#ideas – Tammy L. Breitweiser

It’s FALL! #WeekendCoffeeShare

Thank you for joining me for a coffee chat today. I link up with Natalie the Explorer for the share every weekend.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I had to take a trip to Ohio this week. It ended up being a writing immersion two days for me. It was the first day of fall and glorious writing and reading time for me. I also had some time to catch up on my work with the Sarah Selecky Writing School Story Intensive. I was closely reading Aimee Bender’s novel The Butterfly Lampshade and I am captivated by her writing style. I then was able to sign up for a workshop with her that I took Saturday. It was a well spent 2 hours. The exercises were amazing, I was happy with my writing, and I found some other short story writers that are amazing who attended the class.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I have been continuing the walking after school. Writing time is in the morning and I feel much more like myself.

If we were having coffee I would tell you my PUSH group is continuing through The Artist’s Way. We had a bit of a detour since I was out of town but we are all good. These weekly hour long meetings are the heartbeat of my community. There is so much joy and energy each week.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I was able to be on the Centered call this week. Sarah talked about rejection and submission. There are a couple of stories in the hopper that have just been sitting there. I will give them a couple more read throughs and then send them off somewhere.

If we were having coffee I would tell you the weather has turned much cooler and I am thankful for it! Sweatshirts are back in the rotation! WHOO HOO!

I hope your week was amazing and full of things that bring you joy!

September 26, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 3 Comments

Holiday Weekend Coffee Share

Thank you for joining me for a coffee chat today.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I had to look back at my calendar to even recall all that happened. Such a contrast from the quarantine weeks. The thought of the individual and the collective have been on my mind and what this will mean as we move forward into the world. COVID is not over, several countries are in lock down again and there is a contrast to many people who have gone back to their normal life. It gives me a headache sometimes.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I had the open house at my new school. It was great to see students in the building walking slowly with their backpacks so excited to come to school. It was a late night however and that seems to zap my energy more than in the past.

If we were having coffee I would tell you my PUSH group started Week 1 last Wednesday. It is a great group of people and the conversation was life giving. They are the weekly hour long meetings that are the heartbeat of my community. There is so much joy and energy each week.

If we were having coffee I would tell you writing challenges started on Wednesday: Storyaday and September Sentences. I continue freewriting with my Sarah Selecky prompts. I am teaching with the Intensive this fall and that has been an amazing experience so far. We are in the middle of week 2 now.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I was glad for the holiday weekend and the extra day off. We went to a Brewer’s game yesterday. There is a roof and it was drizzling so it was closed sadly. The food at ball park is not even close to the caliber of White Sox park so that is disappointing.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I submitted a piece of writing this weekend. The last time I submitted it was May! I have not been in the same space to share my writing lately, and that is ok but worth examining.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I have a touch of dread moving into this week. I am not sure where it is coming from. The full blown school schedule will be activated which means later evenings a couple days a week. I walked Wednesday though Sunday last week. I will continue walking each day this week but will have to move the times around. It is quite dark at 4:45am. Tomorrow is a new moon so I imagine it will be darker than last week too!

I hope your week was amazing and full of things that bring you joy!

September 5, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 3 Comments

Weekend Coffee Share

Thank you for joining me for our weekly coffee chat today.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am loving my Wayhome Tarot deck. I learned about it from the Healing Thru Tarot podcast. The host is a Clinical Psychologist and I find her perspective smart.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am absorbing that my summer is now over. With the new position I am starting Monday so my summer was cut short by a week. I am thankful for the time before teachers and students come back into the building but an adjustment nevertheless. I have to pack up the books and items from my classroom and move it to my new office. Ugh, another move. I hope this is the last one.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am learning patience and how to transition back to regular life. I am welcoming new inspiration into my life like art and fashion design. It has been fueling for my writing and creative life.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am rewatching the Harry Potter movies! I loved the books and read them as they came out. I have watched them all in order in one weekend which was an interesting experience!

