Be Better - Gloria Guest

For this month’s theme I thought I would get my inspiration from the first letter of each word as I enjoy the  acrostic format and think it’s a great way to condense a lot of information. Inscribe has offered me so much over the years that it is too much to write in long form.

 

I is for Inspiration. I am always inspired by Inscribe. Whether it is a post from another writer or a conference speaker or something written in Fellowship Magazine or just a one on one chat with another member I come away inspired to be better at what I do.

N is for New Writing Friends. Without Inscribe I would know only a handful of other writers. I’m not the reaching out kind of person but Inscribe has given me an opportunity to slowly start interacting with more writers over the years. Bobbie Junior was one of my first writer friends through Inscribe and her input and impact will continue on.

S is for Scribbling. Inscribe has encouraged me to ‘just write.’ I haven’t been as successful at that as I always hope to be but I don’t plan to quit. This year I want to get back to my journaling. I’m working on a small project with a poem about Saskatchewan that I wrote years ago (another S word) that I hope to turn into a small book. Small is an important S word also. We don’t have to start big. We can start small. That is something that Inscribe has taught me. I also started back with this monthly blog as I liked the discipline and interaction and the chance to ‘scribble’ that it provides me.

C is for Conferences. I’ve been fortunate to attend two of Inscribe’s conferences. I was first introduced to them when not a member yet, by Pam Mytroen who would return from one full of enthusiasm and encouragement. Pam and I were from the same town and attended a small writers group together. Eventually she convinced me that it was worth attending. I enjoyed both immensely; meeting new people, listening to speakers, my blue pencil session with Bobbie Junior and so much more. I hope to attend more in the future. Also great have been any ‘mini’ workshops I’ve been able to attend here in southern Saskatchewan. Anywhere that writers gather, especially Inscribe writers is bound to be fun and inspiring.

R is for Right Now as in there is no time like the present to improve one’s writing or to work on that article/book/story. This is something I am learning by watching the rest of you. I am so inspired with how much so many of you accomplish. Yet I still need to go at my own pace and consider all of my responsibilities (a great R word) in balance. This is such a tricky thing to do. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

 

I is for Informative. One of the main things that Inscribe has done for me is to provide me with so much information in the writing world. Information that I may never have sought out myself.

 

B is for Be Better. As I just said I want to be better and Inscribe offers many opportunities to do that. I especially enjoyed my chance to get something published in the Christmas Anthology. Publishing has been a roadblock for me. I tend to write it and push it up on a dusty shelf somewhere or lose it in the overrun files on my computer. But with encouragement from Inscribe (and my friend Pam Mytroen –she should have her own letter LOL) I did send something in and it was accepted. Thank you Inscribe and thank you Pam.

 

E is for Enjoyment. I felt I’d already covered the word encouragement and really if it’s not enjoyable I doubt any of us would do it. I find my involvement with Inscribe enjoyable, friendly and interactive. All things I need in my personal life and in my writing life. At the moment, E also stands for Editing as I’m currently enrolled in a Grammar class (my weakness, along with publishing) from Simon Fraser University, with the aim of one day obtaining my Editing Certificate. Good grammar is a cornerstone of all good writing, so it is something that will also help me ‘be better’ in my writing also.

I’ve enjoyed this little exercise and probably got more out of it than you did reading it. Thank you for reading. And thank you for being a part of Inscribe which I consider my writing family J

 

 * Gloria has been an Inscribe member since 2012 and has written blog posts and published a story in Christmas Stories and More. Watch for her upcoming story in their Easter Anthology. She also is a past reporter where she has many published news articles and columns. Currently she is working towards her Editing Certificate. Her most recent writing project is a small poetry book about the province of Saskatchewan, a place she has come to love and cherish.