Kindle Edition of In the Midst: A COVID-19 Anthology Is Now Available!

 

It’s here! I’m so excited to announce the release of the Kindle edition of In the Midst: A COVID-19 Anthology.

It’s been almost two years since a global pandemic shattered our world. Perhaps for the first time in history, people from every continent are experiencing the same emotions—fear, anger, sadness, anxiety. How are they coping? What are they learning? How have they changed? Writers and artists of every age (10-90) from six continents (including the countries of Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zimbabwe) have contributed original art, photography, poems, essays, fiction, and scripts to create In the Midst, a COVID-19 Anthology. The works reflect a common humanity beyond age, ethnicity, or location and are captured here to share with the world.

People are suffering in so many ways from this unprecedented situation. But the pages of this anthology carry much more than tears. They also show the resilience of the human spirit. Some offer encouragement. Some ways of coping—especially creative ways, such as taking up new hobbies. Others find humor in the quest for toilet paper, the mandate to “wash your hands,” and hair—from new hairdos and natural hair colors of those who can no longer see their hairdressers to COVID cuts for those who took the problem into their own hands. Some describe new skills or practices that have improved their lives—things they will retain long after the pandemic is over. And many show appreciation to the ones who’ve sacrificed to keep the world moving.

What ties them all together? The universal experience of living in isolation and anxiety during a global pandemic with no end in sight. People are in crisis and need to share their experiences and imaginative solutions.

Difficult decisions were made to cut down the deluge of entries to this final selection of 100 pieces representing 84 authors and artists. I’ve always said that when you share your art or your writing, you share your soul. And we now celebrate the courageous people who have bared their souls to give you a glimpse into their lives.

I hope you are as touched as I have been by these honest, from-the-gut reactions while still IN THE MIDST of this historic pandemic. Hopefully, we’ll see our way out of this soon, and this anthology will become a collection to help future generations understand exactly what it was like to endure separation from friends and family, shutdowns of schools, churches, and “non-essential” businesses, and, of course, the fear and suffering caused by illness and death.  

In the Midst: A COVID-19 Anthology is available in two formats on Amazon. The standard format has a black and white interior and, for a limited time, sells for $16.95. The full-color edition printed on high-quality paper sells for $52.00. The New Kindle edition is available for $6.99 USD and is available worldwide. It is, of course, in full color. 

If you don't live in the USA, sign into Amazon in your domain area. Then you can type B08NX43Y4L in the search bar for the low-cost, black-and-white interior edition for a limited-time price of $16.95 USD (converted to local currency). Type B08NX6Q2Q1 for the full-color version (or click on the links if you are in the US) for $52.00 USD.  For the Kindle Edition, type B09L9K2ZQ1 as your search element. You can also search for "In the Midst COVID-19 Anthology" to see all versions on the selection screen.

The unique cover was designed and created by Lana Hunneyball. The artwork featured on the card faces are among the more than 30 original creations or photos included within the anthology. Lana used the layout of the card game “Patience” as a fitting representation of the patience required to get through this pandemic—and it’s a form of solitaire, which is especially fitting since many of us are alone at this time. Isolated.

But now you don’t need to be! Order a copy of this anthology for yourself and for everyone you know. You’ll be glad to have the company.

And be sure to share this announcement. Thank you! 

Be safe out there. 

 

What's Your Favorite Punctuation Mark?

by Sandy Tritt

What’s your favorite punctuation mark?

Until recently, I had never thought about having a favorite punctuation mark—although I admit I’ve always had an affinity for those cute little curly commas. (And I have a distinct dislike for the colon and the semicolon: they remind me of too many late nights spent typing academic papers on my state-of-the-art Brother Electric Typewriter.) But the mark that really brings me joy is the EM DASH. This little guy has become more popular as of late—mainly because he’s versatile and, I’m told, “hipster.”

So, how can you hang out with the cool kid?

Lots of ways. He can be used in place of commas, parentheses, colons, semi-colons, or ellipses. He can offset phrases, show interruption or a change of direction, offer examples, or add emphasis. And he can be used to show missing words or parts of words. See why I love Mr. Dash?

