Wednesday 12 June 2013

A letter to my 16 year old self #rawwrites


Photo: A letter to my 16yr old self...check out my blog for #rawwrites week1 write up. awrittenrevolution.blogspot.com.au
Dear Joey,

So you’re reading a letter from the future in your present, crazy huh. I’m sure you’ll sit a while and try and grapple with the situation before just agreeing that the notion is sweetly quirky and you’ll go for it- you just won’t tell anyone for fear of them finding out you’re a bit different! Well sweet I’m here to tell you, lots have changed and also, some not so much.

This year and next you will find some of the toughest years and you will feel like giving up plenty of times but you know that you are far stronger than your silly, frustration, ‘heat of the moment’ words and actions. Don’t forget what you have already learnt so far- you are never alone, you learn from every experience and you are a good person.

Don’t let people dictate who you are. Care less what they think and remember when they are ‘having a go’ that they are insecure in who they are and really they just need some love and support. Try and give it to them, but be prepared they mightn’t accept it or be pleasant about it, popularity and accepting help don’t go hand in hand. That’s not your fault, that’s just teenagers.

When you succeed in things celebrate them. Don’t let anyone stop you from shouting from the rooftops that you are good at something, you deserve to do that for working hard. Cherish the moments with your sister and brother because before too long you’ll be in different places missing each other and realising how important now really is. Most of all though this is what I want to say:

Boys don’t know what to do with themselves, teenager or adult, stick to your loves and the right people will come to help, hurt and love you just when you are meant to receive them. Whether they hurt you or not they are all blessings, you are going to grow from those experiences exponentially and you will learn how much you are loved in different ways, so don’t stress about it. Life will have ups and downs but it is in far better hands than you fully fathom yet. Don’t ever stop doing what you love regardless of the pay check you would receive from it, money isn’t worth anything when you’re playing with your own happiness. Go and travel as soon as you can, soak up as others’ cultures and then do it again and again.

Finally, it’s great that you have high expectations of yourself but let loose girl. Let yourself off the hook and remember life isn’t one whole big goal, something’s just go belly up and that’s ok, there’s nothing wrong with you.

Love,
Your future 27year old self
 

Sunday 9 June 2013

The Raw Writes Project #rawrites

I'm wondering, how many of you have tried to write a letter to your younger self (a project inspired by DearMe.org) ? I have written journals since I was 7 and I still have all of those journals bar a couple and I've frequently thought about that project. I've also thought about what I would say/write to my kids (when i have them) come graduation time, either at school or higher education institutes, plus the sadder things of...if I could be granted the time to write my 'wishes' for those closest to me when I left them, what would I say & I suppose more importantly..what would I leave out?

A few years ago I wrote an auto-ethnography. This is a piece of work that looks at your life from several axes. It could be cultural, religious, geographical, social or environmental. But it all boiled downed to..how are you, you. I found the experience superb. You gain so much from learning more about yourself and you can also see what underpins your writing..because as most writers will tell you, whether it is intended or not, parts of ourselves get revealed in our writing.

Anyway, thinking about my previous project (Every Day in May) and the DearMe project I decided to come up with something different. It is NOT a 30 day challenge it is a way to motivate you to write from the inside, out. It is not arduous but emotionally it could be, either way it'll be great! So please do join me! This is what I've got...

My 5 week project that strips writing bare & will impact you & others. Join me...for more go to my blog! #rawwrites #literature

5 weeks- 5 tasks, 1 per week.

You can take as much time to complete as possible in each week. However you are only required to do one post per week. To link up with each other attach the hashtag #rawwrites & the image above. The tasks are below:

Wk 1- a letter to my 16year old self. If super keen upload to DearMe.org. While you're there check out the other letters. Super brilliant reads!

Wk 2- life's wishes; a note/s you'd leave on the kitchen bench if you knew the days left in your 'lot'

Wk 3- reader handover- if you are a blogger request a topic of your reader's choice. Keep promoting your page via link ups/guest posts if necessary to complete. Not a blogger? Ask a friend/ family member to pick a topic for you. Photograph the reader request.

Wk 4- descriptors- if you could give yourself advice on anything right now only using descriptive words what 8 words would they be? List them.

Wk 5- write the inside of a card to your 'child' (your own or sibling if childless) who is about to experience a massive event (graduation, wedding, first baby). For this task you will also design the card showcasing your creative, design side.

I hope you enjoy the project & unravel a little more of the crux that makes you a good writer/person etc.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Tips to improve writing

Hey there readers, how's your week going? First I would like to say that its so lovely to have new people coming here to read. Lately I've had a few people ask the question..how do you write and how come you enjoy it so much? So today I'm going to answer you...

When I was younger & even as a 'new' professional I always knew where to place my words and that everything made sense (unless of course I was making a brain snap or forgot to edit-rarely since I dorkily enjoy it) but never could explain why. That is until I went to a literacy course a few years ago and got to know linguistics.

Linguistics is a field of mass information but when understood helps to create beautiful writing; fabulous sentences and hence blissful texts. Although I loved poetic devices etc it was essential to know the nuts and bolts as its own subject. Enter prepositional phrases, adjectival clauses, connectives, conjunctions, present and past participles and I've already probably got some people confused. But alas, acquaint yourself with these little munchkins and you're in for a literary treat! To save mass confusion in a complex world of words here's a few tips and strategies to get your story writing better.

