Diaries Magazine

#FiveMinuteFriday - Voice

Posted on the 26 October 2012 by Juliejordanscott @juliejordanscot

It’s #FiveMinuteFriday free write time! <—click to tweet this!  5-minute-friday-1

Where a flash mob of folks spend five minutes all writing on the same topic and then share ‘em at LisaJoBaker.com.

Words from my five minutes on....VOICE

Interesting, isn’t it, how sometimes writing prompts are the absolute perfect topic for you to write, even though you might have not necessarily felt like writing about that so early on a Friday morning. Try as I might, I feel a certain love and attachment to these other women writers so I must write authentically and truly today.

May my words be a blessing.

Last night was a big one for me: my first performance since my surgery five weeks ago. I still wore a band aid over my “getting better every day” wound. My hair was artfully arranged my face thanks to my hair stylist, Jolie, so if you didn’t know the band-aid was there, you might have missed the scar completely.

I was aware of it, tangentially, but I was more aware that I was about to perform a story I had never told anyone until rehearsal the night before.

It wasn’t a pretty story and was one that was open to interpretation which I learned when I stood outside talking to an audience member. The topic was sexual abuse. The “protagonist” of the story was me.

Like most modern storytelling, we were to tell a story of our own lives in homage to Sandra Cisneros book, The House on Mango Street.  We were given license to write on one of the many themes in the book and were requested to write one funny vignette and one serious vignette.

When I heard we were to write a serious one, I thought, “I know just what to write!”

Well, I wasn’t quite that chipper.

I also had the “out” because when we started we were each going to perform only one of the two pieces and I figured my humor would win out over pathos but… we ended up performing both of our stories. Once I put my story onto the page, it was destined to be spoken.

I was destined to give the story voice.

I oftentimes say one of my missions is to give voice to the voiceless. I speak well on my feet and am told repeatedly my voice is pleasant to hear. I am one who sticks up for the underdog and goes out of my way to make sure people understand.

I decided there must be someone who would be drawn to the theater last night because they really needed to hear my story. It isn’t my business who that is or even worry about “getting them there” my job was to just show up and tell my story as best as I could tell it.

The response?

Overwhelmingly supportive.

(I went a fraction over the 5 minutes, but each word felt so important. Please forgive me, Lisa Jo! and all!)

 Five minutes: (more than!) Over....

The guidelines for Five Minute Friday -

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Follow me on Twitter: @juliejordanscot  Writing closer up on sequoia

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© 2012 by Julie Jordan Scott

Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She leads Writing Camp with JJS & this Summer will be traveling throughout the US to bring this unique, fun filled creative experience to the people wherever she finds the passion & the interest.

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