Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 18
May 21, 2020
Podcast 16: Taking a Gander of What’s Out There Before You Write
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Sorry it’s been a couple of weeks…I explain in the Podcast of where I’ve been and why I haven’t posted a Podcast in a while. I’m really looking to hear your thoughts about this one…so feel free to comment below and share your opinions on your readings and your approaches. I love to learn from others.
Next week, I’ll share with you my thoughts on my MFA program—people ask me all the time if I think it’s worth pursuing an MFA as a writer, and I’ll answer that in next week’s Podcast.
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Hope everyone is staying well. Let me know your thoughts on prior reading before writing. I’m so interested in this! And thank you to those of you who have commented on my Instagram feed…it’s a great discussion!
If we’re not following each other on Instagram, follow me at stephanie.verni and I will follow you back!
Be well!
xx
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https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/podcast-16-52120.mp3
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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.
May 17, 2020
There’s Something You Should Do During Quarantine and Social Distancing
Prologue
You don’t have to listen to me.
But it may serve you well if you do.
More importantly, it may serve someone else well.
And so, let me share with you something that has the potential to be one of the best choices you’ve made during this pandemic.
In This Time of Self-Quarantine and Social Distancing…
I’m a teacher. I’m a writing professor. I teach people about writing.
I’m also a professor of communication, and I just finished instructing two courses in interpersonal communication. We dissected theories and concepts, nonverbal and verbal communication, work relationships, friendships, and love relationships, self-disclosure, reciprocity, and so many other things about relationships.
In a Ted Talk I shared with the class by Hannah Brencher (see below), the students watched her talk about love letters that she wrote and posted in trees and around her campus. The lesson is about empathy. They listened to the story she told of how she mailed letters to strangers, and lifted up those who were hurting. Each letter was handwritten.
The feedback I received from my students, who are anywhere from 18-25, was incredible. The majority of them talked about how love letters and letters in general, are not a part of their lives—their culture—as they communicate electronically almost every day. They were astounded by the impact Brencher had on people, specifically on strangers. And while there were a few of my students who admitted to writing notes to people (and only a rare few who said they do write letters), 90% of them said they had never written a letter of any kind by hand.
Text Messages are Not Keepsakes the Way Letters are…
As most of us are still isolated and not back to our normal lives, guess what? Now is a great time to write a love letter…or a letter of love…to someone. Putting your feelings on paper of what someone means to you, how you love them, how you are happy they are in your life, can mean the world to that person. One student did say that she wrote her boyfriend a love letter. She also said that he keeps that love letter in his wallet, so that he can read it whenever he wants.
I almost melted when I read that.
I’m Someone Who is Obsessed with Paper…
When I worked as director of publishing and then as a creative services manager, I got to work with printers who taught me a lot about paper. I love the feel of paper, the way paper looks, the smell of a freshly printed page, and the many designs of notepaper, stationery, and card stock that is available to us. I’m someone who prefers to hold a magazine or book in my hand instead of reading on a Nook, Kindle, computer, or iPhone.
Picking out the perfect type of paper for your love letter can be fun. Or, a simple blank sheet of paper will do. While the look of the love letter can help get us in the mood, remember, it’s the words on the page that make the biggest impact. It’s the sentiment.
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Love Letters are Keepsakes…
How many text messages have you saved and put in your scrapbook? How many emails have you printed and put into your “forever” box? We don’t do this. Text messages vanish. And while text messages may be wonderful and sweet and loving, it’s just not the same as receiving a love letter. Sure, we may save some texts, but we don’t treasure and save them like we do a meaningful love letter that someone has taken the time to write. The mere act of gliding a pen across a blank piece of paper—that someone took the time to sit and write with YOU in mind—is what makes them so special. And think about that feeling of opening your mailbox and seeing…a LETTER…addressed to…YOU.
And love letters don’t just have to be for your lover. Letters can be written to grandparents, parents, cousins, siblings, friends, old friends, lost friends, nurses, doctors, teachers, coaches, people who inspire you…there are so many who influence our lives.
