Your Writing Mentor

Mary Knippel

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] I love my life…

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https://yourwritingmentor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_9242_5x7PSGG_2017_06_26MaryKnippel.jpgI love my life…

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.

If you get stuck, just repeat the writing prompt – I love my life... 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:  SherieCohenPhotography

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] My Inner Wise Self…

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My Inner Wise Self…

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.

If you get stuck, just repeat the writing prompt – My Inner Wise Self... 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:  SherieCohenPhotography

Butterfly choreography speaker tip

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butterfliesformation.jpg

Whether it’s talking in front of a crowd or introducing myself at a networking event, I am well aware of the nervous flutters in the pit of my stomach. So, I’ve decided to put those butterflies to use! I’m working hard on teaching my butterflies the correct choreography for my stage time! Talking about how your story…your message. Just being able to open your mouth and speak up is terrifying..then you have to take into account all that is going on with the rest of your body!

What about you? What happens when you decide to share your story…your message.  Are you able to open your mouth and speak up? It doesn’t have to be terrifying.

My secret weapon is the way I channel that nervous energy and focus on YOU!

All the butterflies are flying towards you! As much as I know what I want to tell you, I’m that much more focused on what I will hear from you…my intention is to show up and listen much more than talk.

A very wise person once told me that we have been designed with two ears and one mouth for a specific purpose…to listen twice as intently as we talk. Whether or not I’ll be seeing you at an event coming up, we encounter each other at other networking events, or I bump into you at the grocery store, mailbox, or at church…my philosophy is the same…to listen twice as much as I speak. I am passionate about serving those who want to speak up and need a guide/mentor/muse to help them dive deep into the story ready to be told.

The pen’s in your hand to discover your story worth writing!

You matter…Your story matters…and You are the only one who can tell your story from the inside out. 

Dreams…a wish from your heart

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Cinderella tells her little forest friends…

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep…have faith…keep believing so that wish will come true.

In celebration of World Dreams Day, I encourage us all to express the wish your heart makes out loud.

Extend a hand to reach for that dream!

Take time to let your mind wander in a daydream as you gaze into the clouds. Take a nap in the summer sun while you are digging your toes into the sand or the lake mud as the case may be. Give yourself permission to wish out loud for what is buried deep in your heart.

What are you guarding because it is too precious to you?

Are you afraid if you reach for your dream and express your heart’s desire out loud that you will be smacked with so much disapproval and skepticism your dream will die before it has a chance to take root and grow strong? 

Sorry to be the one to tell you this…yes, there will be those who disapprove of your dreams.

There will be those who don’t think you are up to the task.

Ignore them!

Do it anyway!

It’s your dream and no one decides what your dream is except YOU! I had dreams of being a journalist and never gave up. I may not have sat behind an anchor desk, or reported from a war zone, but I am a journalist telling real people’s stories. That’s journalism too. I rewrote my story to achieve my dream.

A word of caution…choose your support system wisely and share details of your dreams with those who will help you achieve your goals. If they are not physically in your life right now, write a letter to the Universe asking for what you need. Describe your Tribe and how they can support you.

More importantly, start being your own support system this very minute. Choose one small thing you will do today to make your dream come true…and do it!

Reach for the stars! Reach out to find those sympathetic souls who will be the wind beneath your wings. 

Photo credit:  Dreamstime.com

A Story of Family

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Ross, Mary Tess, 11.84

In honor of Family Day, this post is a story of a family. Come along as this “slice of my life” memoir gives you a glimpse into when my husband and I embarked on our journey to parenthood over three decades ago.

As a little girl, I changed my doll, Baby Tears, diapers and dreamt of having a real baby of my own someday. I never imagined how our quest to have a family would lead to so many unanswered questions.

The why (unexplained infertility) became how (adoption interviews and reams of paperwork). Next, the waiting game. I chose to spend the time getting my college degree during that almost four-year period. Finally, our who, a 6-week-old bundle of joy with sparkling blue eyes and blond fuzz the same year I graduated from college.

Adoption Prayer

“Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You didn’t grow under my heart – but in it.”
— Fleur Conkling Heylinger

I believe parents and children are divinely matched heart-to-heart. As a result, they become a family. True, social workers had more to do with our “match” than DNA when it came to the agency’s process of creating our family. My daughter and I have a mole in the same spot on our left arms, a fact that I regard as Spirit’s kiss and proof to me of our special bond. Spooky coincidence? No, synchronicity at work I assure you.

Whether you argue Nature vs. Nurture or grace, gratitude and gumption in generous proportions determine the love, compassion, and empathy necessary to create a strong family bond, I’m forever grateful that we are a family.

Family holds our hearts and helps us cope with whatever comes tomorrow.

I invite you to use everything you’ve got to connect with those who are waiting to hear your story. You never know what part of your story is exactly what they need to hear to know that YOU are the solution to their dilemma.