Since it’s the holiday season, I thought I would explore that mystical, magical, time-honored literary event known as THE HOLIDAY NEWSLETTER. You know, that multi-page bit of fluff that shows up this time of year, sent by some high-school cheerleader who only spoke to you once during your senior year. Thirty years later you don’t…
Category: General Interest
Looking for the Perfect Gift for the Writer/Serial Killer (in Mind Only) in Your Life?
Gift giving is hard. I know. I just bought a whiskey of the month club for a ten year old. (Yes, I know this is an awesome gift for anyone except a ten year old or a recovering alcoholic so no hate email). So to help you, dear partner/friend/relative who is likely regularly ignored by the…
In Reflection
As I near the end of my term as president of RMFW, I’ve become reflective. As such, I am struck by several things I’ve discovered over the past two years, about RMFW and about myself. Most obvious is that serving as president is a huge responsibility, far bigger than I imagined it would be (though…
The Company of Other Writers
This time of year, the schedule is full of holiday parties. One I don’t miss is the RMFW party (and, yes, it has taken place this year). I also try to make my critique group critique-and-party, and that was yesterday. January in critique will be having me taking in the beautiful-art self-care cards that I…
It’s Full of Stars
In many ways, a writer’s journey has much in common with Arthur C. Clarke’s novel-turned-classic-film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The hapless author boards his-or-her craft (a manuscript instead of a rocket), launches into a hostile space, and spends many months (or, sometimes, years) in what seems like suspended animation. Time passes, the author alternately waiting for something to happen and struggling…