A New Alphabet

I just discovered that SARK has a new blog, or as she calls it, her online journal. In a post last month I wrote about her new book, Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper. She’s just full of new things.

Like her books and e-letters, SARK’s journal brings scented pens to mind. Sometimes I lean toward my monitor and sniff to be sure, disappointed that I can’t actually verify the scent of a succulent strawberry, grape, blueberry, orange, and raspberry salad with a tangy lemon-mint dressing. My disappointment at the lack was forgotten when I played the audio file she posted. I won't repeat her whole story. The part that inspired me was her intention to start a new tradition of using only positive, affirmative words to clarify oral spelling. For example, A is for Awesome rather than Apple.

Just like that Sarabelle tossed me an idea: using this Affirmation Alphabet to spell names. This may not be a piece of writing you’ll want to share with the world at large. You may feel embarrassed to publicly display a poster such as this one.

But, why not make yourself one for your own private viewing? Or heck, make one, show it, and tell people a friend did it for you if you blush. If you need to warm up, use someone else’s name to start.

This exercise has at least three benefits. First, it’s a terrific self-affirmation. Write it and believe it. Show some positive attitude! This may not be life story writing, but it is life writing. Think of it as writing about your future ideal self. The self you are becoming.

The other benefit is that I guarantee nearly everyone will be reaching for a dictionary and expanding your descriptive vocabulary. Not all the words on that poster came easily to my mind. Ravishing took some digging, and I’m not entirely satisfied with it. I made this poster for a sweet three-year-old. But I might be bold enough to use it for my own poster.

The third benefit is that you’ll have a lot of fun. I haven’t played around with my doodle pens for ages. It’s about time. It’s fun. I think I’ll find a new place to keep them that’s easier to reach.

SARK is such a good influence. I’m not going to start writing everything by hand with a different color for each sentence and flourishes and squiggles everywhere, That wouldn’t be me. That would be imitation SARK. But I can find my own way. I might do my poster in a graphics program. I can get wildly creative there, far more easily than on paper. Or ... I’ll let my imagination run wild.

Thanks SARK!

Write now: your own name poster. And you don’t need to limit your selections to one word per letter. Live it up. Use five. Just make sure they are affirmative. Make a poster for a friend, or a grandchild. Make lots of posters and give them away to their namesakes. You can do for them what they may never dare do for themselves. You may find that you’ve developed a whole alphabet of affirmative words and you can help change the world as SARK is hoping.