Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 31

Not Quite There With 5 Days Remaining

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It’s the 25th of November, and I’m still making progress, although it’s not moving as quickly as I would like. The goal for November was to complete 50,000 words (which is, in essence, a small novel). The problem is, this novel (Life with Nan) will more like 80,000+ words, I’m guessing. So, my friends, I have a way to go, but if that’s the case, then I’ll try to find some solace in the fact that I hit the halfway point by going over 40,000 words. Nan and my main character, Calista, still have more to uncover as their relationship of living together as granddaughter and grandmother continue, and as Calista learns what’s really important in life.

With 5 days remaining of #nanowrimo, I will see how far I get. I’ve been writing now for a couple of hours, and I feel it’s time to stop for the day.

That’s another writing tip: Don’t push it when you’ve hit that point of brain mush. What comes after the brain mush may not be your best work.

[image error]I’m glad many of you have taken the time to start a writing project, be it a small one or a large undertaking.

Writing has always been a passion of mine, and it’s wonderful to share it with others who feel the same way.

Persevere, my writing friends. The only person holding you back from finishing a work of writing is yourself.

I know you can do it.

But you have to believe it can be done, too.

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Reflections on Feeling a Loss of Hope

[image error]My blue suede boots. Read on for more about them.

Guest Blogger: Author and Writer Mandy Eve-Barnett on NaNoWriMo

Happy Sunday, writers and readers!

I am so pleased to introduce you to writer Mandy Eve-Barnett! We connected several years ago, as we both are writers and bloggers. Being in touch with and staying current with other writers is important as it helps push you and keeps you abreast of what others who share the same passion as you are doing. I hope you enjoy this Sunday Guest Blog. I’m certainly happy to have her share her writing journey with you, especially as we both strive to make a dent in #NaNoWriMo!

To see Mandy Eve-Barnett’s books on Amazon, click here.

To visit Mandy Eve-Barnett’s blog click here!

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I participated in my first NaNo in 2009, encouraged by my writing mentor, Linda. She assured me I could manage 50,000 words in a month. I was not so sure mainly because up until that time the most I had written was approximately 300 words! Initially, the panic set in and then I became totally possessed and wrote paragraphs while the meal was cooking, (until I discovered the slow cooker), skipped lunch so I could address a characters next move or I ignored my eyelids closing as I wrote into the early hours. I participated every year until 2017, when I took a break. I used this ‘hiatus’ to work on two manuscripts that had ‘piled up’ and edited them for publishing. There are two more to go plus the two novellas from this year but at least those two are unleashed into the world.

Writing to a deadline, for me anyway, results in almost complete novel length stories. These can be revised, added to and edited at my leisure in the following months. Of course, not to be complacent (I’m my own worst enemy), I added to the stress this year by committing to writing two novella length stories. One a sequel to a fantasy set in medieval England and the other a brand new steam punk story, which is a new genre for me. The sequel was reader demanded so I succumbed to pressure but the steam punk is a genre I wanted to try. As a flow free / panster writer, I let the characters dictate what happens and how the story moves along. I become the conduit typing as the story twists and weaves in my mind. I have no idea where it will lead and that, for me, is the best part.

For those of you who have made the commitment to this mad, exciting, panic-inducing challenge – I say good luck, may your muse always be at your shoulder and your words flow smoothly upon your page.

Knowing there are many, many writers around the world absorbed in the same challenge is not only exciting but a companionship of sorts. Whether you use a pen and notebook or type your story, it is the words that matter. This month will see thousands of stories created, their characters forging forward and overcoming obstacles. Some will be happy, some will be sad but your story will be told. Enjoy the process, although scary it is also very rewarding.

Visit Mandy Eve-Barnett’s blog at mandyevebarnett.com.

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Podcasts from Steph’s Scribe

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Last year I spent some time making a few Podcasts during National Novel Writing Month. In case you are interested, I am re-sharing them here, to get you moving. I have a lot of writing to catch up on this weekend, as it’s been a busy week on campus, but it’s important to try to always make time for our creativity.

Additionally, I’m excited to share with you a guest blogger on Sunday. She has some good advice and experiences to pass along to you to keep you motivated.

Hope you find these helpful, and have a wonderful weekend.

https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/podcast-5-recommended-books-for-writers.mp3

FIRST PODCAST – INSPIRING YOU FOR NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH

https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/first-podcast-11_1_17-4-57-pm-1.mp3

SECOND PODCAST – MORE ON INSPIRATION

https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/second-podcast-11217-3-13-pm.mp3

THIRD PODCAST – THEMES OF YOUR STORIES

https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/third-podcast-11317-2-34-pm.mp3

FOURTH PODCAST – WRITING YOUR CHARACTER SKETCHES

https://stephsscribe.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/fourth-podcast-writing-characters-11617-4-11-pm.mp3

FIFTH PODCAST – THE BEST BOOKS ON WRITING

How’s Your Writing Coming Along?