Pick one and start there.
We Used to Write Love Letters…
In high school and college, at least during my years, there were no cellphones, and computers were just coming into fashion. We had a phone in our dorm room, and that was our primary mode of communication with people (there used to be a thing such as long distance calls). We also had P.O. Boxes, and I loved going to my campus mailbox and seeing if someone had sent me a letter. I used to get some from my mom, dad, and an occasional “someone special” I was seeing. A nice guy who was a minor league ballplayer and kindly took me to a sorority formal when one of my friends refused to go with me wrote me letters from Peoria, IL, to tell me how things were going. I still have those letters, and it was fun to write back and forth. In high school, my friends and I would pass letters to each other in between classes.
Now people text, Snap, and post and comment on stories. It’s fleeting.
But not a letter. That written letter has the capacity to change a life for the better.
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Epilogue
If any of this has resonated with you, or if Hannah Brencher’s video spoke to you, I urge you to sit down now and write that letter to someone who means something to you. Put a stamp on it and stick it in the mail. Let them “hear” your words on paper.
It just may be the best thing you’ll do during quarantine.
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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.
Baseball Nostalgia and Baseball Fiction
THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY LIFE
My parents & family
My husband and kids
High school & college
Working in baseball
Being a teacher
Friendships
.THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY STORYTELLING
Broken loves
Grandmothers
Life in baseball
Relationships (good & bad)
Losing people we love
Maryland’s beauty
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BLACKBIRDS PARK is the fictional version of Camden Yards in my novel entitled Baseball Girl. I worked at Old Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards for the Orioles (hence the Cooperstown bear pictured here, a gift from Orioles owner Mrs. Angelos). I’m somebody who can feel romantic about places and about baseball. This novel is loosely based on my life working in baseball, an amalgamation of the people and places I loved over the years as I grew up in that sport. It’s a place that will always feel magical to me—I met my husband there, and my kids would not be here if not for baseball.
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Feeling a little nostalgic today in the absence of baseball, I leafed through my copy of the book—a true labor of love for me. I had so much fun telling this story of Frankie, a woman who works in professional baseball, and her entanglements with a ballplayer and a sports writer. After having lost her father, she feels empty inside as baseball was their “thing.” Now, she must learn to navigate life without her dad. Each chapter opens with a baseball-related quote that I wrote that has something to do with that chapter. Additionally, Frankie’s flashbacks about her life with her father come in first person narratives that accent the third-person narration about these characters. I’m pretty proud of this story; it’s made up of all the joy, sorrow, heartbreak, and love I could give a story.
[image error]To fill the void of a good love triangle and baseball, I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy and having fun reading along with Frankie, the spunky, but heartbroken protagonist, as well as handsome ballplayer Joe Clarkson, witty writer Jack Thompson, and her best friend, a priest, Father John. I’ve included an excerpt below of Chapter 19 between Frankie and Father John.
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Links to purchase any of my books are here!
Thanks all!
xx
Chapter 19 EXCERPT © Stephanie Verni, Baseball Girl
Nineteen
“I never dreamed the team would let me go. I had a great season and was batting close to .300. It was a shock. But when isn’t it a shock to get released?”
~ Sparky Davis, former Blackbirds first baseman
Francesca was furiously knocking on Father John’s door, her knuckles turning red from the incessant pounding. She didn’t know where else to turn, and he knew her as well as anyone.
He answered the door in sweats, holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.
“Francesca,” he said, “is everything all right?”
“No, John, everything is not all right. Do you have a minute for an impromptu confession?”
“Is it a confession you need or a friend? Am I serving you as John or Father John?”
“Both.”
“You know I always have time for a good confession and never close the door to a dear friend,” he said.
“Well, I didn’t exactly use the word ‘good’ when describing the confession, now, did I? I can’t promise you that.”
“Come in,” he said, “and stop your gibberish.”
