Write Anyway

This Friday we’re going to do something a little different. Feel free to do a free write on respect, but try this out also.

I’ve talked about respecting other people this week. I’ve even talked about the qualities in other people which inspire respect in me towards those people. However, this is one sort of respect I haven’t really touched on.

Self-respect.

I’d like you to write about self-respect. What does it mean to you? Is it important to you? Do you respect yourself? Do you think other people respect themselves?

Tell me about what self-respect means to you and whether or not you respect yourself.

For this Thursday Thirteen, I wanted to list thirteen people I respect, but I suspect some of them would be a lie. I try to treat all people with respect, but I don’t truly respect a lot of people.

So, instead, I’m going to post up thirteen qualities that would lead to me respecting someone or help me to respect someone.

1. Being open-minded.
2. Not being afraid to say what needs saying
3. Being able to say the above in a way that doesn’t alienate
4. Trusting other people
5. Forgiving, but not letting oneself be walked over
6. Optimism with a dose of realism
7. Being a good person in spite of bad life events
8. Having a dream and sticking with it, no matter who puts them down
9. Not ever starting sentences with “you people”
10. Enjoying the simple things in life like pretty flowers, a warm breeze, or a wonderful sunset
11. Loving like you’ve never been hurt
12. Laughing wholeheartedly
13. Dancing like no one is watching and appreciating life

Once again, your challenge is to write something as short or as long as you want and write about this week’s theme - respect - and use all the words I list before.

The piece can be short, long, true, or the weirdest piece of fiction you’ve ever written.

Have fun.

stomp
bag
plant
chain
hamper
clothespin
marker
cord
spiral
check

I do love a bit of Aretha to get me going.

Respect is defined as a special regard, an honor, a feeling of friendship. To have respect for someone is to have a special place for them, their thoughts, their actions, or some combination. You think highly of them.

Is there anyone in your life who fits that description?

Who do you respect? Take some time to describe this person. Then go on to describe why she or he is respectable. What did this person do to earn your respect personally? What is your relationship with this person? Is this the first person you ever respected? Did you instantly respect this person or learn to over time?

Tell me about it.

If you would like to read a response to this prompt, go here and read about one of the few people Amanda truly respects.

(Sorry for the delay - technical difficulties with my internet connection.)

This week’s theme is going to be an interesting one, I think. I’ll let you watch the video and figure out what it is…

This has certainly been an interesting week and theme, in my opinion. Forgiveness is such an interesting topic. There are religious connections as well as “polite society” connections. Plus there are rules about forgiveness like “forgiving and then not forgetting is the same as not forgiving”.

So, for this Friday free write, I want you to sit down and write about what forgiveness means to you. No editing, no going back over what you have read, just writing until your allotted time is up. (I recommend at least five minutes.)

So what does forgiveness mean to you? Must you forgive everyone? Will you not go to heaven or whatever nice afterlife you believe in (if you believe in it) if you don’t forgive people? Do you forgive people because you have to or because it’s expected of you? Does forgiving mean forgetting, or does that just lead to more pain in the future?

Forgive the lateness of this Thursday Thirteen, but life happened, and we all know how that goes.

Anyway, I thought for this Thursday Thirteen I’d put up the thirteen things I think people are most often forgiven for - or ask forgiveness for. (Not in any particular order.)

1. Lying about money
2. Stealing
3. Lying about how clothes/accessories/etc look
4. Lying about themselves (lying for sex or other gain)
5. Cheating on a diet
6. Cheating on their spouse or significant other
7. Telling the “harsh truth” when diplomacy would have been the best
8. Lying for others (”Yeah, he was with me all night…”)
9. Lying by omission (not telling something)
10. Lying about drinking (”I only had two…”)
11. Yelling at someone without right cause (though I hate people yelling at me for any reason)
12. Plagiarism
13. Exaggeration (little white lies)

With the theme of forgiveness, I think something a little different comes to each person’s mind. You forgiving someone. Someone forgiving you. Withholding forgiveness. Observing someone forgive or withhold forgiveness. The whole subject is rather interesting.

This week, I want you to write something as short or as long as you want, using all these words. However, I would like you to write about forgiveness (or refusal to forgive) you’ve observed in your life. Did it directly influence you? Did you learn something from it? Did it give a new view of the people involved?

