It says, “Hello, Writer.” Does this mean I’m officially a writer?

About a month ago, I was snooping around the Internet researching writing retreats when I came across the Firefly Creative Writing website. It has such a fun, inviting feel to it that I spent some time viewing their services. They offer writing retreats and a host of other services: coaching, editing, workshops, and studio time. As I was about to leave the site, I noticed a section called, “subscription service”. I’m a sucker for snail mail, so I was intrigued.

After clicking the link, I was greeted with a page that said, “A mail subscription service for those who want to reconnect to the joy of writing”. I thought it sounded perfect, even before reading what’s included every month, but I was worried about the price. Monthly subscriptions are all the rage right now and some brands seem to capitalize on this by charging a premium price. I clicked “subscribe”.

$17? What? What a steal and a small price to pay for a little inspiration every month! Of course, I signed up.

My September “Hello Writer" package arrived and I opened it right away. I was really impressed with the contents. So impressed, in fact, that I created a video to show you what I received. You can watch it here on my YouTube channel, or keep reading to find out what was in my package.

Everything came packaged in a beautiful envelope with a sticker on the back that said, “Sealed with big love from Firefly Creative Writing. Inside, I found several small envelopes. One included a handwritten note that said, "Enjoy these treats, Michelle". Treats! There were treats!!

The treats included a delicious mini-sized dark chocolate bar, a tiny wooden heart, a “writer” sticker, and card stock with the word for the month―devotion. There was a page explaining what

everything is and a community update. Everyone that receives the Hello Writer subscription is encouraged to write and let the folks at Firefly Creative know what's going on in their writer world so they can share it in the next package.

Also included in the package is, “Out from beyond your desk” which includes Firefly field trips, a list of writer events happening in and around Toronto, and a list of writing contests. There were three project packages: Play, Remember, and Imagine.

The “Play” package included a page from a Hardy Boys book. The prompt said to create a poem using the words from the page. How cool! The “Remember” prompt was all about remembering a teacher (good or bad) and it said, “I hope I never forget how...". The “Imagine” prompt was a piece of a bed sheet with the first line, “This was the sheet that..." or, "I am the sheet that ...".

I’m already super excited for October’s package to arrive!

Here is a haiku I wrote, thinking about the word of the month.

Devotion

Oh, my long lost love

Paper and ink set me free.

Never lost again.

Do you have a favourite writing resource you like to use for inspiration? Tell me in the comments.