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The Story is You…

Psst…hey you…yeah, you…do you know the secret of storytelling…well, do you? Excellence in storytelling starts with you, the Shanachie (Storyteller).

Each story you tell, each story you hear, whether it is at home, at the store, or at work, keep it simple…oh, yeah, and listen to that little voice that lured you in at the beginning and tells you to add the following ingredients:

* 2 Parts Story - 1 part specific to you; 1 part from the your experiences

* 1 Part Time - Find it…don’t kill it, it never comes back

* A Smidgen of Belief - Children have plenty, borrow some along the way

* A Dash of Creativity - We all have it, some more than others

* Dollop of Ingenuity - Technology is big, but necessity still drives invention

* Pinch of Inspiration - Tougher to find these days, but look and keep looking

May today, and everyday, breathe excellence for you…

Are you a poet looking for a place to land your verses…Check out our Poetry Contest

Quote - Success & Mediocrity

“Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.”

Lily Tomlin

Quote - Where Imagination Leads

“Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity.”

L. Frank Baum

Quote - Character & Circumstances

“The character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Short Story Topics - Calming Waterfalls

Short stories are simple and center around specific objects, places, or people. Calming waterfalls are good for places fantasy, romance, or simple fish stories. Plan your plot, choose your characters, seek your setting…Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Poetry Topic - Colorful Nature

Sometimes poetry topics hit us when we are just watching what lies around us…Color, nature and waterfalls are a big part of writing and inspiration…Be creative look for symbols and intensity within the photo to paint you own picture in words…Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Other Intensity in Nature resources:
Robert Frost and Laurie Lee Compared
Faraway Place Poem
Nature Poems
Poems About Nature

Quote - Character & Experience

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

Helen Keller

Quote - Reading

“Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you.”

Harold Bloom

Short Story Topics - What are they thinking?

Sometimes, pictures are not enough to purge a story from the depths of your mind…you have to go beyond the pictures themselves and ask questions about the subjects or objects within the pictures. You may see some simple penguins…simple in a picture, but when you imagination takes over, they are waiting in line for a local night club…they are waiting to see the humans…Or, perhaps, they are just waiting for Godot…you decide…Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Other Penguin Short Story Resources:
New Zealand Penguins (Not a story, but helpful)
Sea Voices
Penguins Christmas Coloring Page

Poetry Topic - Cardinal

Poetry whispers through the many breezes…It connects us to ourselves and nature. Words that can only bring you so far in your inspiration…sometimes, pictures excite our emotions more than initial words can create… Think you the picture below…live the setting, experience the conflict, live and evoke the emotion. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Other Cardinal Resources:
Cardinal - Authorsden
Cardinal Poem
A Cardinal Influences Peripheral Sight