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This week: Miscellaneous Edited by: Jeff  
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"In three words, I can sum up everything
I've learned about life: it goes on."
-- Robert Frost
Trivia of the Week: Winning a Pulitzer Prize is hard enough, but a handful of authors have the distinction of winning more than one. William Faulkner, Norman Mailer, David McCullough, John Updike, and Tennessee Williams all have two. Edward Albee, Carl Sandburg, and Thornton Wilder have three. And, in the rarest of rarefied air, Robert Frost, Eugene O'Neill, and Robert E. Sherwood each have four.
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MISCELLANEOUS
For the most part, I like to write newsletters that focus on a very specific topic. This month, though, I'm going to try something a little different and write more concise thoughts on a handful of things rattling around in my head. I hope you'll indulge me and find a thing or two worth considering.
Big Magic
I don't often make public recommendations for the books I read, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this one. You may recognize the name Elizabeth Gilbert from the bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. While I thought that was an interesting enough book, her follow up - Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear - absolutely blew me away. She is incredibly honest about her journey as a writer; what it was like to struggle in anonymity, what it was like to deal with a massive success, and what it's been like working on subsequent projects where everyone expect her to replicate her surprising and unlikely prior success.
This book put into words a lot of the fears and struggles I've experienced as a writer, and more importantly, still managed to inspire me.
If you're struggling with anything a creative life throws at you, I highly recommend checking out this book.
Game of Thrones
It's that time of year again... "Game of Thrones" is back! Whether you're participating in the festivities or not, this site is about to get a whole heck of a lot busier!
If you're participating, this is a great opportunity to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. There are a lot of different kinds of activities to be done, and I'd encourage you to not just stay in your own wheelhouse, but perhaps take this as an opportunity to try something new. Whether that means creating a new type of item you don't normally create, or reviewing something you don't normally review, the great thing about these types of wide-reaching activities is that there's a big opportunity to try something new. Don't be afraid to jump into the deep end of the pool.
If you're not participating, rather than ducking your head and steering clear of the community, consider participating in non-"Game of Thrones" activities. Big endeavors like Game of Thrones pull a lot of resources from a lot of members of the site, and the unintended consequence of that is a lot of other activities see a sharp decline in participation since everyone is participating in the BIG activity. If you're steering clear of the BIG one, consider giving some of your time and energy to the smaller, regular activities that are still going on and could use a little boost. It's a win-win for everybody. 
The Masquerade
While we're on the topic of Writing.Com activities, one of my favorite is coming up. Running alongside the annual birthday festivities, Tornado Dodger  hosts a Masquerade where participants can attend a murder-mystery party and compete by trying to guess the killer as the event progresses. It's always a raucous, outlandish, completely hilarious (all in the best possible way) activity that really brings out the creativity of the community.
What's especially exciting about this year is that Brooke has created an application process so that participants in the Masquerade are chosen by the quality of their proposed involvement rather than being personally offered an invitation. If you've been a guest at the party before and are ready to step up and become an actual suspect who writes entries in the character journal, this is your time! And if you're new to the whole thing but think it sounds like fun, this is your time too!
Brooke will formalize the process in the coming weeks, but if you want to get a head start on one heck of a good time, here's the application form. The form also links to previous years' activities if you want to get a sense of how this usually plays out:
Overdrive
If you're a fan of audiobooks and aren't already familiar with Overdrive, allow me to introduce you. Overdrive is a smartphone app that allows you to use your existing public library card to check out ebooks and audiobooks from the library and read or listen to them on your smartphone. Pretty neat, huh?
For years I was stuck either purchasing one or two books a month using my Audible credits, or I'd have to check out the physical discs at the library and only be able to play them in the car since I don't have a CD player in my home anymore. Thanks to Overdrive, I can now check books out from the library virtually, and can listen to or read them anywhere I take my phone: to the gym, grocery store, etc. Just like a library, you can be put on a waitlist if a certain book is checked out, and you can return them whenever you're done and go back for more!
Those of you who read a lot of books or like to take advantage of all the public library system has to offer, I highly recommend checking out Overdrive for your ebook reading and audiobook listening enjoyment. It's a great (and free!) resource for bibliophiles.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things" |
This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Anthony Douglas Williams said, "When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul."
EXCERPT: In the dictionary, the word Lost comes before Misery, Sadness and Pain – but if your curious eyes look much closer at the dictionary, the word Lost is also on the same page as another word:
Learning.
The words Lost and Learning often go together in any meaningful journey that involves self-discovery and self-exploration, as we seek wisdom and knowledge for our future happiness.
EXCERPT: My answer would be to broaden their minds, but reality suggests it must be to prepare them for working life. Expanding their minds does prepare them for working life, after all, would not you want someone working for you to be able to think outside the box rather than having someone who does things just the way it’s always been done?
EXCERPT: Things to do in Barbados, island of The Bearded Ones,1 are numerous and fun, but there are certain things you cannot do that might get you on the run. Please keep in mind these nineteen things--you should not do--if you want to have fun.
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https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Feedback from my last newsletter about the power of the next time ("For Authors Newsletter (July 5, 2017)" ):
Quick-Quill  writes: "I wrote a novel I am very proud of. I was driven with the story and loved writing it. Its been well received, but I haven't found another story that effected me the same way. Nothing I write flows like that one did, pushing me to tell the story. Am I one hit wonder doomed to write short stories?"
I struggle with this same concern. I can write short stories no problem, but when it comes to longer works, I'm very hit or miss. I've failed NaNoWriMo as often as I've won (and probably more), and I have real doubts about my ability to finish quality novel-length works. But that's the beauty of "next time." We can always try again!
hbk16 writes: "Your newsletter is very interesting and puts finger on the author. Indeed it is easy to succeed but it is the most difficult thing to maintain the success.The writing is a flexible art which must be synchronized with the daily advancement of the contemporary writing and art in general. As authors we must put our endeavors to the service of the perfection. This is a hard thing but it is the writing index put in front of us in order to achieve our goal which is the writing promotion."
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and feedback! 
Steev the Friction Wizurd  writes: "Well said! Another way to say it is keep your eyes on the future instead of the past. It's okay to take a moment to congratulate yourself for past successes, but no more than a moment, please! Get to work on that new project."
That's another great way to put it! Thanks for writing in! 
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For Authors: August 02, 2017 Issue [#8426]
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