Tea and Truth: A Month of Writing Prompts (and Giveaway)

This new blog series is a promise I'm keeping to myself.  A gift from my China trip was the connection of disparate ideas into a unified vision, related to tea and writing.  It was an Ah-ha moment to say the least, a moment of epiphany to be more precise.  I realized that I could shape these two passions into a cohesive package, one of value to myself - and my hope is to others, as well.

And so, with this first step, I begin...

Please join me in Tea and TruthTM. This is your invitation to join me each Wednesday this month, to sip tea and write.  To reflect, review, rewrite, respond, rejoice and renew.  Each Wednesday I will post a new writing prompt.  I welcome your company in these journaling opportunities.  (Plus Giveaways, Giveaways!)  What you write can be for you only, or to share - it's up to you.  (Prizes, prizes!)  It can be a one-time quick writing session never to be returned to, a journal entry, a poem, a memory on paper, a letter, a piece you work on over time, a page or two, a paragraph, a sentence or a word.  Just write, and allow tea to be the nectar of your muse.

And there will be prizes in the form of giveaways!  I hope you play along!

Writing Theme for Week #1:  Tea for Two

I'm inspired this week by Day of the Dead remembrances.  I vividly recall, from my New Mexico days, the gifts and merriment in the graveyards.  Initially, this was a foreign idea to me but as I learned more, I began to see the joy and respect involved. 

Preparing:  Gather a pen and paper, or your computer.  Find yourself a comfortable place to write.  Once your implements are settled, make yourself a cup of good tea.  (Go out and buy some loose tea if you need to.)  Bring out your favorite pair of mugs or two cups and saucers, because you're going to have a guest today as you write.

Sipping:  Pour yourself a cup, and pour one for your guest.  Sip slowly and think about this:  Who has gone before me that I want to invite to tea today?  Hold this person in your mind as you begin to write.

Writing:  Let this be a free-form writing activity.  Don't stop to edit or review.  Just let the pen flow and turn off the critical voice.  This is about truth, and the best way to get there, in my opinion, is to get out of my own way.  The following thought starters may be useful for you to get the pen moving, but go with whatever works!  Stick with today's theme, or go off on your own. What matters is that you keep writing.  Try it for 5 minutes at least, 10 if you can!  Go...

• Who have I invited to tea today?
• Why did I choose this person?
• Now go deeper - why else did I choose this person?
• Have a conversation over tea...go ahead, respond for him or her.  It's OK, it's YOUR writing!  You are safe and in control.
• Now the tea is growing cold (and you've finished yours)...how do you end this conversation in a way that leaves you feeling good?

Thank you. 

Prizes, prizes!  Leave a comment in this post, telling me what you like (or don't) about this writing prompt.  I'll pick a winner each week for a to-be-determined fabulous prize involving tea and writing.  If you mention this on Facebook or your blog, tell me about it in the comments, too, and you'll get a second entry.  (If it doesn't auto-link to a blog with contact info, be sure to leave me a way to reach you.)

Notes: 

• These writing prompts are meant to be starting points for you to explore writing and tea.  They are by no means a method of therapy, tho we all know that good tea and writing can be therapeutic.
• A shout-out to my writing friends at Women Writing for (a) Change, Bloomington.  I think of you regularly.