I’m overwhelmed by all that I am doing. My life is consumed by writing, reading, talking about writing, and learning about writing. This will be a very intense year for me and I love the opportunity I have to do this.

I’m almost packed for Colorado. I scrutinized photos and videos of people at the Superstars Writing Conference and found some women in skirts. I feel more comfortable now. Here is a video talking about the conference.

January’s Short Story Challenges

I finished my second story of the month. Unlike the first one, this one I had to write in five days and it was truly hard. Dean Wesley Smith has a mantra: Dare to be bad! I’m so, so bad. I will let it rest for a week and then edit it to send it out.

Short stories completed in 2019

• “Made of the Future”  First draft 4,217 words
• “The Cat Ate My Naked Shorts” First draft 3572 words

Favorite Short Reads

“The Poop Thief” by Kristine Kathryn Ruschthe pp  from Five Feline Fancies. A charming story about the world of familiars.

January Novel Goals

I continue to read novel chapters for the Eric Flint class and to beta read. No other novel work done this week.

January Health Goals

Steve is back and I’m eating healthier and exercising a bit.

Time for Gratitude!

Every week I experience things that make me better and that I’m grateful for. Some are books, podcasts, websites, or videos. Some are simple experiences. I share them here.

The Good Place the Podcast
If you love The Good Place, you must get the podcast, which features discussions with the writers, actors, producers, special effects people, and everyone involved in this show. It’s a great education in craft all by itself and the interviewer is Mark Evan Jackson, who plays Sean. If you have never watched The Good Place, don’t pick up the podcast, which is filled with spoilers. Instead, try out The Good Place and you’ll understand after watching it why Everything is Fine. You can stream episodes for free on NBC’s site or you can watch it on Netflix.