And by “we,” I mean me and my elbow. It’s a whole story, so get up, walk to the microwave, and heat up your coffee. Again.
You know what’s ironic? Taking a self-imposed “break” from the newsletter only to delay your return by literally breaking something.
That’s where I’ve been, this is me.
Long-time readers may remember that I took a break in August, intentionally, to re-envision how this newsletter was working. I’d been writing it twice a month for two years, and I needed to do a little reflection.
So then one month turned into two… You know how it is during BTS (back-to-school time). It’s like you’ve entered a vortex of space and time continuum that sucks you into deeper malaise. You are buried beneath school paperwork, new after-school rhythms and, oh yeah, you have to actually feed the people or they get restless.
Just when I was about to kick off the new On Stories, I went on a retreat and broke my elbow. (It’s actually not that exciting of a story, but since you asked, here goes: I was sleeping in a too-high bed on top of a mountain ridge. Yes, I see the irony here too. I remember the height of the too-high bed because akin to Goldilocks when I went to sleep that night, I had to reach out and down to put my novel on the nightstand. (If you are tall, I do not want to hear it. I am not at all offended or unhappy for you, but I just cannot relate.)
In the middle of the night, I fell out of bed, landing on a hardwood (no LVP here—it was true mountain resort) floor that cracked one of the bones in my elbow. Getting back home was an adventure, but a good friend who is also a writer saved me and drove out of her way to get me back home.
Okay, now that THE STORY is out of the way, some housekeeping essentials.
Photo by Ralph Hutter on Unsplash
Welcome to all the new subscribers here!
The first change you will notice is that this newsletter, while still geared to writers, is not JUST for writers anymore. I want you—whether you’re a mom who loves to read, a teacher who wants to stay on top of MG or YA trends, or a grandparent who loves to write but doesn’t consider himself/herself a writer—to feel like you are welcome here.
Pull up a cozy pillow and recline a little. This space should be easy-breezy.
If you are a returning subscriber, from either On Stories original or The Bottom Line, I’ve decided to combine the two ideas that I write about: books for young people and books for authors.
This newsletter is, yes, still focused on topics that pertain to writers. But it also will have some broader categories each month. (Oops, I let the cat out of the bag—we’re going monthly on this subscription now too instead of twice a month.)
Additional topics will revolve around
Other writers and creatives I follow. This pertains to so much more than simply following an author I like. I will also recommend artists, craftsmen and craftswomen, musicians — anyone I think is doing something excellent with their gifts and talents.
Recommended books and resources. These will often pertain to young people for those of you who work with kids or are raising them. But not always. Sometimes, we just need important, focused, or fun reads. I heard someone say today that adults need to learn from the next generation how to restore fun to our everyday lives. Some of my recommendations will just be for fun.
Areas of beauty. These may be travel-related from a trip I took, thought-provoking based on a quote I heard or read, or character-driven based on a book, movie or TV show I’m watching. They’ll be short snippets where I am finding beauty lately.
Occasional quotes. I like quotes when they really speak to me, but I don’t want to say I will always have a quote. Sometimes you’re inspired, and sometimes you’re not — so this is a “maybe” item.
Photo by Marcel Eberle on Unsplash
Choose Your Own Adventure Book Club (A Paid Subscription)
I’m starting a paid subscription for authors and readers. This will be a book club-style subscription where you can choose your own adventure.
Yes, you read that correctly.
It’s not ready yet, but in 2024 I’ll be starting a paid subscription in response to feedback I’ve had through the years. Do either of these sound like you?
“I’d love to read more, but I just have a too-full plate.” If this is you, leave it to me to do the reading for you!! (This will consist of me reading a book — nonfiction and/or fiction — each season and then sharing my “notes” with you about that nonfiction book’s top tips, what makes it great writing if it’s fiction, and who I think will benefit most from reading it — even if you can’t read it during this season of life.) Sometimes, I’ll share this in a written format here, and other times I will share it with you via audio or video. (I know, sometimes you cannot even read an email. Trust me, I’ve been there too.)
“I need more guidance in my writing journey, but I can’t attend a writer’s conference during this season of my writing life.” If you are a writer, you can likely resonate with this statement. Whether it’s a financially tight season, a stage-of-life reason, or something else, we can’t all spend our time at conferences to learn from our peers and publishing industry professionals. So, this option is for you if you’d like to read three craft books a year with me and discuss them together on a Zoom call that will be recorded.
The CYA Memberships are offered as follows:
#1 - it will be offered four times a year, so you’ll be given the chance to pay by the season to try it out or by the year.
#2 - it will be offered three times a year, which gives us time to really dig into the craft book we’re reading. (I’ll also be taking votes on which craft books make the top of your TBR list as a writer.) You’ll be able to pay similarly — by season or annually.
Photo by Wolfgang Rottmann on Unsplash
Rewards & Rhythms
The final housekeeping note is that I’ll be sharing little rewards with you as you refer others to my newsletter(s): CYA Book Club and On Stories.
