Land on my feet or my writing *bleep* as #ROW80 Round 3 ends

Posted on September 19, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love.”~Sophia Loren, Italian actress

It seems I’ve been stuck in a lot of things lately.

The haiku is just one of them, like having a song stuck in your head. Take a look into my head and learn how I think as I composed this poem.

Haiku Horizons Prompt #186: Land

Land. I tried to focus on something beyond earth and flying. Grass in the backyard is ground, but it’s not land. I couldn’t get inspired by thoughts of landing on your feet or landing a spaceship. I returned to “Land” as expanse of untouched fields far into the horizon, which brought to mind reaching the expanse of an ocean, which brought to mind the song praising all this expanse of us. I couldn’t focus on the grass in my backyard–which I desperately wanted to for some reason–nor could I concentrate on trees, jumping down steps or other minutiae.
.
.
My thoughts were of higher things, and wrote a haiku about my frustration.

It’s easy to be frustrated with writing. Writing is such a personal endeavor, and when things don’t fall into place as planned, it’s easy to take it personally. In fact, I forgot that ROW80 Round 3 ends Thursday. I have my list of goals printed and attached into my planner, but how much have I accomplished?

1–Craft a succinct 30-second book elevator speech. = NO
This could be fun. I haven’t viewed it that way, just another to-do that I to-didn’t-do.

2– Continue my 17 Writing Outlets in 2017 and follow through. = NO
Why am I stuck on this? Fear of failure, or of success? Freedom or commitments?

6–Schedule weekly Myself-Time to review all these goals. = KINDA
I have days and times planned that are “mine,” but I haven’t used those moments as efficiently as I could have. Why am I choosing to be distracted by fun rather than business? Because fun is funner.

3–Fine tune a regular social media schedule. = KINDA MAYBE SORTA
This IS fun. Most of it, anyway. I am posting more on Facebook, but I don’t allow myself time to play with the social media I do enjoy. I think of it every time I don’t do it.

4–Catch up, let go of and/or publish old blog posts. = NO
5–Catch up on email. = WAY NO WAY
Again, I chose play over work. Besides, both overwhelm me.

7–Work on memoir and other stories. = YES (?)
I haven’t worked on my full-length memoir, but I made three rewrite-edits of my short Star Trek MomMemoir. I’m stuck under the weight of the pressure of the last edit. It’s a “final” edit that may be rewritten again based on ideas I learned from Lorraine Ash workshop last week.

See, frustration is easy. That’s when Round 4 kicks in, whatever your “round 4” may be. For me, it’s another opportunity to gather my thoughts from October 2 – December 21, 2017.

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A Penn State birthday #WeekendCoffeeShare writing & eating ice cream

Posted on September 9, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

If we were having coffee…

…we would NOT be having coffee.

Oh my gosh! Didn’t I tell you Penn State atmosphere is electric?!? Shoulder to shoulder crowds, the bars, the random football cheers, the street music. This town is too fab to have coffee, unless we squeak over to Webster’s Bookstore or Saints Café, but I’d much rather have Creamery ice cream. There’s nothing like State College on a football weekend…except when it falls on MY BIRTHDAY!

Where were you sitting for the game? We had West Side seats thanks to the Michigan Alumni chapter. That side is best for being out of the afternoon sun–you know, to minimize sunburn–but who would expect I’d be wearing winter-ish coat on the second week of September. And gloves! I should be wearing sunscreen for the second game of the season, not a sweatshirt. You can’t see my manicure under these gloves, and it’s the first manicure I’ve had since we moved into our house. Doesn’t make much sense when you’re soaked in cleaners and sudsy water all day. This week, I don’t care. I didn’t have much time for anything else, especially with a Labor Day filled with Pokémon GO Legendary Dog raids with my husband, our version of a “playdate.”

“We Are…!”
(“Penn State!”) I yell back to whomever started the cheer.
“Thank you!”
(“You’re welcome!”) I and others around me reply.

I’ve been told we have the politest college cheer around. Who else thanks themselves? You may be ear-sore from it, but I never get tired of it. Okay, maybe late, late in the night, when the chant echoes in my sleep, but while I’m awake, I could cheer all day.  As long as I have a voice that is.  And how can I still have a voice since…

WE WON!! This is payback from last year. Back on our schedule after 20-some years, it was a deep rivalry now because everyone remembers how those games usually turned out. Pitt from Pittsburgh–my hometown–and Penn State–my alma mater–it was a state-within-state game, always early in the season. Last year, I was there in Pittsburgh, in the broiling sun, the kind where sunscreen dries out, next to some horrible Pitt fans–not even alumni–and I was miserable, almost sunsick. This year, a sold out Pseudo-White Out crowd. Isn’t that a breathless sight to see?  Over 109,000 people rolling and shaking Beaver Stadium in a blinding, haunting wall.

