For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

Lift a Line

Though not a new idea, it is a powerful one that is worth remembering. Borrowing a line from another author and seeing where it takes you is a great way to realize the endless options that can spring from a few words. There are poems, stories, articles, even environmental print that can provide that spark. Here was a recent Facebook post from a friend.  I lifted the first idea and took off with my own quick write:

May we raise children who love the unloved things- the crows whose song isn’t pleasing to the ear, the toy that sits in the bottom of the toy box waiting for eager hands.

Children who see the marginalized and left out and never think twice about welcoming them to the center-and if that center is too hot will move to the cooler margins and and chill with them.

And one day if they find themselves sitting in those margins may they, too be welcomed by others, so

maybe their children will live in a world with no margins

Ok, clearly this needs some revision-it’s a bit wandering. I thought I was going to go off in more of a nature-theme but then toys crept into my mind as I remembered my brother when we were young and we tried to make sure our stuff animals didn’t get left out in the toy box. He was a pretty sensitive kid. I think that was a prelude to his way of welcoming others who might feel left out. So in 5 minutes I started to explore these ideas. Not polished, but somewhat perceptive.  Give it a go! Take any piece of writing and see where your thinking takes you.