Let’s look at ways he can help.  

An EM DASH can add clarity to a convoluted sentence. Examples:

• Before: “When the check finally arrived, over six weeks after the accident, it was only for the parts, labor, and other repairs.” After: “When the check finally arrived—over six weeks after the accident—it was only for the parts, labor, and other repairs.”
• Before: “Don’t start baking brownies if you don’t have everything you need, like a pan, an oven, and ingredients, including eggs, butter, sugar, cocoa, and nuts.” After: “Don’t start baking brownies if you don’t have everything you need, like a pan, an oven, and ingredients—including eggs, butter, sugar, cocoa, and nuts.”
• Before: “Before we go camping on Sunday, we need to make sure we have plenty of ice, hamburger buns, marshmallows for s’mores and fruit salad, olives, and onions.” After: “Before we go camping on Sunday, we need to make sure we have plenty of ice, hamburger buns, marshmallows—for s’mores and fruit salad—olives, and onions.”

An EM DASH can indicate a sudden break or change in continuity. Examples:

• “I don’t want to ever see—what is that thing crawling up your shirt?”
• “I—uh—I just don’t know.”

An EM DASH can delineate a non-essential phrase within a sentence (non-essential means the sentence will still be a sentence without the phrase). Do note that if the phrase occurs in the middle of a sentence, both a beginning and an ending EM DASH must be used. Examples:

• “Just as I was about to sit—and I do mean just—I saw the spider.”
• “I decided to burn that ratty old sweater—until Jason said it was his favorite.”

Likewise, an EM DASH can be used to set apart an explanatory phrase. Examples:

• “I love reading novels—fat, juicy, long-winded novels—while on vacation.”
• “We need to get a first aid kit—bandages, antiseptic wipes, splints—for the cheerleading squad.”

An EM DASH can join two independent clauses. It’s a modern replacement for the semicolon, joining two related sentences that could each stand alone. Examples:

• “We could sure use some rain this week—this heat is killing the garden.”
• “I absolutely love old romantic movies—I get that from my mama.”

An EM DASH can add emphasis. Examples:

• “I don’t want to see that jerk in here again—ever!”
• “Can we forget the whole thing—please?”

An EM DASH can show interruption. Whereas ellipses at the end of a sentence illustrates a dropping off in tone or a pause, the EM DASH shows an immediate halt.

• Either all in one sentence or by one speaker: “Hey!  Don’t step on the—oh, crap. Too late.”
• By multiple speakers:  “You never let me finish. All you do is—” “No, I don’t!”
• By an outside force: “Please quit fidgeting. We’re almost—” The doorbell rang.

An EM DASH can indicate an unfinished sentence or thought. Examples:

• “I hope that isn’t a snake—”
• “Is that car coming in my lane? There’s nowhere to—”

Where to find Mr. EM DASH

So now that you’ve grown to love Mr. EM DASH, you may discover that he simply doesn’t exist on the standard keyboard. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to create him. Let me count the ways:

• Within most Word Processing programs (and iPhones), you can create an EM DASH automatically by typing two hyphens side by side.
• MS Word will change two hyphens to an EM DASH as long as there is no space before, between, or after the hyphens. The metamorphosis appears after typing the next word or letter and then pressing the space bar.
• If that’s too complex, in many programs, you can click on the toolbar below the edit box. Place your cursor where you want the EM DASH, select INSERT from the pull-down menu, and click on the second character (the longer dash).
• In MS Word, you can click on the INSERT tab, look at the far right and click on SYMBOL, select MORE SYMBOLS, click on SPECIAL CHARACTERS, and—finally—click on the EMDASH (right at the top).

Too many steps? Give one of these a try:

• In Windows on a PC, type ALT 0151  
• For a Mac, use OPT  SHIFT  -
• Simply copy an EM DASH from anywhere and paste it where you need it.

