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Finding Your Voice Writer’s Group

Finding Your Voice – Online Writing Group

A lesson in speaking your mind and writing your thoughts.

Fourteen topics, fourteen essays, short stories, or memoirs. Finding Your Voice is more than a writing exercise. It’s a way to format your beliefs, express your thoughts and join in conversations while improving your writing skills.

Every two weeks a new topic will be presented, giving time to discuss, contemplate, and formulate your own opinion. At the end of the two weeks, you will put these newly formulated opinions, ideas or stories in writing; Submissions should be 200 – 800 words.

At the end of the 28 weeks, Silver Thread Publishing will be selecting essays for publication in Finding Your Voice, Vol 1.

For more information or to register, email Jeannie @ jeannie@asilverthread.com

Here is a peek at the 14 Topics 

1. Success: How do you define success?

2. Who is God?  No matter your faith, your religion or your past experiences, we all have an opinion of Who is God? Here is your chance to put down on paper what you believe…

3. Diversity:  Our views on Diversity are as diverse as we are. Your life experiences truly define diversity for you.

4. Thoughts on Politics:  We have all heard the saying; Don’t discuss religion, money or politics! Perhaps we can’t talk about them because we have never learned how to listen and accept others opinions. If you were asked your opinion of politics, would you be able to share your point of view?

5. View of Organized Religion:  The viewpoints of Organized Religion are countless. Where do you stand? What have you experienced? What have you built your viewpoint on?

6. The Most Influential Person in Your Life:  Teacher, Uncle, Mom, Friend; who has had the most infuence on your life?

7. Your Favorite Movie:  Now for some fun! Movies, movies, movies…we all watch them, recite them and even act them out.

8. To Be or Not To Be:  Let’s add some Shakespeare to our writing. To Be or Not To Be can be defined in many ways. What is your definition?

9.What are your fears?   Fear can creep into our lives slowly and it can hit us head on. Where have your fears come from? When did you first realize fear can be powerful?

10. How do you view people?  Are you an introvert or extrovert? Do you like large groups or intimate gatherings? How we interact with others is profoundly based on… How Do You View People?

11. Communication:  Communication plays a vital role in all of our lives. Our ability and inability to communicate can have an effect on our relationships, in our careers and our social life. How do you communicate?

12. What holds you back?   Very few of us have never felt as is there were being held back. What stands in your way? What prevents you from jumping ahead?

13. What gives you Joy?  Not what makes you happy? or what makes you laugh? This is deeper. This is what gives you joy?

14. My Seventieth Birthday:  For some of us our Seventieth Birthday is coming fast. Others won’t see their Seventieth for a half century. As you look forward in your life, describe…Your Seventieth Birthday.

Fourteen topics – fourteen essays, short stories or memoirs – under 800 words.

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Their Devils – My God!

A good friend and I were talking about some difficult interactions we had encountered over the past week or so. The ones where it’s easy for the other person to suck the life out of you – fill your mind with frustrating conversation, and even push a few buttons.

She shared that after one such encounter, she had allowed it to affect her for several days. She didn’t sleep well and her entire day was filled with negative thoughts. On day four she said, “I realized I was allowing their devil to come into my life.” Interesting perspective, I thought.

We talked further about trying to balance difficult individuals in our lives. Mid sentence, she slapped her hand on the table and said, “That’s it! Allowing myself to take on their devils stopped me from sharing the love of my God.”

We’re warned not to get sucked into other’s problems. Not to become an enabler. Not to be a fixer. But why? Until that moment, I believed it was a way to protect ME. It now appears to have a much larger purpose. When I take on your devils, I can’t share my God’s love with you…

…and love trumps devils every time!

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Love God, Love Others

Mark 12: 28-31  One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered,“The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

This is the first filter that everything we do, say, or believe, must be put though. Jesus connected these two commands. It’s not one or the other, it’s both.  It’s impossible to justify standing on a soap box preaching condemnation as a way of loving God or others. I’ve heard it said that we should love people but hate sin. The problem is, people and sin are inseparable. 

Loving people is accepting them – all of them, even their sin. Loving ourselves is understanding that we are sinners – not were sinners – we are sinners.  It doesn’t matter how you define ‘sin’; call it sin, shortcomings, failures, issues; we all have them. This is no surprise to God. We are all equal in God’s eyes and He loves us anyway. Truth be told, it’s in our DNA; we can’t not sin and God loves us.