She visited his home at the rectory many times. Their friendship was always strong, even when they were younger. They became even closer during her father’s last fleeting days on this earth. It was actually Father John who told her to take her dad to a ballgame, despite the wheelchair and the difficulty of getting him there. He said it would do him good, and it ended up being something Francesca would never forget and would never regret. Though it was incredibly painful for her to watch her father’s physical state deteriorate and watch him use every ounce of energy to do the smallest of things like take a sip of water, she brought her father to the game nonetheless; she would always treasure those moments they shared as dusk fell on the ballpark that night, the last game they would see in person together.
“Coffee?” he asked, heading toward the small kitchen area. “Or would you prefer a glass of wine maybe.”
“Definitely wine. Is that okay?”
“No problem at all. Jesus was a big fan of it.”
He poured her a glass in one of his crystal wine glasses, and Francesca sank into his small leather chair, worn but cozy. He was reading, and the book had been turned upside down and been kept open to mark his page on the table.
“Is it any good?” Francesca asked him, pointing to the novel.
“I’m just a big Grisham fan. I pretty much read anything he writes,” he said.
“I like him, too,” she said, “even though he’s a man.”
“Ah, I see,” Father John said. “So now we’re getting down to our theme of the night: ‘Trouble with Men.’ What’s the confession?”
She nodded and sipped her wine. “Is it wrong to hate someone…a man? Because right now, I feel hatred building up inside of me.”
“Jesus doesn’t like hatred, nor do I. It’s not like you,” he said. “What’s happened?”
“I think the problem is me,” she said. “I’m no good with men. They all seem to leave me.”
“Who has left you?”
“Well, in high school, first it was Johnny, then it was my father, and all the other guys I’ve dated in college, and now it seems to be Joe.”
“Clarkson, huh?” Father John raised his eyebrows.
She nodded.
“I assume it got more serious since the last confession?”
“Unfortunately,” she said.
“That’s a shame. He’s a good hitter.”
“Oh, dear Lord. Not you, too.”
Father John fell silent for a moment.
“After several weeks together, things were going pretty well. But now it appears he there’s something in his past he neglected to tell me about. I got suckered in, Father John. I even allowed myself to start to fall in love with him.”
“And you’re sure he’s the father?”
“It appears that way.”
“Sweet Lord Jesus,” Father John said. On his brow, little beads of sweat started to form.
“Have you no advice to give, John? Have you nothing to offer me?”
“Only this: Hating someone for their actions is bad. It’s very bad. You can be angry, because in time you will overcome that. However, to reflect back on what you said earlier, your father did not leave you. He died. Given the choice between life and death, I’m quite certain he would have preferred to have stayed with us on our dear planet a little longer.”
“But the fact remains, he’s not here. Not when I need him.”
“No, Frannie, he may not be, but your loving mother is. Perhaps this is something you can talk with her about. Get her opinion. See what she has to say.”
“She’s better at that with Cissy. We don’t talk about men in depth,” she said. “I can’t trust men. I just can’t. It’s over for me. What did the Raven say in Edgar Allen Poe’s story? ‘Nevermore.’”
“But you’re here trusting me,” Father John said. “And the last time I looked, I was still a man.”
“Yes, but you’re like a direct line to God. I’m here to listen to you tell me what God thinks I should do because apparently following my own conscience is not working.”
“You know the expression, Frannie: time heals all wounds. You must breathe and consider that maybe it wasn’t meant to be with Clarkson. There are bigger fish for you to fry, my friend. You are being looked after, and you must trust in the events that pass before you. There is a reason for all things. It’s just that sometimes it takes a little while to figure them out.”
For a long time after that comment, the pair became pensive as they listened to the quiet ticking of Father John’s enormous grandfather clock while the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald played softly in the back- ground, almost as if in a whisper. Francesca sipped her wine, allowing it to warm her insides, and she breathed deeply. After the time of introspection passed, each of them in their own meditations, she cleared her throat to break the silence. However, it was Father John who had more to say.
