Bits and Pieces About My Writing World and Yours

OK, so it's the third day of this new month but we can still say hello to this shortest month of the year. Leap Year adds one more day in 2016. Today, I have several bits and pieces to share. 

1.  Followers on this blog:  For some strange reason, when I finally got my internet service going again, I noticed that my Followers number had dropped by 20. One or two might have been understandable but 20! I had not been posting because of the move and phone/internet problems so I knew it was not because of anyone getting angry over something I'd written. Would 20 people drop when they didn't see the usual Monday to Friday posts? I rather doubt it. So, I went to the Help section on Blogger and found no help regarding the situation at all. 

So, I would ask for your help in this small matter which probably means something to me and few others. Please check and see if your name is gone from the Follower's section. If it is, and you're agreeable, please sign on once again. If you did drop purposely and have a complaint, please let me know. If you like this blog, would you recommend it to others? Ask them to sign on as a Follower, too? 

2. Being Published:   We were invited to a Wine and Cheese party last evening in our new neighborhood. We knew only one person there so were asked many questions regarding what Ken and I do, where we hailed from long ago etc. I mentioned that I had started writing about 20 years ago to follow a lifelong desire.
"Are you published?" was the next quick question. I said that I was and they asked "Where?" When I mentioned having many stories in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, one lady said "Never heard of it!" She is a retired archaeologist, so maybe stories about people who are alive today do not interest her. But it did make me think that something as popular as the Chicken Soup books may only hit a certain percentage of our reading population. 

3. Learning Something New:   I have been part of a group that is exploring Prose Poetry for 4 weeks. Sadly, it started about the time we moved and I have not been able to give it the amount of attention I would like to. Pamela Casto is the coordinator of the group. She is known for Flash Fiction and has a group that you can join if you are interested. The newsletter she puts out is most informative and filled with market suggestions. I'd like to learn more about Prose Poetry and may continue to learn on my own. It appears that there are many schools of thought on what a prose poem is. 

4.  Writing Group:  I was told that there is a Writing Group in this Senior Living Community where we now live. I have been wondering whether to visit it and see if I would like to be a part of the group. One of the women at last night's gathering mentioned it but then added, "You're probably way beyond most of them." Maybe yes and maybe no, so I would need to visit to find out if it is a group where I could gain something as well as offer something. It's a bit difficult to know what to do. If I visit once and don't return, they might think that I thought their group wasn't good enough for me, and I wouldn't want that. 

5. Writing Routines:   Ever take a break from writing and then had a hard time getting back to it? With the break I've had these past weeks, I am definitely finding it a bit difficult to get back in my usual writing routine. The desire is there but the habit got bent a bit. It only pointed out to me the benefit of keeping a writing routine and writing on a very regular basis. Definitely a life lesson!