We can only truly love others when we  accept ourselves, our shortcomings, our failures, our sin.  We fail – God loves. We screw up – God loves. We sin – God loves. Love God with your entire being, accept the fact that we are all sinners – all of us – and begin loving others as your equal.

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A woman named Moxy

Down through history, this proverb has been minimized to describing the perfect wife. If that is what you are looking for, you will certainly find her tucked away in these verses. But Proverbs 31 is so much more than that. It is a detailed description of all that a woman can be. It is an artists rendering of a portrait of the ultimate woman, of all she is capable of, of all she can attain. The woman described in Proverbs 31 is a woman I call Moxy: she’s a force of character, determination, courage and nerve.

These 20 studies examines, perhaps, the most ‘put together’ woman on record. Moxy has it all and does it all. She’s a partner, a parent, a business woman, an adventurer, an explorer and traveler.

I fell in love with her the first time I met her. I’ve studied her character since I was a teen. I plan to become her, even if it will take the rest of my life to do so.

 

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Star Wars

The text read, “I think you should come see Star Wars with us at some point, I think you’d like it now that you’ve accepted your sci-fi-ness.” Any mom is thrilled when their kids want them to tag along, no matter what their ages; and not just to pay!

“I think I need a refresher,” I replied. When I was first informed that the grandkids would be sleeping over on the 18th cause tickets had been purchased for a late showing of Star Wars, I thought they must have remastered the original.

“No, it a new one with the original cast!” I was told.

But didn’t Spock die? And the kid from Reading Rainbow must be in his sixties. I knew that Daleks only appeared when Dr. Who landed in his Tardis, but there was that other Robot that hung out with a kid and a weird skinny white guy named Dr. Smith.

What makes them think I have any sci-fi-ness? I am an avid Dr. Who follower, waking every Sunday morning between 2 and 4:00 am during the new season to watch the next episode. I enjoyed Firefly and made it through most of Warehouse 13. Maybe it’s because I fell in love with the The Big Bang Theory in the first five minutes.

But that’s not because of my sci-fi-ness, it’s cause I relate to the normal blond who finds herself in the middle of geniuses. I’m not dating my geniuses, I gave birth to them and then they found genius partners. Philosopher, Engineer, Photographer and now Culinary Wizard. These geniuses gave birth to genius kids and now everyone is geeky and there are some days I just wished we liked to decoupage.

“But Brian and I both have the originals, so we can watch them again. We wouldn’t complain.” Of course my son and son-in-law both own the originals and I have no doubt they would be thrilled to spend a day watching them.

“You pick the day and I’ll be there, but lets do it here and I’ll be here!” I replied.

On that day I will be surrounded by all the geeks I love, intently watching Star Wars. Jeff will  make an attempt to watch as well, but he’s very comfortable admitting he has no sic-fi-ness, his genius lays elsewhere. He comes from the Geek planet of Music…and they’er just as odd. He can’t watch Dr. Who because of the sound the Daleks make…

…some days I just wish we liked to decoupage!

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I’ve got an idea!

Those four little word can cause ones stomach to churn, jaw to tighten, and breathing to become erratic if you live with or work with an Idea Person.  The mind of an Idea Person provides an endless supply of suggestions, instructions on how things should be done, and possible ways to make life better and put millions in your pocket.

They can be exhausting!!!

There is a difference between Idea People and Visionaries. Idea People may have an endless supply of ideas, but they are dependent on other to make them happen. They need you to do the work. They leap before they plan, they suck you in and drain your energy, and they rarely deliver.

A true Visionary is able to see each step, each turn, and predict most of the potential pitfalls before they take on the responsibility of getting others involved. They have the passion and drive to see their idea to the end, working endlessly to ensure anyone who has chosen to follow them is not disappointed. Best of all, they deliver 95% of the time –  no one hits it all the time.

Why is it important to know the difference between Idea People and Visionaries? It’s the difference between churning stomachs, tightened jaws, heavy breather AND experiencing success.

Listen to the Idea People, sometimes they get it. Follow a Visionary, you’ll never be disappointed.