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February 2023
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'ello reader !
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Growth on all Fronts
Quantity-wise, I feel like nothing much happened this month, but quality, well, that overflowed.
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Work-wise, I didn't get everything done as I wanted to, which can be expected when you're working on the equivalent of a group project where all parties' schedules keep pushing the deadline.
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Writing-wise, I'm doing just fine. I edit two flashes a week, write a random prompt during Flash Fiction Live with Chandra, and I even finished this newsletter on time.
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I wrote and edited the weekend Chandra and I took off FFL (18 February), which is keeping me on track with my goal of 104 edited flashes by the end of the year.
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Family-wise, I can hang out on the couch and play games (Mario Kart 8) or watch bluey with my youngest. We even played "What do you Meme?" with our 12-year-old and 5-year-old, where even the 5-year-old's random card submission won him a few hands. Talk about the luck of the draw.
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Yoga is still in my life, and I'm noticing I am more flexible than when I started, which is a win.
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"Vacations do not mean you can wear no makeup, sweat pants, and not brush your hair for three days."
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- OLD LINE: "A Much Needed Vacation" Episode 32 FF Writing Prompts - 2 Jan '22
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"Vacations do not mean no makeup, sweat pants, and avoiding the hairbrush for three days."
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- NEW LINE: "A Much Needed Vacation" FFL Edit #7 - 25 Feb '23
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Editing:
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With this story, I went dark, but also I had a narrator (first-person) talking directly with the reader. Even third-person can have this, but I tried hard to cut out the number of "yous" I used.
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Writers' Blood
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There is a shift in the Authortube World where we no longer have Critique Group Live.
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Don't worry, they also have Writers' Room, where it is more of a workshop of pieces, which I feed from.
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But, in the close of a chapter and start of a new one, I realize the importance of feedback. The vital life source, like blood, to our lifestyle. It is how we get better, it is how we drop the words that take away from the story, and how we learn.
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Feedback answers "Did we move the reader?" and it also helps change the answer from "kind-of" to "Yes, when BLANK happened..."
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I adore it, and I hope you grow to love it too. Maybe that will be another topic I cover, loving all your feedback.
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Community
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Despite us not looking at the camera, it was a great President's Day weekend with Chanda Arthur and Zara Hoffman.
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We met up and rented a house for the weekend.
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It was in this trip that I realized the importance of being around other writers. I was productive, free speaking, got exposed to different viewpoints, and I can't wait to do it again.
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I wish I could describe better why this was a great thing to do, surrounding myself with fellow writers. We talked so much and got work done. I hope everyone is able to have a writing get away.
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You can find Zara's business's (Inimitable Books LLC) and Chandra's YT via their links below.
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FF Everywhere
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During the Writing Weekend getaway, I shared a great show with Chandra and Zara that will help with your own flash fiction story telling.
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Unfortunately, I cannot find this show on Peacock anymore, but the show is called "True Story with Ed and Randall." It is moving, hilarious, and suspenseful. Each episode, less than 30 minutes, is Ed and Randall listening to a new story from a regular person from different times in their life.
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The stories are dramatized by big named actors (like Terry Cruz), and the best part is you get closure as the person telling the story is usually many years removed from the event.
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I wish I could tell you all the stories, but honestly just the preview below could sell you on this.
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You can find me between newsletters on any of my socials.
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