Your Writing Mentor

Mary Knippel

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] How on earth do you do it?

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How on earth do you do it?

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 a computer. Please remember that typing puts you in another part of your brain. I believe you have greater access to messages from your soul with the pen to paper. However, if you are not physically able 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.

If you get stuck, just repeat the writing prompt – How on earth do you do it? 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 a spiral notebook, your iPad, or even your iPhone, the theory is the same. Keep your hand and 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

Get Creative!

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It’s Creativity Day! (May 30)

Tap into the height of your creativity and recognize the miracles surrounding you every day…little seeds planted now will sprout into fragrant, colorful flowers or nourishing fruits and vegetables.  Even if gardening isn’t your thing, nature is a source of constant creativity!

What do you do to tap into your creativity?

  • pick up a needle and thread/yarn
  • bake bread
  • make a collage
  • write in your journal
  • 15-minutes all to yourself to watch the clouds drift by
  • soak in a hot tub (any chance I get I’m going to encourage you to nurture yourself body and soul in a tub of bubbles)
  • sip a cup of tea in the sunshine 
  • a walk on the beach getting sand between your toes (probably not an option in January)
  • go to bed at 9 p.m. with a new book
  • eat popcorn and watch your favorite old flick…in a theatre or on your couch
  • spend time with your loved ones
  • visit a museum or art exhibit
  • get lost in a new venture
  • plan a vacation or a mini-retreat
  • sleep in on Saturday
  • light a candle against the dark
  • play an instrument
  • sing a song
  • get messy with paints 
  • sit in front of a crackling fire
  • make s’mores around a campfire
  • dream out loud

How do you express your creativity?  

 

Consider Your Personal Memorial Days..

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Memorial Day is the day we remember and honor all the men and women who died serving our country.

Growing up I heard it referred to as “Decoration Day” because that was the day we visited the cemetery with flowers and flags for the graves of our loved ones. Daddy, (George Prescott pictured above) and his Army buddies marched in formation and fired off a 21-gun salute. The high school bugler performed a hesitant and solitary solo positioned behind a distant headstone.

We remembered everyone who had fought for us…loved us…wanted the best for us…our family and friends who were our angels…whether it was with a potted plant from the Schmitz Nursery, with a bunch of lilacs from the bushes in the front yard, or dandelions picked from the side of the road.

Today, I’m suggesting that you choose a significant event in your life, a turning point, to remember as your Personal Memorial Day. Wander down memory lane for a half hour or an hour if you can. Be sure to have your journal handy to capture what comes up as you travel that road back to the old you… someone you used to be.

 

s.p.u.n.k with Writer Unleashed

 

 Mary at 21
  • What does she know now that she didn’t know then?
  • What is the decision she made at that turning point that has impacted the woman she is today?
  • Where is that woman headed now? How has she influenced others by the decision she made on her Personal Memorial Day?   

Don’t be surprised if you have more than one Personal Memorial Day. I have several…the two times I received form letters about abnormal mammograms, moving across country twice because of my husband’s employers suddenly closing their doors, the loss of my father and then my brother. But I also have had amazingly wonderful Personal Memorial Days…our wonderful daughter, meeting many fabulous friends and stepping into leadership as a writer, as a speaker and as a coach helping other women Live a Life Unleashed.

Hop over to my Facebook page and share with me all the details of your Personal Memorial Day. I’m waiting to hear…

 

 

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] Remembering..

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Remembering…

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 a computer. Please remember that typing puts you in another part of your brain. I believe you have greater access to messages from your soul with the pen to paper. However, if you are not physically able 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.

If you get stuck, just repeat the writing prompt – Remembering... 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 a spiral notebook, your iPad, or even your iPhone, the theory is the same. Keep your hand and 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

The Spirited Woman Visionary Top 12 Pick List

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I made the list! I’m so excited to share that I’m among the Spirited Woman’s Spring Top 12 Pick Visionary List. The Spirited Woman is a leading international women’s empowerment community. I am so very delighted to be listed as a Top 12 Visionary along with eleven other phenomenal women!

The Spirited Woman List has been published for over a decade, highlighting incredibly gifted women committed to making a difference while inspiring and uplifting others.

I am humbled and honored to be considered a Visionary. Not that long ago, I never would have considered myself a visionary. After all, I’m just an ordinary housewife and mother. A part-time journalist who volunteers at school and church. Never standing out in a crowd, but always being the go-to person for family and friends.

Do you feel that way about yourself?

I can hear a distinct sigh and an almost hushed question:  Who am I to call myself a Visionary?

Well, in the words of Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’

And the quote continues with the response to that question:

Who are you not to be?

Which brings me to the declarative statement:  I am a Visionary.

I say that proudly for myself. And I state it on your behalf.

As passionate women dedicated to making a difference in this life by sharing our unique stories, we are all Visionaries!

The wisdom you have acquired through the lessons you have learned coping with any number of life experiences, make you distinctly qualified to share your story. Your story is yours to share, as only you can tell it from your perspective. Your story matters and someone out there is waiting to hear your story of courage and grace.

Congratulations to all of us Visionary Women!