My Summer Updates 👀
and other changes...
Dear Reader,
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June is my birthday month. On the 27th I celebrate 40 years of life! And what a wild and fulfilling 40 years it has been. But enough about then, let’s look at now…
As usual, I feel myself being painted into a corner. Feeling defeated. And whenever that begins to happen I try to reflect. My favorite means of reflection comes in the form of outlining and scheduling and lists. If I see my idea on the page then I can better gauge if I’m spreading myself too thin or if I’m leaving myself enough room to grow, if I feel that need. I never want to be in a position where I have to downsize or say ‘no’ if I can help it.
Plus, June is that time of year where anything is possible. Summer is coming and if you’re in any type of media industry (like I am, but on the finance side) then it’s a great time to look at that Q2 output as you get ready for the latter half of the year. This is when you want to appear much better than you seem or be thankful that you’re doing alright.
So, I did a quick look at the next 7 months to round out the calendar year that encompasses all of my writing projects (except my 100 word stories). I don’t ever need to really look at what my daily project looks like cause it’s every day! But for everything else, it’s good to make sure I’m not shooting myself in the foot moving forward. You’ll see a cleaner and more streamlined calendar below. I’ve removed anything related to reading and moved those to a different part of this email. From now on the calendar will just focus on my writing and what you can expect to receive from me in the month ahead.
This meant scaling back (again) and moving forward in the knowledge that every decision I make is only going to make me better at doing what I love.
So, without further ado, let’s get into what I hope will be a much better flow of content for the rest of 2024!
JUNE 2024 CALENDAR
NOTES FROM A WRITER
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Last year I wrote an evergreen email on the subject of writing a “killer” about page. It is the most popular thing I’ve ever written that people are still finding and using to help them write amazing about pages of their own. Since it is doing so well I’m hoping to continue writing what I’m calling the “killer series” that will encompass a bunch of topics that are mostly writing related.
In June I’ll be sharing how I’ve set up my killer subscription models and how you can too! I’m also sharing what turning on paid subscriptions has been like for me here on Substack on the 1-year anniversary.
THE SECOND 100 IS OUT THIS MONTH!
June 25th, the Second 100 book is no longer a pre-order and officially “out” for all the world to purchase. And I can think of no better birthday present than for you to go out and buy it. The book is available on Amazon (just click the link below) but you should also be able to find it at other online retailers if you search for my name.
100 WORD STORIES IN JUNE
On June 4th I’ll officially be starting to write stories that will become a part of The Fifth 100 book in my growing collection! That is just crazy to me. Especially, because it means in June I get to start putting the finishing touches on The Fourth 100 and the long process that goes into that.
I also wanted to share the link for The Third 100 with you to pre-order but I’m holding onto that for a while in the hopes that you will consider buying the first two books. I know it might seem like I’m churning them out at this point but I did have quite a head start. I promise that the rate of release will slow down next year to about three per year.
Oh, and as for what I’ll be writing every day in June for my 100 word stories? I was considering finishing off this Oz and Wonderland Tarot deck but I’m honestly not sure. I feel like my birthday month and turning 40 should be more special than that! So, you’ll just have to wait and see later tonight what I send.
REMINDER: All previous 100 Word Stories are now in ARCHIVE for Paid Subscribers.
THE SERIAL - SLEIGHT OF HAND
To say I’ve dropped the ball here is an understatement. Ever since I made my major change to the way the story is told, which I still stand firmly behind doing a different POV for reach episode, I’ve not really released any episodes and that comes down to my own laziness and lack of discipline. You would think I’d have overcome this by now, but I truly have not. It’s my own fears and insecurities about the quality of my work that hold me back, I know this for a fact and yet I let myself be defeated.
I’ve scaled back from promising a weekly episode, which I have not stuck to in the last couple of months, to twice monthly. I hope to return in my new mid-Month Accountability Check-In with better news about the this area of my writing journey. Till then…
SHORT STORIES
Anatomy of Typewriters Collection
A car in the driveway that hasn’t moved in many decades. A story that can be told from the many interesting perspectives:
Car Owner recounting the story of how they got there and where they are. Perhaps they are a prolific writer and (hmm too much like Misery…)
New neighbor is a retired police detective curious about the car and begins to do her own investigation.
Homeowners - The couple who live in the house with the car in their driveway have a surprise 50th wedding anniversary party thrown by their daughter for them as a rouse for her to uncover the mystery behind the car that she always asks about but never gets a direct answer.
Read the story to find out which perspective I chose based on your feedback that I asked for last month!
How does a typewriter fit into all this? You’ll just have to read it to find out.
Part 1 is coming this week, but you can read the previous stories here:
MICROFICTION WRITING CHALLENGE
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We are indeed back and twice a month as of June! And with a special twist! For one or possibly both of these community driven free writing exercises,
who brings you those daily micro doses of some amazing stories, and I will be challenging each other! He will provide me with 50 words based on the image prompt that I will then add my own 50 words to and create a 100 word story. We will share our stories on Notes as an exclusive where you can join us!MURDER PEN SOCIETY
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In June, as it’s my birthday month and as we will have finished our weekly reading of The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, I hope to mark the occasion by setting up a “watch party” for those of us who read faithfully to join me in watching this movie! We’ll watch the David Suchet version together and chat along the way! Should be fun and free. So bring a snack and a drink and join me! More info on this will come later this month.
ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR
I come up with alot of ideas for projects or stories and I just can’t do them all! Then it occurred to me that sharing them with you might see them either come true or you might know of someone else who’s done it and can share their information here! Some of these ideas might be silly or crazy, which is why I just haven’t found the time to follow through on them myself.
If you want to take these ideas for yourself and run with them, be my guest! I’ll at least be comforted to know someone else feels the same way about my ideas as I do and had the time to follow through! Just tag me so I can enjoy what you’ve been up to!
The Men of J.B. Fletcher - I’ve been rewatching Murder, She Wrote on Pluto TV (a most addicting streaming app that I don’t recommend anyone should download and use!) and it occurred to me a great spin on simply reviewing episodes of a tv show and that would be to catalog ALL of the many men that Jessica encounters that clearly flirt with her (and sometimes she clearly flirts back). I also thought of the nieces and nephews angle but I don’t think think that would be nearly as interesting.
The Cup o’ Joe Analogy - An idea that was squashed as I was in the middle of writing what I assumed was a brilliant piece! I’ve been seeing so many fiction writers putting their work behind a subscription model paywall and I couldn’t help but see a running trend (one that I have used myself): Subscribe Today for less than the price of a cup of coffee a month! And it started me wondering why we are okay with comparing ourselves to being no better than a daily beverage that leaves no lasting impression? Of course, now I know why. But the idea for this piece, perhaps taken from a different perspective (a positive one?) I’m sure is out there!
WORTH THE WATCH
If you weren’t aware, I watch alot of Youtube. I mean dozens of hours per day! So it stands to reason I might have something worth sharing that would be worth your time to at least watch. Today, I’m bringing you the Intentionally [Blank] Podcast, a show with Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells. When I’m not watching the archives from the past to catch-up I also make time to watch the new episodes and this is a great one where they discuss failure (among other things)…