"This is how you do it: You sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy and that hard." Neil Gaiman
I subscribe to the Enneagram Thought of the Day from The Enneagram Institute. The Enneagram is a spiritual personality tool. You can take an online test to find out your number, then you are on your way to discovering who you are. I find it helpful guidance in my daily life.
On New Year’s Eve, I received the message that I should only make one resolution, to be Present. I’ve received this message multiple times, but it never changes its impact on me.
Every year I carefully choose a One Little Word to guide my year. Present was my 2015 OLW. This year I want to choose Presence as my One Little Writing Word to guide my writing life.
Being present to writing means...
- being open to the muse. Open an email, read a Facebook post, take a photograph, and the muse may be there waiting.
- being present to a writer’s life. Take a journal/notebook wherever I go. Be ready to notice and note.
- to turn off the critic. Being present doesn’t allow the critic in. Let go of those thoughts that hamper progress.
- opening the blank page. A blank page is so intimidating. I hesitate to turn to the blank page in my journal or to open a new blank document. This is where I must begin each day.
Like resolutions, setting goals for writing can send me on the road to disappointment. But if I decide to merely be present for my writing, I can realistically fulfill this goal. Just show up to the page every day. That’s it. No judgment. No grandiose expectations of word count. Just be there. Writing.
Have you thought about setting a goal for writing? What about a One Little Writing Word?
Margaret Simon is a teacher-writer who lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, LA. She teaches gifted elementary students in Iberia Parish. With a Master's degree in gifted and National Boards in early childhood literacy, she offers her love of reading and writing to her students. She writes about her teaching and shares her poetry at reflectionsontheteche.com. Margaret tweets @MargaretGSimon. You can also connect with her on Facebook at Margaret Gibson Simon.
Margaret Simon is a teacher-writer who lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, LA. She teaches gifted elementary students in Iberia Parish. With a Master's degree in gifted and National Boards in early childhood literacy, she offers her love of reading and writing to her students. She writes about her teaching and shares her poetry at reflectionsontheteche.com. Margaret tweets @MargaretGSimon. You can also connect with her on Facebook at Margaret Gibson Simon.
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The #TeachWrite Twitter Chat Blog is dedicated to providing a space for our community to connect and share their voices about writing and teaching writing. We are looking for guest bloggers for January who would like to blog on topics related to our January theme -- GOALS. Educators and writers of all levels are invited to join us in this space. More information can be found here.
Margaret, I just love the idea of being open to the muse. "Open an email, read a Facebook post, take a photograph, and the muse may be there waiting." So many places to explore if you are present and open. Thanks for the reminder.
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