I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” ~Terry Pratchett
As I begin to add more layers to the skeleton of my second novel, I keep coming back to this quote by the iconic novelist, Terry Pratchett. Every time I get stuck and I don’t know what happens next, I close my eyes and I say these words out loud. It works for every part of the writing, editing, and revising process. I’m just telling myself the story, the richest, most inspiring, and truest story that I can create.
This. This is how you find your tribe:
some people
when they hear
your story.
contract.
others
upon hearing
your story.
expand.
and
this is how
you
know.
~Nayyirah Waheed, poet
Stand up straight, legs slightly more than hip’s width apart, hands on hips. This Wonder Woman pose is so powerful that if you do this for 5 minutes, it not only boosts your confidence but has been found to boost the confidence others have in your for as long as 3 hours later. I read about this in the book Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. I’ve been giving it a try for the last week, and I have to say I’ve seen a drastic difference in myself and others. Give it a try. Let me know what you find.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a paleontologist and dig for dinosaurs. Life didn’t work out that way for me, but I’m about to get the next best thing. On what I’m sure will be a sunny Friday, I’m going to visit the Edelman Fossil Park outside of Philly (my old stomping grounds) and spend time with Dr. Ken Lacovara, a scientist and author whose work I greatly admire. And along with a whole lot of kids, I’m going to roll up my sleeves and get down in the dirt in search of that glorious gateway drug to science: fossils. I can’t wait!
Christa Avampato 