​[image error]It’s November 14, and you know what that means, right? Yes, next week is Thanksgiving, but it’s also the middle of November, better know to writers as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It’s time to roll up those sleeves, pour yourself some strong, delicious, and flavorful coffee, put on your black clothing (the writer’s uniform), and hunker down with your writing! Get moving, my friends. We are just about halfway there.

Last night, I hit over 37,000 words. NaNoWriMo dictates that an average novel written during the month is about 50,000 words written for the month, the length of a small novel. My novel is going to be over that 50,000 word count because there’s a lot to this story I’m telling. So, don’t worry if you don’t complete your project in a month. The Night Circus and Water for Elephants were started during National Novel Writing Month, not completed during that time.

We can only do what we can do. We have lives, families, jobs, commitments, and a Thanksgiving turkey to defrost and then cook.

Just keep going, my friends.

Do your best.

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Social Media Comparison is the Thief of Joy

[image error]Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

What the hell are we doing?

Honestly?

To use Teddy Roosevelt’s wonderful quote: Comparison is the thief of joy.

If you want to know the best way to kill your self-esteem and levels of confidence, continue to compare yourself to others on social media. After a few minutes of scrolling through social media, you’re certain to feel as if you do not do enough, look good enough, work hard enough, or live in a home that is beautiful enough (among others).

The uncanny ability to think that what we see on social media is real life is hurting us and our kids. Typically, life is not as we see it portrayed on social media. What we are seeing is a really good “example” of a part of the goodness of life, but not the whole of it.

Happy couples have fights. Beautiful homes look messy sometimes. Books are not perfectly aligned on every shelf. Travel locations devoid of people with perfect lighting are sometimes full of crowds, noisy, and rainy.

Occasionally, an unwanted leaf blows into a photo just as the subject’s hair is disturbed by the wind.

The photo is retaken, and that’s the one that is posted.

[image error]I had a conversation with someone the other day who said it’s difficult not to compare yourself to others–to what you see–on social media.

But, I told her, you have to remember, what we see is not always what it is. What we see is what they want you to see. As writer Erin Morgenstern said, “People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.”

There’s a real danger going on here with social media. I have finally gotten to the point where Instagram is my favorite social media because it’s where the least amount of drama occurs. People either like your picture or they don’t. Some people see what you’ve posted, but choose not to like it. That’s their prerogative. We must move on from counting “likes.” However, some folks obsess about the amount of “likes” they get, and therein lies the danger. If it’s all about the “likes” and less about sharing a great shot or message, we can go down a dark rabbit hole.

I’ve gotten to the point with my social media that I operate this way: I post and walk away. Call me blasé about it, but that’s how I’ve become to an extent. Have fun with it, but don’t obsess over it. I have bigger fish to fry and larger problems to attend to than to compare my social media to others. If you enjoy social media as I do, but don’t want to get too bogged down in it, just throw your post out there, and to quote something we said when our kids were little, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.”

Your “likes” do not define you.

But some people cannot adopt this attitude.

And it becomes the true thief of joy.

How Reading and Writing Inspires Me

[image error]Photo by Thought Catalog on Pexels.com

There are few things that give me more pleasure than totally immersing myself in (a) reading a book, and (b) writing a book.

Reading has saved me in many ways. It’s made me smarter, more empathetic, more worldly, and a better writer. It’s given me a sense of purpose. As a youngster, I was too busy playing all the time and being active; I didn’t really fall in love with reading until my senior year of high school, when I read a novel that opened up my world. From that point on, I became a reader. Reading has allowed me to visit places and see things I have yet to see; it’s given me a stronger understanding of other people, cultures, and places and not left me narrow-minded; and it’s helped me nurture and develop ideas of my own. I’m constantly inspired to read something good–and I continually seek recommendations from others.

Writing has helped me just as much, if not more so. In college, after being inspired by several writers I was reading, I wrote myself a note that read, “I want to be a novelist,” when I realized that I wanted to be a writer. It was a goal of mine at that age, and I wrote the note in a class on a paper I had gotten back from an admired teacher. I just recently found the manuscript and was flabbergasted that I actually wrote the words on paper. I made a pact with myself that I would someday publish something worth reading, and I’m proud of the fact that I set a goal and lived up to it.

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To date, I’ve published four works of fiction, and one academic textbook.

I love writing, and couldn’t imagine a life without it. It’s the thing I turn to in free time and in scheduled time, because I love it so much. It is my number one favorite thing to do outside of work and spending time with family. I’m constantly inspired to write.

As part of #NaNoWriMo, I am writing a fifth novel, one that I may seek representation for. I will know better when I finish the darn thing.

Until then, I urge you to open the doors to reading…and writing…if you can find a place for them in your life.

Below is a video of my fiction books that are for sale. I hope you’ll check out what I’ve been writing lately. For more information about each, click here.

A Tear Worth Shedding and Other Things

I thought I’d start this Monday with a little recap of a whole bunch of things I’ve been doing over the last week. Let’s begin with a book recommendation.

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The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

Some people are remarkably gifted storytellers.

