Category: holidays

Last January Weekend Coffee Share

Saturday rolls onto the calendar once again. My kindergarten students are having trouble learning the days of the week this year because there is a mundane quality to daily life in a pandemic. Most of them do not leave the house. There is not much distinction between weekdays and weekends. Zoom classes seem to be not as disruptive to their timelines as I would have thought at the beginning of all this.

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? Go here to do that now. It is delivered to your inbox on Fridays and always contains a heartfelt story which allows you to know me better.

Thank you to Natalie for hosting the link party for all things Weekend Coffee Share!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my PUSH group on Tuesday night was a fun life giving conversation about submissions and #100dayprojects. The groups were so fun I am continuing them. The next one is on Monday.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you next week I have parent teacher conferences and I have to be at work until 7pm both Tuesday and Thursday. I am not looking forward to this schedule. Most of my parents are asking for earlier times in the day for our chat so I will be working on my own projects as the day stretches into night.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I love my library. I was able to pick up several holds. I also checked out Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon. I am loving her poetry lately.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you we had a surprise snow day last Tuesday. I slept and read and wrote. It was a glorious gift of rest.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I got my first round of the COVID vaccine this week. I am still apprehensive about the whole vaccine business if I am honest. I felt light headed and tired afterwards. My arm hurt as well. I go for the second round in a couple of weeks. Being a teacher, there are lots of reasons to get the shot, but my lack of faith in information that is given as fact unnerves me.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I did something that scared me a little this week. The worst that can happen is that I get a rejection but it still made me want to throw up a little before I hit send.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you it is supposed to snow this weekend and that makes me giddy!

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today. I cannot wait to read what you were up to this week!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 6 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

The sun is shining this Saturday and the temperature is in the single digits. It is the perfect setting for several cups of Joe!

Thank you to Natalie for hosting the link party for all things Weekend Coffee Share!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my PUSH group on Tuesday night was a fun life giving conversation about moving from unpublished to published. I am doing one more open workshop next Tuesday about Submission/Creative projects. I expect the conversation to be just as rich. There is magic in gathering together and talking about creative pursuits no matter what stage you are in. It is one of my favorite things.

We are meeting on Tuesday. If you want to join you can sign up for the Zoom link here. I am recording them and placing them in the Patreon group if you cannot make it live.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you with the holiday last Monday I have to drive more than usual and it was welcome. I do not miss my commute to school at all but once in a while it feels nice to have a large span of time dedicated to the highway. It is a creative time for me – like being in the shower when ideas come to you! We were able to go out to dinner as a family as well so that was lovely. The food was great as well as the service and I was thankful to have that space.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I had a creative meeting with a writing friend this week that was so fulfilling. We talked about all things writing and process plus some spiritual pieces. She is a wealth of experience and I am thankful to have met her.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you one of my favorite authors wrote an article for Electric Lit. You can find it here. My new system of at least 15 minutes of reading a day is working and getting me back into the grove and habit. I feel much better this week mentally because of it as well. I am reading Craft in the Real World, The Invisible Life of Adie Larue, and Freshwater. [Affiliate links]

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am starting a writing experience on Monday. Our first group call for introductions is then. I am excited for this opportunity! I am hoping to learn and make some serious writing connections.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I examining more closely what I am spending my time and energy on. Energy is a concept that has come up multiple times over the last week so I am paying attention. One surprising thing that zapped my energy was a change of schedule. My students and I were off Monday but then the kids were off Friday because of a teacher work and PD day. Wednesdays are meetings anyway. I was able to get a lot of work done on Wednesday but it still threw me off.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today. I cannot wait to read what you were up to this week!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 5 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

Welcome back to the weekend! It is snowing outside and I am thrilled. What can I get for you today? The coffee is hot. Let’s settle in for a chat and several cups of coffee. I feel like we have so much to catch up on today!

Thank you to Natalie for hosting the link party for all things Weekend Coffee Share!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my PUSH group on Monday night was super fun around reading. Everyone shared three favorite books The most animated discussion came from a book that we hate. The PUSH group next week I am super excited about. I am launching my program about going from Unpublished to Published. Even if you aren’t ready to publish yet this class is for you. There are lots of things that you have to have set before you start submitting (from my experience.) If you love to talk writing or just want to get started you should join us! We are meeting on Tuesday. If you want to join you can sign up for the Zoom link here. I am recording them and placing them in the Patreon group if you cannot make it live. The full course will be happening in the Patreon at the $7 level and there will be weekly content and then live Zoom calls. It is going to be amazing!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my friend Jenna Britton is coaching in a dynamic way around Human Design charts called Clarity + Connection Conversations. You should check out her website. I have had several sessions with her and it always leads me to new insights. You can find her on Instagram as well. She just did an IGTV video that explains everything.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I walked every day this week and several days it snowed which is always my favorite! I have come across some new podcasts so that has been fun. Bulletproof Radio has been informative this week as well as Bookable, Stop Writing Alone, Find Your Voice, and Hello Seven.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I posted about Rereading for Two Writing Teachers and one of my #100dayproject essays. You can read that here.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I was a guest judge for a creative writing app called Story Squad. There are fun prompts and people handwrite their one page stories and send them in for voting.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am thankful for the three day weekend. I am submitting some poems today and hope to get lots of writing done. I have written every day as normal but have not been posting and sharing the writing in any of my closed writer forums. I am also examining why I cannot seem to write any fictional stories around teaching. I never make my characters teachers in any short stories.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my school district decided that we are staying virtual until March 26th which is the last school day before our spring break. The plan is to return in person April 6th then. I am relieved to know what the plan is now. The liminal space was getting more and more difficult to deal with.