Speaking of Pokémon GO, playing on campus is a dreamstate. PokeStops, critter and Gyms everywhere. My husband ordered this charging phone case for me just for this day. It’s my first time using it, but this Anker slim sleeve seems to be working. Better than the portable chargers I also have with me. This case is vital, an awesome gift. Between PokemonGO and Swarm, I’d have no battery life for Instagram or Facebook.

You’ve heard me rant about the evils of Facebook. I still use it for my Author Page, but that’s about it…until my birthday. I feel the love with birthday wishes on my wall or in my news feed. People don’t send cards anymore, so I take what I can get.

Like I have time for social media today. That’s the irony of it all.

I’ve become one of those alumni who pays $6 for a car magnet. **I turn to my husband** You go ahead to Lions’ Pride. I’ll meet you after we go into Family Clothesline. **I turn back to you** He’s surprising me with dinner somewhere tonight. It’s a birthday thing; the birthday person does not choose the restaurant. I don’t know where we’ll get in given this larger crowd, but I like surprises. As for birthday gifts, this weekend, I’m treating myself to selfish gifts. It’s not always my birthday falls on such a signature game.

I actually did sneak some writing in this week. Tuesday after Labor Day, I went to my local haunt, Rock ‘n’ Joe’s, in the Union train station. Again I worked on blog posts. Not the worst things to do. It’s not my memoir, but I am writing. After my manicure on Wednesday **I take off gloves, show off blue glittery and shimmery white nails** I wrote at SmartWorld in Denville. I organized some projects for next week, kind of making a schedule. Imagine that! I can’t complain.

Come join us tomorrow for our mandatory photo at the Lion. We’ll walk over to the Creamery from there. The line is probably and hour or an hour and a half. Trust me, the ice cream is worth the wait. The cone can be as tall as your face. You’ll see. There’s a reason that line is always this long. It’s full of people sharing stories and events and memories and favorite flavors. Plenty of time for us to talk and for you to share:

How was your week?

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An almost-birthday writing reflection of #ROW80 this #WeekendCoffeeShare

Posted on September 3, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

If we were having coffee….

I’m glad you could stop in. This little Starbucks, as you know, is the place we normally say faretheewell to my in-laws before our 12-hour drive back to Michigan. Now that we’re 2 hours away in Jersey, we don’t need those dramatic goodbyes. Now we hold our goodbyes in the driveway. But my husband and I still stop by sometimes on our way home, or just when we’re out and about, like today. I’m having a tea today because dinner is in about an hour.

This is a break before we drive around Lansdale to fill our Pokémon items bags. We found a group of people who go out and play Pokémon. Since we now have friends to play with–several hundred on this What’s App message board of sorts–we finished a bunch of Legendary Bird raids in legendary style. We raided with the same people and compared our catches, our frustrations thus cementing the bonds of Pokeship. Now the Legendary Dog raids have begun, and we need to be prepared for Raikou, the Dog in North America this month.

This is an overnight trip for us. We just came from the Penn State TV Tailgate at Vanderbilt’s in Florham Park. The Northern New Jersey hosts these weekly Saturday get-togethers, and the bar has drink specials. There was a crowd of about 35 people, which is not bad for the first game of the season. Penn State beat the Akron Zips in a shutout. We got home–here, home, at my in-laws–in time for dinner. They took us out for Italian at Pasta Mista in nearby Chalfont, and his mom was insistent that we not order dessert there. Several times, in fact. Why? They had a chocolate birthday cake for me!

My writing really, really fell by the wayside, and my birthday’s next weekend, so I can’t use that as an excuse. No matter how many to-do lists or ways I structured and restructured my goals, I did not make writing a priority. My ROW80 Round 3 goals loom in front of me, slipping away.

1–Craft a succinct 30-second book elevator speech.
Haven’t done that because there’s no rush to do that. I need deadlines.

2– Continue my 17 Writing Outlets in 2017 and follow through.
I can’t follow through unless I start.

3–Fine tune a regular social media schedule.
Once I catch up on things in my life, I can try different outlets. Committing time actually scares me for some reason, and I’ve put off thinking about it.

