Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 16
August 16, 2020
The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem
The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem
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The hour has finally arrived, my friends
Another birthday is here
I’d love to scream with joy and glee
But aging’s what I fear
Growing old’s a gift, it’s true
To live your life in full
It should be sunshine and roses
But a lot of it’s just bull
Aging isn’t always bliss
My back’s a pain in the ass
It’s taking away from me having fun
And affecting all of my sass
The lines on my face do show some wear
And I jiggle way more than I’d like
The greys in my hair are plentiful, too
So I escape when I can on my bike
On your birthday, you face all your good
But you also must face all your faults
Like the time you made a bad choice or two
Or you drank one too many malts
The best part about a birthday, you see
Is that birthdays come and they go
And you realize you learn more every day
And how little you really do know.
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August 13, 2020
Blogging from Bethany – Beach Cottages
What if your fairy godmother told you that you could have any of the houses shown here? Which one would you pick? Do you prefer a small beach cottage covered in roses and flowers, or would you rather have one of the big mommas?
This is the kind of game I play with myself when I’m exploring the streets on my bike. As I mentioned in a previous post, these properties have a lot of personality, and they are some of my favorites.
As for me, well, I wouldn’t be too picky. A house at the beach is a house at the beach, no matter which way you slice it.
And while these homes are completely charming and give me all the beach vibes I can feel, I’m so uptight about my home that I would be one of those neurotic beach homeowners that would freak out about it with every tropical storm, hurricane, or whatever Mother Nature decided to blow in. I think for my sanity’s sake, as I think about future retirement, I’d probably be better off with a home on a river.
How about you?
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[image error]This one sits on the ocean.
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August 10, 2020
Blogging from Bethany
Before I get started, let me say that I admire people who have the chutzpah to travel during coronavirus. I wasn’t sure we would have it in us to venture into it. However, after the year we had in 2019 that caused us to cancel three vacations, we were looking forward to getting away this year.
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Then, 2020 hit. In May of this year, we also had to cancel a fourth vacation—our daughter’s celebratory high school graduation trip due to the pandemic. After that, we delayed booking something in Hilton Head for August. It wasn’t until two weeks ago that we found a house in Bethany Beach in Delaware, and we decided to give it a whirl.
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My children have never vacationed here. Most of our beach vacations have been spent in the Outer Banks or Hilton Head, with one long weekend in Ocean City.
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My childhood memories, however, were spent here. Bethany Beach holds incredible memories for me, of time spent with my parents, brother, both sets of my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, and friends. Our collective family hasn’t vacationed here since 1999.
It’s so great to be back.
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Bethany’s quaintness thrives in this adorable beach town. It’s as sweet and special as ever—the perfect place to take your family for a week. Plus, for us, living right outside Annapolis, the quick ride to the Delaware beaches sure beats the long drive to the Carolina beaches.
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I’m actually sitting on the beach right now blogging from my beach chair. It’s just what the doctor ordered, masks and all.
More coming about this special place. For now, I gotta go catch some rays.
Ciao, Bellas.
Xx
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August 3, 2020
Facing Monday
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Hello, Monday, I see we meet again. We have come face-to-face for another round.
I’m not intimidated by you this week. In week’s past, I may have been. But this week will be productive. There’s a lot to accomplish, so I hope you are ready..First, we have to allow for some time to be creative and work on the new story. Something clicked last week as I was writing my characters for this novel. I realized how vested I am in the project and in Meg, Eva, Lily, Reid and Nick. I like all of them, and while they may have some struggles they’re dealing with at the beginning of the book, I’m now at the part where they are beginning to overcome the obstacles that have made them miserable, sad, or feeling dejected. The plot has shifted slightly, and it’s beginning to gel. I LOVE that feeling.
I love a good story about good people rising above the muck, don’t you? I swear…there’s enough angst, anger, sadness, and frustration in the world right now. I’m here to provide an uplifting story that empowers us all to be better and to do better.
[image error]Writing Reid’s chapter today.