If we were having coffee, I would ask you what is the question you would most like me to answer?

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today. I cannot wait to read what you were up to this week!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 5 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

Welcome back to the weekend. What can I get for you today? The coffee is hot and it is cold and snowy outside. The fog seems to have lifted for now.

Let’s settle in for a chat and several cups of coffee. I feel like we have so much to catch up on today!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my PUSH group on Monday night was super fun around journaling. I am hosting another group about reading this coming Monday. If you want to join you can sign up for the Zoom link here. I am recording them and placing them in the Patreon group if you cannot make it live.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I started reading Margaret Atwood’s poem Sorcerer’s Apprentice every day this week. This poem has regular stanzas so I am writing it out in my everything notebook. If you want to hear about what I did with the poem Four Hours in Paris you can listen to the latest episode of the podcast.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I had some great conversations with friends this week in Voxer. Have you tried it? It is an audio message system. It works well for writing because I have a few friends who I have a feedback relationship with. We read each other’s work and make comments and then are able to talk through them on Voxer. The beauty is that it is recorded and you can listen over and over and take notes. It is a good system. Voxer can be glitchy though so fair warning.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I posted for Two Writing Teachers this week and for FMF. You can read those posts here and here. I shared my love letters to TEN and to TIME. Today I am writing a letter to Questions. Do you have a favorite question you like to ask?

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I was trying to organize my Google drive and accidentally deleted the slides presentation that I use every day in my classroom. Ooops. The worst part was that I did’t realize it until I was starting class! I was able to recreate it before the second session.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I listened to Rachael Herron’s podcast Why Do You Write? where Heid Edrich was a guest. She read her poem I Feel Like a Fool Do You? and talked about writing her poetry. It was a great conversation and I listened twice!

If we were having coffee, I would ask you what the best part of your week was? I cannot wait to hear. Don’t forget to tell me your favorite question!

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 2 Comments

New Year Coffee Share

Welcome to 2021! Thank you to Eclectic Ali for hosting the coffee share every week.

It is snowing here and it makes me so happy. Let’s settle in for a chat and several cups of coffee.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I walked in the snow and sun all this week. We have been busier so the walks have not been as long as last week but still longer than the normal work week.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I started a new 100 day project on January 1st. It is an essay/letter writing project. I am going to play with it for a little while before I decide how or if to share.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I realized I have not explained where my label of the Accidental Inspirationalist came from! I am working on an essay that will come out soon so all the mystery will be uncovered.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I sent several submissions today. One is a story that I love so much. I am not doing an official submissions or rejection project this year because I don’t need to. The mindset is changed and the habit is established. I have realized I am an expert habit former! It is part of the secret formula how I get so much done.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I started the Sarah Selecky Six Senses writing program on January 1st. I am approaching the prompts to write a longer story over the week, not as a simple 10 minute prompt. At least that is what I am doing this week. I have another program I just signed up for but will save that news for another day.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I was on the Teachers on Fire livestream roundtable about words of the year! It was an amazing panel and I was so honored to spend an hour with these people. You can check out the many valuable selections here at the YouTube channel.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am so excited for my first PUSH Inspiration group on Monday! We are talking about journaling and I am sharing my top three ways to show up on the page! I would love if you could come! Sign up here to get the link to the Zoom!

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 7 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope this weekend is full of whatever brings you joy. Thank you to Eclectic Ali for hosting every week.

Let’s settle in for a chat and several cups of coffee. I have the thick mugs that won’t cool too quickly.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I walked 86 miles this past week. It was glorious and all in the sun!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you it was 51 degrees one day and then 6 degrees the next. That is quite the difference in 24 hours.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you this holiday has brought up a lot of feelings for me. Missing old times when my Oma was alive and the tradition of her house. I am grateful for this year and what it has brought me. It caused me to be more creative as well.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my husband made all the cookies yesterday and the house smelled amazing. They really are some of the best he has ever made.

