One by Sharon Heagy

 

            One. Such a significant number for being the least in quantity. “One is the Loneliest Number” sang Three Dog Night. Bob Marley’s mellow reggae tune speaks of “One Love.” “You’re still the one who can scratch my itch” belts out the band Orleans while “One singular sensation” describes the star of the show in the Broadway hit A Chorus Line.

            Then there are books which have the number one in the title. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. And of course the wonderful book written by that great philosopher, Theodor Geisel, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss)

            One can be the mistake everyone remembers. You can do something without consequence hundreds of times but make that one error and that’s what people remember! 

            The Jewish faith takes numbers very seriously. The Hebrew number one is a distinct number that never changes, it is always one due to its indivisibility. The number one references God in daily prayers, morning and evening, as they recite the beginning of Deuteronomy 6:4. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” These are usually the first words taught to Jewish children and they are part of their bedtime prayer. They are also to be the last words uttered by those who are dying.

            In the writing world, one is also an important number. One is the number of ideas we need to begin. One is the number of papers, pens or computers we need to get started. One is the number of words to get down on a page and get going.  Just one. Everything we write can flow out of just one. A melting icicle will begin its thaw with a single drip that turns into a steady stream as the heat increases and the melting amps up. Sometimes a large icicle will suddenly crash down like a dagger in the snow. This is sometimes what happens with writing as we begin with one. Once the flow of words starts it can become a torrent.

            But the greatest, most magnificent number one for the writer of faith is the One. What a privilege to have such a Source as Him. Have you ever noticed how lyrics of a popular song can be sung about or to Jesus? I think about that a lot when I hear various tunes and I was thinking about that as I read the lyrics to Marvin Hamlisch’s One, so I changed the lyrics a bit:

 

One singular sensation, every little step He takes

One thrilling combination, every move that He makes

One smile and suddenly nobody else will do

You know you’ll never be lonely with You-Know-Who

 

One moment in His presence and you can forget the rest

For the Lord is second best to none, son

Oooh! Sigh! Give Him your attention

Do I really have to mention He’s the One.

 

            Unfortunately, I am more cognizant of all the Lord has done during this season leading up to Easter. Unfortunate because I should be acutely aware all the time. When I clack away on these keys or scribble words on my ever-present writing pad, I am thankful for the One who paid a price so dear and allowed me to know Him and for the gift to write. 

            May you be blessed beyond words as you spend time with the One. 

 

 

Overcoming Overwhelm by Steph Beth Nickel

 

https://pixabay.com/photos/little-boy-hiding-sad-child-fear-1635065/

Have you ever felt like hiding in a pillow fort?

It was just the other night that overwhelm struck. I had several balls in the air at the same time, and, quite frankly, I felt like letting them all fall, shutting down my computer, and hiding in a pillow fort (or watching an episode of "Rescue Special Operations").

While I did finish writing the email I was working on, I decided that I needed sleep more than I needed to power through anything more.

And in the morning...

I was refreshed and ready to tackle the day. No pillow fort needed.

There are a number of other things that recharge my batteries and chase away overwhelm. Among them...

1. Going for a walk.

2. Doing a brief workout.

3. Taking nature photos.

4. Having coffee with a friend.

5. Listening to a podcast.

6. Reading a chapter in one of the books I'm reading.

7. Focusing on a single task at a time. (Close those extra tabs, Stephanie!)

And let's not forget the aforementioned getting some shut-eye.

This post has only scratched the surface of how to overcome overwhelm. Among the other things we may want to try are...

1. Determining if there are commitments we need to let go.

2. Learning that it's alright to say no when we're asked to take on a task we don't have the bandwidth for.

3. Reworking our schedule.

4. Deleting social media from our phone. 

5. Decluttering our surroundings so we aren't as distracted when we sit down to work.

6. Setting a timer and working on the task at hand until the timer goes off.

7. Establishing a ritual that tells our brain, "It's time to get to work" (i.e.: settling in to a spot set aside for work, lighting a candle, turning on some instrumental music...).

And, above all else, as believers, we ought to cast our cares on the One who loves us more than even our closest family members and friends. We must also ask for wisdom from the One who promises to give it generously.

How do you deal with overwhelm?

OBVIOUSLY by Joylene M Bailey

 

One spring I was hiding our girls' Easter baskets, accompanied by the boyfriend of my 19-year-old. I opened the door of the old playhouse and put her decorated basket smack dab in the middle of the table in the middle of the room. Mark looked at me questioningly.

