Mariane Doktor, servant and writer

A journey in creativity and faith

Month: October 2014 (Page 2 of 3)

And the winner is…

October 20, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I’ve found a winner of the contest: “What is Pillow Poetry?” I’m excited to announce the winner: Elaine Weger. Here is her answer:

Well, Mariane, without doing a search for such a category, I would think of pillow poetry as something soft and comforting to the soul. It would be easy to hear and remember for contemplation.

Elaine has won an opportunity to guest post on my blog next week. Give a big applause to Elaine Weger!

About the pillow poetry. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not an original. If you have googled Pillow Poetry, I’m sorry to tell you that my pillow poetry are not real pillows (I do not sew), it’s not poems about pillows, and it’s not Japanese poetry, although I have experimented with haiku.

Elaine was right. For me writing poetry is a pillow. You can rest your head and back on a pillow. You can lie your head on a pillow and do reflections. You can make a pillow fight. You may not know that you can also pound your fist in a pillow, and you can jump on it and kick it. It might loose feathers or get a hole, but it does not complain or hit back. You can hit your head in a wall or kick a curb, but it will hit back while pillow fights cause no pain.

The story about pillows and poems will be continued…

Contest: What is pillow poetry?

October 18, 2014 / / 2 Comments

A new category is on its way to my blog. The category is called Pillow Poetry. To kick-start this category I invite you to participate in a contest by answering the question: What is pillow poetry? You’ll send your answer to servantwriter@k-doktor.dk.

The deadline is tomorrow Sunday at 12 midnight CST.

I’ll select the best answer and publish it on my blog if the writer will give permission. More amazing prices will come to the winner!

On the move, time to get moving! Guest post by Annmarie Miles

October 17, 2014 / / 6 Comments

 

I’m honored to present a guest post from the Irish writer, Annmarie Miles, who’s soon moving to Wales.

 

Amo niceI’m too busy. Way way way too busy for this. I don’t have time for writer’s block. Truth be told, I don’t believe in writer’s block. So why are both my blogs wilting like the last stick of celery on the shelf? It’s not even as though I don’t have anything to say. I’m bursting with ideas, both fiction and non-fiction; yet I remain uninspired. I’m writing long enough to know that you don’t wait for the inspiration; you sit down and do the work. Get going – the inspiration usually follows.

I’m struggling, even to write this. I am struggling to say what I really want to say.

Since I made the announcement recently that I’m relocating from Ireland to the UK, I have been surrounded by the voices. I was sure I had kicked the voices in to touch. It’s a while since I’ve had the ‘you’re no good at this’ demon on my shoulder. I am confident that I’m better than I was, and not as good as I could be. So that knowledge has rid me of such negative voices. However, the cousin of ‘you’re no good at this’ has appeared. His mantra is, ‘when you go, everyone will forget you, and when you get there, no one will notice.’ Boy-oh-boy is he loud. He’s a shouter and a roarer. He’s a laugher and a mocker, and he’s good at his job.

In this age of technology I could be anywhere and it would make little difference to what I say on Twitter and Facebook. It’s just that I feel unsettled as a writer, and being unsettled makes me doubt myself.

When I know who I am, where I am and what I’m doing – all is well with the world and I carry on. In transition though, all I want to do is write about transition. Even though I have to keep writing about the subject to get past it, I get bored with it and worry that my readers will too. So I do nothing; I stare at a page, desperately hoping that something else to write comes along. An opportunity like this to write a guest post; and what do I write about…? Transition.

arrgghhh Heaven help me.

Now… there’s a thought…

Every so often I need to remind myself that those of us taking the journey with God are in transition. We’re all moving. The stops we make in the meantime (let’s use me as an example – my few years in Wales, then back to Ireland, then back to Wales again), they are just stations and junctions on the journey home. I believe that my ultimate home is in heaven with Jesus, so I’m actually in transition all the time. I just don’t notice it when I’m feeling all safe and settled.

What I long for is that feeling of peace and safety, even though I’m on the move. It’s time for me to get back to work, to write what needs to be written; enjoying the view as I travel.

