Worldwide, folks have a love affair with pumpkins and their warty cousins, the gourds!
Pumpkin everything, it seems!
I recently shared a post on Instagram- @brendawyatt_ a fun post called – Pick a Pumpkin! There were 7 images of Pumpkins- numbered. I asked them to pick their favorite pumpkin! Then I had instructions for the Writing Challenge with Pumpkin Prompts!
So, now I’m challenging All of you Writers, to give this a try? Why? it’s fun and really, sometimes we just need to Write for the Fun of it.
Most of us, including the Writers here, need Ideas! This one is Fun! And who knows? It may inspire you for your own post or more than one!
A few Tips!
1. The Texture- add details- not just ‘smooth and taunt’, the pumpkin also has a stem- what does that stem feel like? or the Inside of the Pumpkin? a totally different texture! right?
2. Sound. This is a good writing exercise. Why? Describe the ‘Thump’ as a baritone, or give it an adjective- The Thump was solid and strong. Or, I was expecting the Thump to sound hollow.. *finish the sentence.
3. With descriptive writing- What a pumpkin feels like inside? You decide? Will it be? Mushy. ‘I didn’t like the mess!’ or ‘I think the pumpkin didn’t like it that I was disturbing her insides!’ (that’s human characteristics) Which brings me to
4. Give your Pumpkin human characteristics– this is where the Fun really begins! ‘They always said, I’d be a Beauty when I grew up.’ or ‘I’ve always had a problem with my weight, now they tell me that my weight is my biggest asset!’ *I could go on and on… let’s get to
5. Describe the Color of the Pumpkin. Pumpkins come in various colors, especially now. You’ll see everything, from a ghostly white pumpkins, to a pale green, to dark, medium or pale orange. Describe the Color. Imagine your audience doesn’t have an Image to go by. Or, use color psychology! *I teach this, so I can tell you, Orange is almost always a ‘good hostess’.. off you go! Look up the other colors and when you describe your pumpkin, help me see it!
6. This is Emotion. It’s always good to practice Emotional Storytelling. Is the Pumpkin feeling anxious about leaving the Pumpkin Patch? or the Pumpkin excited to find a new home? You know how to do this!
7. Tell us Why you chose your Pumpkin. This one is getting close to home! You should write the emotions you felt choosing that particular pumpkin. What you are dreaming of using it for- decor? carving? toasting fresh pumpkin seeds? or you felt ‘the children would like it?
I don’t know about you, when I’m stuck? or have Writer’s Block– Sometimes, it’s just better to do something New! and Remember why we enjoy Writing in the first place! Drumroll please… I haven’t had writer’s block, I’ve been writing big Time!
BIG NEWS! I’ve been creating a New Online Course! It’s called ‘Writing Content with Confidence’ check it out, if you’d like to know more. It’s affordable, I promise!
The course starts out with a Challenge, it’s called the Writer’s Toolkit. And it has 3 Ways to Shake Loose Some Words! Another way of saying- If you’ve been Stuck or you feel your Writing could use an upgrade- I think they call it a ‘glow-up’ these days! And.. it’s a full blown course, not just a video and one measly download.
*If you’re signed up for my newsletter list? You received a bonus- October Prompts! November Prompts will be coming along soon! I hope to do the same to finish out December!
It’s been a while… hope your summer has gone well…in fact where has it gone? I’ve been back at work and some days it’s a real struggle! There’s been overwhelm and pressure.. still for the most part I love what I do! I’ve been updating my online course… done! Lots of additions, lots of good information too- if you’re already signed up? You have lifetime access so guess what? You can go back through it now! And I hope you will.
It’s back to school time! A good time to learn a few things yourself! AndIt’s the best time to sign up to learn new things and guess what? If you have new products, September is said to be the best time to launch new products! So, you’ll want to do that!
What I really want to talk about is Struggle. There are so many things we struggle with, yet also some things we can let go of and stop struggling with, then there are other things that we just will have in our lives that often create struggle. Struggling is a part of life. I’d love to share a story with you-
‘As a child, I loved to go to the County Fair- I particularly like the Incubators in which the eggs were struggling to become baby chickens- it was messy. The shell would be slightly cracked or you could see part of a baby chick. The shell was restricting the little bird’s progress, the egg would roll around.. a little kick, and the crack would become larger. I could see damp feathers, and perhaps little feet. I admit it was a struggle to hold back- I knew I could help the baby chick. Why I could break the shell open myself if I could get inside the incubator!
