Slice of Life Story Challenge -REFLECTION March 2012



It is said that it is the journey not the destination that is important and there is ample evidence that is indeed true. This is my fourth March SLICE of Life Story Challenge. Each year it is like returning to visit with old friends. A reunion of like minds creates a sense of shared celebration.

Each year I participate in the Slice of Life Story Challenge I gain a stronger appreciation that part of this journey involves exploring self. I have also been able to learn of the common bonds we share when reading the words of fellow writers. These experiences allow me to contemplate and connect, despite the geographical differences.

I have gained an enhanced appreciation of the happiness that resides in the present moment. When we learn to do this, we cease borrowing from the bank of future hope. I make discoveries, -words, phrases, ideas and the optimism that resides in the attitudes of my fellow writers. Involvement in this writing project enables me to give and receive feedback with respect to the words generated by other participants. As writers and life long learners this psychological stroking is vital to our persistence.

Taking part in this project requires a fair degree of self discipline to write and post a slice of life entry each and every day. For a start, we encounter the natural barriers that our busy lives unexpectedly throw up. We embrace the challenge presented. It drives us on…

A real positive  of SOLSC is the sense of community one obtains when feedback is given and received. It is the responses that make it so worthwhile. To hear of common experiences, to hear of wonder and curiosity, to hear of empathy, excitement and joy is what sustains us all. I love the sense of honesty and implied trust.  I have immense admiration for those who create time to comment so regularly. They display great stickability, dodging the barriers the internet throws up on regular intervals. I salute you all!

The words of Jimmy Buffett often come floating back to me when concluding any project

Feel it all with a willing heart
Every stop, there's a place to start
If you know how to play the part with feeling
I play with feeling

(Le vie Dansante)

So, for me it’s all about taking part, being involved, playing with feeling. No matter whether it’s a writing project or any curve ball life throws my way.

Congratulations and sincere thanks again go to Ruth and Stacy, for initiating this challenging, yet compelling quest. Like a moth to a flame, I find myself drawn to the task of composing my daily slice of life and the discipline required is rewarded each day.

The number of participants is growing –a great sign of the SOLSC's healthy condition and appeal. Initially, I was the token Australian. That too is changing. As participants, we are so far flung, yet we are united in purpose and support for each others efforts as writers. This unity of purpose is adding to the light that shines around our words.

Another March of rich memories is now captured in words –Wonderful to look back over. The words are still warm to the touch…




Comments

  1. Mandy1 April 2012 at 18:02

    Your post sums it up very well, Alan! I have enjoyed my first SOLSC immensely. Until this challenge, I never realized how essential commenting was. Normally, I would visit a plethora of blogs and although I enjoyed them, I wouldn't take the extra time to comment. However, this experience has changed all that. It definitely is a "psychological stroking vital to our persistence."

    Congrats on your fourth SOLSC!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Purple Lady2 April 2012 at 00:39

    I am glad for the SOLSC too. It has been so wonderful. Thanks for sharing your insights.

    ReplyDelete
  3. maria.selke2 April 2012 at 10:32

    Thanks for all your posts, and for your own comments on the posts (mine and the others.) I found this experience to be so valuable, and I'm looking forward to continuing my writing habit!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Exploring Themes in Poetry With Emerging Writers

Image
There is so much more to poetry than haiku and acrostics. Yet, so many young poets never get to experience the rich breadth of poetry beyond these highly structured forms. Why? Primarily, it’s about their teachers comfort levels with poetry. We often teach to what we know, meaning that being adventurous and taking young poets into new realms is not part of the poetic landscape for many. This sells young poets and poetry itself short. Last week I had the pleasure to again work with a group of young poets from Derrimut Primary School grade 5/6 in Melbourne’s west. We have been exploring patterns and repetition in poetry. We have explored personification as a literary device to develop the writing of poetry. We delved into the idea of writing through a mask to provide inanimate and animate entities with a voice. They told stories in words from their own perspective. On this occasion we again went to the edges and began to explore poetry through themes. We discussed a range ...
Read more