Along with writing the novel, there’s also the responsibilities I have as a professor who is getting ready for all sorts of circumstances this fall as an educator. We find ourselves in unchartered waters, and we must have a lot of contingency plans in place. But I count myself very, very lucky to be connected with such a wonderful institution and the best Faculty Fellows anyone could ask for. We are working hard for our fellow faculty, under the slogan “for the faculty, by the faculty.” Despite the health restrictions, we are committed to offering our students the best education possible.
So there’s all that this week, Monday. There’s a lot to do. I hope you are ready to take on the week with me..Who else is ready to kick some major butt this week?
Xx
July 29, 2020
What Are You Missing Most Right Now?
WHAT ARE YOU MISSING MOST RIGHT NOW?
Most of us are probably missing the freedom we used to have to travel, being with those we love without social distancing, and seeing the world. Plus, as I am working on my syllabus for feature writing, I typically instruct and assign an article about travel writing. This morning I woke up realizing I may have to take this assignment out. How can I expect the students to travel and write about their local travel in these present circumstances? This semester is going to be unusual enough without now having to rethink assignments. I’m going to have to get creative.
What places are on YOUR BUCKET LIST? There are several places I’d like to go. Paris, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, and Canada. I also have to get to Prince Edward Island at some point and see Anne of Green Gable‘s house.
[image error]With all this uncertainty, I’m sharing some photos of a trip we took to California couple of years ago for Matt’s graduation. It was a great trip. We started in San Francisco and made our way down to San Diego. We stayed in Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and of course, San Francisco and La Jolla. We went to baseball games, Universal Studios, beaches, Santa Monica, and the Hollywood Hills. We sat at Frank Sinatra‘s table at the Beverly Hills Hotel. We ate Pink’s Hot Dogs and Dodger Dogs at Dodger Stadium. We toured the Warner Bros. studio. And, I had my kids write about it. 
July 27, 2020
Pretty Things That Bring You Joy
I don’t know about you, but our current situation regarding coronavirus is starting to get to me. Our mental health is being affected, whether we realize it or not. Being unable to do some of the things that we enjoy doing is taking a toll. I know there have been much greater sacrifices made, and I know there have been much tougher situations people have faced. Still, what we are facing is affecting lives, businesses, and our state of mind; it requires us to face our daily challenges with grace.
Taking regular, long walks has been away to clear my mind. Writing a new novel has been incredibly therapeutic. Photography has been another outlet for me during this time. What have you found you love to do now that we are not living the lives we used to?
I used to say my favorite color is black, but now I’m changing my mind. I think my favorite color is Tiffany blue, then black. I’ll always love my black clothing, black shoes, and black handbags. But Tiffany blue is calming. Therefore, as you can see here, I’m sharing some of my favorite things that are either Tiffany blue or black that bring me some joy.
What things, besides exercising or meditation or being with your loved ones, bring you joy? I’d love to hear about them.
[image error]The bouquet I picked from the mobile flower truck.
[image error]Book Club Journals from Five Below
[image error]Our next book club book – 4 books a year
[image error]Tiffany bracelet along with Kate Lofton bracelets
[image error]Kinder Farm Park and my 3-mile walks
[image error]Hitting over 45,000 words on my new novel.
July 23, 2020
A Suggestion for Your Kids: Write About The Pandemic
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Let’s get a few things straight before I launch into this short, but important blog post. I’ll start with the five basics.
First: I’m a writer, and I love writing, so I’m going to encourage writing.
Second: You have seen me often write on this platform about the importance of keeping a journal of your life to preserve your family’s history. Nothing has changed since then.
Third: As a teacher of writing, what better subject matter to offer potential writers to write about than the situation of what we are all going through?
Fourth: We find ourselves in incredibly unusual times, and it’s worth taking the time to record it.
Fifth: No one has a perfect memory.
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For the five aforementioned reasons, I’m encouraging my kids—and others—to write about this crazy and historic time of living through a pandemic. As I just mentioned to my son, someday when you are 40 or 50 and someone asks what it was like to live through it, you will want to have documented notes on what it felt like, how it affected you and your family, and the feelings that you had living through it. For example, my son was robbed of his second semester sophomore year of college, and my daughter’s senior year of high school was a disaster, from losing out on a dance showcase, to prom, to a travel trip through the school, to graduation. We may remember the quick strokes, but how did it feel for you to live through it?
