A force of nature who is a mother, wife, writer, teacher, coach, book fairy, and runner
Reading: Twyla Tharp – The Creative Habit Learn it and Use It for Life and The Artist’s Way
Listening to: Stop Writing Alone Podcast
Watching: The computer screen
Eating: nothing til 1 pm! Intermittent fasting is awesome
drinking: water
loving: writing and Medium and The Artist’s Way
hating: dreams of feeling trapped and confused
waiting for: Minnesota
daydreaming about: Minnesota
researching: high priority standards
Tim Ferris asks successful people 11 questions in his book Tribe of Mentors. I have answered his questions in order for you to know me a little better. I would love to hear your answers to these questions as well!
Comment here or on Medium!
“What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?”
I love books about life experiments and was immediately drawn to this book as soon as I heard about it. I believe in the idea that you are influenced by the people and books you surround yourself with. Megan had coffee with a new person to learn from them and also to make new connections.
“What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)? My readers love specifics like brand and model, where you found it, etc.”
What new belief, behaviors, or habits, adopted within the last 5 years, have most positively impacted your life?
What would you put on a billboard?
An examination of my identities
I identify myself multiple ways and with several labels.
These main identities take over my daily to do lists and the habits I create in my life. Typically my thinking is organic of a thinker as I am, I do like a framework to navigate within. The caveat for me is I need to create the system. These systems often look like habits and routines for me and often overlap between my coach life and my writing life.
I have come to learn that perfectionism is not achievable. I strive toward it, but sometimes a project is good enough just to exist. I have learned it is a step in the process. This applies to writing, teaching and improving in general.
This past week I went back to work in a new role. I changed from coaching between two grade levels in one building to two separate schools spanning four grade levels. There are only about 4 people I knew before Monday in these schools. There was a lot of “peopling”. I had to introduce myself and my skills and start to build meaningful relationships so we can all work together.
Thank you for joining me for coffee today on this hot hot summer day! I am so glad you are here with me and it is to be a day full of sunshine.
I am having my regular strong black coffee. What would you like today? I have some iced tea if you like, or do you want something stronger today?
To read the rest of this post please click here. Please comment and clap (I believe you can clap up to 30 times).
I am excited you have joined me for coffee today. It is Father’s day in the US and my birthday. I think we will have some birthday cupcakes this morning to celebrate but no singing.
I am having a Butter Brew coffee with a shot of espresso for the occasion. What would you like today?
If we were having coffee, I would tell you this week has been full of ups and downs.
To read the rest of this post please click here. Please comment and clap (I believe you can clap up to 30 times).
I am so glad you are joining me for coffee today! This post is inspired by Eclectic Alli. My summer has officially started and I am feeling amazing! Let’s take our coffee and go for a little walk and then we can sit under the trees as the time stretches on.
You can read the rest of the post here. Please clap and comments if you enjoy what you read!
I am so glad you are joining me for coffee today! Today feels special today because it is my second day of summer vacation. This does not mean that I am out of work completely. There are some workshops and training I will be going to but I do not have to drive into work every day. To be home is glorious. I appreciate this schedule change. It usually takes me a week to recalibrate myself but I do not think I will have that issue this year.
You can read the rest of the post here.
Please clap and comments if you enjoy what you read!
Happy Sunday! If you would like to support me additionally you are welcome to buy me a cup of coffee: http://ko-fi.com/tammybreitweiser
Today please join me for a coffee. Click here to read and clap!!
Today please join me for a coffee. We have some catching up to do!
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I was a guest blogger on Teachwrite’s blog on Monday. If you missed that post you can read it here. It is called Ten Minutes of Truth.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am still writing everyday with Storyaday May. This week my stories got a little dark and a little emotional. It is not a bad thing, but it was surprising to me. Here are some of my favorite prompts this week:
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am using Sarah Selecky’s writing prompts every day. It is pushing me to think differently about stories somehow and I am pleased with them. Some I will revise and submit and others I will expand. I am considering her Story Course for my birthday. I would love the benefit of mentors but the price point is not one I can swing right now.
If we were having coffee I would tell you I was a little disappointed I wasn’t able to earn a scholarship to a writing conference. It happens and I will still keep writing. I was hopeful this time. I threw my hat into the ring so I am pleased with the effort.
If we were having coffee I would tell you my students did their Living History event on Wednesday. Children from the elementary school come and learn how to dip candles at our station. There is a fire where we melt the wax and my 8th graders do a skit to explain the process. They really did a great job and led the little ones well.
While we are having coffee, I will tell you the Bradbury Trio challenge is going strong as well. I am hoping the input of great writer words will influence my writing and help me hone my craft. I need to make sure I am savoring the writing and not just ticking off the poem, essay, and short story for the day. I was doing that with the books I was reading just to get the number. It doesn’t make it satisfying if I do it that way.
Do you need a refill on your coffee? I am going to get another.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I received my Small Beer Press publication on Saturday. If you have read my blog at all, you know I adore Kelly Link and her writing. One speech I watched she spoke about horoscope stories she had written for a friend’s Kickstarter. I found the booklet of stories for sale and have been reading them over and over. I will use it as a model to write my own.
If we were having coffee I would tell you I am nearing the end of the school year. The 31st is my last day. I have some training this summer but not too much. I am going to be teaching a workshop on Better Conversations at the end of July. I have a flash fiction writing class at the beginning of July I am super excited about as well. My birthday is in June too so that will mean a good dinner!
If we were having coffee I would tell you I finished reading a novel. I have not been ticking off the books like I have in the past since I am focusing on the Trio. I would recommend this book.
It was well written and there were some surprises at the end. It was a Book of the Month Club selection several months ago.
Here is the link to Eclectic Alli and her weekend coffee post and link up.
Every Tuesday I post a slice of life and share in the challenge at Two Writing Teachers.
Lately, I have noticed shadows of things that I thought were new to my life but actually are not. It is amazing what reflection can bring forth.
I think of myself as a reflective person, and not just at the end of the school year. I always want to learn and become better and reflection is a large part of this process in my opinion.
With my discovery of short stories and I being creative soul mates over the recent last couple of years, I did not think that I had that much experience with short stories before. I had no recollection of reading many of them in high school other than The Celestial Omnibus . I do have a special place in my heart for this story, which is why I suspect it stands out.
Yesterday, while looking for something else, I stumbled across my ELA folder from school. In my corporation, writing samples were saved in a district folder that followed you from elementary to senior year where it was given to you unceremoniously. I have kept it all these years.
Curious, I started thumbing through it and was reminded of papers I wrote for Macbeth and for Of Mice and Men…then I stumbled on papers in connection to short stories.
One is WINTER DREAMS by F Scott Fitzgerald. I printed it off and began reading. I don’t remember reading it at all! It was a trip down memory lane – slight skewed.
I wrote a paper about Judy Jones and her many personality aspects. It isn’t the most riveting paper I must say. I had strong opinions and did not like this character much at all!
I look forward to finding new stories to read that I have read before. It will be like the first time…again.
