A writer and woman I love and admire, Ms. Rebecca Leigh, teaches literacy (she’s a doctor – P.H.D., baby) and she wrote this incredible book for writers called Wounded Writers Ask: Am I Doing It Write. She recently created a beautiful, intuitive and inspiring website Wounded Writers Ask that offers info about her as well as the on-line courses she offers. I was quick to jump on board for her latest on-line course whereby I will be sent a writing prompt each day for one month. The goal is to write for 10-15 minutes in response to the prompt. Each day. That’s 10-15 minutes of guaranteed creative writing – each day. It will be a good challenge for me. I’d like to add that I’ll be using my timer to do these responses and only write for 15 minutes.

I’ve decided to do it this way for two reasons:  a) I want to practice my discipline with timed writing and b) I know that on most days, that’s all I’ll have to dedicate to creative writing! I think this will be really fun and, I hope, an experience that help me discover something new about my self and/or my writing. Guess what – you guys get to come along the ride with me. I hope you enjoy what I write!

And, know that it is unedited and completely in the moment writing..so there may be typos and grammar issues (probably very likely!)…but that’s what’s fun about this type of practice! If you are enjoying the prompts, please connect with Rebecca’s site (here it is again!) and participate yourself!

Here we go:

My real name is __Vanessa Marie Beaulieu____

Yesterday my name was ___Mo-om!___

Today my name is __woman in the hat____

Tomorrow my name will be _Mo-om!_____

My name once was __Fatty___

In my dream my name was ___a moan from a man’s mouth___

My __dog___ thinks my name is food

Secretly I know my name is __Mrs. Cruise___

Now I have to pick a word: She asks Miller to give her a word:

HAPPY!

Tomorrow my name will be Happy! I will keep my face shaped in smile. I will wave hello and hug goodbye. I will not have road rage – or maybe I will but I’ll have it with a smile on my face.

Tomorrow my name will be Happy! And I will find myself pretending that I feel that way during moments when my heart betrays my face. I will be good at pretending. I will wonder why I’ve connected smiling with happiness, and curse myself through tight-smiled lips for the challenge to be happy.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I will skip at least once – even if it’s raining and cold and I’m grumpy with shivers.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Even when the kids are driving each other crazy which in turn will make me crazy, and I will say to them ‘Love each other! Be Happy!’ – and they will get freaked out because I won’t stop smiling.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! And realize that it makes people uncomfortable to see me smiling so hard. I will also learn that real smiles look different than fake smiles.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! My face will hurt from smiling all day when I put my head to my pillow, and finally let my face fall into the place it truly wants to be.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I will laugh like I always do.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Because I’ll have another writing prompt that will challenge me to write and write for 15 minutes even though my wrists will burn with carpel tunnel (is that how you spell it? is it really a tunnel?) and I may get goofy by the end of it.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I will see the world through ‘Happy!’ coloured glasses and it probably (hopefully) look the same as it always does. At least, most of it.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Even when I’m doing groceries and spending money and that always makes me feel anxiety. What does anxiety feel like if my face is smiling and I’m Happy!?

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Has anyone every named their child ‘Happy!’ Imagine? That would be pretty cool. There’s Happy Gilmore…is that the name of the film?

Tomorrow I will be Happy! It’s Friday!!

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Which is making today feel different.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I’ll wish that I had long hair I could twist into braids and silly high ponytails…that would make me happy.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Even though my bones ache and muscles are yelling at me for all the ballet I’m pushing on my body.

Tomorrow I will be Happy ! Did I mention it’s Friday? I love Fridays!

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I might buy and eat (devour?) a Cadbury Creme Egg because they are so damn delicious. #TeamCreamEgg

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I will think of Hugh Jackman’s very fit body. Indeed, I’m smiling already.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! I will dream about having 17 books published. At least.

Tomorrow I will be Happy! Even if it’s pouring rain because my face will be pouring smiles.

—–FIN—–