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My 5th Novel Has a Name (at least for now)
Today, it’s official. I have a book title. I have a copyrighted ISBN number. I have a “mood” for the cover. And while I am going to seek traditional publishing this time around and solicit an agent to represent me, I still need to go through this process to help move in the right direction and keep me motivated should I venture down the self-publishing road again. The characters in this novel are not only in my head, but in my soul. Each one is a part of me, and a part of you, and a part of everyone we have met along the way. With five main characters, a…
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A Suggestion for Your Kids: Write About The Pandemic
*** Let’s get a few things straight before I launch into this short, but important blog post. I’ll start with the five basics. First: I’m a writer, and I love writing, so I’m going to encourage writing. Second: You have seen me often write on this platform about the importance of keeping a journal of your life to preserve your family’s history. Nothing has changed since then. Third: As a teacher of writing, what better subject matter to offer potential writers to write about than the situation of what we are all going through? Fourth: We find ourselves in incredibly unusual times, and it’s worth taking the time to record…
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Sundays Are for Stories
✨FROM MY PORCH OFFICE✨ This is what Sunday morning writing looks like here at the Verni house. As I’m now officially over 33,000 words of building this story—probably my most complicated story to create to date—I am feeling the hum of the characters, the movement of the story, the connection of my 5 characters, and the way this story will end up. It’s a great feeling to know you’re on track with the story you want to tell—that the characters are yearning for you to tell. . I write relationship-driven fiction. It comes from a place of understanding the nuances of people and what potentially drives them (or does not…
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The Madness of Writing a Novel (in my own words)
✨HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU’RE IN THE ZONE?✨ I’ve hit my stride, finally. As we are approaching mid-July, I’ve made some pretty good progress with reading and writing. I’m about to hit 26,000 words on my work in progress, and my goal this week is to make it to at least 30,000 words. As well, I’ve finished one book about bookstores and I’m on to another. My pile of these books is pretty tall, so I have a lot to work toward. I’m also finishing the last week of the master’s course I’m teaching, so it’s been a little busy. What do I mean when I ask how it…
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The Path to Writing Novel Number 5
*** At almost 17,000 words in, I can’t hold in my excitement for the challenge I have ahead of me. Writing this next novel is going to require some thought and some time to get it all in order. There are so many moving parts to this story that I grabbed a notebook and am connecting and dissecting each character in detailed character sketches. I’ve researched what a true empath is, as the character who is an empath is the main thread within the novel. I’ve used sticky notes and pencils, diagrams and plot point outlines. My initial board that I began a couple of months ago has now been…
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Podcast 18: Blogging 101
*** I’ve been asked questions about blogging recently, and so this podcast is for those of you who are thinking of setting up a blog and includes all the basic preliminary questions that should be considered before making the commitment. You have to begin at the beginning…which is to say…why will you blog and what do you hope to achieve with it? This podcast is not about creating a money-making blog. This one centers on creating a platform for which you will share your ideas and creativity. So, if you’re in the market and are shopping for reasons to create a blog, this is where you can begin. xx Stephanie…
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What I’m Writing Now (or my current WIP)
* Currently, I’m not writing anything, but next week, I will begin to dive deeply into novel number five, picking up with Chapter 3 where I left off before coronavirus intensified the nature of my working life. The novel is still to be named, which I hate, actually. I typically have to have a working title, but now that the premise of the book has morphed into something different, the working title “Four in a Year,” is just, well, not working. Wrapping up the semester leaves me time only to write this short blog post before getting my grades finalized and uploaded. I shouldn’t even be taking time to do…
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The Water Wheel: A Short Story
I promised myself I’d write ONE thing during this year’s 2019 NaNoWriMo, and today I hunkered down and did it. It’s not a novel or the 50,000 words required to “win” at NaNoWriMo, or even the 43,000 words of Little Milestones I wrote during last year’s NaNoWriMo. It’s just a short story about grief with a little bit of a twist. I’m not sure what, if anything, I will do with this piece of writing, but for some reason, I needed to write it. Today was the day, and here is the story. The Water Wheel by Stephanie Verni There were many ways he could show his appreciation for her.…
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Answering Questions & An Overview (and some hair-dos, lol)
Hi Readers! I figured I haven’t done a quick introduction and overview for some new connections here, so here it goes! I’m also sharing some throw back photos of the books I’ve published (and my many hair-dos since!) 1—Why am I holding The Postcard in the first photo? This week marks the one-year anniversary of publishing my collection of short stories that has gotten some buzz lately: a 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite and a finalist award in National Indie Excellence. So thrilled for both! 2—When did I start blogging? Back in 2011 with the support of some of my students, namely Bill Ritson, who helped me name it Steph’s…
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A Little Teaser for My Upcoming Novel: Little Milestones
*** Well, I’m officially getting excited! As I posted a few weeks ago, I finally decided upon the name of my fourth novel, LITTLE MILESTONES, and I have a first draft of the cover. When it gets to this point, it begins to feel as if things are coming together. I’m sharing the first cover design I’m considering. As I plan for a September release, LITTLE MILESTONES is a book that focuses on friendships among women with a little dash of romance thrown in, because as most of you loyal readers know, I’m a sucker for a good romance. I’ll also be taking you back with me to the Eastern…
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The Postcard & Other Short Stories Earns Finalist Award in 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist | Short Stories | 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards YOU GUYS!!!! Am I allowed to be a little excited for a moment? I was thrilled to learn on Friday that The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry received recognition as a FINALIST in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards! This is the fourth time my books have placed in this contest, and on behalf of all indie authors out there, I want to thank organizations such as NIEA for hosting contests where our writing can be reviewed and showcased. Indie authors are tireless little bunnies out here writing and publishing our own stories, and I couldn’t be…
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When Things End
Another semester is in the books, as our university will host graduation ceremonies this Thursday. My grades are just about closed out, and the sun is shining outside, marking the beginning of summer for those of us professors in higher education. I love teaching and being in the classroom—for me, it’s all about that. Waking up in the morning knowing I will see the faces of my students is all I need to get me going in the morning. I’m passionate about my job and about working with students. However, I do look forward to summer, and I’m passionate about writing as well. When people ask me when I have…
