I thought I’d post an earlier than normal Ramblings this week as I want to give you this link to a short story contest that deadline is fast approaching. If you write mysteries, go for it. I hope one of the writing prompts has turned into a short story that wins this award for you. If it does be sure to let me know.
https://thecwa.co.uk/debuts/short-story-competition/
You might be wondering about the title of this Ramblings and I’m proud to say that this week marks the 10th anniversary of me getting my first book accepted for publication. It was a long hard journey but arriving at that destination was the sweetest thing. My mom was going through chemotherapy at the time so it was also a blessing that she got to see me realize my dream before she passed away. It’s hard to believe that the one book turned into 110 and counting and I encourage everyone to just keep at it.
There’s lots of exciting stuff coming up on the site. I have interviews lined up with three bestselling authors who I know you’re going to love. Next week, two guest bloggers will share tips on plotting and also how to create cozy mysteries.
One thing I thought I’d start sharing with you during a Ramblings is what I’m currently watching (during my lunch break), and what I’m reading. Two years ago I was so busy that I was rushing lunch, gobbling down a sandwich but knew that sort of lifestyle wasn’t great. My solution was to pick something on Netflix and watch it while I ate. No long movies mind you, but one episode from a series. I was watching Lost but Netflix doesn’t have it any more so I went searching for something else. I came across Rectify and I have to say I’m hooked. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it especially for us writers. It’s beautifully written with great characters who change and grow and not one word of dialogue is ever wasted. (If you’re one of my students you know how I push that onto you). The acting is also top notch. I only wish they had more seasons because I’m currently watching the last one.
Bookwise I’m about to start reading I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. It’s been highly recommended to me and I’ve been told has a great twist to it…my favorite kind of book.
So what are you reading or watching? Anything you can recommend to us?
Before I sign off for the week. If you go to my Web site www.susanpalmquist.com, I now have a sign up form for my newsletter that will contain writing tips, workshop schedules etc. (and I’ll send you a pdf of 15 tips to make you a better writer). And you can follow This Writer’s Life on Twitter @thiswriterslife….Facebook page coming soon!
Have a fun week and happy writing to all.