Write about it.

fingers
shock
picture
blue
laundry
eyes
gasp
mail
water
pencil

This week’s theme of forgiveness is one very close to my heart. I’ve been forgiven of so much in my life and forgiven others of a lot too. I’ve also withheld forgiveness and still do to this day.

There are also the religious things that surround forgiveness. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Forgive others lest ye not be forgiven.

That sort of thing.

So tell me about a time someone did something terrible to you. What happened? When? Did you forgive them? If so, how long did it take? If not, do you think you’ll ever forgive him/her/them? Did the guilty party even ask for forgiveness? If you had done the same thing, would you expect forgiveness?

Move me.

If you would like to see a thought-provoking entry for this prompt, look here on Amanda’s blog.

The theme this week is one that has pretty much defined the major paths my life has taken.

Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is such a tricky thing sometimes. You can give it, refuse to give it, always give it, or never give it. What you do can end up defining who you are and what kind of person others see you as. You can do it too little or too much. It can make or destroy a potential path in someone’s life.

That’s why it makes such an interesting plot device. And with that theme in mind, here is your musical inspiration for this Monday.

Forgive Me, by Evanescence

YouTube, Forgive Me, Evanescence, forgiveness

This Friday, we’re going to have a couple visual prompts. Both these people have something they are truly grateful for. What is it? Is it something obvious or something you would have never guessed? Who is this person to be grateful for such a thing/person/event?

Spend five minutes on each picture. Don’t edit yourself, don’t look back. Just write about the person and what you think s/he is grateful for.

If you would like to see a response to the prompt, visit Amanda here.

Yay! Banner.

Ahem.

This week’s Thursday Thirteen is going to be an easy one for me.

Thirteen Things/People I’m Grateful For

1. The park. It’s within walking distance, peaceful, beautiful, and a piece of the country even though I’m in the city. I love it.
2. The Postal Service. I can send and receive goodies to/from all over the world. How great is that?
3. Strawberries. My favorite fruit.
4. My friend Hawke. She’s forgiven me of so much, supported me through so much, and always been there.
5. Post-it notes. I love, love, love post it notes. They’re useful and can be fun or plain.
6. Chrispian. It’s through him I was introduced to 451Press and am where I am today.
7. Gillian. She has connected me to so many people and introduced me to the Aussie life and Aussie writing.
8. Australians. They’re an indescribable bunch who are the class clowns of the world.
9. Chicken Soup for the Soul company. My first paid publication.
10. My weight loss friends. They have been so supportive and helpful on my journey.
11. My eyesight. I’ve seen so many beautiful things in my life. Things would be a lot different if I didn’t have my sight.
12. Chai tea. It tastes good and helps calm me down.
13. My husband. I am so, so grateful for him and what he has done in my life. He supports me and encourages me to be the woman I want to be.

It’s random word bank day. You know the drill - write something as short or as long as you want encompassing this week’s theme and using all the words on the list.

This week’s theme is gratitude. Have at it.

Remember, you can use any form of the word (eg. Ponder = ponders, pondering, pondered).

wish
ponder
shoe
milk
music
green
book
bird
sticker
telephone

There are a lot of things to be mad about in this life, but alternatively, there are a lot of things to be grateful for. You don’t need anyone to tell you what to be grateful for - it’s what you are happy about having in your life. That your life couldn’t quite be the same without.

Some people are grateful for their children, spouse, home, job…and some people are even grateful that, in this day and age, you can send something around the world to places you’ve never been. Or grateful for something so simple as a red carnation.

Today I want you to pick one thing you are grateful for. Then write why you are grateful for it. After that, write a little bit about your life/day/whichever if that special element had not come into your life.

If you would like to read a response to this prompt, visit Amanda here.

What is invisible, powerful, can cost you nothing, and mean everything to another person?

The answer to that question is this week’s theme: Gratitude.

Gratitude can be a powerful force, and something that can make a world of difference in someone’s life. Whether you believe in the Golden Rule, Karma, or other like things, gratitude (and treating people the way you would like to be treated) has its place in nearly every religion out there.

For your Monday Musical inspiration, here are two of my favorite “Thank you” songs.

**If you want to hear an interesting “behind the song” story, check out the story behind Alanis Morrisette’s Thank you.

YouTube, write anyway, write every day, Alanis Morrissette, Dido, Thank You, writing prompts