 

Annmarie Miles is from Dublin in Ireland. She is married to Richard from Wales in the UK. They live in Co. Kildare, but are currently packing away all their books, gadgets and musical instruments, for a move back to Richard’s homeland.
Her first collection of short stories ‘The Long & The Short of it’ was published in November 2013; a self-publishing project using the services of Emu Ink.  Annmarie is currently working on a second collection of short stories as well as a couple of novel ideas.
In March 2014 www.annmariemiles.com/blog was launched – where Annmarie posts short stories, guest posts and her thoughts on the writing process. If you’re looking for her, you’ll find her on Twitter @amowriting. She is also on Facebook.

8 types of gifts I can’t live without

October 12, 2014 / / 4 Comments

I found out Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving right now, Happy Thanksgiving to Canada. In a short while, other countries will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Soon there will only be two months until Christmas. However, there is always a time for thankfulness.
Tak, danke, merci, gracias and thanks. It is a small word, which often seems insufficient, but it comes from a wealth of thoughts and feelings. The word covers a thankfulness, an appreciation, a joy, and an acceptance. I wish I was more generous. I wish I was more thankful, also in hard times.

I try to teach my children to say thank you when they receive a present. Nevertheless, even if they do not say thank you with their voice, their smile and joy show gratitude. My children are always happy when they get a present. I hope they will become grown-ups saying thank you, and that presents will still make them happy. Hopefully, they will never deny a present.

1. The best gifts are free. They may come unexpected, and the giver might not think about repay or getting anything back. A thank you and a smile can be enough for the giver. The best gifts are the things you wished for a long time, or things you did not know you wished or needed. The best gifts are the thoughts behind the gifts.

2. The best gifts are a smile, a hug, a person listening to me, showing interest, encouragement, comfort, or helping. The best gifts are letters and personal e-mails.

3. The best gifts are people accepting my gifts and help.

4. The best gift is you, my reader. To a writer or an artist it means the world to be seen or heard. When my words are read, I know there’s not a risk they will drown in my brain and heart or vanish in the universe. Someone has read my words. She or he has seen my message.

5. The best gifts are sunshine, mountains, waterfalls, birdsong, butterflies, flowers, autumn leaves, crickets, ladybirds, art, music and literature.

6. The best gifts are food on the table, a warm bed and a roof, a good health, and my family and friends.

7. The best gifts are my legs, arms, hands, eyes, ears, mouth, head, lungs, heart, blood, and pulse.

Sky

8. The best gift is the love from God, my creator, savior and father. He endures my doubts, envy, jealousy, desires, confusion, fears, worries, and unfaithfulness. He endures my darkness. When I ran away and chose other paths, he waited for me and bid me a warm welcome when I returned to his arms. His grace is free. He died for me. Lord, I pray I will never leave you.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Did I miss your language’s word for “thank you”? Let me know. Are you a generous and thankful person? Share in the comments.

How I stopped my fear, and started to be myself

October 8, 2014 / / 8 Comments

The Law of Jante:

  1. You’re not to think you are anything special.
  2. You’re not to think you are as good as we are.
  3. You’re not to think you are smarter than we are.
  4. You’re not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.
  5. You’re not to think you know more than we do.
  6. You’re not to think you are more important than we are.
  7. You’re not to think you are good at anything.
  8. You’re not to laugh at us.
  9. You’re not to think anyone cares about you.
  10. You’re not to think you can teach us anything.

Before you run away, I will tell you the words above are not mine. Many years ago, the Danish author Aksel Sandemose wrote those words and called them the Law of Jante, Jante being the main character in the book “A Fugitive crosses his Tracks”. He did not invent the rules, but put the existing social norms into these commandments. It was not a real law, but even today, the law still affects many Danes. I think Jante was a man who compared himself to other people, he had low self-esteem. He was jealous of other people’s succes, he didn’t love himself, and he was afraid to be himself. He hated himself and he projected his hatred unto other people. His hatred was so tremendous, that he wrote down those rules so other people would feel of less worth than they really were.

The law affected me too. As a child, I didn’t want to show what I was good at, and I was afraid to speak up. I was afraid of being different and making mistakes because I was afraid others wouldn’t like me. I was afraid of being who I was.

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