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am writing a story based on a tarot and writing class I am in and also with the DIYMFA Scriblandia prompts. It has been an interesting story with a hotel setting. I am struggling with the idea of having things more plotted out than normal. I always find a bit of resistance.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am reading which was also recommended by Healing Thru Tarot. I am also reading different short stories and poems of course.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I have kept up with my walking. The schedule will change next week due to work. The plan is to walk in the morning and when I come home.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you that I am examining the schedule in relationship to my PUSH groups. They are the weekly hour long meetings that are the heartbeat of my community. There is so much joy and energy in these meetings. We are looking at freewrites and what to do with them this month. Next month, we are starting The Artist’s Way. It will bring a great framework to the conversations.

I hope your week was amazing and full of things that bring you joy!

August 14, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 5 Comments

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 23

All month I am following Ray Bradbury’s self directed MFA by reading a poem, a short story, and an essay with the intention of using the idea of good words in = good words out. I welcome your comments, recommendations, and insights!

#10minchallenge

Join me for the July #10min challenge. Each day I will send you inspiration to create for 10 minutes a day. Change your creative life and create a habit. It is a low stakes challenge with levels of accountability! Join us here Sign up here!

June 23

Poem: While

Story: What Can’t Be Carried Should Be Left on the Side of the Road Chelsea Stickle

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg – A Long Chapter For A Short Practice

Reflections

The poem is odd and came into my email today. Here is the first stanza.

I go to drink the vending machine lights. I insert the coins I was fiddling with. I like how the machine lights up. I like shaking hands with paper cups. Warm as newborn quails. I like engraving teeth marks on the rim. I leave the cup on a chair. It becomes trash, becomes a letter.

The first line intrigues me and is a play on the idea that you go to a vending machine for something to drink. The idea of drinking light makes me think. There are observations of concrete details here that I can use in my revisions.

The story fascinated me when I read a draft of it in a class and I was drawn into the idea that there was a place you could go to scream. The compact nature of this piece inspires me.

I love these lines: Decades of screams raced out of her. It pressure washed her insides.

The essay from NG is about an exercise she poses to her students. To choose a place and write down what is happening at a cafe at the same time for a week. See what you observe. She does this exercise herself and she found out how much resistance it brought up for her and also what she noticed. It is an exercise I would like to try myself…maybe not for 7 days though! I need to find a cafe here. There is Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks of course but I would prefer a smaller place with a variety of baked goods!

Last night’s PUSH group was great and full of pulled lines to write with today. There were lots of great wins shared and we talked about what play meant to us. It was different for everyone ranging from things that were new to no expectations.

Do you want to join next week? Go here for the details: https://mailchi.mp/7a65558c8526/push

Happy Writing and Reading!

June 23, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 2 Comments

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 22

#10minchallenge

June 22

The amount of flash pieces that came out yesterday was astounding. So many writers I respect had pieces published. The SmokeLong Quarterly released their new issue (#72) and it is full of wonderful pieces.

Poem: The Summer Day Mary Oliver

Story: Undergrowth by Bowers

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg – Loving a Place

Reflections

I went with a classic Mary Oliver poem today because I wanted to read it. The last two lines are some of the most popular from Oliver:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Undergrowth is a story that won a recent contest from Smokelong. I love the way this story is organized and will use it to revise a memoir piece that I wrote based on some inspiration from Lidia Yuknavitch. It is an emotional piece.

The NG essay is about loving where you live. I have this feeling now that I live in Wisconsin. I think this also applies to the space you live in. You need to be comfortable where you spend your time. It needs to work for you. One of the things I will not give up next time I move is to have a fireplace. I love where we live now but I miss my fire!

Today’s reading is more about good word input rather than direct revision. I listened to Traci Skuce on two podcasts on my walk and found her revision conversations helpful.

Happy Writing and Reading!

June 22, 2021June 22, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt Leave a comment

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 21

How are we at the 21st of the month already???

July is Coming!

