Show Notes for Episode 6: Writing to a person you love as a holiday gift

 

Hey writers and writing teachers,

 

Welcome to The Write Idea Podcast. I’m Kathie Harsch, public school teacher, writer, blogger and host. 

 

I teach writing strategies and techniques that help writers and teachers create dynamic fiction and non-fiction with joy and ease.

 

If you are new here, welcome, and if you’re not, thank you so much for returning!

I’m so thankful you are here  - let’s get started!

Can you believe it? This is episode six?  I’m so happy to share today’s topic with you.

 

I want to talk to you about using your writing for a very particular intended audience and purpose.

 

Last week I talked to you all about intended audiences. Today, I’m going to talk to you about a very special intended audience- the people you love and care about. 

 

So remember the strategy I talked about? Well, this time I want to give you the Topic and the Purpose for writing.  

 

Most writers don’t really think about doing this and I don’t really understand why because the people we love really appreciate this so much.

 

Enough of being cryptic and holding you in suspense. I gave you a hint last week that I would be talking about giving very special Holiday gifts to the people that you love.

 

First, pick a person and make a list of things you love about them.

 

So here is your topic: write about how much that person has meant to you this year. What things have you accomplished because of this person’s love and support. What fun things have you done together that have been special to you. Even if it’s just singing in the car as loudly as  possible to your favorite song - or just taking a walk in the park. It’s the simple little times spent together that matter most. 

 

When you think about these things list or mind map as many specifics as possible. Give your intended audience, your loved one, a movie in their head about the experiences you’ve shared. 

 

So, you can probably guess your purpose, right? This is intended as a gift. Now, you’re probably thinking this might be better if written in a card. Actually if you’re going to put it in a card, then you should make a homemade one.

 

However, it would be much better if you gave this piece of writing in its own special publication.

 

Here are some ideas for that:

1. Create a photo book of pictures and add your writing to it. Walmart, Walgreens or anyplace that prints pictures usually has a way to create photo books as well.
2. Create your writing on Canva.com and put a picture with it. Print it out on cardstock paper in color and frame it.
3. Make a storybook that tells the story of a lost loved one for younger children, who might not know this person.
4. Make a personal poem into a card.
5. Buy a pretty journal and fill it with poetry. Give it to someone you love who has encouraged your writing.
6. Create a piece of art to go with your writing. 

 

What’s great about writing about this particular year and this particular person is that you can create a new one later on in another year, or make it a yearly tradition.

 

Don’t worry about your writing being perfect. Use the Grammarly plugin on Google Chrome to help you out. Or use their website. It will catch most of the errors, you might miss. Then, make it look great by using a template from Canva at Canva.com, which is where I created my Start Write Now Guide and the logo for The Write Idea Podcast.

 

Remember the reason we give gifts to begin with  - to bring other people joy. Telling someone how much you mean to them and taking the time to create something personal is deeply meaningful, especially in such a consumer-driven time of year like the Holidays.

 

Hope you are able to put these writing tips to good use this week. Take some time to relax and reflect on your year with your loved ones. It just may become a very special gift that they will enjoy in the years to come.

 

That’s it for this week’s podcast. If you enjoy The Write Idea podcast, please subscribe and give it a rating. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on any of the episodes, which come out every Sunday. 

 

Please see my show notes below for more free content about writing. Click on the link for the Start Write Now Guide for writing strategies and techniques that work for any type of writing.

 

You can also visit my website Teach2Write.com for more strategies and techniques to improve writing skills.

 

Thanks for listening and Happy Writing!

 

Music Credit: “Come Inside” by Snowflake (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/snowflake/59564 Ft: Starfrosch, Jerry Spoon, Kara Square, spinningmerkaba