As I said, no one has a perfect memory. You will not remember all the little nuances of the circumstances we are living through. The truth is, most of us probably have a little more “down” time than we had before. Get a pretty journal or open up that laptop and write your thoughts. Sit in the sun, by the pool, or near a garden and let your thoughts flow. The task is not to be Shakespeare, but to be authentic you on paper writing down your authentic feelings. I don’t care if it’s in bullet points or long-hand prose; the point is to write it down so you remember.
It’s an emotional time—emotions are heightened—and a good place to start is at the beginning. Where were you when you learned we had to hunker down and quarantine? Do you know anyone who has been ill? What has it been like to be in your home during this time? Did you learn anything new about yourself or others during this time? What are you missing most?
Look at this activity as an opportunity to document your own history.
Someday, your kids might thank you for it when they are asked, “What was it like?”, and they can dust off that journal and have the ability to recall exactly what it was like, word for word.
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Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She is the author of 5 works of fiction and the co-author of one academic textbook on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are set in beautiful Maryland locations and examine the realities of the human heart. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni or on Twitter at @stephverni. Or, visit her Amazon page at Stephanie Verni, Author.
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POSTED BY STEPH’S SCRIBE
I’ve been blogging at Steph’s Scribe since 2011. Professionally, I’m a writer, author, blogger, and a full-time professor at Stevenson University. Personally, I’m married with two children. My hobbies, which I often blog about, are reading, travel, fashion, movies, and sharing funny family stories or life wisdom. Thanks for checking out my blog.
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July 21, 2020
Podcast 19: Perseverance, Queries & Writing that First Draft
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Thank you to some of my Instagram followers for offering suggestions of what to cover on today’s writing podcast on Steph’s Scribe! I am excited to tackle these subjects for you, and would love for our Writing Community to engage in dialogue about what works for them as we continue to learn from each other.
I hope you enjoy today’s podcast and are inspired to continue along your writing journey. I’m writing along with you, and am always here to help.
Have a good week, everyone!
xx
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Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She is the author of 5 works of fiction and the co-author of one academic textbook on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are set in beautiful Maryland locations and examine the realities of the human heart. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni or on Twitter at @stephverni. Or, visit her Amazon page at Stephanie Verni, Author.
July 17, 2020
Little Milestones Receives 5-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite
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One of the things I won’t ever do on my blog is to pretend that being an independent author is at all glamorous.
It’s not.
It takes tireless work, both on the creating/writing/editing side, as well as on the marketing/public relations/promotions side. It can be an exhausting adventure—and it is most definitely an adventure every single time—but you have to know this going into the endeavor. And never expect too much.
That said, you can imagine my surprise this morning, when I was already feeling down about where my next piece of writing is headed, to see the 5-star review for Little Milestones, a novel a published in October (as a follow-up to Inn Significant). I labored over that book, and to see the review this morning made me feel as if all my hard work has not been in vain. It was just what I needed this morning, as I came pretty close to scrapping the novel I’m currently working on.
You know what they say…sometimes, there’s “someone or something” looking out for you, even if you don’t know it.
It was just what I needed to find the strength to dig into my current project and take another crack at writing something worth reading.
Lesson learned: Keep going, even through the doubts.
Happy weekend, readers.
July 12, 2020
Sundays Are for Stories
FROM MY PORCH OFFICEThis is what Sunday morning writing looks like here at the Verni house. As I’m now officially over 33,000 words of building this story—probably my most complicated story to create to date—I am feeling the hum of the characters, the movement of the story, the connection of my 5 characters, and the way this story will end up. It’s a great feeling to know you’re on track with the story you want to tell—that the characters are yearning for you to tell.
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I write relationship-driven fiction. It comes from a place of understanding the nuances of people and what potentially drives them (or does not drive them). This book is about getting a signal of hope, about messages of kindness, about endearing people who have lost their way, but with the help of one person, things begin to change for them. It’s ultimately a story about hope. And I don’t know about you, but these days, I need to hear (or write) a story about hope when so much around us feels absolutely hopeless. 