June 21

Poem: In a Place Where Trees Can Speak by Jane Brunette

Story: Hunger Pains (A bit racy…fair warning before you click)

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg – Lists

Reflections

The poem is from Jane’s poetry collection Grasshopper Guru. There is a rhythm and ease to Jane’s poetry that feels dream like and soft to me. There are images and then you sift through to reveal a memory of hers that you feel like you were let into from a peep hole. It feels magical.

In the story I love her opening line: Eating nacho-flavored cauliflower chips is like eating the crisp skeletons of dead leaves.

I like some of the lines and the lists and how she uses food, but the explicit nature of the piece is not my favorite. In something I read today she said she wrote it when she was hungry!

NG writes about the writing of lists and how they are simple but one of the backbones of writing. Whenever you don’t know what to write you can always come back to a list. She gives some opening lines to play with in this chapter. For revision, formulating a list opening line that corresponds with your story can open up a new way to look at it and add details.

What list will you make today?

June 21, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 1 Comment

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 20

For June, I am following Ray Bradbury’s self directed MFA by reading a poem, a short story, and an essay with the intention of using the idea of good words in = good words out. I welcome your comments, recommendations, and insights!

July is Coming!

June 20

Poem: Mourning

Story: Click Clack the Rattle Bag by Neil Gaiman

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg – Things to Draw

Reflections

This poem draws me in with all the objects contained within it.

This short story is one of my all time favorites. It is about 1400 words so not considered flash fiction. There is a moment in this story where you gasp and you realize what is happening. It is a story told through dialogue as well which I find difficult to pull off.

NG talks about drawing with words. Sarah Selecky talks about this a lot as well – the idea to describe something with words. Lean descriptions keeping close to the object and the senses. It can add to the experience for a reader.

What inspires you?

June 20, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt Leave a comment

Weekend Coffee Share

Thank you for joining me for our weekly coffee chat today. It has been a busy week!

July is coming!

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I am considering my July challenge. I am considering doing the #10min challenge again. It would be a low stakes challenge where I would send a prompt for 10 minutes of creativity. Let me know in the comments if this idea interests you! Sign up here!

If we were having a beverage today I would tell you I am continuing my Bradbury revision Challenge and am on Day 19.

For the month, I am following Ray Bradbury’s self directed MFA by reading a poem, a short story, and an essay with the intention of using the idea of good words in = good words out.

I welcome your comments, recommendations, and insights!

If we were having a beverage I would tell you this is what I read today:

Poem: Those Winter Sundays

Story: Mrs. Fox’s Wedding Grimm Brothers

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg Kiss

I just absorbed the words today mostly. I have been up since 2am and was able to go back to sleep but the essay was the one that resonated the most. NG talks about a passage she has read aloud at several places by William Kennedy. She uses the structure of his piece to encourage us to write our own.

She asks us to categorize something we have a passion for and then talk about a specific to us.She says to,” Break down category, idea, boundary. Follow your own trail out into the rain.”

What passion would you write about?

Her example is running shoes but even though I am a runner, that topic didn’t appeal to me.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you I attended Sarah Selecky’s FLOW class this week and it was amazing. The first session was about her classic writing exercises that put you into a state of flow. The second day she shared a more indepth exercise from Writing the Wave a book by Elizabeth Ayres. The third day she broke down more of the concept in the book FLOW by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and how they relate to the Story Intensive. I was about to get a copy of the WAVE book from my library. I will work with it this week. You can sign up for the Story Intensive until June 24th.

If we were having a beverage I would tell you that I had an amazing birthday on Wednesday. We went to a great White Sox game. There is always great food too. It was a long but pretty perfect day.

I hope your week was amazing and full of things that bring you joy!

June 19, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt 6 Comments

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 18

Welcome to Friday!!

For the month, I am following Ray Bradbury’s self directed MFA by reading a poem, a short story, and an essay with the intention of using the idea of good words in = good words out.

I welcome your comments, recommendations, and insights!

July is Coming!

