Creativity

A Nonfiction Writing Meditation for Digging Deeper

March 3, 2021 by Lisa Tener

The most compelling nonfiction writing goes deep, whether self help (the vulnerability of Brene Brown), memoir (the uncensored, raw and self deprecating humor of Mary Karr) or other narrative nonfiction.

the art of memoir writing — Mary Karr’s raw and instructive book on writing memoir

Yet, I can remember as a young writer, still in college, wondering how to dig deep. I could do it when I wrote poetry or journaled but my prose seemed to stumble on the surface. As a book coach and book editor, it’s my job to help my clients explore deeper in each successive draft of their book.

Rage on the Page

Imagine the Taoist yin/yang symbol. In the center of the darkness is the seed of light and in the center of the light is the seed of darkness. A compelling story embodies both the light and the dark.

Your first draft may scratch the surface of things with a light touch. If so, your job is to uncover the stories and emotions that take us deeper.

Alternatively, your first draft may explode with anger or fear or sadness. This is an important step—for you to be in touch with your feelings and experiences. Go for it. Be true to where you are (or were then) emotionally.

writing deeper emotions — Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

It may take a few drafts, even, to fully express your feelings. That’s fine. Give yourself permission, knowing that much of this material may go bye-bye in successive drafts of your book.

But then…

The most moving and popular books take us beyond those feelings of rage on the page, or a two dimensional experience. They show growth and change in the narrator (you). In fact, when you experience catharsis in writing your book, you offer your readers the opportunity for their catharsis as well. A powerful healing for author and reader. This applies to anecdotes (in self-help or how-to books, for example), as well as narrative nonfiction.

How do you transform blame or resentment or rage?

Find the Light in Your Story

You’ve explored the darkness; now it’s time for the light to shine. Let’s return to the Taoist yin/yang symbol. In the center of the darkness is the seed of light and in the center of the light is the seed of darkness. Your villain (if your story has one) surely has the seeds of goodness, or maybe even several attractive qualities.

DonkeyHotey, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you can’t see it, dig into their past (or imagine it). What might make them feel so broken as to lash out and harm others? Who were they before their wounds and what happened to them? When you dig enough to understand that person’s motivation, you begin to have compassion for them. That backstory doesn’t necessarily need to make it onto the page but it will round out your experience of the person to three dimensions (or more!).

I recently referred a client to an editor who suggested she consider the character of her abusive mother. Could she find compassion for her mom? Can she imagine what drove her mother to become this way? Without that exercise, her mom is two dimensional and less interesting. The story lacks depth. The narrator remains in her prison of emotions from the past. And readers remain in a type of prison as well.

Once we start asking questions about her mom’s inner life, entire worlds open up with possibilities.

If your villain is circumstance, rather than a person, can you find compassion for yourself in these circumstances? Can you find the light, even in the times of darkness?

When I heard a radio interview with Julie Gregory about her memoir, Sickened, I originally thought, “That story is so dark; I would never read the book.” The mother is a monster and the circumstances so disturbing (her mom had her undergo dozens of surgeries and take multiple medications, a sickness called Munchausen by proxy).

Then a mutual friend, Jen Senecal, introduced me to Julie and I decided to read Sickened, which turns out to be an extraordinary story. What struck me is the narrator’s connection with nature and her occasional sense of humor in the darkest of circumstances. These healing balms uplifted the whole story (and me as the reader) and they create a strong voice that readers respond to.

You have the power to uplift your readers but first you need to walk the talk. Enter Metta Meditation, a powerful tool for transformation.

My Metta Story

meditation bowl for creativity — Photo by Conscious Design on Unsplash

Perhaps you’ve heard of—or even tried—Metta (Loving-Kindness) Meditation.

This meditation is quite powerful for transforming a relationship that causes you pain or challenges you. And it is an amazing tool for writing and life.

When I ran a nonprofit, at one point, I experienced the Chairman of the Board breathing down my neck and questioning each decision I made, micro-managing me. She had just been laid off from her day job and I had the feeling she thought she could do my job better than I could.

I may have been completely wrong about her perspective, but our interactions caused me daily stress and frustration. It left me feeling both threatened and unappreciated. I more than resented her. Underneath burned a fiery rage.

