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7 Takeaways from Blogging on the 8th Anniversary of Steph’s Scribe
I was sitting in my office approving students for registration when I saw an alert from WordPress, my blogging platform. It said, “Happy Anniversary.” It hadn’t even occurred to me what today was because I’ve been so busy and in so much pain recently due to my herniated disc, but I can’t talk about that for one more minute. I’m tired of talking about that. So instead, today, I’ll share with you my biggest takeaways from blogging. Perhaps you know someone who is a blogger or someone who would love to start a blog. I’ve actually loved (almost) every minute of it, and can’t imagine not having it in my…
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Writing About Baseball: The Slump from The Postcard & Other Short Stories
I’ll always have a little bit of baseball in my soul, even all these years later after having worked for the Orioles. The truth is, I grew up in baseball. I did. From the age of 19 through my early 30s, I learned so much from working for the Baltimore Orioles organization. That experience molded me and helped me in the careers I have chosen now. It also gave me some pretty remarkable friendships (and I also got a husband and two great kids out of the deal). One of those careers I have today is that of a writer of novels and short stories. Today, I decided to share…
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Reflections on Feeling a Loss of Hope
It’s probably pretty shocking to some of you who follow my blog, a “safe space” for positivity and a place where lifting up others is standard operation. It’s always been my goal for Steph’s Scribe to inject a dose of inspiration into people’s lives. But today, just days before Thanksgiving, I’m feeling something tampering with my state of hopefulness. A bleakness has entered my atmosphere. A sense of time slipping away and dreams fading a bit. I hate this feeling. A culmination of many things swirling around my personal domaine, I felt it was appropriate to be real with you for a moment, to illustrate that life is not always…
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Let’s Do This Thing
I’m back to motivate you. Are you open to it? Do you have an idea for a novel, memoir, nonfiction story, or a collection of short stories that you need to give some time to this month? You’re in luck. Welcome to National Novel Writing Month, or as we call it for short, #nanowrimo. We’re here to help you get moving. Along with my friends at the Stevenson University Library, our job tonight is to inform you on the best ways to go about writing and producing your book. In one hour, we’ll have you inspired and on your way to beginning this exciting path to writing and publishing a…
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Getting in the Write Frame of Mind
I can equate the feeling of getting in the right frame of mind for yoga to getting in the right frame of mind for writing. It’s time to stop finally stop saying you’re going to write it and actually do it. All I can do is strongly encourage you to write, to tell the stories you have held deep inside of you. I can’t physically make you do it. But as your self-appointed writing yogi, I am hopeful that you’ll join me on this adventure we call #nanowrimo – National Novel Writing Month. Or, if you’re not ready to begin drafting your work, just grab a journal and have…
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Fiction Friday – 30 Years Later
THIRTY YEARS LATER Kate crossed her legs and swallowed hard. She looked at her feet and wondered if the shoes were right. She played with the bracelet around her wrist and looked around the smokey bar, the sound of a cheesy Bryan Adams song filling in where conversations dragged. She wondered why she had ever agreed to this. She wondered what had made her say ‘yes’ to meeting here, in this bar, of all places. The lights were dim and the mahogany bar was dark. She sat at al table adjacent to the bar and caught snippets of conversations between the patrons sitting on stools and the bartender. The bartender’s…
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A Previous Life – A Short Story
Last night at dinner with my friend, Elizabeth, she mentioned that she enjoys reading my short prompts and short stories on the blog. I haven’t written one in a long while, so this morning, I found a prompt that I decided to tackle. It goes like this: Write a scene whereby two people think that they have met before–whether in this lifetime or a previous one. This one’s for you, Elizabeth. A PREVIOUS LIFE The bar was dim, and there were few people in the place at the moment, because it was still early. The 80s music played in the background, and he caught himself tapping his foot to the…
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Setting #Goals – The First Step in Turning the Invisible to the Visible
I use a lot of prompts in my writing classes. Today’s in-class writing prompt was this: Write about a goal you are trying to achieve. This can be a personal goal, an educational goal, or a professional goal. No more than 350 words. I decided to write along with my class this morning, as I am going to try something new this time. Feel free to join in the fun and write or blog along with us. Here’s my prompt. *** Over the last few months, I’ve decided that after self-publishing four independent works of fiction, I am going to write a fifth novel that I will attempt to send…
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Why You Should Always Follow Your Dreams
The Story Yesterday afternoon, I sat with my parents on their porch overlooking their spotless, inviting pool and their gardens that are in full bloom. It was just the three of us, and we got on the topic of graduation and what kids are studying in college, especially as my own son is off to college as a freshman in the fall. I admitted that I had no idea what I wanted to study when I went to college. I just knew that I was supposed to go to the university and make something of myself. What that exactly was, I had no idea. “Did you have any idea at…
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“Beautiful. Brilliant. A Work of Literary Art.” – Summer Book Giveaway on Amazon
*** A couple of good things have happened over the last two weeks. First, Inn Significant received a Finalist Award from the National Indie Excellence Awards. Second, Inn Significant received a 5-Star review from Readers’ Favorite. I think those two honors warrant another giveaway for the book, don’t you? To enter to win a book in my Amazon giveaway, just click this link and it will take you there. https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/7bf380fda4adadf1 And then, let me take you to Oxford, Maryland (click here to see an lovely overview of the town form Only in Your State), where one reader said, “Brilliant. Beautiful. A work of literary art. The vivid imagery of Oxford,…
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Some Quick Book Recommendations
I may not be writing and working on my next novel and collection of short stories as much as I should be, but I sure have read some pretty good books lately. It’s been nice to read other people’s works as opposed to worrying about my own stories right now. Books are piling up on my nightstand, and I’m hoping to read a lot of them this summer as I sit by the pool. It’s one of the great perks of being a professor–summers are made for catching up on writing and reading. Of late, I can recommend three books that I have thoroughly enjoyed. The Dress Shop of Dreams…