Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

       When I get something accepted for publication, I shout it from the rooftop. When I get something rejected, I do the same. (As  a back-up singer in a Joni Mitchell tune sang, "Man, the chick is twisted. Crazy. Scooby-shooby...Flip city.") Getting a "no" from an editor means that at least I'm sending out pieces.

       Three writing friends--Lynn Obermoeller, Cathi LaMarche and Linda O'Connell--have stories in the Gloria Gaynor collection entitled We Will Survive. Because I love the song, I submitted something...and got a quick "no thanks." But hey, at least I tried.

      So Lynn, Linda and Cathi won that round. I lost.



Isn't this a great cover? I've read Lynn and Linda's stories
(at least the rough draft) and they're wonderful tales.

 

 

             Today I drew a name from the thousands  hundreds handful of followers that I have who left a comment for my book give-away. The drawing was handled by the well-known SODAD--Society of Dust and Doghair. The names were written carefully on slips of paper (see below) before being folded and "stirred." 

       And the winner is....Kathy M. Kathy, when you finish celebrating your wedding anniversary and put the camera down long enough to send me your address, I'll send you the book. (If you want, I'll even have Linda and myself sign it...to you,  or just a general notation, or to someone else if you'd like to "regift" it later. Let me know.)

         And especially for Val with her steeljaw trap of a memory--anyone can jump in, however: There are two song references in this post. With one of them, I gave you the artist. Do you know the song? The other one is the title of this post. Do you know either the singer or the song? 

        What's a win or a loss you've experienced recently?


For Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)

This is my granddaughter. A little over a week ago, she lived about 14 minutes away. Now she lives 14 hours away...

 

      My daughter, her partner and their daughter (my one and only grandbaby) have embarked on a new adventure...a new phase of their lives.  In the background, I'm hearin' Pete Seeger singing, "To everything...there is a season." (Can you hear him, too? Listen closely.)

     This photo was taken Easter weekend. Riley got to ride on the carousel, and then obliged Grammy by posing after her ride had ended. And the music in my mind shifts...to Joni Mitchell singing, "We're captive on a carousel of time."

      Time keeps spinning us around and we can't get off. We just have to hang on and embrace the parts that are joyous and endure the parts that are difficult, all the while becoming stronger.

      As a human being, as a writer, we go through different phases, different seasons. Some are more productive, some are marked by more compost than growth, but truly, we're always growing even if nothing visible is happening above the ground. (Peek deep down inside...Look. Foundations are developing, roots are stretching in all new directions. Growth is going on.) 

       What seasons of your life--as a writer or simply as a human being--are most memorable?    

More NaNoWriMo Tips

          Every day, I learn something as NaNoWriMo progresses. And I want you to benefit from my experiences. Here are some handy lessons if you want to be sure and succeed at crossing that 50,000 word finish line on November 30:


1.  Contractions are bad.  Do not use them under any circumstances. (Use the more formal two-word version instead, to increase your word count.)


2.  If you really want to make a strong point, say "very, very, very, very, very, very..." The rules are 50,000 words. No one said they can't be the same 50,000 words.


3.  I cut and pasted a few lines of a Joni Mitchell song (The Last Time I Saw Richard) into my story.  Accidentally, the whole song popped into place. I looked at my word count increase a great deal, with just a few clicks. Figuring "more is better," I cut and pasted all of the Blue album into my story. And eventually, all of Joni's song lyrics got embedded in my novel. Next are the songs of Zamfir...


If anyone else has some helpful tidbits, please send them my way! I'm still way behind...