A writing challenge for the New Year

I joined in with the river of stones last New Year and it was a wonderful experience. It helped me to pause and focus on things I would normally ignore. It prompted me to turn some of my small stones into longer poems and short stories. It helped to get my writing flowing and introduced me to many other talented writers. Join in, you won't regret it!

river of stones

Small stones

What is a small stone?
A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.
There are no strict rules for what makes a piece of writing a small stone, as there are for forms such as haiku. The process of finding small stones is as important as the finished product – searching for them will encourage you to keep your eyes (and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.
Kaspa & Fiona,  want to help you slow down and fall in love with the world through writing. 
Fiona is a published novelist, therapist, creativity coach, & is very fond of earl grey and home-made cake.
Kaspa is Buddhist priest, writer, therapist, drama enthusiast, & is still learning to play the ukulele.
read my small stone here

Pay Attention: A river of stones

During January I took part in an intriguing poetry exercise; to really notice one thing every day and write a 'small stone' about it. It was a calm, focusing exercise and I noticed some interesting things and some that were incredibly personal and helped me to gain some perspective in life.

The river of stones project is run by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita to encourage people to write short observational pieces (small stones) as a way of engaging with themselves and with the world. They are really interesting and kind people who have a mission:

Fiona and Kaspa

'We would love for people to walk around with their eyes, fingers, mouths, noses and ears more open. To enjoy writing things down. And to love the world a teensy bit more as a result.'

 

When I took part it was for the poetry aspect but I finished by finding a great deal of spiritual illumination. I would like to thank Fiona and Kaspa for their encouraging blogs and especially Fiona's very useful book that is a pleasure to read and it is free to download. So generous to share it like that : )

 

"Lorrie, who has pea-green eyes and mousey hair, lives in a narrow grey house and works in a call-centre in a grey office building. If you asked her whether she was happy, she wouldn't know how to answer you. Until she is shown something that's right under her nose, and which changes everything...

Lorrie's story is stitched through my brand new e-book, 'How to write your way home'. It also contains simple instructions to help you feel more connected to yourself & to the world, information on hunting & polishing small stones, advice on how to build a creative network & much more."

 

 

 

You can download 'How to write your way home' HERE

 

 I would suggest people take part in the next project in July because it is really a wonderful experience, find out about the next river of stones project here

 

After the month was ended I was lucky enough to be selected to go into the River of Stones book! If you want to read my small stones and many other wonderful moments of observation, there is a link below.

Pay Attention: A river of stones