At that time, in yoga class, my teacher introduced the practice of loving-kindness or Metta meditation at the end of class. I practiced this mediation for a month and a miracle happened. Within 30 days I felt love—LOVE!—for this board member that I had previously experienced as a noose around my neck.

Surprisingly, the meditation not only changed me. This board member now treated me with more respect. The old dynamic fell away. Over the years our relationship grew and I developed a profound respect, admiration and affection for her. I “saw” her in a way I had not when my perspective was limited to my emotions of the moment.

How to Practice Metta as a Writing Meditation

Are you ready to experiment and see how a Metta writing meditation can transform you, as a narrator, and offer your readers their own healing, catharsis and insights?

There are many versions of loving-kindness meditation. These are the steps and words I use and recommend as a writing meditation for going deeper in understanding your characters.

The Steps

Sit in a comfortable position on the floor with legs crossed or in a chair, feeling the connection of your feet or buttocks to the floor and the way the floor (and earth) supports you.
Allow your spine to gently straighten.
With hands on your abdomen, below your belly button, breathe deeply through your nose into your belly, noticing the expansion on the inhale.
Exhale with a sigh.
Do this breath three or more times.
Then bring your attention to your heart center.
You’ll repeat the mantra of 4 or so lines imagining four different recipients of the prayer, starting with yourself, because you need to cultivate loving kindness for yourself before you can send it to others.

The Mantra

In this writing meditation, you send compassion to yourself, then to someone you love, to someone you find difficult or even hate or resent and then to “all beings.”

You can find many variations on the script. You can start with my wording and feel free to change it as you use it so that the words feel right for you (and inspire you).

The general gist is something like this:

May I be happy.
May I feel safe.
May I be free from suffering.
May I know peace.

Imagine sending this energy to yourself, focusing on your heart as you repeat the prayer silently in your mind. You may repeat it 3 times, or longer if you like.

After you say the prayer (or mantra) for yourself, imagine someone you love standing in front of you and repeat the prayer three or more times as you send love to this person. It can be someone in your story but doesn’t have to be.

May you be happy.
May you feel safe.
May you be free from suffering.
May you know peace.

Then, imagine someone you resent, hate or fear. Imagine this person standing in front of you. If you are doing the Metta meditation for writing, imagine your villain (or the person who you’ve been writing about with a narrow perspective). Repeat the prayer/mantra as many times as you did for yourself and your loved one.

May you be happy.
May you feel safe.
May you be free from suffering.
May you know peace.

Lastly, imagine all beings. From your heart, repeat this mantra:

May all beings be happy.
May all beings feel safe.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings know peace.

Your Turn to Practice & Transform Your Writing Experience

In some versions, the meditator will send loving-kindness to a neutral person before the challenging/difficult person. Feel free to add that step if it’s helpful.

Practice this Metta Writing Meditation for 30 days and see if it affects your relationship to the characters in your anecdotes, memoir or other narrative nonfiction. Does it deepen your understanding of them? Does it help you go deeper with your writing, while providing a sense of safety to you as the explorer?

Have you tried it? Share your experience as a comment below. Feel free to also share your tips, insights and writing (or publishing) questions.

If you’re looking for more tips on writing a memoir. Check out this interview with memoirist and Emerson College professor, Richard Hoffman.

Why Her Creative Muse Kept Waking Her at 1 am!

November 30, 2020 by Lisa Tener

Stephanie Meyers hadn’t planned on a “meet your creative muse” meditation. In fact, we got on Zoom to shoot a quick video for my forthcoming book, The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day.

After we shot the video, Stephanie confessed that she didn’t know what to do about a recent problem: her creative muse kept waking her at 1 am. I didn’t have an answer either. Usually, the inner muse wakes people when they haven’t been making time for their writing or creativity.

That wasn’t the case with Stephanie. In fact, she’d gone to her office on a Saturday to write her next chapter, undisturbed except for our video call.

The Pressure of Deadlines After Signing a Book Contract

After we had worked together on Stephanie’s book proposal last year, she signed with a literary agent and recently signed a book contract with New Harbinger Publications. She was now working away quite diligently on her chapters so as to meet her deadlines and her publisher’s expectations.

At a loss for why her creative muse kept disturbing her otherwise restful sleep, I suggested I lead her through the guided meditation I call, “Meet Your Muse.”

