I knew that as soon as the nicer weather arrived people would be done with COVID-19. And where I live, that is exactly what I am seeing. We live in a vacation destination area close to a major lake and all the 'summer people' are back. They come from NY, CT, MA, and other states, with a large population of snow-birds flying in from FL where there is a much higher incidence of the deadly virus than what we have encountered here so far. Which means, my husband Jim and I are staying close to home. Which also means, we are getting a lot of much needed outdoor chores taken care of, many that have been neglected for a few years. Which is a good thing.
It also means we are getting more exercise, also a good thing since I feel like I'm doing a lot more eating than I was previously. I had hoped I would do a lot more writing but that didn't happen, until just recently. I've been inspired by Masterclass. This is something I really needed. I was beginning to feel like, what is the point. There is still a part of me that sometimes doesn't want to get out of bed, but that is always a temporary condition for me (and when I say 'temporary', I'm talking about one day, and then I'm over it until something else gets me down, for a day).
Masterclass has saved me. There is so much to learn here, and I'm not talking about just the well-known authors you can learn from. but there are other topics that I'm also looking forward to watching and learning. (See more below in "Mastering Masterclass").
Besides writing a couple of short (I'm talking Flash Fiction short) stories and essays, I'm getting back to rewriting stories that I wrote for an upcoming collection. I'm not sure if I'll finish the collection this year but I feel like I'm finally back on track.
(View from my back deck where we have spent most of our time this summer)
Check out my new author website and let me know what you think! www.DJGeribo.com
Writings & Musings
Save the Cat!
Institutionalized
The next story genre is "Institutionalized" - to join or not to join is at the heart of every story: to be a 'card-carrying member of a group or go it alone'. The story is about the many, not necessarily about the one. In other words, these stories are more about the group the hero inhabits and her relationship with the group than it is about the hero's own journey.
If you plan to write an Institutionalized novel, you should have the following story line: A Group: For example, family, organization, business, community, or a uniting issue that is unique and interesting. A Choice: Being loyal to a group with the herd mentality and losing a piece of ourselves or remaining free, independent, and alone. A Sacrifice Leading to One of Three Possible Endings: Join it, burn it down, or escape (possibly through suicide).
To find out more about the story genres, read "Save the Cat! Writes a Novel" by Jessica Brody.
Although this column isn't going to be specifically about my books, it will untimately be about my future books. That's because I'm signed up and using Masterclass. An anniversary gift from my husband, it has been on my gift list since this past Christmas (I thought I would receive it then, but I didn't and then I thought I would receive it for my birthday in April, but again, I didn't).
Since I just received this gift at the beginning of July, so far I have gone through the training for Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, David Sedaris, and Malcolm Gladwell. Currently there are 13 writers on the Masterclass list that offer classes. I plan to go through all of them. And a writer friend of mine just signed up, also, so we were able to share what we learned from David Sedaris (her favorite),
The cost is minimal, $15 a month which you pay for upfront when you sign up for one year for $180. A single class costs $90. Since you have access to every class when you sign up for the year, this is by far the better deal.
The course was founded in 2014 and the website launched in 2015 by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen. They've been able to secure the knowledge of the masters by offering a substantial payment (around $100,000) to each instructor.
It may sound like I'm receiving some kind of kickback for promoting Masterclass, but that is only because I'm so thrilled about this new learning tool. As a friend said to me recently when I was explaining to her about Masterclass, 'I haven't heard you this excited about anything in a long time.'
Along with the class you get a workbook that is substantial and sometimes additional articles/stories to go with it. I'm one of those people who need to have paper in front of me (although I also have several Kindle books that I enjoy reading on my tablet or Kindle reader - it is amazing to me that I can carry hundreds of books on a small device that I can put in my purse). The workbook is downloaded as a pdf that you can open whenever you want and also print for your own paper copy.
You can also join groups to discuss some of the classes you have taken with other writers. Although there are many categories I most likely will never watch (sports and music and entertainment for example) I'm choosing to remain open to the possibilities that watching almost any other category can also help me with my writing.
If you're looking for a new and fun learning book to keep the little ones occupied during this pandemic, Eddie Easel and his buddies just might do the trick! A fun mystery for your child to solve plus learning about the basics of art can offer hours of entertainment. Eddie Easel and the Case of the Missing Green can be purchased from my publisher,BBD Publishing, or from my author website, DJ Geribo.com
"Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."
—Flannery O'Connor
Story in 6
"Indoors Not So Bad"
We were self-quarantined. Stuck inside, we waited for warmer weather. It arrived, as usual, without fanfare. We donned our shorts and t-shirts and headed for the back deck, happy to finally be outdoors. We mowed the grass, we raked, we cleaned, we planted, while we soaked up the sun and sweated. Exhausted, dirty, too hot, and too uncomfortable, we went back inside and switched on the A/C.
Authistpreneur
author/artist/entrepreneur
Someone who is an author, an artist, and an entrepreneur. Any person who writes or has a published novel, who paints fine art/illustrations, and also has established businesses using the combination of artistic talents. - DJ Geribo
What I'm Reading
And now we are looking at the end of summer and I have read what I can although I've been introduced to even more books, as if I needed that, from the authors through Masterclass. But these are the books that I read in July and August.
Women with Men
I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book of three stories. Written by Richard Ford who won the Pulitzer for "Independence Day", this is my first exposure to his writing. More like novelettes than short stories, there was sadness and loneliness, broken hearts, and betrayal. In the three stories, The Womanizer, Jealousy, and Occidentals, although there was love and sex, I just didn’t feel the passion that is usually associated with these emotions. The Womanizer was more about lust and obsession with a married man having an affair that he can’t get enough of until he spends normal life with the woman. Jealousy is from the point of view of a teenager who travels with an aunt to visit his mother who is estranged from his father. And the Occidentals is the third story about a man still in love with his wife but with another woman who has cancer. She knows he is not in love with her and takes her life, adding so much sadness to her story.
The Pearl
One of the classic authors, I had not yet read anything by John Steinbeck. Until now. I recently downloaded to my Kindle a 6-book collection of some of his novelettes for a great price which included 'Of Mice and Men', 'Tortilla Flats', and 'Cannery Row'. The story I read is called 'The Pearl'. It was an important book because it was able to infuriate me on so many levels. Through no fault of their own and simply because of where they were born, live, and die, the naivety of people combined with the unfathomable greed of others, creates a story that can only anger the average reader who actually has a beating heart in their chest. The Pearl is an actual pearl that represents the poor and destitute looking for a better life. But when looking to sell it, hoping for a nicer home for him, his wife, Juana, and an education for his son Cochito, Kiko is met only by greed and cheats trying to steal the precious jewel. Juana blames the pearl saying it is evil, But you know it is the people who are evil, even tracking the couple as they try to reach a city where they will hopefully get a fair price for the pearl. But the story ends, as you would expect, in tragedy.
Almost Everything
My only exposure to Anne Lamott was through reading her book, "Bird-by-Bird" which is a book about the writing life. I've read it 3 times and I have no doubt I will read it again because it is full of her writing wisdom. Although I have collected one or two more of her books I have not read another book by her until this one which I just downloaded to my Kindle. As I looked at her books on Amazon I realized she tends to focus on faith with titles such as "Traveling Mercies" and "Grace, Eventually". In "Almost Everything" she does reference her faith several times but there is so much more. There is also an essay that inspired me to put my own book of essays together - more as a counter-argument than anything else. But that is another story. For me she started strong with a few weak areas in the middle and ended on a mid-range note discussing family and a higher note in the final chapter on Hope.