The baby chick wouldn’t have to work so hard. The chick wouldn’t have to struggle breaking the shell that it had outgrown. One of the instructors at the show explained- ‘If you break open the shell, instead of letting the baby chick do it alone, the little legs will not be strong- the baby chick’s whole body is being strengthened by the struggle to get out of that shell.’
‘The Problem of the Eggshell’ is a lesson, it’s the ‘Power to Become’- the struggle strengthens us. Without it, we will not be strong… ‘ This is an excerpt from my Book: Four Days the Lazarus Principle.
Here’s the Thing- I know it might seem obvious- Life is messy. We won’t understand all of anything when we are living in the midst of our life. So? What to do?
For me, it’s getting quiet. It’s listening to my Instinct…that Godgiven gift. It might say- Do this, or Wait. Don’t go there. or even this: Take the Next Best Step
.Instinct is what makes the baby chick keep kicking. That’s really all its little life knows to do. The shell might not crack according to plan. It’s definitely messy. It might not even make sense. The chick could get it into its head that Things aren’t Going Right.
As good as Goals are.. and they are. The Next best step might be to just keep on going… or kicking as the baby chick! So how do we know if we’ve reached our goal? For the chick? It is when it’s released from the confining eggshell! With a mess all around it- the baby chick stretches its little wings, walks on wobbly feet and a new goal is set!
Again, when you’re in the middle of something or some sort of work or business you may not think you’re making a difference. Or maybe you don’t think you’re making progress. Here’s the thing.. No matter where you are, in the longrun if what you do- helps someone else, improves the lives of others, enriches the life of yourself, your family and friends.. well, it’s worth the Struggle.
And remember this, As good as it is to plan, sometimes something comes along you didn’t expect. Good or Bad. It interrupts the plan. So? Instead of giving up. Go back to your Instinct. Listen quietly. Allow your Intuition to inform you of what your Best Next Step should be… and remember, the Struggle is making you stronger, if you’ll allow it.
And that’s the point of it… Struggle often makes us stronger. Pressure when we use it for good- is like coal becoming diamonds or combined with heat? This southern girl knows heat and pressure make Biscuits Rise! oh yes it does.
The Problem with Overwhelm is that we aren’t really taking care to take care of ourselves. We need breaks, we need to decide the importance of what needs to be done- as we take frequent breaks and it’s then we need to let our minds go blank. Break the cycle of overwhelm. Take deep breaths, get out in nature. This will help us regain our strength and creativity. Realize that we’re sometimes our own worst enemy. We need to ask…
What’s holding you back? Is your mind asking- ‘What if I’m not good enough?’ Yet- ‘What if you are?
Don’t be afraid to try, to struggle or even fail. Let the ‘Problem of the Eggshell’ help you grow stronger…
My struggle in the last few weeks has been Creating Content! It wasn’t that I didn’t have Ideas! Too many and my Mind is boggled and I’m trying to Stay on Track! I’ve struggled with it. Is it the content perfect? No it isn’t. Here’s what my goals were when I wrote the course in the first place-
I was going to keep the cost as low as I could. The price of the platform had to be factored in and a few other expenses, yet, I wasn’t going to buy fancy equipment. I wasn’t going to have it professionally recorded. I wasn’t going to add all the bells and whistles. I was going to create a valuable product, with valuable information at a Reasonable Price! Courses with 30+ videos, a 50+ page downloadable Workbook and Lifetime access – including All updates are usually quite an expensive investment- I didn’t want it to be out of reach for the average person to pay for.
Here’s the thing about online courses-
I’ve have developed friendships with those who’ve tested my course, and who’ve purchased and taken my course. These friendships are sooo valuable to me! And currently a special group of folks I’ve coached or who’ve taken my course are participating in a Private Group Chat right inside Instagram! Sometimes I pop in and give a quick tutorial or share insights or even a few new things to be aware of on Instagram (I don’t teach it, but we All need to Know stuff like that! And We’re having fun too!
That’s the thing about online courses that isn’t talked about enough! I took lots of masterclasses, bought small courses and one large one that was reasonably priced. I do believe in investing in lifetime learning!