1. Get to know Master THEME and RHEME. Theme used to be taught as the base moral of a story- this is out (though moral/invited readings as still very much important to the teaching of reading/writing). The most important thing is that people know the theme is the beginning of the sentence up to the first noun. Why know this? Well because what you preface the sentence with indicates to the reader what/who is the most important noun and therefore what the whole sentence should revolve around. Who is master RHEME you say? He is everything AFTER the theme up to the full stop. You can layer your writing in a theme/rheme pattern to create cohesion however doing this constantly makes for a rather 'heavy' piece of text bogged down by too many words.

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2. Adjectives & adverbs. Lovely little cherubs they are but how do we use them for good? The biggest thing here is not so much the use of them but the placement of them in association with the noun (adjective) or verb (adverb). Do you want to state 'he quickly ran' because you want the image to be of quick movement or do you want to say, 'he moved from the back if the room to the front quickly' ...if its the later the pace isn't really that important. Be aware though you can overload your readers with too much description that the message is lost.

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3. Senses- I've said it before & I'm saying it again. When you write keeping in mind your 5 senses you will engage people who respond to texts in different ways. The example below is done while thinking about coffee (yes my addiction shines through again).
Eg: sight- the coffee was caramel in colour, it reflected my tired face and was deliciously decorated with chocolate dusting.
Taste-the coffee immediately warms my lips & the back of my throat, it has full flavour.
Smell- freshly ground coffee and chocolate granules waft up through the nose.
Touch- the coffee mug feels heavy in the hand as I lift it up for a drink. The smooth ceramic is warming my hands.
Hear- as I drink I hear my throat clunk open and close as I let the coffee into my stomach but the time the mug clinks the table again I'm ready for another sip.

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Well, that is it for now...there is much more I would like to share with you what I have learnt and use regularly, however I'm not a fan of information overload & I bet you aren't either! So let me know, if these tips help you and what tips you follow when writing as well! Till next time...

Happy Writing :)

Sunday 2 June 2013

Something you won't forget...

So it's bonanza time where I dazzle you with my mass amounts of amazing writing and you hoard to AWR in seconds. Here goes...

Day 25- best compliment ever received was someone telling me that 'I'm stunning in the way that light shines out of my smile' ...I think that's because I don't know how I do it & so I sit their perplexed imagining light beams from a face & begin giggling.

Day 26- Online reads...

There's plenty that I sink my teeth into online, typically other people's blogs, fitness/health pages, but lately I've been looking at this...War Horse- the stage production. This has been read frequently because I started to fall in love with this production in the UK where I was lucky enough to be cruising around the Queen's Calvary yard when they brought in one of the horses used for the production- and as an amazing twist, that very horse is now coming to Brisbane, Australia. So I can fall in love with the incredible masterpiece of design all over again (haven't seen the production but the horses themselves are a sight to be seen).

Day 27- A letter to my readers.

Dear Readers,

I hope that you have been enjoying the journey with me but more importantly I hope you have gained a passion for literature even if for just a moment.

I hope that you continue to be inspired by the wealth of magnificent writers around and those novices, like myself, that provide you with something extra.

Reading and literature is profound in that it hits people's hearts differently and sometimes even after its read more then once, it reaches the same person differently twice.

My only wish is that one day I can influence even one person to be motivated to write; and produce work that is worthy of these emotionally tiered responses.

Your unknown Qld writing blogger pal,

Julia

Day 28- pictures say a thousand words and this day was my Dad's birthday. Whole family sick or not we made it through!





Day 29- Five songs to bring back a memory

1. Downtown by Petula Clark; Mum's favourite sing a long song when cleaning on a Saturday morning whilst growing up.

2. Walking on Sunshine- first song I performed in front of close friends who were totally sober- so it was super nerve racking.

3. Sway; the song I sang a duet with my sister with when we were kids whilst sitting in the hallway; it then prompted her first song writing session. Talented lady she is.

4. Another one bites the dust- made popular by Gladiators which was adopted for backyard fun. It was a common place song between my brother, sister and I.

5. Amazing Grace- the song that makes me cry all the time. Grace is something that when you truly experience it, softens you and makes you instantly humble.

6. You raise me up- a song to remind you you're never left alone and my life is testament to that. Also mass tear jerker.

Day 30-time to let go!


Monkey bars. To take one moment forward you have to:

TRUST
HAVE FAITH
HANG ON

When you get to the other side its exactly the same; as you do it all again.

Whether life throws you monkey bars or a colleague who chooses to be nasty to you and blames you for office stationery deficits letting go is ALL THE SAME. It requires the same courage and belief in yourself and trust that everything will be sweet. The difference? Bigger things are harder. Should letting go be harder then? No. But it is. Eg: Loss of a family member or an event that caused you particular stress. The BIGGEST most important thing that MUST be stated is that letting go is NOT weak, its NOT 'not allowed.' Its important for you- it shows strength of your character- after all, who are if you are worried about something as petty as a plastic fork you once borrowed and forgot to return. It's a fork!

And why does it matter that your husband forgot to put the toilet seat down? Wouldn't you rather put it back down for 40 years than live with a miserable yet OCD cleaning man? I would! PS ladies, that's not a trick question.

The third part I want to talk about is crying. Crying is OK! Let the 'boohoo' out. It's good for you. It'll make you feel sane and by letting yourself do it (even braver if you let someone in to witness it) you will feel a million bucks. We were designed to have tear ducts for a purpose, so people...let yourself go!



Day 31- a vivid memory

So many to choose from that are epic but I choose this one...walking away from my family knowing I was choosing to live in London. I was so sad yet it was such a joyful time. Life really needed a turning point and walking away (not from family) but many things that I was previously unhappy with and beginning a new chapter...fabulous! Even better that I was doing it on my own!