Since it is more than halfway through the month I am considering my July challenge. I am considering doing the #10min challenge again. It would be a low stakes challenge where I would send a prompt for 10 minutes of creativity. Let me know in the comments if this idea interests you!

June 18

Poem: Subtraction

Story: Straw, Coal, and Bean Grimm Brothers

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg Story of Love

Reflections

This poem reminds me of the This + That book by Amy Krouse Rosentahl and the life equations I write with my students. One of my favorites I wrote is:

coffee+writing=Breakfast

There are several lines from the poem I am drawn to:

This is my temporary mind.

You taught me math

in color: “Red + Blue=Purple.”

Imagination is an intraocular organ.

The story is another Grimm brothers tale that I was not familiar with. I am drawn to it since it is told through objects. It is on the silly side I think and also has an ending that explains why beans have a black seam. It is quite short as well.

NG gives an assignment in the first sentence of this essay. Go for one hour, in the middle of everything, and write about your story of love.

She did this exercise with students on the 4th day of a silent retreat. Then after they read later she asked them: What did I find interesting about what I heard?

I will tell you after many guesses from the students, which were all wrong, she said simply she was glad they stayed writing for the whole time. She knew from this they were settled.

Then they brainstormed other topics for this exercise and noticed what was different about the list. One was growing tomatoes which was hyper specific.

Then she joked it would be chapter two of her new book.

This was a playful chapter to read.

The takeaway today is specifics in writing. Earlier in the week a podcast referred to the fact the more the writer is specific the more universal the message. It is much more interesting to hear about a specific detail from a writer rather than a generality.

In the story I was revising this morning I added to a list of objects contained in a zippered plastic bag a rock from the shores of Long Lake in Minnesota. These small details are important. The more odd and pinpointed the more they resonate and stay with you.

What topic would you add to a list?

NG added loneliness.

June 18, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt Leave a comment

Bradbury Revision Challenge Day 17

Welcome to Thinking Thursday!

For the month, I am following Ray Bradbury’s self directed MFA by reading a poem, a short story, and an essay with the intention of using the idea of good words in = good words out.

I welcome your comments, recommendations, and insights!

June 17

Poem:

Mothers I Once Was

by Kaveh Akbar

From The Paris Review

Story: The Three Spinning Women- Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Essay: The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg Seven Attitudes of Mindfulness + At The Beginning

Reflections

I love Kaveh Akbar’s poetry and was happy to see this poem show up in my inbox from The Paris Review. Of all the daily poem emails I seem to like the ones from this publication the most. It is a poem that I like the repetition of but not necessarily the poem as a whole. The last line: Mother who held on while it was happening. Is the one I like the best.

The story is a Grimm brothers tale is one I was not familiar with and is on the happier side which surprised me. A good deed is rewarded and not punished. There seems to be no twist of the knife that often arises in these tales. I like the rule of 3 but it is done differently. I am liking the idea of continuing the reading of the fairy tales. They are old and I love that about them.

The essay resonated with the Seven Attitudes of Mindfulness which I used in my newsletter for this week. The essay that followed the list is about getting out of your own way. She recommends writing practice for 2 years before you even think about a novel.

NG talks about writing as discovery. To take a topic and write about it in several timed writing sessions over time and then reread them. To follow the trail of the writing and see where it leads.

“Time lets the blood dry.” Isn’t that a fantastic line?

“The places where you were present almost glow off the page.”

“..eventually your path reveals itself.”

“Writing is magical, extraordinary, but we have to pick up the pen to run down the rails and catch that caboose.” This line caught my eye today because I was stopped by a train on my walk.

This project is causing me to rethink revision on a grand scale and what I even consider a draft. It is opening up a new level for me which is exciting.

What are you excited about today? It doesn’t have to be about writing!

June 17, 2021 by TammyB Categories: bradbury, Challenge, creativity, Mywriting, Questions, Reading Life, reflection, Short Story, Writing Challenge, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt, WritingLifeTags: #ideas, amwriting, bradbury, writing, writingprompt Leave a comment