If we were having coffee, I would ask you if you chose a word of the year for 2021? I like the one word format.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am signed up for 2 writing classes in February and am excited. Sarah Selecky is starting a Six Senses writing program January 1st so I am looking forward to that as well. I need to revisit some prompts from my Kathy Fish or Nancy Stohlman classes this week I think.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am on a podcast today! Teachers on Fire is an amazing podcast and I was honored Tim asked me to be interviewed. We talk a lot about writing!

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 3 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

This weekend is the first days of my winter break. Thank you to Eclectic Ali for hosting every week.

Join me for a chat and a cup of coffee today will you? I am having black coffee. What would you like today? Would you like something in your coffee? Cream? Sugar? Caramel?

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I walked 12 miles on Saturday. I thought about writing and lots of family things.

Here are the podcasts I listened to that I enjoyed. The ones I only half listened to I won’t share.

  1. Storyaday
  2. Poetry Unbound
  3. First Draft: Nina Lacour
  4. How Do You Write?

If we were having coffee, I would tell you there is still snow on the ground. I hope it lasts through the week.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I finished reading my book. It wasn’t my favorite so I won’t tell you what it was.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you it has been a hard week of not so much sleep.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

I Recommend:
1. Brave Enough to Be Instagram
2. Jenna Britton’s Clarity and Connection Conversations
3.  My book is available here. It is my collection of short stories.
4. Want more? Come on over to my Patreon for 100 days of writing prompts, community, workshops, and more!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 3 Comments

Dec Weekend Coffee Share

It is the weekend again! This week seemed busy and the days flew by. Thank you to Eclectic Ali for hosting every week.

Join me for a chat and a cup of coffee today will you? I am having my standard strong black brew. What would you like today? Would you like something in your coffee? Cream? Sugar? Caramel?


If we were having coffee, I would tell you I have 5 more days of school before it is break. We are doing all types of gingerbread activities.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you it feels weird to be completed with my Intensive after being in class for 4 months. I have a class coming up in February and some preliminary plans but nothing solid other than writing every day. There are a few options I am weighing but not certain I want to spend the money. I think I may just read what I have already purchased and do some story analysis for a bit. I am considering how to share this knowledge. I have been kicking around the idea of a short story club….we shall see what happens.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I miss my fireplace. It snowed today and I walked. It was glorious!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I took the critiques from my intensive and revised the story today. The changed were minor but I believe made impact. We will see what happens when I submit it January 1st!

If we were having a coffee, I would tell you the 100 writing prompt project on Patreon is almost over! I have had such fun writing all the prompts. I had a lot of fun creating the Bradbury Trio free challenge that ended Sunday. We are having a call to wrap that up Monday night.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I had a lot of hold pickups at the library which was amazing. My library here in my town always has the books I look up. The ones I hear on podcasts or hear about from friends. It is a blessing for sure.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

I Recommend:
1. Brave Enough to Be Instagram
2. Jenna Britton’s Clarity and Connection Conversations
3.  My book is available here. It is my first collection of short stories.
4. Want more? Come on over to the Patreon for 100 days of writing prompts, community, workshops, and more!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife Leave a comment

Dec Weekend Coffee Share

It is the weekend again! This week seemed busy and the days flew by. Thank you to https://eclecticali.wordpress.com/ for hosting each week.

Join me for a chat and a cup of coffee today will you? I am having my standard strong black brew. What would you like today? Would you like something in your coffee? Cream? Sugar? Caramel? Let’s start with a quote as I get your beverage.


If we were having coffee, I would tell you I had to do a reset this week on the body. I ate simply, went back to fasting and walking every day. I felt a lot better by Wednesday. It was nice to get back to the routine.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I attended an event hosted by Purdue’s Creative Writing program and was introduced to a new poet. The event was run by Kaveh Akbar who is an amazing writer. The guest poets were Sabrina Orah Mark and Heather Christle. The energy of the event was magical like the fairytales Sabrina writes about. I ordered Sabrina’s book and reserved Heather’s at the library. Sabrina also writes a column for the Paris Review. I am grateful I was able to attend since it was on Zoom. A year ago, it would have not been possible.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my students were hilarious this week. One student told me M’s were not real. They were pretend because they were just upside down W’s. He was full of lines like that all week. They reflected on their writing. We looked at their writing yesterday and compared it to the first page in their journal and talked about what they noticed. Their handwriting and details were main observations. One student said he needed to go back and add details to that first picture! I have sneaky ways of getting them to think about revision! hahahha

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my short story intensive is essentially complete. We turned in our final critique yesterday. There is a Zoom call on Sunday and then our critiques are released to us on Tuesday. It has been an interesting experience. My small group came together in a different way these last 2 weeks which I am grateful for. Many of the writers were new to fiction in my group so their goals were different than mine for the course work. I am looking forward to what is next with writing for me as the calendar rolls into 2021.

