A blog about writing, rejection and whatever else crosses my funny little mind.
I’ve been a bit quiet lately because I am writing. (For those wondering, yes, the meet-cute scene was written. Finally!)
My first rejection opportunity is coming up soon so I am scrambling to get this manuscript ready. Even though, if everything goes according to plan, I’ll be something like this:
Join authors Mary Amato and John Feffer and fellow colleagues for an energizing mix of lectures, facilitated discussion, and forced time to write!
Amato and Feffer are both discipline-crossing writers who are simultaneously working on novels, plays, essays, and poetry. These writing retreats will be focused on novel writing, but we welcome explorers of any genre—fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screen or stage play, etc.
ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN (US) TIME ZONE.
10:00-10:15 Intro & Warm up Writing
10:15-11:00 Lecture #1
11:00-11:30 Facilitated Chat (or log off and get to your writing)
11:30-2:15 Writing time
2:15-3:00 Lecture #2
3:00-3:30 Facilitated Chat (or log off and get to your writing)
3:30-5:00 Writing time
5:00-5:30 Final Q/A
$40 per person per retreat. You may sign up for one retreat or as many as desired. Once you have registered, you’ll receive three Zoom links for each of your retreat days. Each retreat day will include three Zoom sessions with writing time in between.
Sun Nov 1 Voice & POV: Establish authenticity, commit to a POV or multiple POVS, and know when to come in for a close up and when to pull back. What are the various voices and POVs in your work?
Sat Nov 21 Recurring Symbolism & Surprising Metaphors: Identify and explore symbols and metaphors and determine how and when they should repeat. What are the symbols and metaphors that are already in your work? Are you doing all you can or do you need more?
Please note that in addition to these retreats, both Amato and Feffer offer partial or full manuscript critiques on a rolling basis throughout the year. $30 per half hour. You can cap your investment at any amount. If you’re interested, contact either instructor individually.
No act of kindness is too small to be a part of Charlotte’s celebration and there are no limits on the types of kindness you can do.
The Weekend of Kindness is a yearly event organized by Charlotte’s Purpose in memory of Charlotte Elizabeth Carnaghan, who was stillborn on October 21, 2017. Charlotte’s family invites family members, friends, and friends-they-have-yet-to-meet to do acts of kindness and service during the weekend closest to her birthday.
The 2020 Weekend of Kindness will be October 24 – 25, 2020.
This year’s Weekend of Kindness “BIG PROJECT” is a Book Drive for Monarch Global Academy (MGA). The goal is to purchase children’s books with Black and Brown authors, main characters, and culture to be donated to MGA classrooms. You can support the 2020 Book Drive project by purchasing books from their Amazon Wish List.
Want to Host Your Own Kindness Project?
If you would like to host your own act of kindness to be included in the 2020 Weekend of Kindness, please let Charlotte’s Purpose know. You can contact them through their website, email, Twitter or Facebook page “Charlotte’s Purpose”.
No act of kindness is too small to be a part of Charlotte’s celebration and there are no limits on the types of kindness you can do.
Need some ideas?
📌Paying for a stranger’s birthday cake at a local bakery in honor of Charlotte
📌Donating to local food pantries or drives assisting those who are food insecure
📌Creating care packages for medical staff, firefighters, and other community helpers
📌Cleaning up a public park
📌Fill a sidewalk or street with uplifting chalk messages
📌Donate blood or sign up to become an organ donor
📌Donate to causes that provide memorial items for loss-parents
📌Creating care packages for the homeless community
📌Plant a tree
📌Shovel snow or mow the lawn for a neighbor
📌Packing bag lunches or serving at a local Soup Kitchen
📌Paying for a stranger’s ice cream, coffee, or meal
📌Writing letters or making drawings for a local nursing home
To learn more about Charlotte’s Purpose, you can visit their website.
You and me are free to be you and me
In the early 1970’s, Marlo Thomas (“That Girl” & National Outreach Director for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital) was reading bedtime stories to her young niece and she was getting increasingly frustrated at the types of stories being told to young girls. With the collaboration of the Ms. Foundation for Women, Marlo Thomas created “Free to Be…You and Me“.
How I found it: I was raised by hippies.
For a long time, I didn’t realize that not everyone was raised around child psychologists, lawyers, doctors and elementary school teachers. My early television viewing included a steady diet of musicals, plays and anything blessed by Children’s Television Workshop.
Why I love it: I was raised by hippies.
And…it’s just a really great message and collection that was well before its time. Covering topics like fragile masculinity, gender stereotypes and gender equity in all areas of life while still being accessible and interesting to kids?!
Tell me another program that can do that.
And it stands the test of time.
My favorites
The “Boy Meets Girl” sketch is a classic. Written by Carl Reiner and Peter Stone and featuring the voices of Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas, this segment is word-perfect comedy at its finest. The fact that it also obliterates gender stereotypes in under 2.5 minutes is *chef’s kiss.
As a child, I was convinced that this playground was just around the next corner and one day, my parents would take me, and these cool cats would still be singing “Sisters and Brothers”.
In 2020, as part of Stars at Home, Marlo Thomas was joined by Gloria Steinem and many others to talk about what Free to Be meant to them and how much they enjoyed the broadcast. Sara Bareilles (a Sphinx favorite) released an update of the theme song and Broadway Inspirational Voices recorded a new version of “Sisters and Brothers”.
Related
I am supposed to be working on one project. Laser focused on getting one thing ready for rejection.
My muse has ADD.
I’m stuck on a pivotal scene: the meet-cute. I’ve been stuck on this scene for a week. My muse has provided me with the following interesting, but not-particularly-helpful-at-this-moment information:
The meet-cute scene is still unwritten.
I know that these thoughts and ideas are coming up because my creative energy is growing and strengthening. So I write the notes in the story files and try to keep moving.
But boy, oh boy, do I need to write this meet-cute scene!
In the midst of all of that, there were still some lessons learned this weekend. Lesson #1 (or #3, if we’re counting the lessons from last weekend): Not all of my writing will be done on the computer.
My process involves a mix of long-hand writing and computer writing. And while I sometimes (read: always) wish that I could skip the long-hand part and just start typing, I write better when I follow my process. Both reveal parts of the story that I didn’t even know but I need to do both, in order to get a “finished” product that I like.
Lesson #2 (or #4): Procrastination is a form of perfectionism.
“If I’d just have had the time, this would have been good.”
This is an excuse and gives perfectionists an out.
But I don’t have time for excuses.