“When I think about what you’ve told me, Frannie, your high school guy—Johnny—he wasn’t right for you anyway. You two were young, he was immature, and you were dealing with something that no kid her age should have to deal with. And Clarkson now, well, he’s a big-time ballplayer, which might come with a big ego to boot. He doesn’t know what he wants, and you shouldn’t be the one to try to help him figure it out, because in the end, you know who you are and what you want. It’s just going to take some patience to wait for it to come along.”
But what Father John failed to realize was, Francesca wasn’t actually waiting for anything. She was never one to wager that she would marry by a certain age and have kids and live in a house with a white picket fence. He was probably right. In the long run, could she see herself with Joe? In fact, that night at the movie house, while she had a great time, something felt awkward through all the elaborate courting. She had never been a needy or high-maintenance type of girl; she didn’t need jewels and furs, champagne and caviar.
And yet, she did what she swore she wouldn’t do—she fell for him. It had taken years, she thought, to allow herself to feel emotion, and now the energy she had put into that relationship felt wasted. If Francesca allowed herself to be completely honest, she came up empty handed. She actually had no idea what she wanted in a man at all.
Or was that statement untrue? She thought again, and perhaps it was. What she wanted was a man like her father—someone kind, supportive, unselfish, and caring to a fault. Someone who made her laugh and helped her look at life with joy.
She was sitting before one of those types of men, disguised as a priest, but who was wholeheartedly a caring and kind man, so they did exist. She knew that.
She just wasn’t sure if one existed for her to believe in.
She wasn’t sure. She just wasn’t sure anymore.
***
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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.
May 14, 2020
What I’m Writing Now (or my current WIP)
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Currently, I’m not writing anything, but next week, I will begin to dive deeply into novel number five, picking up with Chapter 3 where I left off before coronavirus intensified the nature of my working life. The novel is still to be named, which I hate, actually. I typically have to have a working title, but now that the premise of the book has morphed into something different, the working title “Four in a Year,” is just, well, not working.
Wrapping up the semester leaves me time only to write this short blog post before getting my grades finalized and uploaded. I shouldn’t even be taking time to do this, but I needed to get this down on paper…or virtually…or whatever these blogs serve as a means to share content and ideas.
My next book centers around four characters who are each in the throes of despair and a bookstore. Then, something magical happens, and their lives will begin to turn around for the better. There are two male characters and two female characters, and I’m starting to get to know them through my character sketches I’ve been working on.
The idea for the “twist” of the novel came to me on a car ride to Delaware to visit our in-laws. On that unusual day, I did not pick up a book, a pencil, or a piece of paper. I took the entire day off, the first time I did that since the pandemic took over our lives. I let my mind drift and wander, and then, like a bolt of lightning, the idea came to me as to how the story is going to evolve.
[image error]Part of my research as a novelist is to read other books similar to what mine might be so I can get a feel for what’s out there–and how my story can be different.
Because all of my previous novels are very character-driven and that’s the type of writer I am, I need a hook—that thing that ties the story together. In Inn Significant, it was the grandmother’s journal in the basement. In Little Milestones, it was the tie-in to Miles and Milly from Inn Significant. In Baseball Girl, it was the love triangle between a woman who works in baseball and a sports writer and a baseball player. In Beneath the Mimosa Tree, it was the forgiveness of a mistake that happened 10 years prior.
After watching countless hours of Game of Thrones (twice over, mind you), and realizing that I love Harry Potter, I decided that while I probably can’t write like George R.R. Martin, I can throw some fantasy-like whimsy into my story rooted in people and their problems in life.
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I’m looking forward to diving in next week. My brain is currently doing mental cartwheels, and I can feel my fingers itching to tap some keyboard keys.
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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.
