Writing+ (plus)

The author, starting a new journal….

I know a writer who writes a blog-essay in one hour and publishes it, same day. And it’s not only great writing, but also timely, thought-provoking, and salted with humor. (Here’s to you, Allison K Williams and the Brevity Blog!)

Another writer (also not I) keeps forty lit mag submissions in the pipeline at all times, so her work is eventually either accepted or declined. If a poem, or set of poems, is rejected, she sends it out to another editor. If a poem is accepted for publication, she celebrates the win by adding it to her publication list and sending out a new submission to a different lit mag.

Also in my peripheral vision (because I know they’re out there in Substack-land, but not always in my direct line of sight), are memoirists, essayists, journalists, and writing-PLUS* gurus whose work I read and who continually amaze me with their insights. Thank you! I may have unsubscribed from your lists (she said, sheepishly), but I follow your work, buy your books, and recommend you to others. In 2025, I’ll try to do so more formally and consistently—my pledge to you!

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No one “just writes”

Writers offer us so much of themselves: Writing PLUS life, mental health, and Substack: (Sarah Fay x 2; Substack Writers at Work with Sarah Fay | Substack); writing plus yoga poems and inspiration (Corie Feiner); writing plus front-line reporting (Tim Mak from Ukraine; Kat Winship from North Carolina), writing plus art and wonderment (Karen Rand Anderson)….

So this is what happens when I try to emulate Allison. I ramble. I have 20 minutes left on my timer. And so many things I was going to say! In the interest of time, here’s a list:

• Best recent moment: My granddaughter’s excitement and pure joy when she received a paperback dictionary for Christmas!

• Best recent Zoom call: Today, December 2024 Dictionary Diving with Marj Hahne and two dozen poets who shared their favorite new-to-them poem-worthy words plus etymology, definition, usage, and pronunciation!

• Best recent lunch: Just now, when my man, The Scientist, brought me a sliced, toasted, Everything bagel topped with avocado, tomato, and lox.

• Best recent coffee: This morning, hand-delivered in my “Persimmon Tree” (An Online Magazine of the Arts by Women over Sixty) orange mug by, you guessed it, The Scientist.

• Best recent day of memoir editing: Yesterday! And in the last several days, I’ve reduced the total word count by over 3,000 words. And twice that many still to go.

• Best memoir I’ve read in the last two weeks: Fi by Alexandra Fuller and Class by Stephanie Land.

• Best In Our Own Ink post? You pick! Go to the In Our Own Ink landing page and browse the offerings. It’s all free (I think, unless I archived some older posts behind the pay wall) and I invite you to click, read, comment, and share. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite!

Thank you for being here, reading, smiling, supporting, and generally making the world a better place with your very presence.

See you in 2025….

All the best!

Andi

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Please share with other readers some of your recent “Bests” in the comments, and if you take a reading tour of In Our Own Ink posts, please let me know what you discovered and which you like best.