Update:

What’s up, my nugs? I know this is a few days late and maybe a dollar short, but I wanted to make sure I got the newsletter out this month. The reason for the delay was I lost a friend and mentor on March 26th, and the funeral was on April 1st. I’ve been a bit of a mess lately, but I’m trying to recompose myself and push on the best I can. Matt would have wanted that.

As far as my writing goes, I’m still working on the 50%-75% section of the Extoria Rewrite with progress made after a long block in one chapter. I started a short story about the wife of a WWII dive bomber coping with the loss of her husband through an attempt at connection, all while dealing with the struggles of being a woman in the early 1950s. This is a challenging piece, but I’m hoping to do it justice.

The Frozen in Line series has fallen behind the last few months, so I’m going to do a few extra posts this month to keep my story line plan on track. One will come later today, or tomorrow. Thank you for those who read, like, and share Frozen in Line or any of my other serial fiction storylines.

What to Expect:

As mentioned above, plan on a few more Frozen in Line posts beyond the two I post every month. As I continue my series on world-building, I would love to hear some questions from everyone. I’m no expert, but I’ve enjoyed researching topics to help all of us develop deeper worlds. So comment below, or send me a message as a request. Still look forward to Tuesday’s post about World-Building with Vegetation. This month’s book review will be The Chrysillum Tree by Laken Honeycutt, a fantasy story that I discovered during one of my twitter #writerslift posts.

Writing and the Sharing of Stories:

In the last few weeks, I’ve had a couple of reminders on the importance of story sharing. During a visit with my family, brothers, sisters, cousins, and their significant others, we fell into the sharing of our memories with each other. Two of the cousins there were ones I’d babysat and the realization that they’d become adults was always there but not solidified until that moment. It showed how much all of us have changed and the different ways we remembered the past.

With storytelling, us writers believe we own beachfront property, but in reality, it’s a notion ingrained to human society. One thing to think about is the way different mindsets remember unique events. A person with a more creative mindset may remember more of the colors, the feel, or the premise behind the situation. A more analytical person may remember more of who was there and on what day it happened.

The tone of the situation will change what stories we share. At my friend’s funeral, the stories shared were of the happiest memories with Matt. Some were there to make us laugh, and some to remember through tears. But by the end of the funeral, even a complete stranger could have known what type of man Matt Cieslak was. Our stories will always carry people on past the grave. As Ernest Hemingway said, “Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal.”

Thank you to everyone who reads my writing, writing advice, and supports me in other ways. I couldn’t chase this dream without you. As always, stay fresh, my nugs.