November Challenge: Or, perhaps it’s an invitation. This month, write from a grateful heart. Here’s a little something to help you begin.
1 – It’s National Author’s Day. Writing is hard. Tell your favorite author you like how she uses words. Or, you know, maybe buy a book. Or two. Currently reading: Pudge and Prejudice, and it is sweet and fun and hilarious. Also, it’s set in the 80s, and there are mix tapes, and there’s a Mr. Darcy (because OF COURSE there is), only his name is Billy Fitz and he’s a football player. Austen fans, you won’t be disappointed.
2 – Election Day Prompt: Tell the story from last year at this time. Then, tell the story of that day in the voice of someone close to you who voted differently, who hoped for something different. What do you find out about that person? What do you find out about yourself?
4 – What Don’t You Know? Make a list of what you don’t know. Can you be grateful for all that you are unsure of?
6 – Choose Three, Write for Twenty. Here’s a little writing trick I do when I have so many ideas, and I can’t pick which one to begin on. I write my top three on three pieces of paper (one idea per piece of paper), and then I set a timer for 20 minutes. I write everything I can on that one topic until the timer goes off, then, I move on to the next one. By the time the hour is up, you will have loose foundations on three essays/blog posts/poems. Choose one to pursue, and save the other two for later. It’s like batch cooking except it’s not as delicious.
7 – Chase the Sun. Daylight Savings Time ends today, and if you haven’t noticed the days are growing shorter, but what ways do you see and search for the light? I have a friend who uses the phrase, “Chase the sun,” and I love the hope and the pursuit in those words. What ways can you chase the sun as it sets earlier and earlier?
11 – Veterans Day – Interview or do research on a veteran, then write an essay about this person getting at their character and personality as much as their work.
13 – World Kindness Day. Write a scene (or a memory?) where kindness is subtle, mysterious, dark, and maybe even confusing.
14 – Write the holy. “[Art is] above the normal life and perception of all of us, normally. You step up. And as long as you’re up there, even if you’re a terrible person – especially if you’re a terrible person – you see things that come together, and shake you, or move you, or clarify something for you that outside of your art you would not have known.” – Toni Morrison. This week, write what it’s like to practice and/or pursue art.
16 – Five Senses Revision Tip. Take a look at a current draft, and find a word you are using frequently, and that might have lost it’s “punch.” (Examples: faith, love, hope.) Choose one word, take out a piece of paper, and divide it into fifths (one section for each of the five sense). Write what that word feels like, looks like, smells like, sounds like, etc. Finally, rewrite your piece and see if you can express the word without using it.
17 – Sign up for my Inspiration to Habit Course. “Callie has provided a wealth of encouragement and practical, tactical advice in my writing journey. She challenges me to stretch myself and keep moving forward when the writing is hard, but she does it with a gentle kindness that is so encouraging. Beyond that, she has many tricks, tips, and pieces of advice that help overcome obstacles along the way. I cannot say enough about how wonderful it is to work with her!” – Laura Beaver
19-20 – So much on the grocery lists, but don’t forget the stories. Write a blog post or essay using a recipe, or a grocery list as guidance. My first essay on C+C: “Why I Forgot the Ground Beef.”
23 – Right Now. How about doing a right now prompt for your blog or Instagram? What are you reading? Watching? Savoring? Noticing? Wearing? Listening to? Learning?
29 – How About An Advent Journal? Take note of the beauty in the darkness.
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