Your Writing Mentor

Mary Knippel

Yes, your ordinary life is your extraordinary legacy…

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farm legacy from Mary E Knippel, author
don’t hit the pumphouse

 “What Will Your Legacy Be?” is the question August poses as our theme for this month.

Three generations have farmed the same homestead where I grew up. My father took over farming it from his father and my brother now farms with his son today.

The land is their legacy.

My sisters tease me about my lack of expertise when it came to various farm chores. The majority of my chores were in the house doing the dishes, setting the table, dusting, and cleaning our bedrooms upstairs (one small bedroom for my two brothers, and the other larger one of my three sisters and myself). My outside chores were limited, but I did have some responsibilities like most farm kids.

I hated being pecked by the chickens when I had to gather eggs. I just never developed the knack to not ruffle feathers! 

I lacked upper body strength, so my job during baling was driving the little Ford tractor back and forth to pull the bales into the hayloft. It was a treacherous job because I had to go in reverse about a half a short block in a semi-straight line making sure to miss the pump house (pictured above), a tree, and stop just short of the back door of our house.  That was the only time I was trusted behind the wheel of a tractor. 

When I graduated from high school, the college track was not assumed for everyone Only a few of us had aspirations that required a college degree or specific education:  doctor, teacher, or nurse. The rest of us were expected to get a job and get on with the business of life. We were eager to make our mark on the world. I was encouraged to go for a One Year Secretarial Certificate as being a writer was just not practical for someone with my ordinary abilities. 

I’ve now come to realize that the process had already begun…this creating of a legacy…as soon as our first breath…the story of our life begins. And the transition from ordinary to extraordinary happens simultaneously.

Your legacy isn’t the “stuff” we accumulate; it’s the stuff of every single minute of every day. Your legacy is how you treat others, your loved ones, business associates, Mother Earth, and yourself with respect, compassion and kindness. Sometimes it may take every ounce of creativity and inspiration to keep your stuff together for this challenging part of your story, but having faith that whatever is bugging you will pass helps you to stay focused on living your beautiful legacy of the story of a life well-lived.

My legacy is sharing ongoing stories…my own and helping you share yours.

A legacy can be an inheritance, an heirloom, heritage, birthright, money, or the gift you leave behind which defies naming a monetary value. 

How will you be remembered? 

  • for making fabulous birthday cakes?
  • for making a house a home?
  • for inspiring young minds to explore new worlds?
  • for planting seeds that grow to feed hungry minds and bodies?
  • for writing about the issues to cause great change?

I’m curious. Please share below…what is the story of your legacy? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] Writing is my sanctuary…

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Writing is my sanctuary…

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 –  Writing is my sanctuary…
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

I’m here for your story!

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Sighs and groans in response to my invitation to everyone to prepare for our first writing experience of the workshop.

Really?

Hello, we are at a writing workshop! Ya gotta assume I’ll ask you to do some writing!

Why was there opposition to doing writing at a writing workshop? I was puzzled, yet not surprised. We are all gifted with creativity in various capacities. However, the Inner Critic is very quick to point out where we feel the most vulnerable. Writing is a sore spot for many people.

I’m here for your sstory! I know you have one unlike anyone elses. And if you don’t share it, the world will be missing key information. I firmly believe that!

I repeat – I’m here for your story!

I often hear one of the following about why people don’t like to write:

  • I’ve never been good at writing, and my teachers (or parents, or another authority figure) all said so.
  • I can never think of anything to say.
  • Who would want to hear what I have to say anyway?
  • What if people don’t like what I have to say?
  • What if people won’t like me after I’ve said what I want to say?

Sound familiar?

To all of those comments, I have just one thing to say:  Write anyway!

It’s your story, and only you can share it from the inside out.

Unfortunately, there are those who will not like what you have to say. Do you like everyone and what everyone has to say? No. Well, I rest my case.

Think about the people who need to hear what you have to say, and you’ll be the writer you need to be.

