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Three Basic Letters Everyone Should Send

Letters That Encourage, Praise or Forgive

Letters of Encouragement, Apology and Praise are three basic forms of personal writing everyone needs to send.
Letters of Encouragement, Apology and Praise are three basic forms of personal writing everyone needs to send.

Letters express encouragement, praise or forgiveness. Sure, we send texts, in-box messages, and tweets. Social media enables us to write short and snappy lines. Yet, off-the-cuff comments are not true correspondence. Personal letters are heart felt. They transcend a variety of situations. Notes bolster a friend’s lagging confidence after a setback. A hand-written letter to a team player can emphasize a job well done. Or, they can help one find his or her footing after doing or saying something truly regrettable. Words hold tremendous power to soothe, to heighten, and to mend.

How to Write to Others

Sometimes a professional writer can help word letters. Encouraging notes are easier to visualize. These forms are correctly perceived as positive by their sheer thoughtfulness. Correspondence can nudge a person towards an event or pats him on the back. Apologies, too, are positive letters. Why? They acknowledge an error. Then, ask for forgiveness. And, finally, demonstrate a concrete way to resolve a problem. In all three of these cases, the audience is another person, who receives the letter. The sender gains satisfaction by acting on a notion to heal something that is broken.

When the Audience is You

The other audience, which one can send a letter, is oneself. Here, too, a professional writer can help with the wording of any of these three forms of personal letters. A writer can help get the job done by giving draft deadlines, moving the task forward, and completing the letter to be signed by the client. Same as any other job, really, but with bigger personal results for the client. When such a  letter is written, signed and sealed, it is sent back to the sender, who then becomes the recipient. The letter can act as a balm for the blues. Or, perhaps, it can be the compliment on a project that was never given credit by others. Nevertheless, it  can be acknowledged and recorded to give merit to one’s self. Most significantly, a letter that grants forgiveness for a mistake one has made can be life changing. The sender releases the past.

 

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Night Walk Unwinds to Flow

Heighten Senses With Night Walk

Move into flow through a night walk.
A night walk helps to gain flow by moving into the unknown.

Sometimes when I take a night walk, Longfellow’s Evangeline might stir my imagination further: This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, bearded with moss and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight… I offer thanks to my eighth grade language arts teacher, Miss Bright, for the rote memorization of the first lines of the epic poem. Indeed, the poem can help anyone find solace as the darkness swallows the path.

Finding Perspective in Darkness

Even on a block where everything is familiar, darkness can change everything. It makes the known, unknown. It helps us to become more aware of the movement of the stars, the sound of our footsteps, and the rustle of the wind. Moreover, a night walk heightens our senses, because entering darkness triggers conditioned fears. Why? The shadows may seem longer and cause hearts to beat faster. And, my imagination can get the best of me. What is around the corner? Is it really safe to walk in my quiet neighborhood at night? Legitimate questions for any woman to ask herself when going for a dark stroll. Yet, wondering about such things helps to sharpen our senses, which can help us the next time we are at the desk trying to scratch out an assignment or a journal entry.

Your Turn

Take your own night walk. After you get home, record the following observations in your journal:

  • What did you notice more in the dark than in daylight?
  • Where did the walk take you?
  • When did you become afraid or concerned about your safety? Was it a true threat or a conditioned fear from childhood?
  • Were you approached by anyone or anything?
  • What memories popped up for you?

Return to your answers at a later time. Then, select one to elaborate upon or expand.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Yarn a Tale to Grow Flow

Have a Ball with Yarn as Prompt

Yarn is a good prompt for writing.
Squeeze a ball of yarn. It’s soft and fluffy to the touch. What metaphors or images arise from the sight or touch of the yarn?

Have yarn, will create! Using this spun thread to create connections is nothing new. The word itself has a secondary meaning, which is to spin a tall-tale, fable, or myth. There are some good reasons for this connection. First, yarns squeeze metaphors to create literary impact. Second, creatives can literally juggle  balls of yarn to consider how a plot can be twisted and turned to add drama. Finally, finger-crocheting can help knit together a dialogue or setting. Let’s look at yarn’s versatility as a writer’s tool below.

Squeeze Out Metaphor

Rubber stress balls work to help anxiety-filled writers and artists, but those made from yarn are better. Soft, fluffy, and light, they help us to squeeze metaphors while literally clamping down on them. Think about it. Maybe the logger who created the Paul Bunyan folklore had access to yarn balls while spinning tales of Paul and his blue ox named, Babe? Not familiar with the American tale? The city of Bemoiji, Minnesota’s website has detailed storylines for Paul and Babe’s travels. See more here: https://wewriteitright.com/sow-flow-visit-antique-shop/

Juggle ideas around while rotating these light-as-air balls to loosen up a plot.