May 12, 2020
Getting My Books in Order
[image error]This whole lockdown has been pretty strange. Not only are we getting sick of being in the house, we’re in front of our computer screens nonstop, with walking breaks stretched throughout the day to keep us sane. I thank goodness each day for the park/farm up the street and the odd little jobs we’ve been doing, in addition to watching Game of Thrones from the beginning all the way through with our kids (they had not seen my favorite all-time show before) as diversions from work. It’s truly been a whirlwind.
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One of the projects I decided to undertake was rearranging my bookshelves in both my office and piano room. Both projects had been on my mind, and as my favorite social media is Instagram and there are a lot of great pictures of bookshelves being shared, I was inspired. The office bookshelf above is organized by color. It took me a couple of weeks on and off, and the one in the piano room (below) I conquered this past Saturday morning.
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There are a couple of other bookshelves I’d like to tackle as well in the house, and I’ll get to those once the grading for the semester is done. After that, there are some other projects that loom…and I’m looking forward to getting them in order as well.
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What projects have you tackled during quarantine that you’ve been wanting to complete? Have you used this time to attack anything on your “to do” list?
xx
Stephanie
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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.
May 1, 2020
Advantages & Disadvantages of Working from Home
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ADVANTAGES of WORKING FROM HOME
1-you can go without jewelry and shoes and no one really cares
2-you can work during the day or night at whatever time works for your schedule or short commute
3-you can take potty breaks whenever you want
4-you can multi-task without anyone really seeing you do it
5-you can play music while you work and not bother anyone
6-you can stretch your back on the floor after sitting for so long at the computer at your leisure
7-your walk to the cafeteria (your kitchen) is much shorter
8-you can squeeze in an exercise when it suits your agenda that day
9-you can take quick breaks with your family and eat meals together
10-you can pull an old, comfy dress from the closet and wear it as workwear
DISADVANTAGES of WORKING FROM HOME
1-you miss seeing everyone so damn much.
I have a million and one things to accomplish today, but I just wanted to check on everyone’s mental state. I’m trying to stay positive…we are rolling into the last two weeks of the semester, and everything’s kicked up a notch. Meetings, grading, assignments, test creation, and finishing writing my syllabus for the graduate course I’m teaching starting May 18. But remember…remember…it’s very important to smile through it all.
Happy Friday and be well, all.
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.
April 28, 2020
Podcast 15: Committing to Your Blog
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As authors, it’s important that we stay connected to our audiences. Blogging allows us to do just that. On a blog platform, we can connect with readers, showcase our work, and share other experiences that allow readers to get to know us. For all these reasons and more, it’s important to blog.
Today’s podcast covers just that. I welcome comments, suggestions, and feedback on today’s topic. I don’t claim to know everything about blogging, but I do know that I’ve been keeping up with Steph’s Scribe since 2011, and it’s become a part of me. I’d like to share my thoughts with you in today’s podcast.
Be well, all!
xx,
Stephanie
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https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/podcast-15-committing-to-your-blog.mp3
April 23, 2020
Happy World Book Day
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What’s one of the first stories you remember reading as a child? The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash and Cinderella were two of mine. Now I prefer stories about fire-breathing dragons that torch fighting pits with Daenerys and love stories that make me feel so deeply for the characters, I want them to be together, such as with Francesca and Robert in The Bridges of Madison County. Books allow us to travel to foreign lands, melt the Wicked Witch, or be visited by three ghosts before Christmas morning.
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It’s World Book Day today. Pledge to yourself that you’ll create a summer reading list and conquer it like Noah and Allie conquered love in The Notebook. Read voraciously and gain knowledge and experience like Tyrion Lannister and Hermione Granger. Be open to trying new genres or further explore the ones you love.
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Let’s celebrate the wonderful world of books together, and I hope you’ll add one of my novels onto your pile this summer. HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY!
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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.
