Useful Links & Ideas

Affiliates

Lapidus Scotland (some great writing tools here)

Mindfulness Resources



ThriveWise: Self-care for those who care – a voice from a wellbeing worker

Writing Ideas, Crafting and Destinations

Giovanna's recommending Visual Verse

Wise Women Patches

Destinations for your writing and possible study ~ thanks all of you who have shared these, please keep them coming:

Lesley O’Brien made a Halloween storytelling appearance on The Poetry Corner, (a segment of FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE)  FNL. This is an online show broadcasting from Limerick Ireland). Catrice Greer is talent curator and producer, Dave Morrissey is the show host and creator.  THE POETRY CORNER is the final segment that starts at 1:28:00 

Why not look for a residency at The Museum of Loss and Renewal as where Giovanna MacKenna took a residence while completing her first collection. Listen to this!
Poets for the Planet and their "Begin Afresh" campaign looking for submissions






Pendemic with University College Dublin

Dear Damsels (showcasing a piece by our very own Giovanna McKenna)


BrainPickings (thank you Maria Popova)

After Silence: Amanda Palmer Reads Neil Gaiman’s Stunning Poem Celebrating Rachel Carson’s Legacy of Culture-Shifting Courage This is a link to a breathtaking performance of a moving piece of writing dedicated to an astounding woman... no I cannot over state it...



4-step Daily Writing Practice

(inspired by William Stafford - and with help from Shantiketu)

The 4 step process of journaling is particularly useful when inspiration feels elusive, but if practiced every day it cannot fail to hone your writing skills:

1. Write the date... doodle it, feel free, connect with the day

2. Let the words running through your mind fall onto the page in uncontrolled order or describe moving events of the day before. Julia Cameron describes this in her book The Artist’s Way, and take the advice of Natalie Goldberg ('Wild Mind' and 'Writing Down the Bones'):

Keep your hand moving

Don't cross out

Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar

Lose control

Don't think. Don't get logical

Go for the jugular

These are all designed to tell the 'editor' to shut up, the one who says things like 'why are you bothering? You can't write, it's all been done before, you're wasting your time' and other negative thoughts. The editor has their - but later on in the process, once there's something on the page to work with. To use a gardening analogy: you can't prune a rose if you haven't planted it and given it the right conditions to grow.

3. Sit quietly with what you've written and see if you can come up with an aphorism, a life lesson or truth, either from what you've captured or from something new that may now pop into your head... and if this is nothing that is fine too, just stop here or continue journaling. Einstein is the champion, treat yourself to a google search of his aphorisms. Here you are, one of his plus some others:

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein

"Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always." ― Rainer Maria Rilke

"Necessity is the mother of invention." ― Plato

"If your first two bites of a  samosa are corners, you're going to lose your filling." ― Bev Schofield


4. If you feel inspired by what you've written consider crafting it into a poem or a piece of prose. This is your own writing journey


As far as possible follow this discipline daily, or as regularly as you can (be realistic), but do not spoil it for yourself by feeling guilty if you can’t manage. If writing feels impossible on a particular day just sit quietly, open your journal, write the date and then write that; it’s  a matter of showing up for what’s important to yourself even when life presses in on your time, and inspiration.


Above all, keep breathing - deeply.