Yesterday I shared some writing tips from Laura Ingalls Wilder and Ursula K. Le Guin. Today I took a quote from Wilder and morphed it into a prompt. From the prompt, I wrote – as I suggest people do as well to learn the power of five minutes of writing – I wrote a list of five different happy early memories (see them below the 5 minute essay) and randomly chose what one to use as a springboard to write. What could you do with just five minutes and a memory?
Laura Ingalls Wilder became a wild “overnight success” at age 57 back in 1932. Let’s get your words on the page. The world is waiting. Read mine to increase your inspiration. You’ve got this!
1970’s Julie (and a couple photos from 2017 revisiting the neighborhood where it all happened!)
Adventures in Babysitting was both a way of life for me for many years and a movie I enjoyed whole heartedly. The way of life provided me ample “fun and prizes” and the movie offers the one quote where I approve of the use of the F-Bomb, well used, by the character played by Elizabeth Shue while babysitting.
My babysitting offered me the freedom to purchase things I wanted but that I never expected my family to purchase for me. I had a very expensive hobby as a young girl: I had more pen pals than I can remember and my parents painstakingly footed the postage when I know financial times were tough.
As an adult, I get this more. I thought nothing of dropping three letters, five days a week and just expecting them to get mailed off to other tween and teen girls all across the country.
Babysitting allowed me the luxury of stationery and once weekly visits to the Hallmark store at the Bloomfield center. Saturday afternoons after tortuous Saturday mornings at the orthodontist I would walk to Bloomfield 
Center and carefully peruse the boxes of stationery.
I especially loved envelopes of different colors and ones with linings just felt so elegant.
My Granny even sent me the most decadent stationery products available to me: personalized stationery. I almost drooled when I opened the birthday packages.
Babysitting allowed me to do something I loved deeply in a way that felt abundant and luxurious. In a family with 6 children, a father starting a new business and a Mom in college and working as a teacher’s aide and two brothers about to begin college, we didn’t have much money for any extras.
Babysitting allowed me to buy stationery, favorite record albums and grow as a responsible tween – teen. I learned to save up for a small television for my room and a stereo eventually. I could have the same things the girls with wealthier families had.
Love love love remembering these and more adventures.
Making instant friends has always been an adventure for me. I met Marisol two days after my daughter’s wedding. She’s looking forward to my return. This diner was a Stuart’s Root Beer we visited to have an occasional mug of root beer. It was such a treat!
What are some mundane “adventures” you had as a child that left happy memories behind for you to explore with writing?
Write for just five minutes and make new discoveries, adventures and yes: gifts and prizes <— I remember this as an ongoing slogan and now a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.
5 Happy Memories:
1. Miss Foley: having a teacher who actually seemed to like me.
2. Mrs. Elder continuing our relationship – my Mom did her best, but obstacles were huge. Gave space to find others who had more support themselves and their love overflowed to me.
3. Granny’s surprise party
4. Carly Simon Complete birthday gift
5. Babysitting for fun and prizes!
My brothers, sister and I took our photos so many times on these steps. I loved sharing the experience with two of my children. Katherine has visited before both as a toddler and after her graduation from Smith College. During this visit, she was busily enjoying her honeymoon!
Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming soon!
Contact Julie now to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session, call or text her at 661.444.2735.
