Making Spirits Bright

Welcome to the final installment of my four-part holiday series, “Making Spirits Bright.”

Part #1: One enchanted yuletide; Part 2: Peace & Light workshop; Part 3: A Soul Journaling Service to honor the Winter Solstice with Marcy Farrey

Self-help author Louise Hay said the Universe loves gratitude. The more you’re grateful for the good that is in your life, the more good you get to be grateful about.

Chances are you’ve read someone’s book or article that inspired you—something that had you cheering from the sidelines or maybe in tears. But have you ever thanked the author, outside of a brief online comment? Wouldn’t it be fun to show your gratitude?

Being a stranger, you might feel too shy to connect. In fact, you might try to talk yourself out of commenting, thinking that “Surely, other people tell this person how great they are all the time.” But what if they don’t?

This is exactly why I launched my Thank You Notes to Writers campaign.

At least once a month, I email someone whose work I’ve appreciated. Usually, it’s about something they’ve written on Substack, Medium or LinkedIn. And even though we have never met, the emails I send to authors are never anonymous. I want people to know I am a real breathing human being who truly appreciates their efforts.

Are you looking for a meaningful end-of-the-year activity? Write a thank you note to your favorite author!

Step One: find their website, along with their email address or contact form. For your convenience, here are the links to some of today’s most popular fiction writers:

Mitch Albom, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Dan Brown, Michael Connelly, Fannie Flagg, Neil Gaiman, John Green, John Grisham, Stephen King, Karen Kingsbury, Dean Koontz, Debbie Macomber, George R.R. Martin, Stephanie Meyer, James Patterson, Jodi Picoult, Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, R.L. Stine, Amy Tan, Alice Walker

Step Two: compose a heartfelt thank you note. Here are some thoughts you might express:

• How their writing has inspired your own writing.

• Characters or lines that you absolutely love.

• How their writing has personally improved your life.

• Examples of how their words make your heart sing.

When you’ve finished writing your note, take a deep breath and click that “Send” or “Submit” button. That’s Step Three. Now, doesn’t it feel good to make a writer’s spirit bright?

WRITING PROMPT: Besides sending thank you notes to writers, how can you raise the vibration of the planet with your words?

Every January 1 throughout the world, hordes of human “polar bears” make a mad dash to icy waters for a quick plunge.

Why do they brave the elements and the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia? Some say it’s a way to combat depression. Others claim it is a spiritual experience, but I suspect it’s even more than that.

They take the plunge for one of the same reasons writers write: they want to prove they’re alive.

From a writing perspective, winter has always been a productive time for me. I have lived in some of the coldest places on earth but I always managed to find a colorful cafe to keep me warm and writing during the season.

Even if this meant I had to trek for half a mile through glistening, hip-high snow, I’d “soldier on” because I knew I would be bringing home an old notebook full of brand new thoughts!

To create a shiny new writing project on New Year’s Day, writing as much as you can from 12AM to 11:59PM.

The ball has dropped, the toasts are finished, and now it’s time to get busy and write.

Are you thinking about writing your first book? A play? A poem? Twelve new articles for Substack, one for each month? The New Year Writing Challenge is a great way to get started!

Twenty-four hours is a long time to write nonstop, so here are three possible schedules to aid writing productivity and wellness:

SAMPLE SCHEDULE #1

• 12AM-6AM ~ Write (with 5-minute breaks every hour)

• 6AM-9AM ~ Nap

• 9AM-2PM ~ Write (with 5-minute breaks every hour)

• 2PM-5PM ~ Nap

• 5PM-12AM ~ Write (with 5-minute breaks every hour)

SAMPLE SCHEDULE #2: Follow the Pomodoro Technique, writing for 25 minutes with 5-minute breaks. Every four hours, increase your break time to 20 minutes.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE #3: Write for 45 minutes with 15-minute breaks.

Write whatever you wish, using the word freezing as the first word in your first sentence.

Here’s an example:

Freezing is not my idea of a good time. I’ve lived in some of the coldest places on the planet and as I grow older I find myself less tolerant of icy cold temperatures. I remember watching people do that crazy Ice Bucket Challenge and I could almost feel their goosebumps through my television screen. Their shocks and shivers were for a good cause, but why couldn’t it have been something less painful, like a Chocolate-Bunny Eating Challenge? Now THAT’S something I could sink my sweet teeth into!

Whenever you feel blocked, try an “icebreaker”(aka writing prompt), like this:

Here’s a writing example:

The last time I felt really, REALLY cold was during a blizzard a few years ago when the power was out for several days. Nick was in England and couldn’t get home because of the bad weather, so it was up to me to keep our kitties warm. Luckily, we have a fireplace, even though it doesn’t warm up the second floor. Wrapped in an icy cold blanket, I stayed awake for over 24 hours feeding the fire with wet logs and old bills. The fire kept going out and the kitties and I were miserable.

Ready for more “icebreakers?”

• Write about your favorite New Year’s Day tradition.

• Write a story about planting and nurturing a tree.

• Write about the first time you knew you wanted to become a writer.

• Write a letter to yourself about the top three writing resolutions you intend to accomplish this year.

• Write a story about how the world will change on January 1st.

• Write a one word summary on how you feel about the previous year.

• Write a list of all the things you are happy to release from the previous year. (Example: dried up writing pens dead batteries, expired canned food and spices, leftovers in the freezer, raggedy old towels, toxic people, unwanted pounds)

• Write about the colors of winter. Which colors have you seen so far? How do they make you feel? Do they have a smell or taste?

As we prepare for a new chapter in our lives, please remember that you have your own unique writing voice. No one writes like you. No one thinks like you. No one has experiences exactly like you.

May you be blessed with an abundance of words, creativity, and confidence throughout the New Year!

Blessings,

Eleyne-Mari