Monday’s Pen to Paper: Holiday Spirit
I’m not quite in the Holiday spirit but I’m getting there. Yesterday my husband put some lights on the house and we got our Christmas tree up. I even had hot spiced wine mulling (this ritual actually starts the day after Thanksgiving). I don’t drink it every day, just let its flavor permeate the house (and cover the odor of two large dogs).
I grew up celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve and decorating a day or two before. This was normal, so I’m actually a little ahead of schedule. Today I will spend some time getting the rest of the house more festive, which might start with getting it clean, and then adding garland, the Three Kings and miniature Christmas room that my grandma made, the Annalee Elves and Santas that my mom and dad have given me over the years and if I get really crazy I might pull out Santa’s sleigh and the reindeer that have been handed down to our family and string them across the back window. But that might be going a bit too far for me.
Several years ago I decorated earlier, like many people (including my grandma), but by the time Christmas arrived, the tree was crisp and dropping needles, my garland was shriveled up, the Christmas songs were getting old and honestly I was tired of it all. Call me Scrooge, but that’s how I felt, I guess I don’t need all the ramp up time, just a few days around the Holiday to really relax and enjoy.
How do you get in the Holiday spirit? What are some of your rituals?
WRITING PROMPT: Write about how you get in the Holiday spirit.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Sick and Tired
Two weeks ago I felt awesome. Now I feel like I’m 80 years old. I’ve been fighting vertigo, painful joints (maybe that has something to do with too many jammed fingers on the basketball court) and I’m just plain tired. Sometimes getting old sucks.
Do you ever have those days? Weeks?
WRITING PROMPT: Write about a time when you were sick or feeling down, then write about a time when you felt awesome.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Team
What does it take to be a part of a team? Weather it’s a sports team or a team of co-workers, it’s not always easy to find your way. For me it’s been an ongoing process. Every team I’ve been on is different and I have played a different role.
As a coach I continue to learn and grow and work to find ways to build strong teams and emphasise to players the importance of team. We spend time off the court getting to know one another, understand one another, and in turn hopefully believing in one anther and in the importance of team.
WRITING PROMPT – OPTION 1: Write about being part of a team. (it doesn’t have to be a sports team)
WRITING PROMPT – OPTION 2: Write about something you are proud of.
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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Monday’s Pen to Paper: Finding Peace With Your Work
I’m a paper person. The whole world of computers and social media does not come naturally to me. I have a hard time organizing my writing this way. What I mean by this, is that my current Word document for my novel has over 250 pages. This may sound good, but the problem is that since I don’t write from beginning to end, it becomes very difficult to organize the document, to remember what I have.
There are doubles of sections, random notes and pieces written in different tenses throughout. Even different names for characters appear as I start to go through the pages because over time I have changed some character’s names. It’s a very messy method.
When I open my file these days, my first reaction is to close it back up. TOO MUCH STUFF! What I keep meaning […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Laugh and Cry and Make Your Halloween Special.
My 17-year-old daughter asked me to help her get her creepy alien on this morning. Gotta love it! A special morning.
According to coach Jim Valvano, if I laugh, think and cry today, I’ll REALLY be on my way to having a special day.
If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special. -Jim Valvano
I’ve attached two basketball videos to help you on your way. One will make you laugh (especially if you’re a coach, though my nephews showed it to me a few years ago and they think it is hilarious) and one will make you cry. Now think a little and you’re on your way…
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Point of View
Last week in my Young Adult Fiction writing class, we talked about Point of View. We discussed the importance of keeping to a teen voice and having teen appropriate stakes. And then we looked at developing the setting, adding details and how to keep the action going, and the one thing that I noticed is that everybody does it differently. And that is what is great about writing. Yes, there are the basics, but each person makes the story their own. Usually, YA is written first-person (present or past tense) or third-person limited, but not always. And in our class we decided that whatever POV a writer chooses, they simply need to do it with purpose. With authority.
When I was writing my memoir, Back on the Court, I wrote the first draft in first-person present-tense. It felt right to me. (It took me […]
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