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Well, it’s been a while…
I just opened up my blog to check the date of my last blog posting. It was almost a month ago on September 3. I’ve been a little MIA on this platform, something I’ve dedicated myself to since 2011 by making the commitment to posting a minimum of once a week. For the last several weeks, I’ve broken that promise to myself. Believe me when I say my absence was not intentional, it’s just that I didn’t know what to say or what to write about over the course of the last month. I’ve been preoccupied with the deaths of people we cared for, along with getting back into the…
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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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What Blogging Has Meant to Me
* “You’re still blogging?” “Wow…you’ve been blogging for a while?” “How often do you blog?” “I didn’t know you had a blog. What’s your blog about?” “How do you come up with ideas for your blog each week?” “You’re still blogging?” * That’s pretty much how it goes most days when I mention that I’m a blogger. Going strong and steady since April 2011. One to three blog posts a week. You can count on me for that. With the help of a then-student and now friend, Bill, we put our heads together and came up with Steph’s Scribe. I needed a title. I needed some content. He gave me…
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#NaNoWriMo Tribe: Proud of Us as the Finish Line Approaches
I know this doesn’t mean a lot to many people, but for the few of us who adore telling stories, I’m very proud of you. I wouldn’t be much good to anyone as a writing cheerleader if I didn’t actually participate in National Novel Writing Month and help encourage others to do the same. Haven’t you ever done something just for the love and sheer joy of it? While I’m still 7,000 words short of my goal, with tired eyes and a lot of coffee, I’ll continue until the bitter end…along with thousands and thousands of others of us who are all doing the same. Bonding with other writers…
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Guest Blogger: Author and Writer Mandy Eve-Barnett on NaNoWriMo
Happy Sunday, writers and readers! I am so pleased to introduce you to writer Mandy Eve-Barnett! We connected several years ago, as we both are writers and bloggers. Being in touch with and staying current with other writers is important as it helps push you and keeps you abreast of what others who share the same passion as you are doing. I hope you enjoy this Sunday Guest Blog. I’m certainly happy to have her share her writing journey with you, especially as we both strive to make a dent in #NaNoWriMo! To see Mandy Eve-Barnett’s books on Amazon, click here. To visit Mandy Eve-Barnett’s blog click here! * I…
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The Annual Birthday Post – A Poem
It’s my birthday, and you know what that means…the annual snarky birthday post. I’m celebrating this year’s birthday with a poem…Dr. Seuss style. Enjoy! Thanks for reading Steph’s Scribe! Happy Birthday Poem Another year has passed me by I could laugh but I want to cry For time has flown without a hitch This growing old thing is surely a bitch. One kid off to college—so fully grown To explore and call the world his own. The other in high school – independent and bold With her, we truly broke the mold. But with aging comes aches and pains You feels some losses, you feel some gains You hang on…
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Tips To Get You Started on Your Novel
When people ask me how to begin writing a novel, this is what I usually tell them, along with “believe in yourself” and “go for it.” For an upcoming artist collaboration and exhibit scheduled at our university for this Thursday, I drafted a little infographic. This infographic includes tips about writing novels and some of the things that I’ve been taught over the years, along with what I’ve gained from the experience of writing three indie novels. William Zinsser, in his famous book On Writing Well, says it best about writing: “Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time,…
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The Truth About Burnout, Steps to Rejuvenation
I know this post is coming sooner than you or I expected it to come, so let me explain. Earlier this week, I experienced something unfamiliar. It came out of nowhere and yet came from everywhere. I imagined myself in the image of an old wind-up toy that had hit a wall; I was marching along, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was swimming in “noise,” as we communication folks like to call it. It was filling up my head and causing me not to think clearly. Some people might call it burnout. Burn•out (noun) /ˈbərnˌout/ def. physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. “high levels of professionalism…
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Wednesday Wardrobe: Keeping Cool Summer Style
Second Installment: Wednesday Wardrobe | Summer Feature Honestly, I love summer until the humidity cranks up and my hair gets all frizzy and I perspire and stick to chairs. I remember loving the lack of humidity in California and wishing we had less of it on the East Coast. When I plan outfits, I have to consider how I might perspire and what might keep me cool. Picking what to wear based on the weather is a must for me. I always do it. Whether I choose sleeveless, strapless, dresses, skirts, or light pants or shorts, I’m always concerned about the heat, and so I have to purchase clothes that…
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Celebrating 6 Years of Blogging with “The Best of” Steph’s Scribe
* * * We all say it. Time flies. Before you know it, my kids will be done with high school and college and I’ll be retired, sitting alongside my husband on a beach somewhere sipping something with an umbrella in it and attempting to play golf. Well, that’s the dream, at least. Yesterday marked six (6) years of blogging. Six years. It kind of blew me away this morning, but it reminds us what a love for something and a little discipline can do for us. At the minimum, I blog one day a week; most weeks, I blog twice. It’s not always easy coming up with things to…
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Coming in February: Inn Significant, A Novel
*** INN SIGNIFICANT by Stephanie Verni…Coming in January. What if three weeks after suffering a miscarriage, you faint and find yourself on the floor of your own home’s cold foyer, and as you regain consciousness, you have to acknowledge the horrible news that was relayed to you moments ago by two police officers: that your husband of ten years—the love of your life—was tragically killed by a tractor-trailer on the slick, rainy interstate? Two years after receiving the horrifying news of her husband Gil’s death, Milly Foster continues to struggle to find her way out of a state of depression. As a last-ditch effort and means of intervention, Milly’s parents…
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What I Wore This Week | #FROCKTOBER Week 4
*** Some people my find this whole FROCKTOBER thing a little silly; after all, it is a bit materialistic and about clothing and what we wear; it’s not about saving the world or doing some good for others. However, that said, I do believe how we feel about ourselves reflects on the rest of the world and people in our lives. When we feel good about ourselves, it comes from the inside; the clothing is just a mere reflection of ourselves, our personalities, and our own personal taste. When we’re happy with ourselves, that happiness helps us in all aspects of our lives. We all have different taste in clothing–and…