I guided Stephanie through the imaginary path in a meadow, into the woods and then a clearing with a little building within which her creative muse awaited.

“Ask your muse what it needs from you,” I suggested.

“Trust. Believing in myself. My muse says I’m wanting to please my publishing team and feeling like a little kid trying to please teachers by working in overdrive.

What the Creative Muse Needs

“My muse wants to me not to try so hard. To trust that my message is still available to me.

Creative Muse Gratitude journal — Your creative muse needs your gratitude

“As I think about it, I’ve fallen off the final step you taught us for creative flow—gratitude. I’m trying to get writing done. I need to resume writing with gratitude, not churning out batches. My muse says to stay with my purpose and the underlying reason I started on this journey.”

“My muse would appreciate respect, too. It’s waking me up in the night to prove that it’s working hard and helping me stay on top of my writing and the publisher’s expectations, while also letting me know that it wants its spirit to be honored in the process.”

How to Honor the Spirit of the Muse

“It’s eye opening to realize my muse just wants to be honored. The 1 a.m. wake ups were a sufficiently quiet time to get my attention, but consistently waking at that hour made me aggravated and perturbed.”

Creative muse wakes you up — Does your muse wake you up?

That’s when I prompted Stephanie to ask her creative muse how she could honor its spirit.

“My muse is trying to send me the message that it’s present, accounted for, okay.

“When it wakes me, I can make a sincere vow: ‘I see you! I know you’re here. We can rest now. We’ll join forces again in the morning.'”

“My muse says, when I signed the book deal, I prioritized deadlines and producing a product over my creative perspective and purpose. I feel a sense of relief, recommitting to feeling gratitude, embracing my creativity and honoring my muse whenever I write.”

Focus on Creative Gratitude

gratitude journal — Keeping a gratitude log

Stephanie created a daily gratitude log that she uses before and after writing. She said, “It helps me in so many ways! From finding my voice to collecting my energy and focusing so I can write with clarity. It gives me a boost of courage when I’m feeling vulnerable and helps me keep my commitments to myself, no matter how big or small.”

When her gratitude practice fell off, it impacted her writing. “I’m thankful you helped me revisit the muse exercise today because it led me to dust off my gratitude journal. It’s a fitting time of year to get back on track [with gratitude].”

How Will You Honor Your Creative Muse?

These questions may help you get back on track if you’ve been prioritizing productivity over creativity:

Are you pushing yourself to churn out chapters?
Are you honoring the spirit of your muse?
Do you remember to practice gratitude when you write?
What else helps you connect with your muse?

What can you commit to right now to honor your muse and welcome creative flow?

Gratitude and Writing Community

November 23, 2020 by Lisa Tener

It’s become tradition to blog my Thanksgiving gratitude list. Despite the challenges this year, I have much to be grateful for, especially this writing community.

I also want to acknowledge that some of my readers may be grieving. If that’s you, I hope your writing practice brings solace, sustenance and fulfillment, especially in this formidable time. May the sentiments herein expand your sense of community and support.

My Gratitude

Here are a few things and people I’m grateful for:

The health and well being of my family, including my beloved mother-in-law who made it through COVID-19.
Living in a place where we can easily walk and enjoy nature, perhaps my greatest source of inspiration and creativity.
The wonderful writers who join me two Thursdays a month to breathe, move and write together in “Get Your Writing Done.”
The success of several clients’ books that have been published this fall: Dr. James Zender’s Recovering from Your Car Accident and Dr. Michelle Braun’s High Octane Brain, knowing what a difference these books are making in the world.
My amazing friends, colleagues, clients, author-crushes and family who have joined me to create 30 inspiring videos for you that will come out January 20, with my book, The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day.
The enjoyment I’ve had in reconnecting with these friends and family as they share their beautiful energy in these short, fun videos.

Book Cover: The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes A Day

Creating a Joyful Multimedia Reading and Writing Experience

To share my next appreciations, I need to give you a little background about my upcoming book. When the idea first sparked—to create a journal for writers, one that makes it easy and fun to write, and helps create a daily habit (in just 8 minutes a day!)—I immediately envisioned including videos. I’d recommended this media-rich feature to several clients and referred them to my colleague Tamara Monosoff who helped them incorporate the videos in their books through a QR code that can be scanned with a phone.

