PEN TO PAPER: Working Together
The focus of my basketball coaching book is how to build a strong team. How to get players to work together. This concept is so important on the basketball court but it’s also important in life. There are so many times in our lives when we rely on others and our ability to work together, so I thought it would be a perfect place to mine our thoughts for writing this week.
As usual, I will list three related prompt ideas and you can choose which calls to you, use them all or make up one of your own. The key is to simply write.
Write on!
WRITING PROMPT 1: Together we can…
WRITING PROMPT 2: Alone I can’t…
WRITING PROMPT 3: Nora called them all together and…
PEN TO PAPER: Mood & Weather
It was so nice to take in the sun this last Saturday. The Vitamin B lightened my mood. Or maybe it was watching the football game in our local park, or perhaps the chance to chat safely with a bunch of neighbors since we have all been sequestered inside of our homes most of the winter.
All I can say is, it was nice.
The weather can change your mood. Sometimes in surprising ways. I also love a rainy day as much as a sunny day (just not too many). It gives me a great excuse to hunker in. But when my husband looks out the window and sees rain, his entire body slumps down upon itself.
All of us are different.
When you’re writing, bringing in the weather can help create the mood of the scene and it can also give the reader a peak into your character’s personality.
For today’s prompts let’s delve into mood and weather.
WRITING PROMPT 1: Write about how a sunny day makes you feel, or a rainy day, or snowy day. Pick your favorite (or least favorite) weather front and write about it.
WRITING PROMPT 2: Write a season, spring, summer, winter, or fall, at the top of your page and write.
WRITING PROMPT 3: A burst of sunlight came through a crack in the door when…
PEN TO PAPER: Imagine Your Ancestors
Sometimes we wish we knew more about our family history. Today’s prompt might help you dive in a little or at least have some fun with your imagination.
WRITING PROMPT #1: Choose a family member who you know something about and start writing.
WRITING PROMPT #2: Choose an ancestor who you know nothing about, put their name at the top of your page and start writing.
WRITING PROMPT #3: Gwen and Edward sat in front of the computer, opened up Ancestry.com and started searching when…
PEN TO PAPER: Tax Time
Is anyone else working on getting your taxes together? I was supposed have my information together for my accountant today. I’m not quite there yet. Tax time is always a stressful, messy time for me. And it’s gotten worse since the arrival of technology. Now half of my tax information is lost somewhere in my emails, a bunch of bills and receipts are on paper and the rest I have to go find on websites.
I’m not a big fan of tax time.
I am lucky to have a kind and patient accountant to help me through it all, but still, when the deadline looms for me (Feb 28), I can get a little cranky. Writing has helped me through some really tough times in my life, and sometimes it can even help with the little things that make you cranky. And it can be great place to find writing inspiration so I thought we should give it a try in today’s writing prompts.
Pick one writing prompt or try them all…go!
WRITING PROMPT 1: Write about what makes you cranky.
WRITING PROMPT 2: Write the word TAXES on your paper and start writing.
WRITING PROMPT 3: Evelyn sat in a pile of papers around her desk and…
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEN TO PAPER: A New Normal
Since Covid, life has been quite different for most of us. Many have lost family and friends, or had them fall deathly ill. Many of us have spent a lot of time at home and sequestered from much of the world. But now as the majority of the population begins to get vaccinated and Covid case numbers decline, what does it feel like for you as life returns to a new normal?
I know I’m happy to get out and see more people, but I am still hesitant when I go into a store where people are not wearing masks. I have close family and friends who are vulnerable and ones who could be negatively effected by a positive test, even if they don’t get sick. (Think of athletes who have missed out on games, matches and money after testing positive). Covid is still around, and though I’m vaccinated, I feel like […]
PEN TO PAPER: How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything?
My husband loves the quote, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I don’t always agree. I know that when there is something that I care about I put more effort toward it. When I was coaching I was all in, worked to be the very best I could be at my job, but then I’ll admit, other parts of my life suffered a bit. I was once a perfectionist. I even used to rewrite my math homework. Though it might not be for the best, I have learned to let some things go. I just can’t keep up. There is no way that I could do everything the way that I would like it to be done, because I also like to do too many things.
How about you?
WRITING PROMPT #1: Put “How you do anything is how you do everything” at the top of the page or […]
PEN TO PAPER: Memorial Day
WRITING PROMPT #1: What does Memorial Day mean to you?
WRITING PROMPT #2: What does the American Flag mean to you?
WRITING PROMPT #3: Collin looked up at the flag and…
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