Heart Maps and #OLW
We are on the cusp of a New Year and everywhere there are signs of people setting New Year resolutions. Gym memberships. Diets. Donations to Goodwill. All these are admirable, but for many people the resolution becomes just another cause for angst. Frankly, I don’t need that kind of pressure in my life, thank you very much. So for the past three years, I have eschewed the resolution (and the associated angst) and focused instead on choosing One Little Word to serve as my guidepost and mantra for the year. This is a positive action that has helped me focus my energy and my time. My #OLW is a touchstone throughout the year that can help me with difficult decisions and help me reset when life gets out of control.
I have already chosen my #OLW and that is pretty big for me as the journey is usually much more fraught and difficult for me. Last year I did not arrive at “COOL” until well into the New Year. I was especially worried because my emotional state this year is in a more precarious place, but reading my original #OLW prompt reminded me of the essential question: “What matters?”
To uncover the answer to this essential question I decided to try out Heart Maps. I cannot be sure where I first heard about Heart Maps (although I suspect it was at an NWP event). I have read about uses for Heart Maps in the classroom several times on Two Writers Teachers and you can never go wrong using their tips and strategies. If you really want to delve into the world of heart maps you should consider going directly to the source, Georgia Heard in her Heart Maps book. Quite simply, according to Georgia Heard, heart maps are a “a concrete and visual” tool to help the writer “map out their lives — people, memories and experiences that matter to them most.” As such, heart maps are a great journal topic to help you identify personal and important topics to write about. There are lots of great heart map prompts and activities out there, but I found these to be the most helpful to me:
- Writing From The Heart With Heart Maps! by Nicole Hernandez
- Heart Mapping Gives Kids Writing Ideas by Melissa Taylor
I first created a list of all the things I love, the things I am passionate about, including people, places, and things. I contemplated what makes me happy and what is fun. Then, because 2016 has been a very bad year on so many levels, I decided to make a loathing list, too. I didn’t want to make it a hate list, because I try not to give these negative things any more power than they deserve – hate takes a lot of energy that should be spent only on important things – so a loathing list. That exercise was useful even if those items did not make it only to my heart map, because it helped me sift and sort and prioritize what is important about the entries on my love list and ultimately helped me arrive at my One Little Word for 2017. Stay tuned and start thinking about your #OLW!
Do you choose a one little word? Do you find the #OLW practice a helpful and positive alternative to the New Year Resolution? What is your #OLW process?