Having witnessed the power of video and audio meditations in Lisa Langer’s Deeper into Mindfulness and singer/songwriter Carrie Rowan’s Tell a New Story, I knew this tool could create a richly textured and fulfilling experience for readers/writers.

I felt that during COVID, with people feeling isolated, it would be so lovely to have an infusion of fun, inspiration, authentic expression and joy before writing. Something positive—yet brief—to get things going before responding to the journaling or writing prompt.

Fostering a Writing Community and Receiving a Gift in the Process

I envisioned my readers experiencing themselves as part of this community of people I love and admire, and who inspire me. These writers range from 20-something recent college grads who blog or journal, to first-time published authors, and several wildly successful novelists who’ve won some of the book world’s most prestigious awards. I wanted to create a continuum of writing experience, where you can find yourself at any point along the path and see colleagues, mentors and mentees.

What happened when I recorded the Zoom videos felt magical. I briefly interviewed local friends I hadn’t seen since COVID-19 hit, 20-something family members who’ve dispersed across the country and friends I hadn’t seen or spoken to in two decades (except by email).

I drew upon the joyful creative energy offered by my friends, family and colleagues as we produced these short, inspiring videos with you in mind.

Surprised and Revitalized

What happened next surprised me.

I hadn’t realized how connected it would make me feel to revisit and revitalize these relationships with my fellow writers. The sense of love and community grew as I recorded each video. I felt fuller and fuller as I continued to record these very short conversations with writers. And, of course, after the video we caught up a bit and reveled in each other’s creative successes and fulfillment.

I was also inspired by the way many friends said that the pandemic urged them to write and create with a newfound sense of purpose and urgency. It fueled their art.

Creating these videos recharged me in a way I had not expected.

Thank You to the Many Authors I Read this Year

These trying times have brought most of us to a profound appreciation for the things we took for granted. I feel a deeper sense of gratitude for the many writers in my life and the ways we support and enjoy one another.

I think too of the many novelists whose books have provided a whirlwind escape to other times and worlds. And to those authors writing about racial justice: you have provided a way to understand how we got here and how to begin to traverse this challenging territory in which we are invited to explore our biases, our responsibilities and new opportunities to be a force for change (within and without). Thank you to all authors for the service you have provided during this pandemic!

If you read last week’s blog post, you may remember that when I walked Stephanie Meyers through my Meet Your Muse guided visualization, she realized she’d let go of her gratitude practice after writing. When she reinstated that practice, she got her mojo back.

I invite you to comment and share anything you feel grateful for this season. And thank you for being a part of my vibrant community of writers.

5+ Writing Lessons I (re-) Learned Today

November 21, 2020 by Lisa Tener

Some days you just have to re-learn the same lessons you picked up a year ago, or a decade ago and forgot. Here are the 5+ writing lessons I re-learned today. I hope they help and inspire you!

#1: Your Reader Changes

Writing Lesson #1 Your Reader is Not the Same Person at the End of Your Book as She Was at the Beginning

I came across this note I’d made to myself this morning while cleaning my office. I remember saying it to a client a few months ago (that’s how long it’s been since I straightened up my office)!

How do you write with this lesson in mind? Imagine your reader before she’s read your book and then imagine her after reading your wonderful book. What is she wearing? Where is she? What’s her body language? What thoughts and emotions does she experience? What’s her life situation and what do you see her doing?

Answer those questions about the instant before she reads your book and the same questions by imagining her after reading your book. You will be so much better able to serve your readers when you understand them in this fundamental way.

#2: Move and Breathe for Creative Flow

Writing Lesson #2 Moving Your Body and Breathing Deeply Can Make All the Difference in Creative Flow and Inspiring You

I’ve been making myself crazy filming about 75 video clips for my new book: The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day. I am super excited about this project but it has meant late nights at the computer until midnight and then another 45 minutes to an hour to wind down (I read a novel) and fall asleep.

I’ve read some great novels that way in the last few weeks: Wildswept by Octavia Randolph, American Queen by Ginger Moran, Gilded Dreams by Donna Russo Morin and I’m in the midst of Kristin Bair O’Keeffe’s Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything. But this lifestyle doesn’t make for a well-rested body and mind in the morning.