6–Schedule weekly Myself-Time to review all these goals.
4–Catch up, let go of and/or publish old blog posts.
5–Catch up on email.
Catch up. Keep up. Need to get to some place I’m comfortable at, and I’m not there yet.

7–Work on memoir and other stories.
My Montclair memoir critique group makes me look at the document every 2 weeks when I print out some 5-page segment for review.

Round 3 ends in about 20 days. I gotta get rockin’ on them. I did get to Boonton Coffee on Friday. I worked on my blogging because I left my memoir edit at home. *rolls eyes* There was some productivity there, so I look at that as a success.

My husband and I have to get back home in a few, just enough time for us to make that Pokémon items run. We’re having ribs for dinner, and they like us to be prompt. Before I go, tell me how your week went.

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Writing from a distance: good, bad, both?

Posted on August 24, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

“I’m thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could’ve gone the other way.”~Rick Springfield, American musician

It should come as no surprise to anyone, but I write about coffee shops.

The activity in coffee shops is fascinating, better than people watching in a mall food court. Sometimes. I have enough poignant moments and sparkling events and interesting interactions that I can write a novel about them. Right now, I write blog posts.

I still contribute a monthly post to my Michigan writers group. I helped initiate the group’s blog, Deadwood Writers Voices, and moderator John ran with it and maintains an excellent site. The blog encourages our members to write about their passions and interests, everything from romance to travel to video games. There’s something for everyone. It’s eclectic reading with writers posting on the same date each month. My Coffee Shop Chronicles post on the 18th.

That’s the great thing about the Internet is the ability to write remotely. The un-great thing is the absence of interaction.

Sure, I write articles from a distance and email them to my editors. This is different. Maybe because it’s not work and where I’m expected to communicate electronically. Maybe it’s the personal relationships I formed. I write, but I miss talking with the group members after their latest blogposts goes live or recruiting newer members to write for the blog.

Writing something is better than not writing, right?

My bimonthly critiques fell aside with my move to New Jersey. The group’s meeting location has changed since I left, and the new places are awkward for some members to travel to. There has always been an issue on those Wednesday nights when someone is out of town on business, sick with the flu, home with a stubbed toe or choosing not to drive at night. The group is working on ways to involve members who can’t be there in person for the critiques, something I’m willing to be a test subject for. We’ve tried Skype, Google Groups and once iMessage. I long for that close-enough interaction. Interacting some is better than not interacting, right? Nothing has stuck yet. Any ideas?

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Charged up and critique comments this #WeekendCoffeeShare

Posted on August 19, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

If we were having coffee….

Hey, how are you? Glad you could join me here at Den 10. The Bookstore Man is here is here again, sipping some tea, I think. Why I’m drinking a Café Vanilla Frappuccino in here, I don’t know, because like every other Starbucks in the world, it’s already 50-degrees and falling. Did you bring a sweater?

There’s not too much exciting personally. My husband and I went out most nights to get coffee and play PokemonGO. Other than that, there’s laundry, cleaning and more non-unpacking. Its been simply a week.

I tried writing on Monday at the Route 22 Starbucks, but my shocking revelation was that the store has about 4 outlets. I never paid attention there until I needed one. The tables are set up for wireless charging. Back in March and April, the circular rings that plug into your phone and charge when you set the discs on those special table spots were plentiful. I was amazed at the technology. Now, the iPhone charging discs have disappeared from the borrow table racks, and these scarce outlets don’t make up for that. I left when my phone battery dropped to 20%. Unproductive, especially because I was distracted by watching the battery charge.

I did go to my Montclair Memoir1 group on Wednesday. I took the Las Vegas scene in my MomMemoir piece for critique. The top three comments: I use the word “walk” too much. I didn’t establish enough tension in my near-death scene. I need to develop Las Vegas more as a character.

Despite all my writing plans and goals, I did nothing towards accomplishing them. I wrote in my planner “Really edit MomMemoir,” but even colored pen and stickers didn’t motivate me. Neither did “Mortgage. Rtn $ Tree. earned the right to write.” Cute nudges usually work for me, but that bag of items to return still sits in my car’s backseat.

I hope your week’s been more productive. If you’re not shivering too much, tell me what’s going on in your life.

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Writing & activity successes–and not–this #WeekendCoffeeShare

Posted on August 13, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

If we were having coffee….

Grab a seat. This is one of the most comfortable Starbucks I’ve been in. Of course it’s cold–every Starbucks in this universe is–but it blends spacious and cozy here. We’ve got plenty of time to chat uninterrupted, 30 minutes at least. *smile*  My husband’s over there doing a Pokémon Lucky Egg, and I have this fresh Café Vanilla Frappuccino in front of me.