Other things to know:

• In most usages (Chicago Manual of Style, etc.), no spaces should exist before or after an EM DASH. The most common exception to this is the Associated Press Stylebook (such as for newspapers), which adds a space on either side of the EM DASH.
• The EM DASH is mostly used in informal writing—blogs, novels, emails, etc.—and is typically used sparingly in formal writing (magazine articles, academic papers, business letters, etc.).
• There are three “dashes” in the dash family. The HYPHEN is the baby. It’s the smallest of the lengths and is used to join two words. The EN DASH is longer than a hyphen and is used to show a range—such as 3-4 years—or to attach a prefix, such as pre-Civil War era. And then there’s the EM DASH, the largest, the longest, the greatest. Aren’t you glad you’ve met him?
• Mr. Dash got his name back in the old days when typesetters measured the number of points in a line. An EN DASH was considered to be the same width of the letter N—and, the EM DASH was considered to be the same width as the letter M.

So, tell us, what’s your favorite punctuation? Why?

And, of course, if you need help straightening out those cute little curly commas or making the most out of Mr. Dash, just shoot us off an email at IFWeditors@gmail.com.

Rekindling our Passion

by Sandy Tritt

Passion. You remember what that feels like, right? When suddenly the world becomes brighter, clearer—like you’ve been living in a black-and-white two-dimensional world and suddenly wake up to brilliant colors in three dimensions. 

Whew! It’s exciting. Whether the object of our passion is a person, religion, organization, hobby—whatever—it’s as though our entire world brightens.

And time? Time no longer exists—as long as we're involved with our passion. Hours disappear in what seems like minutes. Nothing matters except being with our passion.

Yes. Sweet, sweet passion.

And passion not only changes how we view things, it changes how others view us. When we are passionate, others are drawn to us. They feel our excitement, admire our determination, and want to be near the energy our passion generates.

I remember when I was passionate about writing. Nothing could stop me from doing it. I wrote late into the night. I wrote during my lunch break at work. I wrote while stirring spaghetti sauce. I wrote every day. Even though I managed to hold down a demanding career—while also being a wife, mother and housekeeper—the fire of my passion ran hot through my veins and never dissipated.

Until one day, it did.

I’m not sure when it happened. Life is tough, and we deal with a myriad of situations. Growing children. Work problems. Financial difficulties. Marital issues. Aging parents. Health issues. People we love die. It goes on and on. There’s always something to throw water on our flame.  

Yet . . . I’ve always believed that if we’re given a passion to do something, we should do it. It’s our calling in life. We never know when our time on earth will be up. What if we spend our entire lives putting aside our passion to deal with other stuff? What if a bit of depression steals our energy and we get bogged down with just trying to survive? What if we allow our passion to die, taking us along with it?

Fortunately, I am blessed with good friends. They noticed my flame going out. They called me on it. “Why aren’t you working on your novel?” they asked. “Why haven’t you finished that thing yet?”

Oh, I had excuses. Plenty of them. “I don’t have time,” I complained. “My eyes are tired after a long day of work.”

“Send me what you have,” my close friend and co-worker Charl insisted. “Let me help you.” She looked at my novel with fresh eyes, making suggestions, asking questions, adding details.

And something in me stirred. My heart beat a little faster. I wanted to start working on my novel again. I really did. But when? My schedule was already overfull.

More than twenty years ago, when I first started Inspiration for Writers, I had problems with time management. It seemed like I was constantly working, yet I didn't get as much done as I thought I should’ve. My writer friend Rhonda explained how she had set office hours for her work-from-home business. When she was in her home office, she worked only on writing and editing and refused interruptions. And when her workday was done, she closed her computer and didn’t look back. I adopted those policies and found I was not only more productive, but I also had another life, a non-working life.

Of course, work on my own writing was always at the bottom of my to-do list, somewhere after rearranging the alphabet and solving killer sudoku puzzles, so it never happened. But maybe, if I changed my priorities a bit, I could find some time?

I spent a weekend with my novel. My pulse quickened and my energy levels grew. Like discovering the fountain of youth, my heart beat happiness into every cell of my body.

