Here it comes, the darkest days of the year as we slide into winter—and we’re in a pandemic. I think most of us are ready to say goodbye to 2020. It wasn’t a great year, but it won’t quickly be forgotten. Now Old Man Winter is begging us to hibernate and the government is asking us to stay home too; stay safe. What better time for a writer?
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If you’ve never heard of Pitch Wars, then this is the blog for you.
Pitch Wars is an online competition where published and experienced authors/editors volunteer their time to give back to the writing community. How does it work?
An amazing author, Brenda Drake, came up with the idea—a way for those who’ve landed on the shore of success, in some fashion, to put up a light house for other aspiring novelists. It’s a huge online and Twitter event with an organized writing community of positive energy. Basically, authors apply, mentors pick and they work together on a manuscript for 3 months and then the author posts their log line, in the form of a Tweet, during a Pitch Wars agent Pitch Fest, hoping and praying an agent will ‘like’ their Tweet—which is basically an invitation to query the agent directly.
I always thought I supported writers by buying their books. Obviously purchasing books does support authors but a recent conversation with a fellow writer made me realize that I could do more. By more, I do not mean by buying more books. Not everyone has a book budget and I read books through a variety of ways other than buying an actual book: library, loans from friends and family and once by finding a book forgotten on a trail.
Maybe the pandemic has got me thinking about all the non-monetary ways we as writers can support other writers. It also made me realize how one person can support another in simple ways. It takes some time and thoughtfulness. As part of a writing community, we should put some time and effort into helping each other.
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I love dramatic statements. It’s something like swearing in church. Or at least swearing when people aren’t used to you swearing.
I try to control my language as much as possible. Not because I feel I need to be polite all the time or because I fear any great risk for my afterlife or even for my reputation.
No, I refrain from swearing when I think to, because that way, when I do let fly with some expletive, people F*cking well believe that I am serious. (sorry, but you get my point, right?)
I don’t have to tell you that 2020 has been a poop sandwich.
The world wide pandemic, a political and social disintegration for our neighbours to the south thanks to Trumpism, a record year for hurricanes and devastating wildfires. It’s a long and unforgettable list in a long and unforgettable year.
If you’re a fiction writer, it’s a dream year in terms of material. I mean, EVERYTHING is happening. Peoples’ lives have changed dramatically. Our daily life is perhaps forever altered in some very meaningful ways. Read more
My writing is going really well these days. Almost ‘happy dance’ worthy.
At the risk of jinxing whatever forces are at work here, there it is, stated out loud. Well, written in black and white on the page.
I’m a bit giddy about this slow but steady shift taking place. There’s no time to waste wondering why this is happening right now, or worrying about how fragile or temporary the momentum may be. I just tip my smiling face downward and keep on writing.
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What does the term “Rabbit Hole” refer to? And why would you want to escape it?
These are both great questions.
The popular term is “falling down the rabbit hole” and for most people, it is a reference to Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice in Wonderland, where Carroll described a character disappearing into a world full of chaos or confusion.
Speculation in the literary world suggests that Carroll was also describing what happens when a person takes a hallucinogenic substance that depicts a wild and freaky drug trip. Others compare it to a metaphor for the entry into the unknown, the gate into a new and exciting place full of adventure and somewhere where you can just get lost and you don’t have to return from it.
What does the freaky trip into the unknown mean to me?
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Burning planet. Second Waves. Spiking numbers. Anti – science. Conspiracy theorists. Mental illness. Financial stresses – you get the picture. I would say we’ve got all the materials in place for one big-ass, nasty dystopia. Read more