I met my Fitbit step goal everyday this week, but still came in third in my two Workweek Hustle challenges. Those other folks must never sit down! Humph. I feel good increasing my activity, regardless. There’s always the rematch next week.

I celebrated my Swarm 7th Anniversary this week. I joined Foursquare, the original incarnation, on August 7, 2010. An overview of the new check-in map takes me down memory lane of my trips to Chicago, my 10th wedding anniversary in Disney, my NFPW awards conference in Alaska and so many more, events I remember, places I forgot. I love this app. What would I do without it?

My writing is going okay. I created a great outline of tasks to do this week, and I completed very few tasks on that list. I printed my DadLetters story, but I didn’t edit it. Two items, and I only made the effort to do one of them. Granted, that’s one more than doing nothing, but now I have to push it to this week, throwing off my other tasks. We’ll see next weekend how that goes.

And you? What successes are in your life this week?

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A pyramid of possibilities promoting on Twitter

Posted on August 11, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

“To hold a pen is to be at war.”~Voltaire, French writer

Last week, I missed my crystal promotion moment everywhere.

My Star Trek MomMemoir that I’ve been rambling about for weeks that takes place in Las Vegas has the perfect tie-in event with the annual Creation Star Trek convention. Imagine that. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity, and I missed that. However, note the word “annual.” Now I can plan for that. But where can I promote this book before then?

Twitter hashtags are instant and direct ways to reach people who share your interest. That’s where I found my immediate audience to spread the word about this book and future fans of my other books. Following hashtags within Tweets of the hashtag you initially searched for presents you with a pyramid of promotional possibilities.

Take my book. It’s after the convention, but still, I want to know my audience from there. I want to find people interested in my book, so I start with the subject material: #StarTrek. Within that hashtag, I find convention-specific hashtags: #STLV for the convention itself and #STLV50 for this year’s convention celebrating Star Trek’s 50th anniversary. Searching those convention hashtags led me to others, among them #LLAP, #TrekFamily and #Vulcan.

I look at the people who are Tweeting these hashtags. Who were Tweeting often about or during the convention? I easily discovered the owners or organizers of the convention: @CreationEnt. This company also hosts conventions for other fan-favorite TV shows and movies. Noted for future. Continuing the search for Tweeters, I find at random @TrekConvention, @TrekGeekDan and @FanSets. Who they follow will probably add to my promotion network.  Another note for the future.

In some of the Tweets, I see television shows I mention in my memoir. There’s #TOS for the original series, #TNG for Star Trek: The Next Generation, #Voyager, #DS9 and #Enterprise. I’m sure the movies also have specific hashtags.

I see Tweets mentioning cast members or ones by the actors themselves. Duh!

All this and I haven’t even looked into the Las Vegas city-related hashtags yet.

Twitter makes it easy to establish a community. You can get lost diving through and through and deeper and deeper into the hashtags that lead to other hashtags that lead to others. You may think that’s a lot of time, but I did this search while I wrote this blogposts, which was maybe an hour. I also clicked through some of the Tweets to Instagram photos, maybe people I can now follow. I love Instagram.

Back on Twitter, doing this hashtag search under “Top” and “latest” tabs bring different results. With Twitter being an in-the-moment media outlet, I always thought that Latest would provide a more accurate, active engagement with my audience. Connection. Conversation. Brining out the “social” aspect of social media. I used to snub at that Top Tweets tab in general. How good can they be? Top Tweets are probably something promoted or have a gif of a kitty cat, something so instantly likable and inane and, therefore, immediately shared. Why bother? However, Top Tweets are made by the Influential Industry Professionals, or so I consider after this hashtag search. These people may have 14.3K followers and are following 32 accounts, never to blink in your direction, but why not? There’s no harm in following the industry’s trusted expert. CreationEnt may never even see a Tweet or pay attention to a Mention, but there’s no harm in tagging my Tweet with them.

What are some related tags to or of your work? They are out there. Searching for and finding these hashtags help you define your audience even if you have no idea who your audience should be.

I’m forgetting the obvious genre tie-ins to my book, hashtags like #memoir, #scifi, #nonfiction, #mom and #family.