Juggle Ideas Around with Yarn Balls

Perhaps juggling can loosen up a stuck plot. Without too much scientific thinking here, simply juggle three balls of yarn. Stand or sit. It doesn’t make a difference. Focus on the act of juggling the balls for five to 10 minutes, then write a journal entry about the current piece. See what types of connections altered or sprung up from the simple act of juggling. Need a refresher on how to juggle? Look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNigMfLNhpg

Finger Crochet to Knit a Tale

Want to bring a scene or a dialogue alive? Try finger crocheting some yarn at the desk. This works better seated than standing. Again, do not think too much about the creative piece. Think summer camp or study hall in middle school. Simply focus energy on doing the loops in finger crocheting for about 10 minutes. The process is what matters here, so don’t sweat the way the long link looks. Then, again, write a journal entry to note any new sensory images to add to a scene or dialogue.

Finger crochet for dialogue or scene development.

Your Turn

Creating space to allow images to pop up is important for writers and artists to yarn their tales. Frist, try to squeeze metaphors to enhance the story. Next, mix things up in a plot after juggling. Finally, use finger crocheting to knit together a scene or a dialogue. Choose any of these or all three to keep your story skills fluid.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Day After Twelfth Night Stirs Flow

Flow Arrives the Morning After Twelfth Night

Red wreath brings glee.
A red berry wreath remind bears glad tidings beyond Twelfth Night.

Entering into life beyond The Twelfth Day of Christmas challenges even the most cheerful among us.  People don’t get too excited about the thirteenth day of Christmas now, do they? Yet flow arrives on the heels of such a day. Honestly, it is important to know where to look. My family packed up Christmas after attending an Epiphany service. And, I’m not going to lie, it felt a little sad. Then, I realized what was needed to keep the spirit of the holidays going into at least next month. What was it? A simple red berry wreath.

Flow Found in Red Berry

A wreath is a traditional sign to welcome those entering a home. This red berry wreath is hung on a pantry door in my kitchen for a few reasons. First, it recalls winter’s joyful landscapes. Where I live it is in the 70s during the day and down in the 40s at night.  So, the symbolism of a white door behind the red berries reminds me of the Snow Belt where I grew up. Next, it winds around on itself as a sign of infinity. Glad tidings, I am reminded, are reason for an additional smile. And, another. Finally, stir those images around to find a satisfying sense of flow to extend the joy of Twelfth Night into today –  and beyond.

Other Places to Find Flow Beyond Twelfth Night

Easily find flow and where it grows through the five senses. First, get out a journal. Next, walk around the office or house and jot down anything that smells, sounds, tastes, feels, or looks like an extension of the holiday. For example, note that the red earthen wear bowl can hold fruit such as apples on the counter. Perhaps a dash a cinnamon in coffee or on cocoa brings a jolt of joy. Finally, take this listing of sense-related phrases and quickly write a reflection on Christmas joys. No need to share it – unless that, too, brings joy.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Candle Illuminates Holidays and Writing Practice

Holidays and Writing Traditions Glow with Candle

Today’s word-of-the-day selection for the holiday season is candle: (noun) – From Old English, candle is one of the oldest English borrowings from Latin. It probably arrived with Christianity at the end of the 6th century, and is first recorded in a gloss from around the year 700. Latin candela was a derivative of the verb candere, be white, glow. (Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto.)

Many celebrations use candles. First, both Advent and Hanukkah began on Sunday. Advent wreathes lit in Christian ceremonies are comprised of four candles, three purple and one pink, for each Sunday before Christmas Day. Menorahs are nine branched candelabras. One candle is lit each night. Later in December, African-Americans celebrate Kwanzaa throughout the Americas. They light seven candles (three red to the left, three green to the right, and a black center candle), which is held in a kinara, or candle holder.

Light candles to kindle holiday and writing traditions.
Candles illuminate paths for holidays as well as writing practices.

The Connotation of This Luminary Term

Historically, candlelight illuminated businesses and homes. Moreover, a spillover of this incandescent term persists today. How often have you  heard someone say they were burning the candle at both ends or burning the midnight oil? Perhaps it is the positive verb, can, found within candle, which stirs creative intention. Indeed, the glow seems to grow flow.

The Message That Shines Forth

The message from this term shines brightly: Light me before you begin any work to bless the gifts you bring to the table. For I will inspire you to find the best means to the end. The spiritual message illustrates that there is hope in any situation, especially when gratitude is shown for the inspiration that will surely be delivered when beginning any creative endeavor.

Your Turn

First, find a candle in your home. Put it on your writing table. Second, light the candle. If you are nervous about an open flame near stacks of manuscripts, flick on an electric candle. Finally, take out your journal and for 15 minutes write about an experience you have had with candles. Maybe you remember making candles in an elective art class in middle school? Maybe it reminds you of the holiday celebrations? Whatever comes up write it down. Continue to experiment with this practice as the days grow darker. The glow calls flow to it.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa