Amber (A.F.S.) Green, Author at It's A Go Publishing

12 September 202211 September 2022

From Classroom to Dorm Room: Journaling is a Lifelong Habit

Though coaching, classes, and therapy have their place in society (and have never been easier to access), there’s so much that we can teach ourselves if each and every one of us listen to our own thoughts.

In a world where people seem to say what they think everyone wants to hear, I hope my journals will help you hear yourself when you choose to reflect upon your own thoughts by writing them on paper.

Issues 1-3 of Second Draft Journals

Journaling For Kids

There’s no way to stop social media’s influence, but in a quiet room, with nothing but their journal and a pen, let’s teach kids that it’s okay to sit and think. Record and re-read. Be still and ponder. With journal prompts, goal-setting pages, art, and a short story in each issue, I am excited to introduce Second Draft Journals to the classroom.

Second Draft Journals For Everyone

Journaling has many benefits for maintaining good mental health. and short stories awaken the imagination and give people a brief respite from the anxiety and monotony of day-to-day life.

Whatever your day, it all matters. It all counts, and each moment will only happen once. Write it down because you won’t be the same person tomorrow as you are today — and perhaps armed with your journal, you’ll have a clearer vision of what you want to achieve and who you want to be.

I’m calling on teachers, parents, and professionals within the fields of healthcare, mental health, and psychology to help me introduce Second Draft Journals to classrooms so that we can build a stronger, healthier, and happier future. If you’d like to get in touch, kindly email me at journals@thewriteresults.ca.

*This blog post also appears on The Write Results.

5 September 20224 September 2022

In Admiration Of Serena Williams

I do not play tennis; I can’t even run but Serena Williams is still an inspiration to me.

I was a teenager when a family member was SUPER excited about the new players to watch — Venus and Serena Williams. The teenage, Black sisters from Compton made the news that reverberated beyond die-hard fans of the sport. I’ve never followed tennis, but since that day, I would take note whenever I heard Venus or Serena’s names.

As time passed, Venus was the best female tennis player in the world, but I remember my family member saying, “Venus is great, but Serena is the one. She will be the greatest of all time.” The authority with which he said that made me pause. I couldn’t understand how he was so sure. The only other athletes that I’d heard referred to as The Greatest of all Time were Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, and to me, it seemed a near-impossible task to reach such athletic excellence. Interested to see what he saw, I started seeking out interviews with the Williams’ sisters and taking note of the headlines published about Serena Williams’ ascent into greatness.

Beyond Athletics

Though Venus and Serena Williams inspired countless to compete in and follow the sport, their effect on me was different — though profound.

I will never forget watching Venus and Serena in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. I wasn’t able to find the clip, but they spoke about getting their degrees and starting a fashion line in case tennis didn’t work out. What?! They were already the greatest female tennis players in the world (Serena had likely just passed Venus as number one — I can’t remember), and yet they were humble enough to talk about having a backup plan. (I can’t remember hearing another professional in any field — especially people with notoriety — talk about having a backup plan before or since.)

The other thing that struck me was the relationship Venus and Serena have as sisters. Their respect, love, and support of one another were a joy to witness. I always thought that if I ever had children, I would want to raise them to be like them (fortunately, King Richard starring Will Smith provided all of us with a glimpse into their family life and the beginnings of a blueprint that has been proven to work.)

Cheers to Serena Williams and her inspiring career. May her array of achievements continue to awe and motivate athletes, and her and her family’s barrier-breaking mindset, humble words, and humanity continue to inspire all of us.

Here are a couple of clips of Venus and Serena Williams on The Oprah Winfrey Show from OWN’s YouTube page:

Where Venus Williams Got Her Values

Serena Williams on copying her sister Venus:

It’s A Go!

Amber (A.F.S.) Green

*The image of the tennis ball on the court was graciously provided by Todd Trapani on Unsplash.

**This post also appears on The Write Results.

29 August 202228 August 2022

The Personality Of Pets

I was delighted to spend some time with my brother’s family’s dog this past weekend. Shyla is a sweet, little puggle. Even though she has aged (you can see the white fur on her face), she still chases the tennis ball with the vigour of a dog half her age and no obvious regard for her own wellbeing (her little legs careened around corners, and her face came too close to hitting objects for my liking).

Within hours of her arrival, my mom and I were creating cheeky dialogue for the dog who is beloved by many. Others would’ve gladly cared for her, so we joked about her inner monologue.

What you’re cooking better be for me.

I thought my dad told you I preferred beef over chicken.

Yes, cheese is a food group.

I will be reporting back to my family. Be warned that all I have to do is act listless and feign throwing up once, and you’re done for.

We enjoyed this ridiculous banter and it was made all the better when she whined for an endless array of snacks.

Character Development

Though we were playing around, I couldn’t help but think of the process of creating fictional characters as we guessed what Shyla was thinking.

In one of my favourite interviews with Dan Levy, co-creator of Schitt’s Creek, he said that they workshopped their characters for many weeks before they started writing the pilot of what would become their award-winning, internationally acclaimed show. Celebrated Canadian film star, his father and co-creator, Eugene Levy, insisted that they needed to make sure they knew how their characters would react in every situation.

While it’s easy to ad-lib lines for a beloved pet, as a writer, I’ve taken Eugene Levy’s advice to heart. I am sure that my writing (and more importantly, my readers’ experience) will be greatly enriched because of it.

*If you’re a dog-lover too, issue 7 of Second Draft Journals: Love Notes & Paw Prints is the perfect journal for you.

This post also appears on The Write Results.

22 August 202221 August 2022

Sharing Stories On Social (RIP Aunt Pat)

I shared a few memories about my Aunt Pat on social media last week because she passed away less than two weeks ago. Her passing came as a shock. My family (& everyone who knew her) will miss her.

I was hesitant to share memories about her because I am not used to being vulnerable online (I’ve only been sharing videos of myself for about two months). I didn’t know if those memories really belonged on social media, nor if I should share as many videos as I did (are there rules for grieving on social platforms?).

Most of the memories that I shared about Aunt Pat revolved around books, and people were surprisingly kind. I was touched that anyone would watch my videos let alone pass on their condolences. A mother even reached out to me after I posted a video where I talked about a conversation Aunt Pat and I had about a poem titled, Somebody Should Have Taught Him by Jane Watkins, which is about drunk driving featured in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul (I erroneously thought this poem was published in the original Chicken Soup for the Soul, which is the image I used as the cover for this video). This lady wrote that her daughter was going to get her learner’s permit, and she planned to share that poem with her to further caution her about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. It’s a poem that really resonated with Aunt Pat and me, and it means a lot that social media allowed me to share such an important piece with others.

Obituaries: A Subjective and Incomplete Narrative

When my mom and I read Aunt Pat’s obituary, my mom told me that death announcements used to be purely factual. Because they were printed in a newspaper, they had to fit on one page, so it simply listed the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death, their spouse’s name, their parents’ names, and survivors. Of course, now that almost everything is online, an obituary for the deceased can be submitted and made available to the general public.

Though writing your own obit is a common journaling exercise in order to get life back on track, when the time comes, our lives will be summarized by surviving loved ones. Even if it’s beautifully written, experiences and preferences may be misrepresented and people who were important to the deceased may be left out. Since obituaries are subjective, everyone who admired the deceased would likely write an obituary that mentions different things because we affect each other in nuanced ways. Instead of focusing on what you’re going to accomplish, perhaps we should focus on impacting the people around us. Every memory will be a little different, but if people remember you fondly (as we all will Aunt Pat), that’s a life well lived. Perhaps that should be the goal.

Rest in peace, Aunt Pat. We love you.

*This post also appears on The Write Results.

**The photo of the candle used on this post by Jarl Schmidt on Unsplash

8 August 20228 August 2022

The Worth Of Water

I’ve always had easy access to water. I don’t think it’s something I take for granted, but since I’ve never done without, there’s no way I can truly appreciate how difficult it would be to live without it. I became convinced of this after reading The Worth Of Water by Gary White and Matt Damon. Though I’ve read about issues surrounding water accessibility and the effects of climate change, I learned a lot by reading this book. (I have never been truly thirsty [the 3 stages of dehydration are described on page 20. I’ve only ever experienced stage 1]). I knew that, in certain countries/cultures, it’s primarily “women’s work” to gather water, but I didn’t know about “water wives.” As discussed in The Worth of Water, there are areas that have so little access to water that men marry multiple women and those women are responsible for collecting water for the family. They spend their days hauling water, which of course, leads to injuries and steals the time that they could spend working. The Worth Of Water points out that when these areas receive the necessary infrastructure for easier access to water, water remains “women’s work,” so women make up the boards that operate and tend to these pumps, automatically making them extremely valuable in their community.

This beautiful image belongs to — and is courtesy of — mrjn Photography on Unsplash.

Microloans versus Charitable Giving

Before reading this book, I presumed that charity would be the only way to fix this issue, but this book makes a compelling case that — except for the most desperate of the destitute — the Water Credit initiative is a much more viable option because microloans that charge a fair interest rate allows capital to flow much like water, as that same sum can be borrowed and repaid again and again, instead of money that is given once through charitable giving.

This cause is extremely important, and though I am not a scientist, the series that I am writing features scarcity of water as one of the major themes. Though it is a work of fiction, I envision a future where I can offer my volunteer efforts and financial donations to this pressing issue, so I need to learn more about this topic. I’ve added The Big Thirst (a book recommended in The Worth Of Water) to my TBR list, but that’s just the beginning. Please recommend your favourite books about water, water infrastructure, and books about policies surrounding natural resources because I’d like to learn more about this urgent issue. Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

*The beautiful photo used in this post belongs to — and is courtesy of — mrjn Photography on Unsplash.