IT’S ALL ABOUT . . . ALLOWING GRATITUDE TO INFORM YOUR WRITING PRACTICE

by Melissa Stoller


​Last year, I wrote a post titled, “IT’S ALL ABOUT WRITING WITH  . . . GRATITUDE.” Check that out here. Our world has changed dramatically since then, but there is still room for being grateful. 
 
Here are a few tips for bringing that thankful feeling into your writing this season:

​1) Read some beautiful picture books that encourage kindness and gratitude. Two examples are Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, and We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell. Use these stories as mentor texts.

2) Take a walk in your neighborhood. Notice nature: a garden in bloom, birds tweeting, snow-capped mountains, the roar of the ocean. Notice man-made creations: a skyscraper reaching toward the sky, a bridge making connections between places, a library. Use these observations to spark a writing idea.

3) Read through your manuscripts in progress. Be thankful for the progress you are making since you first started writing, in the past year, or in one particular draft. Think about where you are going in your writing journey. Prioritize and plan. Perhaps say thank you to yourself for the lovely words you have written already.

​I hope these suggestions help cultivate a mindset of gratitude in your writing practice. Let me know what you think in the comments.
 

BIO:

Melissa Stoller is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island (Clear Fork Publishing, 2017); and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush and Ready, Set, GOrilla! (Clear Fork, 2018 and 2020). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Regional Ambassador for The Chapter Book Challenge, a Moderator for the Debut Picture Book Study Group, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, and a founding member of The Book Meshuggenahs. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer and editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and long beach walks.


CONNECT:  

https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog 
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
http://www.twitter.com/melissastoller
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