"F" Words

by Annette Cole Mastron

Fourth of July week often finds us appreciating the joys of summer. As your holiday develops, grab a notebook or your camera phone and record events of the day. 

Try to remember the funny hat and feed sack dress Aunt Susie had on at the family and friend finger lickin’ good picnic.  You'll have a picture and can write a whole paragraph about her. The placing of your family's flag on your front porch celebrates our freedoms as Americans. If your family cleans off the graves of fallen patriots and Cousin Josie gets chased by a cow while the whole family watches bent over belly laughing, a picture can help you build a chapter highlighting the event. As kids raid the freezer for Fudgesicles and the frosty frozen fudge goodness drips down their now chocolate faces; describe it in a scene for your next story. 

Does your neighborhood have a parade complete with fire trucks, floats where minor celebrities hang on for dear life? Children ride in a convoy on red, white and blue-decorated bikes with streamers fluttering on the handlebars and cards clothes pinned to the tire spokes? File in your mind, parents following to get candid photographs of the decorated bike winners. Savor the experience so you can write about it. Parades are almost passé, so it's worth writing into your stories.  

Is the Fourth a scorching fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk kind of day with fluffy fleecy clouds? Or will you escape the heat by retreating to catch the latest blockbuster film in the comfort of a freezing theatre? Do you celebrate by floating around at the closest swimming hole or pool? After the celebration of the day, when everyone kicks back talking in quiet circles, observe the peace and harmony of the day. Try to capture the day's activities by jotting some notes that you can later use in your writing. 

As suppertime approaches, food is reorganized, kids and grands awake from naps while the setup process begins for the evening fireworks. At dusk a firefly lands on your father's finger, he carefully finagles his catch in a Mason jar, complete with a holes-punched lid. Children pass the prized jar, laughing each time the glowing light appears and grows brighter as the evening falls. 

Scenarios abound for your writing. The trick is to remember so a few pictures or scribbled words in your notebook will help when all alone sitting at your computer with the blinking cursor. When fireworks begin, if you have a sound app you could record the boom a firework makes just before they light up the sky. Could someone time a murder and the sound of a shot to be completely covered by the firework boom? How will you the writer know if you don't record the sounds? Remember the Brian De Palma written and directed film Blowout with a young John Travolta ? About a "B movie" sound recordist in the right place at the wrong time, who records the sound evidence that proves a fatal car accident was actually murder, and is thrown into danger. Hey, writers, does this give you any ideas?

Holiday-only moments come about 10 times a year. I count Halloween and my birthday. Holidays are the perfect opportunity for a writer to develop an unlimited personal resource library of ideas and events that can be developed, enriching their work. So for me this holiday is all about the "F" words; Fourth of July, flag, freedom, funny, feed-sack, family, friends, finger-lickin’-good-food , fallen patriots, fire trucks, floats, fluttering, file, following, frosty frozen fudge-sickles, faces, fry, fluffy, fleecy, film, freezing, floating, father's finger, finagles, fireflies, falls, and fireworks. To name a few.

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This month Southern Writers is also celebrating our anniversary, and we want you to enjoy every page of our latest issue, for free!  You can access the online edition immediately at: http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/july-gift.html

Let's Get Real

by Carey Scott

Do you write with transparency and authenticity?

Do you give your reader an “insiders” view of your world?

Are you willing to be honest about your life…stumbles, fumbles and all?

You should be.

Why? Because when we are willing to be open about the struggles we face, it deeply encourages others. Something connects our hearts to the hearts of those who have overcome a difficult situation we are currently walking through. 

It gives us hope. And we all need a dose of that.

The late actor Christopher Reeve said, “Once you choose hope, anything's possible.” 

As writers, we have the opportunity to offer hope to the hurting by simply being…authentic.

When a writer decides to give the reader a peek inside their situation or circumstance, the result is a renewed hope things will indeed work out.

The reader’s strength is renewed.

How many times have you read, with endearment, an article about someone overcoming great obstacles that went on to live a life of contentment and purpose? We’re all drawn to those kinds of stories.

Not only did you find yourself rooting for their victory, you were able to see your situation in their story. And because they were able to stand through the storm, you were inspired to do the same.

Their life experience is powerful. And you know what? Your story is powerful, too.

It gives hope.

It encourages your readers to stand firm.

It proves that they can overcome. 

As writers, we can offer this to our readers. Our stories can give them the confidence freedom, restoration, change, forgiveness, etc. is possible. And when we openly share our lives with others, we become the poster-children for hope. 

So I wonder, what is your experience? What story in your life needs to be shared?

Have you overcome an addiction? Struggled with depression? Suffered the loss of a child? Faced a messy divorce? Survived a life of abuse? Beat the odds of an illness?

Friends, others need to hear your story.

When my family dealt with a difficult bully situation last year, I wrote a few very frank blogs about it. I shared details of what it looks like, the steps we took to rectify the situation, the emotional toll it took on all of us, and the results of our efforts.

The response I had was overwhelming.

I was awestruck by the number of people who were facing the same issue with one of their children. My heart broke hearing their stories. Countless people thanked me for my willingness to be real about what we were dealing with.

My authenticity gave others hope.

Yours will, too.

As a writer, are you looking to make an impact? Then purpose to write with honesty, transparency, candor and openness.

The world needs your words because they have the power to offer…hope. 
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An inspirational speaker and writer, Carey is honest about her life journey…stumbles, fumbles and all. Her goal is to challenge others to be real and authentic and she does this through her blog titled “Let’s Get Real”.  She’s a little in your face, always honest and relentless in prodding you to stop living a life of comfort and instead get on the battlefield.

Carey gets authentic with moms every Wednesday on Moms Together where she serves as a moderator and panelist. She also leads women through her position of speaker and writer for the LeadHer organization. You can connect with Carey online through Twitter and Facebook.  She is a happily married mom of two living in Colorado.