My passion was still there!

That little spark caught hold and soon the fire glowed hot. My thoughts returned to the characters I loved, the story that intrigued me—the story that no one but me could tell, the story I was meant to write.

Better yet, passion creates energy. I needed less sleep, so I had more hours in the day. More importantly, I had more energy.

My passion was back!

I tightened my schedule, eliminated a few time-drains, and reserved an hour a day to spend on me—and sometimes more on weekends. Just me. Just me and my passion.

What about you? Has life taken the heat out of your passion? Have you abandoned your writing because there’s not enough time in a day? Have you allowed your purpose in life to linger at the bottom of your to-do list?  

Email us at IFWeditors@gmail.com. We can help. We offer a free sample edit or consultation to help you rediscover the passion that once energized your life.

And we give away encouragement for free. Just ask!

Because no one should live without passion.

And no one should die without fulfilling his or her purpose.

Visit us at InspirationForWriters.com. We are one of the oldest and most respected writing and editing companies around. Check us out.

© 2019 Inspiration for Writers, Inc. This blog post may be printed, reposted, and shared as long as it is copied in its entirety and this copyright notice is included.

I RESOLVE TO . . .

I RESOLVE TO . . .

Resolutions for Writers

by

Rhonda Browning White

Turn the calendar page. Better still, break out an entirely new calendar. We have more than a new month ahead; we have a whole new year in front of us! Blank squares waiting to be filled with important appointments, blank lines waiting to be filled with significant words. The year 2014 presents a fresh start—a chance for growth and improvement—for every writer, so let’s resolve to do something vital and vivacious with each new day that’s given to us. What good is a New Year without a few resolutions, anyway? Print out this list, and make it yours.

·         . . . Write five days a week. If you’re one of those writers who lives by the mantra, Write every day, then goody for you! I live in the real world, however, where writing is a job—my career—and like any job, I do it five days a week, reserving the other two for my family and myself. Besides, life gets in the way, and it’s unrealistic to think we can (or would even want to) write every single day. We set ourselves up for failure when we insist we must write 365 days a year. Don’t fail. Allow yourself a couple of days off, but write the other five.

·         . . . Write 100 words a day (five days a week). Anyone—anyone!—can do this. You pound out several hundred words a day on Facebook, a thousand or more via email and a dozen at a time on Twitter. One hundred words a day is nothing. Nothing! A few of my friends and I started this 100-words-a-day challenge, and we hold each other to it. We report in daily, sometimes admitting defeat (kid is sick, car broke down, computer on the fritz), but more often gloating that we wrote 200 words—or 2,500 words. You’ll find that, more often than not, 100 words leads to 500 words, and soon you’ve written multiple pages. Even on the busiest days, you’ve accomplished something toward your goal, even if it’s only 100 words.

·         . . . Read, read, read! You can’t be a great writer unless you’re an avid reader. Read the genre in which you want to write. If you write romance, read the latest romance novels on The New York Times bestseller list. Be sure to read the masters. If high school was the last time you read Hemingway, Hawthorne or Flannery O’Connor, you’ve done yourself a great disservice as a writer. Works by these canonical writers are still around for a reason. Figure out what that reason is, and apply those lessons to your own work.

·         . . . Study the craft of writing. Resolve to read six books on the craft of writing this year. That’s only one book every other month. Easy-peasy! Some of my favorites include The Lie that Tells a Truth by John Dufresne, Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose, and Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern. Especially good for beginning writers is Sandy Tritt’s Tips and Techniques Workbook  (available for automatic download online HERE), which includes fill-in-the-blank worksheets and direct examples to help improve your writing. Take a writing course at your local college this year, or attend a writers conference that offers courses in writing craft.

·         . . . Type “The End.” Have a file full of half-finished short stories? Seven different novel beginnings? Three memoirs that total less than a hundred pages each? Stop procrastinating, and finish something! This is where the 100-words-a-day challenge can help you reach the end of your first draft. Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. Write!

