Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

                                                          -Psalm 107:1 NIV

It's the week of Thanksgiving in the United States. I’ll be spending time with family and hopefully doing very little actual work :-). I also plan to enjoy some of my favorite foods, reading, and writing time! 

I feel so very blessed. Despite the craziness of this year, I have so much for which to be thankful. Just as many of you probably do, this is the time of year I enter a particularly reflective mood. My heart is full of gratitude for so many things: I still have a job I enjoy, a home I love, and a family I adore. 

For some fun reading, here are ten reasons I'm thankful to be a writer.

I'm also extremely thankful for my online family. As a thank-you to my readers and fellow bloggers, I wanted to share a short Thanksgiving romantic fiction piece I wrote a few years ago (it's about 800 words long). I hope you enjoy! http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2017/11/thankful-every-day.html

Want to impress your dinner guests? Try: https://parade.com/1072705/jessicasager/thanksgiving-trivia/

I pray you all enjoy a wonderful week full of what you need. Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for having in your life?

Two Weeks to Win

As most of you know, I chose not to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I won't bother recapping my reasons now. 

However, if you are struggling to finish, or if you find yourself wishing you had joined in - it's not too late. There are two weeks left to November, and thanks to Melissa Maygrove I found the article How I Won NaNoWriMo in 9 Days.  

That's right - nine days! The author, Ava Jae, shares her tips to completing her work in such a short amount of time. She also offers statistics to show you how she achieved her goal. It's worth a look.

Best of luck and HAPPY WRITING!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? How are you doing?

Veterans Day Writing: Submissions Open

Happy Veterans Day!

Thank-you to all veterans and active military. We may not show it enough, but you are so very appreciated!

More than ten years ago, my interview of Vietnam War Veteran and author Tim O’Brien appeared in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2.  

The publishers have since continued the tradition of supporting our troops. 

This yearly anthology presents essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and photography by military-service personnel, veterans, and their families. It is an annual series first published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council's Veterans Projects and the Warriors Arts Alliance. It is now continued by Missouri Humanities and Green Tower Press: https://www.nwmissouri.edu/media/news/2024/11/11ProudToBeAnthology.htm

"The stories and poems of service and sacrifice are essential in understanding what has so broadly been termed 'the American experience.' For me, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors is required reading and worthy of a thousand tears."     ―St. Leger Monty Joynes, veteran, Vietnam

Books can now be ordered from the Southeast Missouri State University Press and Amazon.

Interested in submitting to Volume 15? They are already accepting submissions which are due by May 1, 2026. Contests and prizes will be awarded in each of the five categories. To learn more, please visit: https://thelaurelreview.submittable.com/submit/335677/proud-to-be-writing-by-american-warriors-volume-15

Want to check out more "support America" reads? How about reading more veteran related material? Try Noir and Returning War Vet Sub-Genre or Being a Veteran.

Have you thanked a Veteran for their service? Have you written with our military in mind? What military reads would you recommend?

IWSG: Imagine Life as a Writer

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

NOVEMBER QUESTION - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

MY ANSWER: When I was really young, I was a huge SUPERMAN fan and I thought I would be the next Lois Lane (without being fooled by men wearing glasses :-) As I got older, I discovered ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and thought I would be the next Woodward or Bernstein. Clearly, I had a nostalgic view of myself as the next great journalist. However, as I entered life in first my high school newspaper and then college newspaper, I quickly realized how little glamour (and even less pay) there was - even though I became editor of both. By the time I graduated college and was offered a position with the city newspaper, I realized my passion lies just as much with the teaching of journalism as the actual practice of working in the field. By that time, I had also published a few pieces of poetry and began working as a freelance writer for magazines too. I also started submitting and publishing fiction as well. Today, I continue my passion for teaching and still enjoy writing my own pieces.

How about you? When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?