PEN TO PAPER: Reach Out
…And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another…
– Amanda Gorman (excerpt from “The Hill We Climb”)
Today I’m talking poetry, something I know nothing about. I appreciate it and occasionally make an effort at it, but that’s about it. And I really like it as way to start a freewrite. In fact, after hearing Amanda Gorman read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the Presidential Inauguration, my writing partner Jenny and I, were inspired to write poetry. Read the “The Hill We Climb” in its entirety to get inspired for today’s writing prompts, and then take a deep breath, and go…
WRITING PROMPT 1: What inspires you? Write a poem about it.
WRITING PROMPT 2: Put the word UNITED at the top of the page, then write.
WRITING PROMPT 3: Grace wasn’t a poet, but she sat down at her desk, pulled out a pen and…
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Happy Hill Day
I’ve talked about how I like doing stairs. It’s a good way to get a workout in a short period of time and the set near me has a beautiful view of the city.
Yesterday I ran (okay maybe jogged is the right word) to a spot where I planned to do a few sets of stairs and run some hills. Well as I was doing my slow warm up jog, I came to a hill and it was so hard to go up it that I stopped and walked. And let me tell you, the hill was not steep!
I’m not sure what it is for me, but it’s easier to go a shorter distance at a faster speed, even up a hill, as opposed to a longer distance at a slower pace (except walking). That’s probably why marathons don’t sound very fun to me. The crazy thing is, last year when I saw the RedBull 400 Race, where you run 400 meters straight up a ski slope, I thought, wow that looks awesome, I want to do that! My family thinks I’m crazy, but it’s on my list of things to do. Wait, did I just put that in writing? Yikes!
Anyway, a short fast run is more to my liking. So even though I couldn’t even jog up the hill on my way to run hills, when I got to my chosen hill/stair spot, I sprinted (this may be an exaggeration) right up the hill, five times, with a couple sets of stairs in between.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, we are all so different, and we have different likes. Likes that even change and grow over time. So celebrate the things that you love and get out there and do them. And if you feel like it, find […]
PEN TO PAPER: Fingers To Keys
It’s been a while since I’ve written by hand. I wrote the first draft of my memoir, Back On The Court, by hand. At least a majority of it. I wrote it in journals, the cheap black and white ones that college students get for class notes. It worked great, because as I transferred the writing from the notebooks to my computer, I edited the work. I even felt that I was more creative when I was writing by hand.
Now I write almost exclusively on my computer. Maybe I’m just lazy, or maybe it’s because it’s so hard to keep up with my thoughts when I write by hand. Or it could be that because my writing is so sloppy these days, I can’t read half of what I’ve written. I’m not sure, but even though I do enjoy writing by hand from time to time, other than some freewrites, I stick to writing on the computer these days.
In the end, I think that you should do what works best for you and which ever helps you to get words on the page.
What method do you use when you write?
WRITING PROMPT 1: put these two words at the top of the page, I WRITE, and then put your pen to paper or fingers to keys and go for it.
WRITING PROMPT 2: Pick the method that you use the least, and write a few paragraphs that might be used in a piece that you are currently working on.
WRITING PROMPT 3: Emily closed up her laptop, looked at her blank notebook and…
PEN TO PAPER: The Trash Can Is Your Friend
Do you ever think, my writing sucks!
Well, you’re not the only one. I think we all feel that way from time to time, I know I do. And sometimes my writing does suck, and that’s okay. You can’t expect your writing to always be perfect, or even good. It is all part of the process of getting better.
I love the quote, “The Trash Can Is Your Friend,” by Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, because it gives you the go ahead to give up. I don’t mean on your writing, I’m the queen of never giving up when it comes to writing and life, but there are times when what we’ve written, is just there to get us better. It’s our practice.
And just like any other practice, (let me use basketball as an example since it’s my other love), it’s not always perfect. There were practice days, as both a coach and a player, when I was grateful that it wasn’t a game day. Days that were terrible. But you know what? I still learned from those days. Just like you learn from all the hours that you put into writing.
Sometimes our writing just needs editing (actually it always needs editing), and sometimes a piece of work should just be tossed into the trash (like the first two chapters of my novel).
Trash can or not, each minute spent writing means you’re one step closer to being the writer that you want to be.
WRITING PROMPT 1: Write TRASH at the top of the page and start writing.
WRITING PROMPT 2: Take a piece of writing that you are not happy with, toss it in the trashcan and start on something new.
WRITING PROMPT 3: Jacob walked down the alley, kick over the trash can 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.
Blog
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: 3 Must Watch Basketball Movies
I’m a sucker for a great basketball movie and here are three that you’ve got to watch. When I was a high school coach I would always have a “movie night” and show one of these three movies to the team. Each is based on an inspiring and thought provoking true story.
Coach Carter is the true story of Ken Carter who made headlines for his emphasis on the importance of academics over athletics. I don’t want to ruin the movie if you haven’t seen it, but he even benches his entire team and locks them out of the gym to prove his point. As you can imagine, the athletes and the community are not happy about it. Watch the movie tonight and find out what happens!
Believe in Me is the story of a girl’s basketball […]
PEN TO PAPER: Perspective
Today’s writing prompt plays with point of view and how that can totally change one’s perspective of a scene.
WRITING PROMPT: Imagine a bus stop. There is a woman and a man standing at the location who don’t know one another and seem to have nothing in common. Write for a few minutes from each person’s point of view. In your writing describe the bus stop and have each person think about, or talk to, the other person at some point. Discover how the scene changes with point of view.
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: It’s Not All About The View
Recently my daughter Charli hiked 奇莱南華(Qilai Nanhua), one of Taiwan’s highest peaks. It is know for it’s stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the “Golden Sea” that happens when the sun rises and touches swathes of grass that line the peak. When Charli summited, she got thick damp fog and freezing cold 50 mph winds, still, she will tell you the 30 miles and the 11,000 feet of elevation gain were worth it. It’s not all about the view, read Charli’s blog post and learn why.
Follow Sonya