SOL 22: that’s all folks

Today is the last day of the Slice of Life writing challenge. I give you the things I heave learned this year.

  • I write about my children. A lot. Fifteen times this month. Honestly, this number is lower than I expected.
  • I almost exclusively write and edit from my bed using my phone. This seems to be when my time is least interrupted. It is also the least efficient.
  • I very frequently use past slices as inspiration. I’ll update from a previous slice or use it as a springboard for something else.
  • I liked when I played with prompt writing this month. I found it to be the most natural way to write given my time constraints.
  • I am very open in my writing letting the good, bad, and ugly hang out.
  • I still get butterflies in my tummy each time I press publish.
  • I stalk my notifications after published to see if anyone has commented.
  • Each time someone comments, it shocks me that someone would want to read much less comment on my silly stories.
  • I’m tickled pink when people in real life tell me they enjoy my writing. It somehow feels more validating than any other acknowledgement.
  • It is really hard to think of 31 topics to write about each year.
  • No matter how often I write, my favorite part of the process is reading the posts in my reader and discovering other writers in the SOL Post All Call.
  • There is no other time of the year that I do something 31 days in a row with fidelity and that makes this project extra special.
  • Even though I am not in a classroom and have never had a class participate in student slicing, I get such a high from being a part of this community. I feel so lucky it has excepted me even though I am not a writing teacher any longer.

I look forward to joining you all again next year. I am going to try to commit to slicing 1x a month and prompt writing 1x a month until slice season begins again. Let’s see if I can do it.

I am writing for the 15th annual Slice of Life challenge presented by Two Writing Teachers.

11 Comments

  2. Karyn, perfect end slice! I mean, NAILED IT!!! I have a few of yours to catch up on. Feel like I never have enough time to keep up with the Reader, email, SOL all-call, and being a night owl writer. Plus sleep. And recovering from lack of enough sleep. All that jazz. Glad I have the opportunity to go back with your slices whenever and not be an internet creep though 🙂 Congrats on getting it done! YA DID IT! I missed a day and then was late on a couple so I’m loser according to my honor code. Oh well. Always next year. BUT always pumped to see you posting year after year now. Really breaks down that family fourth wall 😉

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  5. nnooo, don’t gooooo…
    These slices are my bedtime reading and let’s me in to stories I don’t know. And all the things you’ve learned are what makes your writing so interesting. So keep up the good work. I’ll be looking for you twice-a-month 😉

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  6. Congratulations on a job well done. Writing happens in the edges of our days, so you have to make it work. I enjoyed your analysis and reflections. If you miss commenting you can comment on my fifth graders 9who start their month long challenge today!)- haha!

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  7. I totally stalk my notifications too!!

    And I also feel lucky and happy to be a part of this community since I never was a writing teacher (elementary music) and don’t even teach at all anymore.

    Congrats on completing the challenge!

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  8. I’m sure most slicers here can relate to most of your slicing points above. Well done for slicing with kids, of course that means you’ll write about them. I’m just sorry mine are so old that all the fun stuff they did is falling off the edges of my memory as it was pre-computers and smart phones.
    Well done for seeing the month through!

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