Quiet Moon and A Book Blitz

 

Did anyone catch a glimpse of the moon last night? Named for the howling of hungry (or socially active) wolves, it’s also known as Center Moon, denoting mid-winter and, in this case, mid-month when pastimes lean toward fireside reflections of days gone by and silent hope for those to come. “Quiet Moon” seems fitting as well.

Historically, January isn’t all that boring a month. It marked the invention of the X-Ray in 1896, the founding of Motown Records in 1959, the first Super Bowl game was played in January of 1967. And in 2010, although the Apple IPad tablet, “Smaller than a laptop, larger than a cellphone,” first appeared to a less than enthusiastic audience, by 2017, 360 million tablets had been sold.

A little history on National Thesaurus Day: Peter Mark Roget published “Roget’s Thesaurus” in 1852 for the express purpose of helping writers “find the word, or words, by which an idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed,”  While synonym dictionaries do not include definitions, dictionaries, in general, do include synonyms. As the one-stop-shopper in me wonders why we’d need two resources, the writer in me knows perfectly well that in the heat of the moment in the middle of (possibly) a pivotal paragraph, time is of the essence in maintaining momentum. To highlight and click for a list of suitable synonyms is just too hard to resist ;-)  But, as Reader’s Digest explains, there is one caveat: one poor choice of words can be disastrous – or hilarious, depending on how you look at it.

And once all is said and done (and edited) just right, what do we do? We celebrate Book Blitz Month!

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what to do with all those short stories; written and left to forever litter the decks of a Ghostship adrift on a sea of unrealized dreams? Shannon Lawrence has just released a lifeboat of a book filled with treasurable advice and priceless information!

 

Pre-order your copy today!

Whether you're looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don't have to learn the hard way. You'll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

There's never been a better time to get into short stories!

 

Author Bio: Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she's released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true-crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season. 

 

Her website and social media:

 

Website: www.thewarriormuse.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewarriormuse

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewarriormuse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarriormuse/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/shannon-lawrence

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/shannondkl

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shannon-Lawrence/e/B00TDKPOAO

Podcast Website: www.mysteriesmonstersmayhem.com

 

IWSG January 2022 The Longest Distance between Two Places

  

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a place to share the fabulous views and exciting news that occurs along our fascinating writing journeys. Check out the January newsletter here.  Perusing the many tips and resources offered here is definitely worthwhile and highly rewarding, so pull up a comfy chair, or better yet -  join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

This month’s optional question is:

What is the one thing about your writing career that you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

My answer to the question, were I able to pin it down to just one thing, would be the laughably unoriginal lament of never enough time. Albert Einstein believed that the only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. But, would that be such a bad thing?  With all the events that come with living out of the way, there’d be all the time in the world left to write about everything that had happened all at once. Or would there be any time left at all? I think it best not to cast opportunity into the winds of regret and simply write any time, all the time.

Would I change events in my life that preempted writing? Not a chance. After all, a single moment recorded on a paper napkin could conceivably inspire the novel that rocks the next generation.

I believe that writers in complete control of their schedules are the luckiest among us struggling scribes. Still, even they are not immune to time thieves, timelines, or the angst of “If only I knew then.” However, they have realized, as Tennessee Williams suggests, that “Time is the longest distance between two places,” and instead of attempting to bridge that distance, they stroll comfortably along, with pen in hand, recording the journey.

Wishing all of us the most productive year ever. Happy 2022!

 

 

 “If time travel is possible, where are the tourists from the future?”  ~Stephen Hawkings