Now that I have a plethora of promo hashtags, what about seasonal tie-ins? Mother’s Day in May is obvious, but Father’s Day in June is just as relevant. Grandparents Day is in September, and these people grew up and are most intimate with #TOS. Moms and dads grew up watching the overlapping timelines of #TNG and #DS9 and #Voyager. Holidays are always good for family-focused books: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. In my case, patriotic or governmental holidays don’t fit. Just as well; I don’t have to be present everywhere to be successful. Paraphrasing some great writing advice I recently received, the more focused you are, the stronger your campaign will be.

What’s next? This list of tags, companies and people is the start of contacts and tie-ins. Now that I have my list–and you probably have yours–what’s next? Fit this into my marketing campaign, of course.

< To Be Continued… 🙂 >

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A schedule to publish two stories in one month

Posted on August 9, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

“A good beginning makes a good end.”~Louis L’Amour, American author

I can do three things at once; at least, I used to.

Reflecting on this past Weekend Coffee Share post, my writing and editing process reminded me of Comm 242 class at Penn State. This intro film course was an intense, hands-on filmmaking class. Everyone produced 12 projects that semester, which generated a life-consuming schedule. Every week, we edited last week’s project while filming this week’s project while writing next week’s project. I forgot how rigorous that was and how good that was. Why can’t I do that now?

Always keep busy with a project. I can do that. I have enough ideas and half-started books to keep writing and editing at all times. I don’t have to keep as insane a schedule as that film class, but why not attack writing in that way? I’m annoyed at myself for missing my Star Trek memoir deadline, but I’m not defeated. How can I make this a reality?

Let’s brainstorm here. How can I write and publish two books in one month?

August 7 – 13 (this week):

–Print out my currently-published DadLetters memoir. It’s another short story inspired by the 8-hour eBook challenge. Read through that document while doing a quick tweak, revise or whatever I immediately identify as lacking dimension. Type those edits and set aside.

August 14 – 20:

–One last critique of MomMemoir from the Montclair Memoir1 group on the 16th. What section?
–After that final feedback, begin MomMemoir 4th and final powerful edit.

August 21 – 27:

–Finish edit of MomMemoir, say the 23rd.
–Release MomMemoir to Fiverr editor for her review and line edits.
–Finalize book cover with my Fiverr graphic designer. This is already started. He needs some text from me to complete the project.
–Why she edits and he designs, write/revise DadLetters draft #2.

August 28 – September 2:

–In theory, final edit and cover design will be complete. This schedule is somewhat out of my control.
–Submit a section of DadLetters edit #2 to my Montclair Memoir1 group for their first critique of that work (August 30).
–Maybe do the next DadLetters edit #3, but my MomMemoir is the focus this week. Do what I can to:
–PUBLISH MomMemoir on Amazon and maybe other platforms. Research CreateSpace and Nook publishing options, or postpone until later.

During all this, work on my ROW80 Round 3 goals. Email, blog posts and social media are the key areas. How can they fit into this schedule? With this structure of sorts, maybe the goals will flow better.

September 3 – 11:

–enjoy Labor Day, my birthday and the Penn State-Pitt game in State College.

Tuesday, September 12 (entering second month):

–Has MomMemoir been published?
–Pick up where I left off with DadLetters memoir: submit another section to Memoir1 group (Sept. 13).
–Continue or begin researching CreateSpace, Nook, and other publishing options.
–Think about what’s next to work on. Maybe my 8-hour eBook Jimmy the Burglar. Maybe chapters of my full-length Dad memoir. To be decided based on how the previous month worked or didn’t. 

That’s doable. I focus on one major project while working on the other one in the background. It’s not exactly two books in one month, but it’s darn close. Spacing out to allow for Life to happen. Keeping up.

I bet you can do that, too.

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Writing goals are achievable through #ROW80

Posted on August 7, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

“Art is the triumph over chaos.”~John Cheever, American writer

It has taken me, what, 3 years to finally believe that I can do this.

Do what?  Everything.

Okay, maybe not everything, like walking through a pit of snakes, but my writing and social goals feel more controlled.  After years of doing this ROW80 thing, I know how I can break it down.  Maybe my goals have changed into something more realistic.  Circumstances change, so does the state I live in.  Whatever the reason or reasons, whatever the progress or not, I feel success-full this week.  Look at what’s going on:

Remember, these are in no specific ordered, simply numbered for me to keep track of how many goals I have this time a’Round.

1–Craft a succinct 30-second book elevator speech.

I work on this every two weeks when I submit a piece of work for critique to the Montclair group. At the top, I put a synopsis of the story to this point so that the reader has some context going into the current critique. That synopsis now includes some version of this at the beginning. I’m practicing the summary of my book, the back cover blurb in one or two sentences.

