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One of My Favorite Scenes
*** I’ve been decorating a little bit today for the holidays. I’m feeling terrible, still trying to deal with a chronic health issue, but I’m trying to remain positive and optimistic. Evert time I break out my Christmas decorations, I always think about a particular scene in my first novel, Beneath the Mimosa Tree. The scene unfolds at the holidays after ten years, when two former lovers and next door neighbors are reunited. After years of not speaking and feeling anger and guilt over a mistake that was made, the two come face-to-face in the driveway as Annabelle and her family return from getting a Christmas tree. Michael, home from…
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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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Capturing Moments
*** Capturing Moments Capturing moments, instead of things—A cloudless sky, a heron’s wingsThe things we loveHave come to passDimming sunshineDarkness, alas—Winter’s moodsBefall us hereWhen days are shortAnd nights are clearThe blackest nightWe’ll soon have metBut days like theseWe’ll not forget.We’ll not forgetThe way it feltWhen bleakness leftAnd hearts did melt. *** In August, my husband totally surprised me on my birthday and bought me a boat. Our friends were selling their boat and upgrading to a new one, so he bought the one they were selling. In the COVID-19 world, I can’t even begin to tell you how much that gift has meant to me. Since August, we have used…
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Reading, Writing, and an Empath for November
Dear Readers, I hope you are well! It’s hard to believe it’s November 1st, especially after all we’ve collectively been through this year, but alas, here it is, and that means the next couple of months will be filled with family, friends, and love as the holidays approach. While taking care of one another is paramount, it’s also important to care for yourself, as well. That can mean exercising, eating right, meditating, reading, relaxing, and giving way to things that make your heart happy. For me, besides the wonderful gift of a boat that my husband gave me for my birthday in August—one of the greatest surprises of my lifetime—I’ve…
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Some Sentiments About 20 Years at Stevenson
*** Last week I received an email from human resources about celebrating 20 years at Stevenson University. And I used to think the 13 years I spent at the Baltimore Orioles was a long time. When I taught my very first semester at Stevenson in January of 2000, I was pregnant with my son, Matthew, and was hired as an adjunct professor. Now, Matthew is a junior in college. When you look at it through that lens, a long time has passed. I moved into full-time teaching in 2008, when Stevenson changed its name from Villa Julie College to Stevenson University. Prior to my time at Stevenson, I began teaching…
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The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem
The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem The hour has finally arrived, my friends Another birthday is here I’d love to scream with joy and glee But aging’s what I fear Growing old’s a gift, it’s true To live your life in full It should be sunshine and roses But a lot of it’s just bull Aging isn’t always bliss My back’s a pain in the ass It’s taking away from me having fun And affecting all of my sass The lines on my face do show some wear And I jiggle way more than I’d like The greys in my hair are plentiful, too So I escape when I can…
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Podcast 19: Perseverance, Queries & Writing that First Draft
*** Thank you to some of my Instagram followers for offering suggestions of what to cover on today’s writing podcast on Steph’s Scribe! I am excited to tackle these subjects for you, and would love for our Writing Community to engage in dialogue about what works for them as we continue to learn from each other. I hope you enjoy today’s podcast and are inspired to continue along your writing journey. I’m writing along with you, and am always here to help. Have a good week, everyone! xx *** Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She is the author of 5 works of fiction and the co-author…
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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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Two Exercises for Teaching Description and Using The Five Senses in Writing
One of the biggest losses I’m feeling from completing the semester at home is the inability to execute my favorite “Five Senses” activity in the classroom with my writing students. It’s one of my favorite days in the classroom, where I play music and ask students to sit and write based on prompts pertaining to their five senses. THE FIRST EXERCISE The exercise requires students to reach into a brown paper bag that I bring into the room and “touch” something that I’ve placed inside it. In the past, I’ve put pinecones, Silly Putty, or sand in it. After they touch it, they have to write what comes to mind…
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Podcast 16: Taking a Gander of What’s Out There Before You Write
*** Sorry it’s been a couple of weeks…I explain in the Podcast of where I’ve been and why I haven’t posted a Podcast in a while. I’m really looking to hear your thoughts about this one…so feel free to comment below and share your opinions on your readings and your approaches. I love to learn from others. Next week, I’ll share with you my thoughts on my MFA program—people ask me all the time if I think it’s worth pursuing an MFA as a writer, and I’ll answer that in next week’s Podcast. Hope everyone is staying well. Let me know your thoughts on prior reading before writing. I’m so…
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There’s Something You Should Do During Quarantine and Social Distancing
Prologue You don’t have to listen to me. But it may serve you well if you do. More importantly, it may serve someone else well. And so, let me share with you something that has the potential to be one of the best choices you’ve made during this pandemic. In This Time of Self-Quarantine and Social Distancing… I’m a teacher. I’m a writing professor. I teach people about writing. I’m also a professor of communication, and I just finished instructing two courses in interpersonal communication. We dissected theories and concepts, nonverbal and verbal communication, work relationships, friendships, and love relationships, self-disclosure, reciprocity, and so many other things about relationships. In…
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Baseball Nostalgia and Baseball Fiction
✨THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY LIFE✨My parents & familyMy husband and kidsHigh school & collegeWorking in baseballBeing a teacherFriendships.✨THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY STORYTELLING✨Broken lovesGrandmothersLife in baseballRelationships (good & bad)Losing people we loveMaryland’s beauty . BLACKBIRDS PARK is the fictional version of Camden Yards in my novel entitled Baseball Girl. I worked at Old Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards for the Orioles (hence the Cooperstown bear pictured here, a gift from Orioles owner Mrs. Angelos). I’m somebody who can feel romantic about places and about baseball. This novel is loosely based on my life working in baseball, an amalgamation of the people and places I loved over the…
