Wabisabi, and Writer's Link Up Details

I'm in the zone with blogging now - it's that feeling you get when whatever you do brings you enormous joy and feels very rewarding. 

I want to thank fabulous Dana of Dana Loves Fashion and Music for inviting me to participate in her beautiful project called Wabisabi - you can read about the project and why it has such an unusual name, and also see my feature HERE. It's such a wonderful chance to be introduced to a wider circle of bloggers and readers and make new friends. Dana is very kind, and makes everyone feel welcomed and appreciated. I learned about many wonderful new-to-me bloggers through Wabisabi, as well as enjoyed my dear blogging friends warmhearted features. Wabisabi is easy to join at any time, please visit Dana - she is looking for you! 

I keep forgetting to update you on the Mother and Daughter Look Alike contest. Our photo did not win the main prize ($300 gift certificate to the spa), but! The official announcement states that all the participants will get 1 free day at the spa, for our efforts, which would be a wonderful little treat. So at the end, all win. Just as I like it. Thank you so much for your votes, dear friends!

It's a very intense creative time for me now - beyond experimenting with my outfits and writing for my blog, it is also time for me to grow in other directions. Interestingly enough, I have just mentioned that I want to grow as a writer in my interview with Sylvia of 40plusstyle.com, and boom! - I start expanding my writing. I showed you my first poems in English here and here, and my online "writer's group", or writer's link-up will go live very soon. (Look for details below.) I'm very much looking forward to your joining in! I love the idea of short stories - it is a great exercise in concise expression of your ideas and sharpening your writer's quill. I will be open with you - I'm very nervous and self-conscious about publishing my fiction - and writing fiction in English especially, because it is brand new to me. I'm definitely pushing myself and sometimes I feel afraid. But I also feel brave.

I decided that the only way to fail is to not try! I think we all feel afraid and we all are nervous when it's something that matters to us a lot. And writing matters to me more than any other artistic expression. I know that even well-known writers get blocks - fear of a new white page... What if they won't write anything significant any more? So I am learning to look at this fear as just something that comes with the whole package of being a writer (and perhaps an artist, in general). Doubts, fears that we're not good enough, that our inspiration is not endless, jealousy... I suspect that all artists feel jealous, at least a little bit, when they see good stuff created by fellow artists. It's quite natural and inevitable, to some extent. But we also can be sincerely happy for each other's talents and growth, and we can share the journey together! Writing is a lonely craft, and we all can use a little support now and then.

I never want our "writing group" to became something competitive. As long as we have fun, play and grow, each in our own way, we are all winners here. 

So please keep your eyes open for the writer's link-up! 

I've decided to go with a short and straightforward name which is easy to remember:

WRITE AND LINK.

The first Write and Link will go live on my blog on May 26, 2015 (providing I'll figure out the technical part) and will stay open for one week. In that post, I will also provide you an opening phrase for the next month.

Write and Link is a new link-up party here, on In The Writer's Closet, and it is all about writing short stories. It is not a fashion/style link-up! It is up to you whether you post text only or illustrate your text with images of your choice. 

I invite you to create a short work of fiction (1000 words or so) in the genre of your choice (here you can read an overview of specific genres). I do encourage you to write fiction, but if you are inspired to write a personal essay (non-fiction), I won't mind. The most important is to have fun writing - play with it! 

How it works:

1. WRITE 

a short story, using an opening line for inspiration. 

May 2015 opening line is: "I opened my eyes. It was pitch dark around me".

Feel free to change it to better suit your story, but make sure you keep the essence. 

2. POST 

your story on your blog. 

Use 1000 words as a guideline; it's OK if your story is a bit shorter or longer.

3. LINK 

back to Write and Link.

4. SUPPORT 

your fellow writers: read and comment on each others' stories.

5. HAVE FUN 

with writing and reading!

I can't wait to read all the stories!!!

It will be an unforgettable journey, I'm sure.

Let's all have a blast!

Are you ready to sail?

Dress - Chico's (last year purchase, but still available on the web)

Hat  and cardi (old) - Lane Bryant

Shoes - Crocs

Bracelet and earrings found at thrift shop and gift shop

Bag - via boutique on Bainbridge Island

Linking up with Visible Monday at fabulous Patti's

and Top of the World Style.

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