2– Continue my 17 Writing Outlets in 2017 and follow through.

Last week, I mailed our “We’ve Moved” cards.  Now, everyone, including my writing contacts, knows we live in New Jersey. This week, it’s time to contact them.  I’ll at least make a list of who to contact, compiling phone numbers and email addresses from current business cards and older contact info.

3–Fine tune a regular social media schedule.
6–Schedule weekly Myself-Time to review all these goals.

These two are more linked than I realized. My current schedule appears to be a good one:

Monday–Email, home stuff
Tuesday–Write, focus on memoir/books, print out copies for biweekly critique group
Wednesday–Write blog posts, do social media
Thursday–Email, read blogs, reply to my blog comments
Friday, Saturday and Sunday–Still under construction

Appears. It’s not yet functional. What I need to do is assign social media outlets to a specific day or days. There are weekly Twitter chats I used to be active in. Mondays and Wednesdays used to be dedicated writing days and were therefore dedicated Instagram days. I have planner stickers that have Facebook/Instagram post on the same sticker, indicating both be done on the same day.  I usually do that on Tuesdays.

When I lived in Michigan, I had a set work schedule, which meant I could fit in a set writing schedule. I do not have that structure yet in New Jersey. If Monday and Thursday are at-home days to do email, make calls and whatever, then Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday are out-of-the-house writing days. Wednesdays work for sure. You see, every other week, I have my Montclair memoir critique meeting. I’m treating off-week Wednesdays the same way and getting out with some writing plan. That’s a start.

4–Catch up, let go of and/or publish old blog posts.

The more I go back in my social media to catch up, the more I see my list of unpublished or in-draft posts. This really annoys me. Deleting them is a waste of my delicious writing, but I’m becoming less and less attached to them.

5–Catch up on email.

Monday and Thursday are email days.  I did not keep that schedule last week. My inbox is as cluttered as my phone photos.

7–Work on memoir and other stories.

This is pretty cool: I’m actually doing that! Not my big memoir, mind you, but the two short memoirs that are already published but in desperate need of a deep rewrite. I missed my previous self-imposed publishing date for my Star Trek MomMmeoir, so I’m working on a revised deadline. I haven’t figured that out yet–the how or what or when–but I have the motivation to do so.

This is all a success, even the failures.

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A #WeekendCoffeeShare with exciting editing advice

Posted on August 5, 2017 by DWHirschAuthor

If we were having coffee…

Hey there. Glad you could meet here. I know, no exciting, newly-discovered coffee shop, just my standard fallback here on Route 22. The texture of the Frappuccinos is hit or miss, sometimes not thick enough and too runny, but they do everything else as you’d expect. I’m in a black iced tea mood these days, and not that infusion thing. Those leave an aftertaste. I’m going to get one of those, even though the AC is kickin’ it to frosty temps in here. Do you need to get a sweater? I’ve got mine.

There’s not much new and exciting in my personal life. More cleaning, more unpacking, more PokemonGO with my husband. The most exciting event was last week’s Penn State Freshman Send-off Picnic. Every alumni chapter hosts a summer picnic for incoming freshman to celebrate their achievement of acceptance and remind them that we alumni are available for support.

The Northern New Jersey chapter awards their student scholarships at the picnic. Every alumni chapter I’ve been a member of offers student scholarships that are based on an application form and personal essay. My husband and I were active in the review process in previous chapters. I hope we have the opportunity to become involved in the Scholarship Committee here.

The exciting thing in my life is my writing. I did not re-publish my Star Trek MomMemoir yet, but I learned a great deal about how I edit. I can’t rush rewrites. I do need to set a deadline, but not a date that’s crunched into one week. Four edits is all I allow myself. That is enough time to write, tweak and make it strong without overthinking it. That’s how projects never finish–including mine. After those four reviews, I let it go into the world–in this case, an editor–and then maybe one final lookover before I upload and press Publish.

There’s freedom in letting go, in finishing a piece, in writing The End and moving onto the next project.

I’m on Edit #3, so while I’m in my breathing space, I’m getting as much critique feedback as possible from my Memoir1 group. Remember setting a deadline? I’ll set a release date by the end of August. That’s a month from now and one more round of critiques before my last powerful edit. It also gives me space to review my DadLetters memoir, also published on Amazon. I haven’t looked at it in over a year. I bet it could use a rehaul, too.

What’s new and exciting in your life?

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