Lisa Tener's Blog: Lisa Tener's Writing/Publishing Blog, page 15

Day 12: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

My list for today included many places I’ve wanted to visit for a long time—India, Iceland, Utah—and a few I briefly glimpsed and wish to really see—Mount Shasta, Thailand. But the last entry surprised me—Israel. You could say I’ve internalized my parents’ fear of danger there—from the violence and bombing throughout my childhood. You’d be...  Read more

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Day 11: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

Today’s prompt stirs memories of my cousin’s bar mitzvah—all the ancient relatives from my dad’s side that I’ve never met before, or met once or twice. I’m eight or eleven and confused by all these seeming strangers. I feel particularly embarrassed when Grandma Stella sings. Her intense emotion makes Barbara Streisand seem tame... …Now that...  Read more

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Day 10: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

I love to write in the morning but it’s rare that I wake pre-dawn. Today’s prompt reminds me of a particular summer morning before or after ninth grade when I woke particularly early. While everyone else slept, I wrote in my journal. I lay in bed in our old Victorian New Brunswick summer house along...  Read more

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Day 9: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

I made my list of quirky character traits for Day 9 after writing in my dream journal and felt utterly uninspired to turn my traits into actual characaters. Or maybe just resistant. I hadn’t attempted fiction in ages. Or maybe I just wasn’t ready… Who am I to judge myself? Or anyone, for that matter....  Read more

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Day 8: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

Today’s meditation “Explore Your Inner Garden” came to me during a writing retreat at Kripalu Yoga and Conference Center. I was working on another book (the one I plan to publish next) and the whole garden metaphor came up as an inner landscape we can use to tap into our creativity and explore at will....  Read more

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Day 7: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

Today’s meditation, “Meet Your Muse,” is one of my favorite ways to help writers connect to their creativity and inner wisdom. I taught my writing coach this meditation so she could lead me through it whenever I am searching for answers. In today’s exploration, I journeyed to my muse. I felt the sun on my...  Read more

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Day 6: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

I would think that a rejuvenating activity would inspire rich exploration. But not on Day 6. I write my list and don’t feel like doing anything on the list. Instead, I skip to Day 7 and come back to my list the next day. I add “write dreams” to the list and write a short...  Read more

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Day 5: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

Today’s list-making prompted a list of a few of my favorite animals, as well as some animals that intimidate me, like the coyotes I hear baying outside my window on cold winter nights. When it came time to write, I combined a few of the animals. Coyote and owl became a “coyowl” and deer and...  Read more

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Day 4: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

I like to write in bed, first thing in morning. As I worked with today’s prompt, I ended up writing about my dream journal, where I record the night’s dream(s) and my associations and insights. As I write one scene, often more scenes surface. I might remember and write four or even five scenes on...  Read more

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Day 3: October Journaling Adventure with The Joy of Writing Journal

Returning to my day 3 list of things that spark joy, I’m struck by the very first entry “eating violets.” Violets taste so….well…purple to me. But I didn’t journal about eating violets. My journal writing begins with a feeling of despondency, then the woods where I find “the fey green ferns, dappled sunlight, dark wet...  Read more

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