If we were having a coffee, I would tell you the 100 writing prompt project on Patreon is almost over! I am excited for my Bradbury Trio free challenge that starts next Wednesday (You can sign up here.) 2021 is going to be an extra creative year and I am excited. You should come be part of the tribe!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I ordered a new planner. I like a paper planner and usually buy an academic calendar format. I took advantage of a sale for Passion Planner early in the year so only realized last week I was running out of pages. I broke down and bought a new planner so I will let you know my review when it gets here.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today.

I Recommend:
1. Brave Enough to Be Instagram
2. Jenna Britton’s Clarity and Connection Conversations
3.  My book is available here. It is my first collection of short stories.
4. Want more? Come on over to the Patreon for 100 days of writing prompts, community, workshops, and more!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 10 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

Happy Saturday!

Join me for a chat and a cup of coffee today will you? 
Let’s start with a quote like always as I pour your drink.

Would you like something in your coffee? Cream? Sugar? Caramel? Let’s start with a quote as I get your beverage.

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.

-Tony Robbins



If we were having coffee, I would tell you I have been saying no to myself for a long time. I have said no to the ideas of growth because I didn’t think it was the right time, or that I didn’t have to skills, or that someone would say no to me. It also has to do with the beliefs and the untold stories from my childhood. 

I am done with that limiting belief.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I joined the UHPW (Unleash Her Power Within – Tony Robbins) call on Monday night with Karissa Kouchis and was reminded of how much I love personal development. Because growth is one of my top human needs I pulled out all my TR workbooks and started again. I have the Breakthrough app on my phone and listened to his words too. Tony Robbins is a fuel to my creative fire for sure!

I also took a flash fiction class on Tuesday night that was part of a series through a New England library. It was wonderful and it was free. This week’s class was about character. The leader led us through two exercises and it was fun! I am thankful because so many classes now are offered on Zoom and the reach for participants is much larger. In the class last week, two of the authors of exemplar stories shared were IN the class! That was pretty cool.


What is your favorite type of personal development? It could simply be reading or researching a topic. It doesn’t need to be a “program” or a person. It could be an awesome podcast you love. I have been listening this week to Poetry Unbound which has been amazing.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am grateful for you. Thank you for adding to my life. Thank you for reading my blog every week. Thank you for bringing who you are to the world. I am grateful every day not just on a Thursday in November, but want to take this moment to tell you.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you Thanksgiving was nice. It was a day of cooking all day for just a few people – but they are the important ones.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I did a lot of driving this week. The schedule this week dictated it. It is strange to me to think that 2+ hours of driving a day used to be my norm. I was able to listen to some new podcasts and think some new thoughts which of course leads to writing for me. Sometimes it leads to life-giving conversation.

Speaking of life-giving conversation, I would also tell you I joined a call with my writing teacher Sarah Selecky which was AMAZING on Wednesday! She had a theme and three questions that we were writing on and then we were put in breakout groups to share. Now normally I will admit that when they talking about the sharing part I would have been out but I stayed. It was magical. I am glad I said YES to myself.

I have been interacting with the other students in my short story class more as well. I started a Slack for us and that environment has been better for more casual conversation. It has been good for this small group. The class will officially be over the middle of December so hopefully, we can continue to be support for each other. There are some tentative plans to work on some things together so we will see what happens.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I got a short story rejection in the morning with amazing feedback and then an acceptance at a respected publication in the afternoon this week! It was a wonderful writing day! Are there goals you are striving for these last 34 days of 2020?

If we were having a drink, I would tell you I am enjoying my 100 writing prompt project on Patreon. Today’s prompt that went out was about what surrounds you when you write?

I am planning my next creative project iteration to share.  A free 5 day challenge is coming next month around the Bradbury challenge. Sign up here!

Next month the Patreon workshop is going to be about choosing your one word for 2021. 

If we were having coffee, I would tell you a full moon is coming next Tuesday! Hard to believe that it is time again and that Tuesday is December 1st! I think the tree is going to go up today so that should be fun. I am looking forward to snow.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee today. I would love to hear any of your reactions or answers to my shares!

I Recommend:
1. Poetry Unbound Podcast 
2. Jenna Britton’s Clarity and Connection Conversations
3.  My book is available here. It is my first collection of short stories.
4. Want more? Come on over to the Patreon for 100 days of writing prompts, community, workshops, and more!

by Categories: Challenge, Family Life, holidays, Questions, sarahselecky, Short Story, Weekend coffee share, Writing Challenge, Writing Group, Writing Prompt, WritingLife 3 Comments