I finished a book at midnight last night by one such gifted storyteller: Mitch Albom.

The Next Person You Meet In Heaven resonated so deeply with me that I shed many tears throughout the book. So many “themes” he touches upon in the novel are relatable. This book picks up many years later after Eddie’s death in The Five People You Meet In Heaven with Annie, the little girl 84-year-old Eddie, the maintenance worker at the amusement park, saved.

It is a touching look at the mistakes we’ve made in our lives, how we touch each other, the importance of forgiving ourselves, the relevance of forging ahead, and the reality of facing things that scare us. Albom has a way of bringing everything that affects Annie to the forefront, and through Albom’s well-drawn characters, we begin to assess how we’ve lived our own lives thus far, and reassess how we will continue to live them.

An avid fan of Albom (I recently met him at a book talk and signing–such a thrill!), and a writer I use as an example in my feature and magazine writing classes, this quick read will have you looking deeper into yourself as you live each day on this earth.

[image error]Doc Martin

Last night, my husband and I finished Season Six of Doc Martin, the British television show that was recommended to us. This show has really evolved and become better and better. Admittedly, we were a little leery at first mostly because of the quirkiness of it, but having spent the past six seasons with these characters, I can tell you they grow on you and keep you guessing. For anyone looking for a snarky, funny, and somewhat sentimental (and at times, frustrating because of poor Doc Martin’s phobia and introversion) show to sink your teeth into, I highly recommend this comedy/drama.

Strolling Annapolis

I’m teaching a course in travel writing, and while I can’t zoom off anywhere during the semester, I decided on Saturday morning, amidst the blue skies and stiff breeze, to grab my Nikon camera and take a stroll through my hometown of Annapolis. I tell my students all the time that travel begins when you step outside your door. Therefore, I decided to take myself out of the house and hit some back streets to fulfill the travel itch I was feeling. I’d never walked down some of the pictured streets above before (and one I’d only walked down once in all my years living near historic Annapolis).

[image error]Annapolis is also where I set my first book, Beneath the Mimosa Tree. The novel takes place from October through New Year’s Eve, so this particular time of the year inspired my writing of that book. I wanted to capture the essence of Annapolis, as well as tell the story of a man and a woman who grow up next door to each other, fall in love, but make a mistake that lasts for ten years, until…that’s right, they are reunited 10 years later and something happens to them as the holidays approach.

It was a beautiful autumn day for a walk, and my camera was glad I took it for a stroll. I was able to get inspired by nature, by the outdoors, and by the beautiful landmarks and houses in the city.

I went by myself, something I’ve enjoyed doing more and more as I’ve gotten older. When I’m strolling, I have only to answer to myself–and my feet will take me where I want to go.

I call it “me time,” and it definitely helps inspire my writing.

National Novel Writing Month

This is the second year I’ve worked with the Stevenson University Library on National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). We successfully kicked it off on Thursday, November 1, as November marks #NaNoWriMo, whereby writers attempt to complete a novel in 30 days. I’m not sure I’ll make the cut, but I’m working on it, and writing each day. I got a little head start, and I’m over 33,000 words. I’ll be doing my best to keep up, and that’s all we can do.

I wanted to thank the Stevenson Community for coming out for the launch on Thursday. It was so great to see so many interested and eager faces among the crowd. Let’s get writing…and keep writing. That’s the goal.

Have a good, productive writing week, and maybe sink your teeth into a good novel.

 

 

 

Let’s Do This Thing

[image error]I’m back to motivate you.

Are you open to it?

Do you have an idea for a novel, memoir, nonfiction story, or a collection of short stories that you need to give some time to this month?

You’re in luck.

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Welcome to National Novel Writing Month, or as we call it for short, #nanowrimo.

We’re here to help you get moving.

Along with my friends at the Stevenson University Library, our job tonight is to inform you on the best ways to go about writing and producing your book.

In one hour, we’ll have you inspired and on your way to beginning this exciting path to writing and publishing a novel.

That’s the goal.

Hope to see you here on Steph’s Scribe throughout the month where we will post  additional pushes and motivational messages to keep you going. If you happen to be local, tonight we’re officially kicking off the endeavor on campus with the Library in the Claire Moore Room in Garrison Hall on Stevenson University’s campus at 6 pm.

I’m ready. I’m inspired. I’m ready to write.

I hope you are, too.

Getting in the Write Frame of Mind

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I can equate the feeling of getting in the right frame of mind for yoga to getting in the right frame of mind for writing.

It’s time to stop finally stop saying you’re going to write it and actually do it.

All I can do is strongly encourage you to write, to tell the stories you have held deep inside of you. I can’t physically make you do it. But as your self-appointed writing yogi, I am hopeful that you’ll join me on this adventure we call #nanowrimo – National Novel Writing Month. Or, if you’re not ready to begin drafting your work, just grab a journal and have some fun with writing prompts that may lead to a draft down the road.

This is my passion, and we’re about to breathe it in and breathe it out.

So sharpen your pencils and flex those typing fingers. It’s about to get real on November 1.

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