Begin It Now
Behind the scenes of a writing life: Over sixty and just getting started!
The world has been noisy, hasn’t it? Cacophonous, insistent, discordant. Though the written word is silent on the page and screen, news comes at you head-on, even with the volume muted. I’ve stayed silent so far in 2024 because whatever I started to write felt overly reactive to either the latest global disaster, national disgrace, or local tragedy. And now it’s time for some mid-winter first-person reporting from my quiet little corner of the universe.
Writing & Editing
As you may have noticed from the photo above, I am making progress on my memoir. Untitled at ~120K words, the printed version (already outdated) is a mess of highlighting, editing, deletions, and marginal comments.
The memoir is about how sometimes you have to forego faith in religious, social, and political institutions to rediscover faith in yourself, as illustrated by my twenty-year journey through marriage and Christian ministry to a life of individual agency and purpose.
Because I grew up in a Jewish family, converted to evangelical Christianity as a teenager, and devoted my after-college life to being a wife, mother, and missionary—first on the Navajo reservation and then on a college campus—I think it is an unparalled story with a universal message. By the end of the book, I’m divorced and unemployed, with a doctorate, an uncertain future, and a renewed sense of confidence in myself and the universe. Would such a book interest you?
By telling the story, I hope to create conversations around personal agency. When we allow others to define our lives, we risk losing faith in ourselves. Who we were and what we were comfortable with at twenty is often unsustainable at forty; and who we are and what we believe at forty, may not serve us (or anyone else) at sixty and beyond.
I plan to submit memoir excerpts as stand-alone pieces for publication in literary magazines interested in creative non-fiction, or at least try them out here on you, first!
Speaking of submissions….
My goal is to have 40 submissions out in the literary magazine world at any given moment, by the end of 2024. Statistically, most will meet with nice rejection notices, but a few may be accepted for publication. Currently, I have 15 or so in the pipeline, with two poems from last year’s submissions to be published on January 20, 2024, in Sky Island Journal, online.
In other news…
The ebullient yWrite podcast host, Angela Grout, interviewed me last summer at the International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG). That episode of the podcast is now out on YouTube.
Angela and I talk about a course I developed for IWWG called Mindful Editing, which Angela took in July. I appreciate her first-hand student endorsement! Even if you’re not currently writing or editing, the interview is entertaining.
As for the course, I’m teaching it again, online, in two weeks.
Mindful Editing, Saturday, January 27: 2:00 to 3:15 PM ET
You will learn what it means to be a mindful editor of your own writing. This course will provide you with practical skills for editing with greater awareness and focus. You will learn some basic English concepts, guidelines, and rules that you can immediately apply for clear, correct, and meaningful writing. REGISTER/full description
If you are currently writing and editing a piece of any length, the workshop is extremely practical. Please join us!
An Over-Sixty Debutante?
When* my memoir finds an agent/editor/publisher, I will be considered a “debut” author even though I’ve self-published two books of poetry, both still in circulation, and have had a long career with words at the center of what I do—teach, write, edit, and consult. To the publishing industry and the reading public, I’m an unknown quantity. It’s just how it is. *Notice when, not if.
Meanwhile, I am living my best writing life, in large part thanks to YOU who are out there reading. It’s a privilege to spend part of your day with you and I love hearing from you, whether in the comments or via email. Thank you for supporting independent writing and publishing by subscribing to this newsletter. I toyed with changing the title, but I think I’ll keep In Our Own Ink for now. I’m not rebranding as much as I am rethinking what this site can mean to you, to me, and to the writing community.
I’m considering adding features such as behind-the-scenes-look at switching gears post-retirement; perspectives on poetry; advice posts (writing and editing); and other experiments. If there’s something you’d like to read here, please let me know.
I’ve looked for alternatives to the ubiquitous “Best,” and after considering many others (Fondly, Warmly, Truly, Madly, Deeply…), so I’ll close with one used by my good friend and fellow poet, Kathy Ray.
Until next.
You are definitely qualified to teach editing. Your work is clear and incredibly readable. Thanks.
Until next!!
So good.♥️