Feeling logy today, I took my own advice (after all I’m working on a separate book that explores various breathing and writing exercises to support creative flow). I did my qigong bouncing, several deep abdominal breaths and even hummed! That helped.

I also made myself a sourdough and red pepper hummus sandwich with the last of my farm share bib lettuce. Yeah, I needed food. Okay, I’ll admit, and some Theo’s organic dark chocolate with cherries and almonds.

I can’t begin to tell you how much better I felt after that movement, an infusion of oxygen and nourishment! Ready to write.

#3 Make Writing a Priority and Snatch Time When Your Can

Writing Lesson #3 Take Advantage of the Little Moments in Your Day to Write: You Don’t Need Hours

Since I was teaching my Get Your Writing Done program today, it was easy to do some more movement and breathing with my class, as we always begin, and then get to writing. Yet, temptations arose. My amazing video developer, Dan Thibeault of Fast Twitch Media, had just uploaded and sent me final and near-final versions of some of the videos that go into my new book, The Joy of Writing Journal.

These videos were my bright and shiny object, calling, “Watch me! Watch me! Don’t you want to see me?” I’d put hours into creating these videos with amazing people like Dan and my friend/producer/director/coach Portland Helmich. But I held my ground and wrote. “I’ll watch after.”

It took willpower to focus on writing first. If I can tame my monkey mind, so can you.

#4 Use Intention to Propel and Sustain Your Writing Practice

Writing Lesson #4 Set an Intention and Use it to Motivate You and Keep You Engaged

Our first two steps in the 5 Step TENER Method for Creative Flow are to a) Tune In and b) Engage Your Muse. After that, we c) Set an Intention. In class, we each set a one word intention by typing in the chat. While mine was “Re-energize” (remember my late night spent on video creation and novel-reading), half the class wrote “FOCUS.”

I find group intentions especially powerful. As one person reads the one word intentions in the chat, it often sounds like a poem. Today, though, it sounded like a message. Someone knocking on my door saying, “Focus. Focus. Focus.”

I think that intention of focus helped me even more than the idea of re-energizing. I stuck with my intention to write and welcomed the opportunity to write a whole blog post quickly. And here we are. I have 15 minutes of writing time left and only one more lesson to share.

#5 Get Help from Professionals Whose Strengths Compensate for Your Weaknesses.

Writing Lesson #5. Details matter, especially when working on a big project like a book.

Missing the details can result in time wasted–and not just your time but the people you work with who are counting on you.

I recently discovered that I would likely be considered ADD. Or ADHD. Or whatever acronym and initials are being used today. That explains a lot, says my husband. And my kids. And everyone who’s worked with me on a project. Such brain wiring can make us creative but it can also make for “scatterbrain,” errors, and wasted time.

While I can be surprisingly focused on a task like editing (and very detail oriented), working on multiple projects at once, or multiple windows on the computer, drives me batty–as I open window after window and flit from task to task, the stress mounts.

In my case, this divergent wiring resulted in my sending my publisher the wrong URL’s or links to the videos in my book even though she specifically sent me a template for organizing the videos. A linear mind would have had no trouble reconciling that template with the links in the manuscript, yes? Apparently not my brain. I added an extra subdirectory in the manuscript but not the video organizer, so that the URLs in the two documents did not match.

editor Lynne Heinzmann — *My editor, Lynne Heinzmann, photo by Robert Brewster Photography*

Now, we all have our strengths and weaknesses and I am a big believer in hiring people who make up for your strengths. In this case, after my friends, clients and colleagues served as beta readers and offered feedback, I hired a wonderful editor and proofreader, Lynne Heinzmann. I thought I’d covered my bases.

But I didn’t have her read the video organizer document and check it against the links in the manuscript; it just didn’t cross my mind to do that. The task seemed simple. I feel like a heel for wasting people’s time with my error.

Which I suppose leads to my bonus lesson.

My BONUS Lessons

Writing Lesson #6 Double Check Your Work and Go Through it Slowly (I tend to rush).

and my other bonus lesson:

Writing Lesson #7 Get More Sleep (Better rested, I may not have missed the inconsistency).

My writing time is up in one minute, and if I had one thing to leave you (and me) with, I think it would be that one can find many fruitful lessons in one day’s work.

What writing lessons and life lessons have you learned today?

