Theme For Next Month: What Do You Think?
I’m so enjoying leaps and bounds as a theme I don’t really want to move on… but the monthly theme format has worked well so far, keeping things fresh and (vaguely) focused, so my thoughts are starting to turn to next month’s theme.
For those of you who are new to the blog, I follow a monthly theme based on the ingredients of Confident Writing – namely:
Authenticity
Clarity
Connection
Curiosity
Impact
Integrity
Power
Purpose
Respect
Responsibility
Simplicity
Spirit
We’ve worked through the first five on the list already, followed by the detour I took this month for leaps and bounds. Next on the list would be integrity:
Integrity: Writing with honesty, sincerity and authenticity. Being there, being real, being present. Writing that is true to your values. Following through on your words. Writing with
positive intention: to inform, to clarify, to share, to learn, to create, to inspire, to expand possibilities.
But I just had a moment of wondering if this was the right place to go… How the energy would feel after the playfulness of this month.
So I’ve got another couple of possibilities in mind and wanted to know what you thought:
Intention: Writing with positive intention. Focusing on your intention to trust that the words will flow, and to get past the inner critic. Taking care with and responsibility for your words. Knowing your intention – for each piece of writing, and your bigger sense of purpose. Knowing what’s important, to you, in the words that you write.
Inspiration: Writing that’s inspired, that inspires you, and inspires others. Knowing what inspires you – and what to do when it seems out of reach. Finding inspiration in the every day. Writing with the breath of life; writing that’s come from the source.
Do you have any leanings, inclinations, preferences for any one of these over the others?
Thanks, Joanna
I think all three topics would make great reads, but personally, I’d love to have a month of inspiration, Joanna!
Inspiration sounds good to me.
Regards, John
My vote would be for inspiration as well — I jumped on board a bit late this month, but I really enjoyed the energy of ‘leaps and bounds,’ and would really love to see that trend continue.
I’d go with ‘intention’. Personally I’m a bit bored with stuff about ‘inspiration’. Intentions are like plans and we all know what Burns said about Man and his plans.
I vote power Joanna. It sprang out from the list straight away.
Inspiration is a rather common writing topic. Intention, though, that could get the words rolling.
All good, Joanna. You need a year with more months. However, March is the beginning of spring. A new start. Beginnings. Rebirth. Sounds like the month of inspiration to me!
Thanks for all the comments guys – and keep them coming!
Whatever happens I’ll find a way to keep the energy high, I promise (better for me too that way)
@ Catherine, power is a good one isn’t it, but the choice is only between the three Is just now… I’ll get to power when I move on through the alphabet/months…
@ Brad yes, I need more days in each week, more weeks in each month, and more months in each year!
Joanna
I guess that I’m the odd man out here. I would have voted for integrity.
Some posts on integrity are really needed in the blogosphere. However, I must agree inspiration would be the best topic for the beginning of spring. Besides, something to inspire us is always welcome
@ Laura well it’s never too late to cast your vote! And your not the only one to express a preference for integrity – others have whispered it too me in other ways…
@ Alina I think I’ll need to find a way of working integrity in whatever I do, now I’ve started all of you (and me) thinking about what it means and why we value it.
I hear what you’re saying about the inspiration though – but I’d need to find a way that wasn’t boring (because of course that wouldn’t be inspiring at all).
Maybe I can think of a creative way to get all of you to inspire me!
Joanna
Joanna, I have loved leaps and bounds! Integrity is a great one but inspiration seems a good follow-up and perfect for the Spring season. Spring is always a time of new beginnings so inspiration does seem appropriate. I will be reading, digging, stumbling and growing.
Karen
Karen, your words conjure up a wonderful image of spring – like a young lamb gambolling about, stumbling, picking itself up, and getting back to the serious business of playing!
Joanna
I personally never grow tired of inspiration, Joanna! Whatever you choose though, I know I am sure to be inspired in one way or another
Thank you Amy
Looks like inspiration is the favourite just now…
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
This is my first time here, and I found you by way of Chris O’Byrne’s Online Arts Marketing blog.
I’m with Intention right now, as to me in encompasses many others. Spirit is a great one too, as well as Integrity.
Great post, and very interesting site! I’ll come back.
Hi Kris, thanks for calling by and taking the time to leave a comment.
Intention does encompass many others – I’d say it runs through all my writing, so it could work as a theme, or maybe just something I need to try and express within everything I write here…
Spirit is deliberately the last of this year of writing, rounding things up and then taking me who knows where…
It’s great to get all this feedback, whateve I go with the topics will write themselves better as a result
Joanna
Joanna, I read this post in my reader and came over here to give you my own humble opinion, then was awed by the conversation already happening here! I’d like to put my vote in for Inspiration… as something that sang to me immediately I read your list.
The other two options are fantastic, and inspiring in their own way, but right now (as I head into Autumn!!) “writing with the breath of life, writing that’s come from the source” … oooh ahhh…
Karen, interesting that inspiration speaks to you at the start of autumn as well as the start of spring.
I’ve been thinking a lot about breath and source too – part of the reason for getting away this week, and a large part of what learning and writing with aloha means to me.
There’s a big connection there to integrity and intention and I think one solution will be to explore some of themes either in a post or a mini conversation, or to explore the connections between them.
Setting an intention for the month will also make a difference – I set the intention to stretch and play this month and that is probably what’s given my writing more energy, not the subject…
Joanna
[...] I was mulling over the theme for this month I was also talking about breath – the breath of life that we can work, no, [...]