Slice of Life Story Challenge

DAY 3 OF THE MARCH SOLSC! #SOL22

Stacey Shubitz
Write. Share. Give.

Welcome to the third day of the 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge! How’s it going?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This year, we have 91 first-time Slicers. Seventy-three of them have permitted me to share their user name, blog name, and URL with the entire community. If you’re a Seasoned Slicer, then please visit as many of their blogs as you can in the next week so they feel welcome.

sol22-first-time-participants-sheet1-1Download

BE INSPIRED

Amy Spitzer, who blogs at Amy Ilene: Putting It All Out There, shared a piece, “Invisible Heaviness” that touched my heart in ways I wanted to articulate here — to the entire Slicer community — rather than as a comment on her post. 
As we fall into the rhythm of this daily challenge, I encourage you to remove the veneer of perfection from your posts, which is something that I — even after 15 years of writing in a public space — still struggle with. I often worry about being too open and honest… what will my parents/husband/children think of my words? Will they feel comfortable if I share freely?


In  “Invisible Heaviness,” Amy writes about the weight many of us carry around. Are we in a safe space to tell our stories? If we share too much, what will others think? Will we be judged for not realizing how good we have it compared to someone else? The list of questions goes on and on. 
Towards the end of the post, Amy wrote:

Our stories are our own.  They happened to us and they formed us into who we are, for better or for worse.  Our stories are all that we have.  When we feel the pull to diminish their importance or to dismiss the thing itself, we also diminish the impact that it has on us.  But the impact is really what matters, and it is not for anyone else to determine if it is valid or not.  In the telling of the story, we find an audience –sometimes an audience of only one–  and we are able to clear the air just a bit, releasing the tension and lightening the load.  In the telling about the heaviness, the veil drops and the truths are revealed.  And, ultimately, once that happens, the air thins out and the darkness recedes, at least for a time.


As we inch towards the first weekend of this writing challenge, I encourage you to heed Amy’s words. Tell your stories. They’re going to act like a balm for you and possibly for other people who will connect with you because your words — your story — resonate with them.

QUESTIONS

Need to contact a co-author with a question? Please email us rather than leaving your question within your comment (below). Thank you, in advance, for your patience with us. We receive a high volume of emails during the first few days of the challenge. We will respond to all emails as soon as possible.

If you have questions about the individual challenge, you may contact one of these co-authors.

  • If your last name begins with the letters A – F, please email questions to Amy Ellerman at ellermanamy[at]gmail.com.
  • If your last name begins with the letters G – L, please email questions to Betsy Hubbard at betsymhubbard[at]gmail.com. 
  • If your last name begins with the letters M – Q, please email questions to Beth Moore at beth[at]elizabethmoore.work.
  • If your last name begins with the letters R – U, please email questions to Melanie Meehan at meehanmelanie[at]gmail.com. 
  • If your last name begins with the letters V – Z, please email questions to Stacey Shubitz at stacey[at]staceyshubitz.com.

If you have questions about the Classroom Challenge, which will take place next month, you may contact Kathleen Sokolowski at mrs.sokolowski[at]gmail.com.

Please note: We’re unable to respond to challenge-related questions via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Published by Stacey Shubitz

Stacey Shubitz is a K-6 literacy consultant and former elementary teacher. She is the author of CRAFT MOVES and other professional books on writing workshop. Her new book, MAKE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WORK FOR YOUR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES (Guilford Press, 2026), empowers parents to navigate the special education system.

298 thoughts on “DAY 3 OF THE MARCH SOLSC! #SOL22”

      1. Hi Charlene,
        You’re going to want to make sure that in the future, you comment on the day’s call for posts, as opposed to in response to someone else’s comment. I hope this makes sense. I am approving it now, as it went to SPAM, because the comments have closed for yesterday so you can’t easily redo it for March 3.
        🙂
        Melanie

  90. Being a patient . . . one of two topics that are sure to spark dazzling conversation among all ages. However, my focus on health made me wonder if I’ve reached that age where I assume others are riveted by medical experiences or if I just don’t care because telling medical stories are significant to everyone, right? Especially hearing those of a complete stranger. 🙂
    https://friendswithoutid.wordpress.com/2022/03/03/being-a-patient/

    1. Hi Megan, You’re going to want to repost this link, as you want to post the URL code to the post and not to the back end of WordPress. Please reach out if you’re not sure what I mean.

    1. Hello! A little bit of tech support: If you hit enter between your teaser and your link, you will see a box with a post preview (like your comment today). Unfortunately, these previews clog up our comment section and can make it difficult for some users to navigate our site. If you use a colon or just a space instead, that won’t happen next time. Thank you!

    1. Hello! A little bit of tech support: If you hit enter between your teaser and your link, you will see a box with a post preview (like your comment today). Unfortunately, these previews clog up our comment section and can make it difficult for some users to navigate our site. If you use a colon or just a space instead, that won’t happen next time. Thank you!

    1. Hello! A little bit of tech support: If you hit enter between your teaser and your link, you will see a box with a post preview (like your comment today). Unfortunately, these previews clog up our comment section and can make it difficult for some users to navigate our site. If you use a colon or just a space instead, that won’t happen next time. Thank you!

    1. Hi, Shaista! Your link does not seem to be working. Make sure you’re viewing the published post when you copy the address from the address bar. Please try reposting, so that readers can find your post. Thank you!

    1. Wow. Scary. Thought-provoking. So often I don’t know when to speak out and when to be silent. And what to do? yes. What to do…. deep thoughts. Thank you for sharing.

      1. Hi, Carrie! Thank you for reading and commenting. You’ll want to comment directly in the comment section of the slicer’s blog, rather than in these comments. Thank you!

    1. Hello and welcome again to the Slice of Life Story Challenge! We’ve sent you an email with some tech support that will help you avoid leaving previews of your blog post in our comment section! Thank you!

    1. Hello! This does not seem to be the permalink to your blog post. It is the url to the homepage of your website. Please be sure to go to the published version of your specific blog post and copy the url from the navigation bar. Thank you!

    1. Hello again! This does not seem to be the permalink to your blog post. Please be sure to go to the *published* version of your blog post (not the version in the editor) and copy the url from the navigation bar. I’ve sent you an email with further support!

  214. My first comment I somehow didn’t copy correctly. Born with an angry face – kimmylouwrites.wordpress.com/2022/03/03/angry-face/

    1. Hello! If you hit enter between your teaser and your link, you will see a box with a post preview (like your comment today). Unfortunately, these previews clog up our comment section and can make it difficult for some users to navigate our site. If you use a colon or just a space instead, that won’t happen next time. Thank you!

    1. Hello Sadaf and welcome to the Slice of Life Story Challenge! A little bit of tech support: If you hit enter between your teaser and your link, you will see a box with a post preview (like your comment today). Unfortunately, these previews clog up our comment section and can make it difficult for some users to navigate our site. If you use a colon or just a space instead, that won’t happen next time. Thank you!

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