I met so many wonderful people in that online course! We are cheerleaders for each other! Some I have made purchases from, some I have coached along, some are friends and mentors too! That’s another benefit of taking an online course that isn’t talked about enough! And there’s this: Taking an online course gave me the confidence that I had something to share, to teach… there’s no dollar value on that! However… if you don’t truly take the lessons in courses, interact with others in the courses, you miss out on a wonderful bonus! Here’s the downside of online courses…
Some online courses cost well over $1000 or more! I’ve been tempted by them. I couldn’t justify the expense. Here’s the thing: Folks often can’t afford to make a $1000 investment in themselves. They know they need the knowledge, they’re just not ready for a large cash outlay. So when I wrote and produced mine, that was a goal to make it affordable.
My course is actually 5 mini courses in one! The breakdown is less than $20 per mini course. I’ve checked with the platform that hosts my course- they’ve told me that my price is too low. Well, not for me it isn’t! Why? Because most affordable online courses don’t have this much information and I want folks to be able to afford to invest in themselves! I want to serve others and that includes making sure they get value and it’s at a reasonable price.
I want to show up to give- give you something that will help you and your business. I Love to See Your Progress, Help you when you’re Struggling, Watch you Succeed! And one more thing- whether you sign up or not? I plan to keep showing up for you, showing up to give you value. I hope it’s worthwhile for you to stop by. I thank you for it. It is one of the things I don’t ever struggle with… Thank you for being here! You are the Best Folks anywhere!
Love y’all. Brenda
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If you think Be Unforgettable Beginner’s Guide to Visual Marketing would be for you, Here’s the Link to information about my course: Be Unforgettable- Guide to Visual Marketing
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all sit down with our favorite authors like this fellow is doing?
My six year old sister taught me to read when I was four years old; she was in first grade! It opened up a world for me that never tires me; never bores me. I am thrilled to see children who love books. A Reading Coach told me that even if a child cannot read the words in a book, yet is making up a story based on the pictures, that is ‘reading’. It is never too soon to introduce children to books!
To love books, to read books, to be a giver of books are all wonderful things- however, we must never allow public libraries to go out of style. In our small town, we’ve had a vibrant little library, with a wonderful Library Board and ever active Library Guild- they’ve been working so hard these last few years to get a bigger and better space- The ribbon cutting was today! Congratulations! Here’s a sneak preview of the Children’s Section…isn’t it great?
This summer visit your local library, take a friend, your child or grandchild- there are often wonderful programs that enrich lives. We must support our local libraries- it was a good idea when the first public library opened it’s doors before the American Revolution in 1731 and a good idea to this very day. Who knows whether a budding scientist, writer, teacher or engineer may be reading books right beside you ? Books may be inspiring dreams and launching tiny astronauts into to a future we will not see…
Thanks to my inspiring friend, Paula, who shared these wonderful photographs of our new library! The top photo was taken on Canyon Road in Santa Fe New Mexico several years ago.
There was a time when glass bottles were saved, returned or reused. The earth was better for it. My extremely talented friends, Steve and Sally Smith are helping our earth by repurposing and photographing reclaimed glass and other found objects. Steve uses old glass as his medium to create everything from wind chimes to major art pieces. His wife Sally takes astounding photographs! Sally sent me these photographs of old glass bottles which had me thinking of the individual beauty in each single photograph, yet what would happen if they were clustered together in a collage?
There are messages in these bottles of long ago. When were they made and why, what were they used for and further were they collected or saved? This collage of old bottles has an haunting beauty, which to me proves the truth of what Henry David Thoreau said –
‘It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.’
Steve and Sally Smith of Camp Creek Creations exhibit their beautiful work near and far. This weekend they will be at the Magic City Art Show in Birmingham, Alabama. If you can’t make it, please visit their website – http://www.CampCreekCreations.com or follow them on Facebook. And while you’re at it, take a look at Sally’s book- called ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’-Before Earth Day draws to a close, let us be thankful for the beauty of the earth, and like Sally and Steve, do our part to keep it beautiful for generations to come.
Before Earth Day draws to a close, let us be thankful for the beauty of the earth, and like Sally and Steve, do our part to keep it beautiful for generations to come.
Camellia's Cottage 