#amwriting

It’s a Phase

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 15 Comments
Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

DAILY PROMPT: Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt –Phase

“Relax honey; it’s just a phase. All the kids go through stuff like this.”

Joan set her coffee cup down to avoid throwing it at her husband, hiding behind the morning newspaper.

“Phase? Are you kidding me? He’s 22 years old. The Mohawk in middle school was a phase. Bouncing around to different sports, was a phase, and I pray to God the tattoos are a phase but,” she glanced at the clock, “sleeping until noon every day is not a phase – it’s laziness.”

John lowered the paper. “You’re too hard on the boy, Joan. You know as well as I do, jobs are scarce right now with the economy the way it is, especially for new graduates.”

“The economy sucks, I agree, but there are jobs available. I see hiring signs on every corner.”

“You want him to work at McDonalds?” He rolled his eyes and resumed reading.

“I want him to get a job. Six months is long enough. When he isn’t sleeping till noon, he’s playing damn video games. Who does that at 22? What happened to all that drive and ambition we saw at the end of the year?”

“He’s depressed. Not getting a job offer during recruitment week, like his buddies, threw him; give him a little time.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t get an offer too, but he can’t mope around the house doing nothing. It’s time he started paying his way.”

“Come on honey; we’ve got the money, give him a break. He just needs a safe place to deal with the disappointment. He’ll come around.”

“Safe place? Have you lost your damn mind?”

“No need to shout. I’m two feet away. I can hear you.”

“Then you’re not listening. I have a newsflash for both of you – the world is not always a nice place, nor is it fair. I promised him an education but I sure as hell never promised him a safe place to hide from the big, bad world.”

Joan dumped the rest of her coffee in the sink, picked up the dishcloth and started rubbing the counters with more effort than required. “Safe place, my ass.”

“Excuse me? You’re mumbling.”

Joan threw the cloth into the sink. “John Andrews, I’m surprised at you. We didn’t raise our son to roll up in a damn ball when the going gets tough. You sound like some bleeding heart liberal. Safe place? Are you kidding me?”

John laid the paper aside, walked over and wrapped his arms around her.”No need to be insulting, honey,” he said kissing her hair. “Take a breath and calm down; it’s not good for you to get so upset. You’re right. I’ll talk to him.”

She turned to face him. “He’s a smart young man with a college education. I don’t want him slipping down the rabbit hole thinking the world owes him a living or that any job is beneath him. That’s not how we raised him.”

“Honey, he doesn’t believe that…”

She interrupted, “Then why isn’t he out beating the bushes? We won’t always be around.” Tears started down her cheeks.“I need to know he’s gonna be okay before…”

He pulled her close. “Ssh, don’t think about all that right now, I’ll talk to him.”

At the sound of footsteps, Joan pushed out of her husband’s arms swiping the tears from her face.

“Morning guys.” Their son entered the kitchen smiling.

Joan noticed the lilt in his step and the portfolio tucked under his arm. “Want some breakfast?”

He pulled a travel mug from the cabinet and filled it with coffee.“No thanks, mom; I’m good. I’ll grab something after my job interview, and if it goes the way I think it will,” he winked at his dad, “I might buy you guys dinner.” He reached for the door.“On second thought,” he grabbed a muffin off the sideboard and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Love you mom, and don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

 

 

 

 

You Asked: How to Start an Online Writers Group?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 25 Comments

Welcome to another, belated, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week’s question: How do you start an online writer’s group?

I’ve been a member of the South Carolina’s Writer’s Group, which met monthly at our local library, but haven’t participated in an online group before and I’ve certainly never thought about starting one – until now. So, what does it take to start a group?

Where to Begin:

  1. Establish your goals -What do you want to offer or accomplish with your members? Is the group a support network, forum for learning, an opportunity to share, or provide critiques of each other’s work?
  2. Determine membership -Is the membership voluntary or fee based? Is it open to experienced, emerging, or writers at all levels? Will membership be limited or open to all?
  3. Member participation –  How will you recruit or encourage member participation? Offer live or Twitter chats, tutorials, or run contest? Do you want to require weekly or monthly check-ins and forum discussions or leave it up to the member?
  4.  Identify the Roles of the Host(s)– Is this your brainchild or a joint venture. If a joint venture, designate responsibilities up front- maintaining membership rosters and participation, as well as, administrative duties and who will address technical issues that might arise.
  5. Create a venue – A private blog through WordPress or Blogger is an easy way for members to ask questions or hold discussions. Private forums on Google Groups and Yahoo Groups is another option. These are particularly useful when sharing files.
  6. Dedicate the Time – This is a biggy. It takes a lot of time to build members and relationships. A good place to start is to have each member introduce themselves, including their level of experience as a writer, and what they hope to gain from the group.

Understand an online group requires commitment and continuous engagement. Setting weekly goals or making a to-do list will help you keep on task. Establishing a regular schedule and dedicating time specifically for the group will create the right environment for a successful online group. Interested in more information?

Check Out These Resources:

What about you? Do you belong to an online writer’s group? Have you found it helpful? Interesting is starting a group?  I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram.

Flash Talk Pictorial: I’m a Southern Belle

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 10 Comments

Daily Post Prompt:

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. South

This prompt had my head spinning with things I might want to cover – Southern myths for example. Instead, decided just to give you a glimpse into me via some of my favorite memes.

First, let me say I am a Southern woman, born and bred. I grew up in a small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains where you’ll  find some of the most beautiful mountains on earth, a church on nearly every corner and everyone greets you with a smile, if not by name.

As a girl, I couldn’t wait to leave and explore the world – move to the big city.  I’ve been out of the country – once, visited a few other states but I never ventured far from my roots.  I still reside in South Carolina and proud to do so.

I’ll save the myths for another time. In the meantime, check out what it’s like to be a Southern Belle by clicking on the link below.

Source: Flash Talk Pictorial: I’m a Southern Belle

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram.

Recycling From The Fail Pile

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Do you have a pile of old stories or a manuscript gathering dust? Don’t throw the away – repurchase them.

bareknucklewriter's avatarBare Knuckle Writer

photo Not Pictured: That Manuscript. This is a completely different one.

I wrote a scene for a book ten years ago.

Shit. Writing that sentence was the first time I stopped to do that particular math. Fuck. That was longer ago than I thought.

Anyway, this was my first finished book. It sucked. I mean, it’s not spectacularly bad– it doesn’t physically hurt me to read it, like some of my earlier, unfinished stories–but it still sucks. It will remain in cold storage indefinitely, or until the sun explodes and burns us all to a crisp.

But there was this one scene. I liked it. I still like it. Not the way it was written, because, dude, I was just starting out then. I had spent the previous six years writing academic papers. My fiction writing was not great, to say the least. I could over-explain like a boss, though.

But…

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