Guest Bloggers

Amanda McTigue Untethered

Guest Blogger Amanda McTigue . . . I’ll confess with some dismay that contrary to the many uplifting articles and memoirs I have read about the serenity of older age, it continues to elude me. Serenity, that is, not the march of years across my face, kneecaps and pelvic floor muscles. I’m looking forward to any later-in-life serenity that may come my way. Indeed, I practice all kinds of meditations and mantras and daily exercises, etc., to invite it in. But my emotional set point tends to be what it’s always been: low-level (self)doubt. That’s the place whence I write. If that’s true for you, let me offer some slant wisdom here from some fellow artists. Take Tatiana Maslany. You may have seen her in a futuristic TV show called “Orphan Black” in which she plays (gorgeously!) multiple clones of herself. She’s a hell of a young actor, and here…

Prompts

It takes all kinds. . . Prompt #154

Today’s prompt is inspired by the May 6 theme for West Side Stories in Petaluma. “West Side Stories believes that everyone has a story.   Our goal?  To give those stories a forum.   After producing successful shows where stand-up comedians told their stories, former comic turned storyteller, Dave Pokorny sought to accommodate all those people who asked, ‘When can I tell my story?’ And to encourage those people who doubted they had a story worth telling.” If you are in the Petaluma area . . . join these storytellers at West Side Stories.  Get your ticket early . . . these shows sell out! How about you?  Are you ready to share your story?  Write and post on The Write Spot Blog. Prompt:  It takes all kinds . . .

Quotes

The only way to get better at something is to do it.

Ray Engan, winner of the 2013 Toastmaster International Speech contest for District 57 (Northern California) says, “Everybody in this world has a story to tell and they should share their stories.” Engan believes we learn how to overcome adversity when we share our stories.  Engan had to overcome his fear of public speaking.  One of the people he met in Toastmasters, Darren La Croix, said something that inspired Engan, “The only way to get better at something is to do it.” So, what are you waiting for?  Write that story that’s been simmering on the back burner. Just write! Ray Engan is a humorist, sales trainer and executive speech coach whose lively stories can be heard every month at West Side Stories Petaluma. Ray will be giving a seminar to add humor to presentations and your life in Petaluma, CA.  Details soon on his website.