·         . . . Have my work professionally edited. What’s the difference between a traditionally published author and an unpublished writer? Many times, an editor. What do author-editors have in common? We have our work professionally edited. Yes, editors hire editors. It’s true that we can’t see our own mistakes in our writing, so it’s important to have trained eyes look over our final drafts. Professional editors will do more than find typos and grammar mistakes; they’ll point out that your character has green eyes in chapter one and blue eyes in chapter twenty. They’ll remind you that you left a loose sub-plot thread dangling back in chapter eleven, and explain where the middle sags. They’ll show you where you forgot to include internal conflict in a scene full of external conflict. In other words, they’ll help you make your writing much better.

·         . . . Network with other writers. Join a writers group in your area. Don’t have one? Start one. Your local library is a good place to begin, or post a bulletin on Meetups.com. Attend a writers conference where you can meet writers at your same skill level, as well as network with professionals in the field from whom you can learn. And by all means, support other writers. Write a positive review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com of any novels or books you’ve loved, especially if those books are written by new or up-and-coming authors. One day, you’ll want someone to return the favor and write a review of your latest novel.

·         . . . Submit. Writing a novel and having it professionally edited will do you no good at all if you allow it to molder on your laptop. Whip out a polished query letter (which, of course, you’ve revised, edited and proofed), and send that manuscript out the door. Realize up front that you’ll receive rejections, and know that you may have to send out a few hundred queries to land an agent or publisher. Still, you must submit your work in order to have it traditionally published, so you may as well get started this year.

Make 2014 the year you take your writing to the next level. Start today! 

On Being Brave

by Sandy Tritt

I learned the definition of brave in 1998, when my eight-year-old daughter was hit by a truck. As doctors and nurses swarmed around the trauma room doing a multitude of tests and assessments, Pam said, “Daddy, why does everyone say I’m so brave? Don’t they know how scared I am?” And my brilliant husband answered, “Being brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. Being brave means you do what you have to do, even though you are scared.”

This has stuck with me for many years. I grew up believing that brave and fearless were synonymous. But if someone has no fear (and, obviously, no common sense), why is it a big deal to encounter danger? The brave person is the person who has lots of fear, but who still does the necessary or honorable thing.

I’ve seen that type of bravery this past month as our long-term editor and friend, Sandi Rog, has faced an aggressive stage 4 cancer with T-cell Lymphoma. Unbelievably, she was hospitalized for a brain tumor (the secondary cancer discovered first) on the very day DeWard Publishing released The Master’s Wall, her historical fiction. Sandi faces weeks of chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. Still, this sweet and talented warrior keeps her faith--and her sense of humor. She passes out bookmarks from her hospital bed, and she’s even contemplating setting up a book-signing table there. Please keep our Sandi in your prayers. Better yet, support this mother of four by purchasing The Master’s Wall. In light of all that has transpired, her publisher has generously agreed to donate to Sandi's family an additional $1 per book above and beyond all scheduled royalties. You can order your copy—and copies to give as Christmas gifts—at Amazon.com, among other places.

Thank you.

The Writer's Prayer

The Writer's Prayer is one of our most popular pages. In case you haven't seen it on the website, here it is:

The Writer's Prayer

By Sandy Tritt

Open my mind, Lord. Grant me the talent to write with clarity and style, so my words go down rich and smooth, like fine wine, and leave my reader thirsty for more.

Open my heart, Lord. Grant me the sensitivity to understand my characters--their hopes, their wants, their dreams--and help me to confer that empathy to my reader.

Open my soul, Lord, so I may be a channel to wisdom and creativity from beyond my Self. Stoke my imagination with vivid imagery and vibrant perception.

But most of all, Lord, help me to know the Truth, so my fiction is more honest than actuality and reaches the depths of my reader's soul.

Wrap these gifts with opportunity, perseverance, and the strength to resist those who insist it can't be done.

Amen. ~ Sandy Tritt

© 1999 Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved. www.InspirationforWriters.com

If you'd like a glossy copy of The Writer's Prayer, just email your name and address to Sandy@InspirationForWriters.com