Mindfulness & Gratitude as Portals to Writing with Ease

November 11, 2020 by Lisa Tener

Researcher Shalini Bahl, PhD is both a writer and an expert in mindfulness. The other day, she shared with me how practicing mindfulness, and gratitude in particular, helps her get unstuck when she writes.

Mindfulness expert Shalini Bahl PhD — Mindfulness Expert, Shalin Bahl, PhD

It makes sense to me. I know that when I’m in a negative state, feeling grateful helps me shift into a higher and happier state. Research shows, too, that mindfulness relaxes us and relaxation supports creative flow.

In our video interview, Dr. Bahl shares how our natural negativity bias creates resistance, which can be a normal response to the task of writing. Dr. Bahl turns that around by disrupting the negativity bias with a simple gratitude practice. She takes us through the exact steps she uses to shift from a negative mental and emotional state to a state of writing flow and ease.

These steps employ mindfulness and gratitude.

Lest you think mindfulness is complicated, this video will show you how easy it is to shift from writing resistance to writing with ease with gratitude.

Mindfulness Expert Shalini Bahl, PhD shares how to overcome resistance to writing

Share any questions or comments on your own experience with writing, resistance and flow.

Creative Legacy, Gratitude and a Call to Action

October 12, 2020 by Lisa Tener

Creative Mood Boosters

Last week, I was interviewed by Gasia Mikaelian of KTVU San Francisco (taped, not live), sharing creative mood boosters. At the end of the interview, when the recording was off, we chatted about the coincidence of both wearing a camel colored top (and both of us for the first time!), as well as reflected on some of the “mood boosters” I shared in the interview, particularly that of gratitude.

Grandma's creative legacy — Grandma Lily

I had shared a photograph of my Grandma Lily, with whom I grew up in a two family house in Rego Park, NY. Of course we didn’t have time for me to share how Grandma and I often hung out in her bedroom in the evenings with our German Shepherd Bambi and watched nature shows, Merv Griffin and Dick Cavet. It’s only now as I type that the memories flood back, how Grandma taught my siblings and me to bake Viennese treats, how her eyes lit up when she laughed. I think Grandma’s creative legacy was her baking; she made the most delicious linzer cookies, vanillekipferl, and Sacher torte.

Gratitude

After the interview, Gasia noted how much she loved the picture of Grandma, which I shared as an expression of gratitude. She said that one positive of this pandemic has been time with her family and having more meaningful daily interaction with her two boys.

My Mom’s Creative Legacy

Gasia also asked about the watercolor painting by my late mother that I mentioned in the interview. When I look at the wall above my computer at my mom’s painting of beach, sand, wave and sky, I feel like I am back in New Brunswick, Canada, on Fundy Bay where we spent our summers. Afternoons spent painting with my mom and sister are some of my fondest memories and I feel grateful for that creative time together.

The painting that hands in my office above my desk. Excuse the unavoidable reflections!

After my mom died, a woman from the Unitarian church mom belonged to organized a show of all Mom’s paintings that church members had bought over the years, as well as the beautiful hand-painted watercolor cards Mom had given to many of her friends. My dad also contributed a number of paintings to the show.

When I thought of the many people who live with those paintings and continue to find joy in them, I became aware of the powerful legacy my mom left behind through her creativity. Mom was a prolific painter. When I encouraged her to raise her prices she told me, “I want everyone to be able to afford a painting, no matter their means.”

Elizabeth Tener, Beach Scene — Another of my mom’s paintings that hangs in our home.

When my son and I returned home from the art exhibit by ferry, as we looked out to New London, we saw the most magnificent sky I’ve ever seen in my life–full of reds, oranges, blues. We could see the purple gray sheets of rain over New London, but no rain elsewhere. I felt like my mom had painted this exotic and dramatic sky for us. She loved painting skies.

What’s Your Creative Legacy and What Difference Can You Make Today?

Lisa Tener being creative — When my sister visits, we paint on the beach and think of our mom. Thanks, Mom! And Sara!

During this time of pandemic, gratitude and creativity can lift our mood. Even more, when we share our gratitude and creativity we can uplift others. I invite you to tell the people you love how grateful you are for them today! Don’t wait. I also invite you to think about how you can use your creativity to support others during these challenging times. It may be through art, music or–of course–your writing. Don’t put it off. This is the perfect time to make a difference in the world!