"Isn't that a little obvious?"

I replied, "I know her. She'll look in the playhouse, but she'll never see it right in front of her face." 

And I was right. She looked in the playhouse, under the table, around the table, in every corner, then closed the door and went hunting elsewhere. Too busy looking to actually see.

~~~

At the latest meeting of my writers' group, we had an interesting writing prompt. We each chose playing cards, then had 17 minutes to write a story or piece about anything we chose, but in which we had to mention the suit of the card, the colour of the suit, and the number or face on the card. We could be glaringly blatant or only hint at the components. Then, the group had to guess what our card was, based on the story we read after 17 minutes of writing. 

I had the Queen of clubs, so my story included a black lab named Queenie. Later, when I read the story to the rest of the group, most of them got the suit and the colour but couldn't figure out the number/face card. Somehow, the name Queenie went right over their heads. And I thought I'd been so obvious.

~~~

What you see is not what others see. We inhabit parallel worlds of perception, bounded by our interests and experience. What is obvious to some is invisible to others."

-- George Monbiot, British journalist and author --

~~~

It's striking that what might seem obvious to us isn't obvious to others. I suppose that's why we need to know who we want our writing to reach. But that can be tricky too. 

I once wrote a story for an American children's magazine in which the students come in from recess and change from their outdoor shoes to their indoor shoes. The question that came back to me was, Why do the children have two pairs of shoes? Is it customary in Canada for students to continually change shoes from outdoor to indoor and vice-versa? I had just assumed this was the protocol in all elementary schools. Apparently not in the US.    

~~~

I've discovered, as far as my blog goes, it's easiest for me to write if I have in mind one specific person to whom I'm writing. When I think of writing to that one person, I know how much information is just enough, and where I'm being too obvious. It's so much easier to write to one person. Then, when others become my readers too, it's a bonus.

It's a delicate balance to say what we need to say without getting bogged down in the details ... making it too obvious. Would you agree?

I just finished reading a cozy English mystery in which I knew who the murderer was AND where the body was hidden before I was half done the book. It was so obvious. How disappointing!

Our readers need to know just enough to move the story/article forward and yet not too much to bore them. For myself as a reader, once I feel like I'm getting too many unnecessary details I quit reading.

But that's just me ...

Other people like lots of details ...

Depending on the topic ...

Oh dear, this is getting complicated.

What kinds of tricks or methods do you use to keep your writing balanced between too obvious and just enough information? I'd really like your feedback on this, because the deeper I get into this topic, the more complicated it seems.

Obviously.

~~~

Feature photo by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Joy writes from lake land Alberta where she lives with The Cowboy, a couple of seniors and a couple of pets. Usually her writing is a bit more coherent, but right now the meds for her sinus infection are making her a little loopy. You might find a better example of her writing at her blog, Scraps of Joy, but maybe not.

O is for Onward! by Bob Jones

 

     Photo by Jon Tyson, Unsplash
 

I’ve been waiting fifteen months for March 2024, the Inscribe Writers month of O and O is for onward! It’s a one-word mantra for creatives. The six-letter word that I use half a dozen times a week.

Feel like quitting? Onward!

Discouraged? Onward!

Opened another rejection email? Onward!

Pages of prose that will never survive the final edit? Onward!

The Hebrews chapter twelve great cloud of witnesses employ a one-word cheer for the struggling. Onward!

Moving onward requires dedication and a habit of refusing to give up. Challenges are always a reminder of the promise of growth and improvement.

Just as one moment can bring despair, a moment can also be a new beginning. Onward!

The world was built to develop character. We can learn from the setbacks. Onward!

Instead of trying to make life perfect, make it an adventure. Onward!

Outside your comfort zone? Onward!

When we love something, emotion often drives our actions. This is the gift, and the challenge writers face every day. The content we dream of and craft from scratch is part of us and intensely personal. Our writing is our babies. Our lives. The highs are high, and the rewards can be thrilling. But the lows can break your heart. Writers must love what they do to such a degree that writing is worth sacrifice and, at times, pain. But doing anything else, we think, would be unimaginable. Onward!

When you start to think that things should be better this year, remember the valleys of the shadow of death you walked through to get you where you are. Onward!

When the going gets tough, put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Onward!

Own your moment.

Never give up.

Write your goals.

Act your way into feeling.

Reward your successes.

Determine to repeat.

Need a word for your day, month or year?

Onward!

Thank you for reading. I write at REVwords where I move onward every day.