As far as not knowing what to say, I’ll take you back to the writing workshop.

Umm. Ok, I guess I’ll play along. The first five-minute writing experience received a tepid response. I intended to plant the seed of possibility and prime the pump of the imagination for the next writing experience.

Yeah. That was interesting, and I’m intrigued. After the second five-minute writing experience, participants shared how this time they were surprised where their pen took them as they listened to their heart speaking to them.

We discussed the richness of hearing what you sub-conscious wants to tell us when we establish a consistent opportunity to show up on the page. And you create your own writing practice just the way you’d go about learning any other new skill by being consistent and dedicated to a goal.

Wow! That was amazing! Now, this is the part I absolutely love. The group asked for a third five-minute writing experience and shared how the messages from their soul with this writing was transformational! Yes, one of the participants did use the word transformational. And she indicated that the whole workshop had impacted more than her writing…she was thinking differently about her life!

And that, my friends, is exactly why I do what I do. My mission is to support you to unleash your story worth writing so that you can have the impact you are meant to have on the world. Writing is the tool we use. My hidden agenda is that you take that tool and rewrite the story holding you back. And write a new story of transformation where you make the difference you are here to make on the world. 

 

Photo credit:  jamienease

 

 

 

[Friday Five-Minute Writing Prompt] Why I write…

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Why I write…

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 –  Why I write…
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

Business roots in family ties

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July is National Family Reunion Month. When was the last time your extended family spent an afternoon exchanging family stories about Great Uncle Dick (whose real name was Eli Patrick but he didn’t like that so he had everyone call him Dick), or how Great Aunt Betty forgot the sugar for the Kool-Aid and we ended drinking colored water – calling it our special punch?

It was a chance for the adults to catch up on each other’s lives and for us kids to get to know our cousins as individuals and not just names on a Christmas card. Seeing familiar faces and hearing stories about family members who are no longer with us links us to our past. This is where you discovered your love of adventure or decided you wanted to carry on family traditions. We learned how important it is to be proud of our talents while not getting too full of ourselves. We learned the value of hard work and the rewards of taking time to just enjoy life. Taking time to be part of the ritual of family gatherings to get reacquainted.

Covid 19 mandated that gatherings be banned until the crisis has been averted. It’s been too long since we’ve been able to gather the way we have in the past. But the values and the sentiment behind the family reunion are still strong. We have adapted and see each other on the screen instead of across the table. We have drive-by celebrations and make do with no physical contact 6-feet apart.

We adapt and we carry on.

That’s what we do on a personal level and that’s what we do on a business level. I believe our business roots are planted deep in our family ties. As Entrepreneurs, we are committed to serve those we are called to serve with the gifts we have been given.

My favorite way to serve you is at my kitchen table. I haven’t been able to do that for some time. As soon as it is physically possible, I’m going to host small gatherings here in my home once again. Until that time, I’m adapting to serving you online. I’m still me giving you my undivided attention with compassion and helping you find the clarity of your story.

This picture was taken at one of our many family reunions when I was growing up. Yes, besides being my God Parents, Aunt Betty and Uncle Dick are the individuals I referred to above.  We lived in a small town where everyone was related to half of the town and knew just about everything about everyone else. It was maddening and comforting at the same time. No need for the Internet when we had Party Lines and strong family ties. 

So for now, we must be content with online chatting, texting, and Facebook messaging, instead of fantastic real face time with family members. It takes organization to orchestrate a genuine family reunion with grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and various shirt-tail relations (as my Mother always referred to second and third cousins). You still can campaign for a more intimate gathering with the members of your immediate household. Suggest a picnic in the park, or trek to the beach for hot dogs and S’mores. If the adults are getting reacquainted…make it a bottle of wine, bread, and cheese while enjoying a beautiful sunset.

Use your imagination and creativity to come up with a fun activity. It doesn’t matter where you are, but you must leave your normal surroundings and eliminate the usual distractions.

Have fun reconnecting!

photo credit:  EAOverland