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End of Year Reflection - The Fabulous, The Terrible, and the Explosive Train Wreck

12/11/2023

This is my last blog for 2023. It is hard to believe the year is almost over.

In less than three weeks, we will jump feet first into a new year. It’s impossible to not be sad that you didn’t accomplish everything you were hoping for on your to-do list or goal-oriented calendar. At the same time, excitement is rumbling in your tummy for a new year to start. January always presents a clean slate that allows you to create a new list of endless possibilities.

To make the new goal list, it is always fun to use the week off from work—between Christmas and New Year’s Eve—to realize just how much you have accomplished over the last twelve months. Sometimes, reflecting on our experiences, whether they were fabulous success stories, terrible embarrassing moments, or memorable explosive train wrecks you never want to mention again… they all led to baby steps in your progress to conquer the “big thing” you have been daydreaming about for years.

What is that “big thing” I’m talking about?

To continue reading this post, go to the link below:

My Guest Post at Ascribe Writers

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Longlisted ~ Thanks to a Beautiful Sunset

11/2/2023

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It is always a fantastic day when I have something small to celebrate...

I made the Longlist for the Blank Spaces Canadian Literary magazine's anthology contest! Yay!

If you know me, you probably have about a 110% chance of figuring out which story is mine by just reading the first line of every story. The link below will connect you to the top fifteen selected stories, with an excerpt button for you to read the beginning 150-300 words of each story, as well. The number of words varies per story to create more suspense.

2023 Anthology Longlist

I'm not saying I have a great first line, because I really don't... but the rest of the story was fun to write. If you love stories about the complications of sisterhood and dating, then you should take a minute to read the excerpts. If you enjoy the story so far (provided you figure out which one is mine), let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Plus, keep your fingers crossed for me to make it on the Shortlist (it should be announced sometime in November). If I make it, you will be able to read the whole story in the anthology (they are only taking eight stories). Gah! I'm excited and equally scared to share this with you.

This summer, I created a short story about a sunset, during the first three days of my stint as the writer in residency on Halls Island. The sunsets over Koshlong Lake were sensational. I'm super-proud of myself for taking the giant leap of submitting this story with such a short amount of writing time. Three days from start to finish to submission is crazy! I usually spend several months creating a short story, and several more months editing it. Making the Longlist was a big freaking deal.

So, yes... I am patting myself on the back for being brave and submitting this story, considering I didn't have any wifi or cell signal on the island, unless I held my breath, turned counter-clockwise three times, and begged the sunshine to find me, as I whispered, "PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE." Which means, I was able to use my cell phone briefly as a hot spot, just before the brilliant sun set behind the tall pines, and the short story deadline closed. Whew! The beautiful Sunset Goddess granted my wish. Now, I will owe her until the end of time.

Good luck to all the Longlist authors, and stay tuned for an announcement of rejection or celebration for me.

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Writers' Summer Camp with 13 Strangers

10/29/2023

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Several decades ago, before I even had a steady boyfriend, I had this weird habit of flipping through bridal magazines, dreaming about the perfect wedding, the over-the-top Royal Princess taffeta ballgown, the jovial bridal party, and spending the most romantic honeymoon hiking through the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania.

That never happened for me.

I mean, I did have a wedding–in fact, I had TWO beautiful weddings to two different people, with incredible velvet and satin dresses, and cool-but-not-that-funny bridal parties, but I never experienced the thrill of hiking through the Poconos Mountains… until this past weekend. A part of my old daydream finally did come true, slightly skewed from the original fantasy.

To continue reading this post, go to the link below:

My Guest Post at Ascribe Writers

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The Joy of Creative Solitude

9/25/2023

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Being surrounded by noise all day makes it challenging to be creative. By noise, I mean people talking, children crying, dogs barking, brakes screeching, horns honking, music blaring, cell phones ringing, notifications pinging… it never stops. Your heart beats faster and faster until your blood pressure is through the roof and your anxiety level is sitting at the maximum setting.

As a writer, how can you find a quiet moment to squeeze out a line or two of a bestselling novel if you can’t even hear yourself think? Most of us can’t find large blocks of uninterrupted time to create, so finding creative solitude is essential. Everyone needs a little space and time to be in the moment, to find their happy place, where they can take a break from the chaos, close their eyes, be clear-headed, and wallow in the silence.

I finally found that perfect place of creative solitude, where you can be mindful and make intentional decisions to find the answers you didn’t even know you were asking the questions for. Let me tell you a little bit about it.

To continue reading this post, go to the link below:

My Guest Post at Ascribe Writers

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Who Are You? And, Why Do You Write?

7/31/2023

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Lori Twining ~ 1st Typewriter

The summer months are full of extended family gatherings.

This year we are celebrating many things: the arrival of our second grandbaby, the engagement of our niece, the departure of my hubby’s brother and wife (moving to Singapore for two years), and a bridal shower for my hubby’s cousin (even though we are not invited to the wedding). Where am I going with all this family information?

With family gatherings come rapid-fire questions about how my writing career is going. Typical questions are something like this:

“Are you still trying to do that writing thing?”
“Where is this book I keep hearing about?”
“Why isn’t your book done yet?”
“What’s taking so long?”

These questions are often followed by examples of so-and-so publishing their 27th novel this month, and they write three books a year. So, why is my book, which I have been working on for what seems like 100 years, taking so long to write and publish? There is an instant sense of dread or shame. I should stop calling myself a writer and instead watch some movies on Prime or Netflix like everyone else.

To continue reading this post, go to the link below:

My Guest Post at Ascribe Writers

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End of Year Reflection - The Fabulous, The Terrible, and the Explosive Train Wreck

Longlisted ~ Thanks to a Beautiful Sunset

Writers' Summer Camp with 13 Strangers

The Joy of Creative Solitude

Who Are You? And, Why Do You Write?

Lori Twining

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