You’ll be receiving an email about this tomorrow simply because I want you to know how GRATEFUL I am for your support.
Announcing…The Finale
The curtain call. The final song. The last dance. The encore. You get it, this is the last thing for our November ‘23 edition of On Stories. But it’s a GOOD thing.
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
Instead of writing a long article, if you made it through these announcements, I want you to get short-and-sweet, but useful, newsletter content.
** To our writers, a little writing advice:
Structure and sequence matter. Structure is what forms — or rhythms — your book, article, or poetry has. It may be a rhyme structure, or it could be an article structured into three main headings with six subheadings in each. Even more, your structure could be your book is divided into 10 chapters, each ending in a journal prompt. Just as in life, structure matters, so it does in writing. That’s why all your high school English teachers forced you to do an outline or a brainstorming map.
Don’t worry, I won’t make you do that.
In fact, I don’t even do that myself when I write. I start with a few ideas, though, and then I play with structure as I go. I rearrange my ideas like I would rearrange a spice cabinet. This one goes at the top because it’s the most useful and goes with just about everything. That one goes at the bottom because it may not apply to every reader, ahem, cook.
You get the idea. Structure is important when you’re writing. So whether you structure on the fly, spend time reflecting on a project after you’ve drafted it to ensure all the pieces are where they should be, or you’re the old-school outliner, structure can be the difference between gaining a reader’s trust and losing it.
Sequence also matters, but instead of — as in the case of structure — asking yourself “where” something goes, you ask yourself why it goes there.
Here is an example.
One of my favorite movies is a little-known flick called “Sliding Doors.” I always marvel at the creative decisions that went into figuring out why the scenes in this movie were located where they were. I’m not going to say much more than that because I do not want to spoil it for you. (Let me be honest here, too, and tell you bluntly that there’s a scene early on in the film that is one I like to skip over—it’s a little too much “onscreen display” if you know what I mean. However, once you get past the scene, you’ll understand why it’s at the beginning of the movie. It reveals the motivation behind the entire premise of the film.)
So it is with sequence. You have to know why you are writing a sentence, a paragraph, a point, or a scene before you can figure out where it fits best.
** To our art enthusiasts, here are a few creatives I’ve discovered lately.
Seth Haines is someone I’ve listened to a ton when he appeared on Tsh Oxenreider’s “A Drink with a Friend” podcast. However, I recently started following Seth’s Substack newsletter, The Examine. I particularly love the visual diary he created in this entry.
Tell me: do you ever create visual diaries of moving moments in travel, art, or books? I’d love to hear about it if you do. Just comment below.
I also just discovered (don’t mock me if I am the last person on the planet to hear of her music) singer-songwriter Jess Ray. She is easy to listen to and explores the depth of our human experience.
** To our parents and teachers or grandparents, here’s a resource…
I’ve been listening to lately. It’s a podcast for women, but I think anyone who works with or has a family with young people in it would benefit from some of her topics. It’s called On Purpose with Elizabeth Pehrson.
I listened to an episode recently about family meetings — even if you are single or you are married without children — and then another episode about finding your “it,” or your purpose, as your life season transitions into something new. Obviously, not all of these episodes relate to young people, but I think when we as adults learn more about who we are and why we are here, then the children, teens, and young adults in our lives benefit.
So, have a listen and let me know what you think. (Those episodes I mentioned are episodes 31 and 32.)
Finally, another resource I can highly recommend is Dwell: An Advent Study & Liturgy by my friend and fellow author, Rachel Fahrenbach. In a nutshell, her book explores the significance of Christmas in a fresh way by looking at the everyday relevance of God With Us, Immanuel. Here are a few of my favorite things about this book and companion guide:
They’re available NOW in ebook and hardcover. (Choose HOW you read it.)
It’s a five-week study with short, daily entries.
Each day’s entries vary to give different ways to explore and engage with the weekly theme. (Be creative and do only what sounds meaningful to you.)
The week kicks off with a Candle Lighting Liturgy that can be completed solo or with community — the companion guide is for groups. You can do it as a small group, in your family, or pass it along to someone at school.
FREE GIFT to you!! (No strings attached)
Rachel is gifting an ebook copy to each of the On Stories subscribers — anyone who wants one. Just use the coupon code BROOKET when you check out.
To redeem code: dwelladventstudy.com/freestudy
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. You’ll be getting an email from me about how you can…
Earn rewards simply for recommending my On Stories newsletter to friends and family who might be interested.
Starting in 2024, you will also be able to win even bigger rewards by recommending my new paid subscription, CYA Book Club.
Stay tuned for details about how to subscribe to one of the CYA Book Club options. (As a subscriber to On Stories, you’ll get a senior superlative discount that you will not want to miss out on. What’s a senior superlative discount? Remember your yearbook superlatives in high school where some were voted Class Clown or Most Popular? Well, this isn’t that — everyone who already subscribes to On Stories is the quintessential Most Popular. So, you will get a discount that isn’t available to anyone else.)
Keep your eyes on this space. More to come!