April 17, 2020
Franco and The Blonde: Fiction Friday
Today, I’m trying my hand at a bit of short fiction. This piece of flash fiction is under 600 words at 595 words. This scene popped into my head last night, perhaps because at dinner, our family was talking about our Italian heritage and the legacies we leave behind (I know…a little heavy for a dinner conversation during a coronavirus crisis). Nonetheless, I knew I was going to write this scene when I went to bed last night, and I banged it out this morning, just to touch base with my creativity. I’m so immersed in teaching 4 online courses right now, that I have little time for something like this, but on Fridays, I’m forcing myself to have an hour of creative time. Here’s the result of that space I’m giving myself.
Hope you are all well and holding up okay under the present circumstances.
xx,
Stephanie
[image error]Photo by Katarzyna Modrzejewska
Franco and The Blonde
The old man sat at his window that overlooked the tiny, cobblestone street. The day had been long, and the sun had just set. He had eaten his pasta and gravy, the warmth of the summer day coming in through the window. Since he’d aged, he’d found himself not being as affected by the heat as he had been when Filomena was alive. She had despised the oppressive heat, and she would do her needlework right in front of the fan he’d bought for her.
The old man’s window was open, and he sat in his worn, deep green chair, looking out the window and across the narrow road and into the window of the blonde woman’s appartmento. He felt like an intruder, but it didn’t stop him from watching her. Night after night, she would sit at the window of her dressing table, dry her long, blonde hair with a hairdryer, and then sit and curl it, her long locks cascading down her back and along the sides of her face.
His eyesight had grown weaker over the years, and yet, he could still follow her patterns nightly. It gave him great pleasure to watch her from his window; she never pulled down the blinds. Never. And so, each night, Franco would watch her from afar and reminisce.
Filomena’s hair had been long and blonde as well. She hailed from Naples, and Franco and Filomena had met in Portofino on the beach over fifty years ago. He remembered watching her with her friends, wearing her blue checked bikini, passing a beach ball back and forth to each other, her blonde hair blowing in the summer breeze, her dark, big Sophia Loren glasses perched on her Roman nose. Some might not believe in love at first sight, but Franco knew immediately when he saw Filomena that something would pass between them. He would never admit to knowing they would marry and have a family, but deep down inside, he knew it to be true. Only Filomena knew the depth of his admiration and love for her that he felt immediately.
The glow of the light in the blonde’s apartment flickered; Franco watched for her reaction. There was none. She turned to look behind her, and then, when the flash of darkness was over, she gazed back into the mirror that was in front of her and continued to curl her hair. Watching her each night had become a habit. He wondered about her, where she came from, who her family was, if she had a lover, and why she was here in Siena. She’d only lived in that appartmento for six months, and for six months Franco had been mesmerized.
She reminded him of Filomena in her twenties.
In fact, she reminded him of Filomena at every age—in her twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Franco was startled. He hadn’t expected anyone. He had not been informed that someone was coming by. Perhaps one of his neighbors needed something.
Franco took one last look at the blonde, and hobbled out of his chair. He shuffled to the door and opened it.
“Hey, Papa,” his son said. “I thought you might need a little company tonight.”
“Ah, good, good,” Franco said, patting his son on the back.
“And Mariana baked you some cookies. How about a little card game?”
Franco looked at his son, and his son looked at Franco. His son caught a glimpse of the woman across the way and looked back at his father.
“You missing Mamma tonight?” his son asked him.
“Always,” Franco said, and his son wrapped him up in a hug that almost made Franco cry.
***
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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.
April 14, 2020
Podcast 14: Finding and Flushing Out Story Ideas for Novel Writers
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[image error]What’s my next project? I’m trying to figure that out.
I’m outlining, doing research, and juggling two things simultaneously as I flush out what might be my next project. As I dig in, I’m finding out what might work as my next piece of writing.
Are you in the same boat? If so, today’s podcast may be helpful as we dissect ideas and begin to move forward.
Where are you in the writing stage right now? I’m in the very, very beginning stages of tackling a new story idea.
Let’s move through the process together. Check out today’s podcast below.
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https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/podcast-14-41420-10.58-am.mp3
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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.
