are making it for. I do not deny the impact of relationships and being part of a “family.” I am asking you to consider what is the cost of your role? Are you keeping silent and deferring to whatever everyone else wants to do? Has it becomes part of the routine rather than the exception in your day-to-day? There is a difference between being someone who is agreeable and being invisible. Invisible people live in the shadows and learn to avoid confrontation by not speaking up for themselves.

Do you have a dream of your own? Pursuing that dream is crucial to your well-being… if you do not try; you deny a part of yourself.

It’s time to stand up for yourself and speak up to let your voice be heard…your opinion matters. Whether a woman works outside the home, or not…she is a homemaker. We are all “homemakers” in the same way the little turtle carries her home on her back; we carry our “home” inside…it is our spirit…our heart…our emotional well-being.

You want to know that you matter…what you do matters…your voice matters…and your story matters. There are all kinds of ways to make a difference in your lifetime.

How are you making a difference by pursuing your dreams?

 

 

Creativity is your nurturing mentor

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DSC03114Driving home in my part of the world, the sky can have a delicious shade of pink with wisps of white fog billowing as if it were an ice cream sundae with streams of cherry juice running through a huge scoop of vanilla. I am forever grateful to be living where I do…even if we do experience some foggy days. I certainly prefer it to the heat other parts of the Bay Area endures. The soft blanket of fog nurtures creativity in all forms of life whether it be human or plant form.

In recognition of January as Mentoring and Creativity Month, let’s emphasize their tremendous influence on our lives. When you allow Nature to nurture, your creativity can help you tap into your unique gifts and begin to plan how you will create a new life for yourself. 

Can you go out and let the breezes blow the cobwebs out of your head? I hope so because it’s time to shake up your routine to make way for the next phase of that amazing life ahead of you.

The air may have a hint of a chill here…just enough that shorts and a sweatshirt are exactly the right combination for a walk on the sandy shore. Up on the bluffs on the paved Coastal Trail, the breezes were blowing quite strong which made a leisurely walk a little difficult. I choose a short walk down from the parking lot and happily stayed put in my very comfortable collapsible camping chair.

Dreaming. Observing. Recharging. Renewing. Being Nurtured by Nature.

Taking the time to write down what it is you want so that you can start planning how you will achieve it. Perhaps making a collage to see how the puzzle pieces of your fantasy may become a reality. Whether you run a marathon, stroll in the neighborhood, swing on a swing,  scale the face of  Half Dome at Yosemite, or simply sit motionless absorbing the energy surrounding you…get out and let Nature Nurture YOU!

photo credit:  MEKnippel

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] Starting right now…

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Starting right now…

Friday five-minute writing prompt

Take out a fresh sheet of paper. Natalie Goldberg uses a “fast-writing” pen. I suggest using your favorite writing instrument and an unlined piece of colored paper for fun. I use a fountain pen with purple ink. Some folks opt to use their computer. If that is your preferred method to write, then just open a new word document on your computer and go for it. The point is to keep your fingers moving for five minutes and not stop. I want you to experience how much writing can be accomplished in a short period of time.

If you get stuck, just repeat the writing prompt –Starting right now… Or any other phrase that is comfortable for you. Do not stop to edit, correct spelling, look up a better word, or rearrange a sentence. Do not question what comes up in the five minutes: this doesn’t make sense, where did that come from, or what a crazy notion. This is a timed writing exercise so be sure to set the timer on your watch, phone, microwave, computer, or kitchen stove. Whether you use an egg timer, a No. 2 pencil and spiral notebook, your iPad, or even your iPhone, the theory is the same. Keep your hand and/or fingers moving and have fun taking dictation from your unconscious self. Make a list, hum a tune, write a poem, or create a short, short story. This is your time to explore and experiment.

photo credit: jamienease.com

Are you being authentically you?

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Authenticity…a big word for truth. 

you hold the keyI woke up this morning with the instructions to “be authentic” today. Let me ask you this, are you reliable and trustworthy as you go about your daily life? 

Yes! Great, others can count on you to do what you promise! 

Now that we’ve established you wouldn’t let anyone else down, let’s take a look at someone to who you may be not be keeping promises. Are you being realistic in the intentions you bend and amend with yourself? Or, do you let yourself down in self-care? Do you recognize how far you’ve come to reach your professional goals instead of beating yourself up for not meeting invisible benchmarks? 

I just had a wonderful conversation with a very dear friend who has read my blogs and Facebook posts. She was anxious to hear juicy behind-the-scenes details of all the happenings in my life:  new clients on the other side of the continent, clients repeating my online writing series, and the latest on my speaker’s journey. It was so good to hear her voice, and, of course, when she asked how I was doing, my immediate response was pretty automatic. 

“I’m doing fine.” 

What I wanted to say was: 

  • I’m still figuring out a new normal due to the ongoing pandemic.
  • I’m frustrated that I’m not keeping up with all the plans I’ve made to move my business forward in the last quarter of 2021.
  • I anxiously want to connect with the audience I know I’m here to serve.
  • I’m feeling alone and isolated that I can’t do the familiar things I love to do to feel nurtured, like have a creative play date with my girlfriends, go to see a play, or out to dinner with my husband.
  • I wish I could take a vacation and get away to recharge from day-to-day challenges.

Does that sound familiar? Below the surface, things are a bit different.

After all, you and I are only human and have flaws…feeling tired or frustrated…wanting to know that what you are doing matters. 

Deep down, your authenticity is what makes you the best person to deliver your products and services to your clients and customers. Your authenticity is the key to building your relationship with those who need you. You hold the vital key to your authenticity. Just as the farmer plants seeds and waits for them to blossom before harvest, your job is to show up, be patient, and treat everyone (including yourself) with integrity and respect so that those who need your expertise can find you when the time is right.

Whatever you do to be authentic…keep doing it…I promise you that you are authentic. You are the only one who knows how to be authentically you. And go easy on yourself. Curl up with a good book, grab a short snooze, sink into a bubble bath, or take a walk in nature to recharge. It’s hard work being authentic, but so worth it.   

I’d love to hear what being authentic means to you. Thank you for sharing!