Welcome and Wow!
Where did all of this snow come from? I don't know what the weather is like where you are at the moment, but looking out of the Calm Scribe office window all I see is a winter wonderland. I hope the calming picture above will help bring to mind warmer days and that you have been having a great November so far! Remember, all we can do is roll with whatever life brings us. One of my ways of coping with bad days is to stay cuddled up inside with a good book or a notepad and my trusty fountain pen. The weather doesn't matter so long as you have a good book.
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One of my Flash Fiction stories, The Diamond Job will be featured in this month's issue of Ripen The Page literary magazine! I hope you are all as excited as I am. Sign up for your free online copy here, so you don't miss it.
My NaNoWriMo submission, The Extinction Protocol, is well underway, yet admittedly far from my goal of 50, 000 words. It has been a very busy month, but reaching the final word count is not the main goal. The main goal is to have fun and stay dedicated to a new story, which I have been doing all month. The story is progressing beautifully and I am very excited to announce that I will be sharing a sneak peek of it in next month's newsletter! Spread the word!
(NaNoWriMo 2016 is here! November is National Novel Writing Month, the month where writers from all around the world and of all skill levels site down, promise each other we will write 50, 000 (a new novel), and help and support each other along the way. It is an exciting challenge and helps out a lot of wonderful charities. For more information please visit their site at www.nanowrimo.org.)
The Extinction Protocol
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Result Updates
While these updates are all about non-winning entries, it is important to never loose faith. As I once read, every writer should aim for at least 100 rejection letters a year, I find this to be very sage advice. Besides in the world of writing there are no rejection letters, they are merely letters of encouragement to continue striving.
A poem titled Humanity was submitted to a Poetry Contest with Vallum Magazine. The winners have been announced and Humanity was not chosen as a finalist. Congratulations to all who did win!
The results have come in from the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest, as you may remember, for round two I was given a fundraiser as a location, a doctored photograph as an object, and horror as a genre. I created the short story titled "Deaf Ears". While the judges loved the story and had very positive remarks, the story did not finish in the top 15 and thus was not awarded any points. This means that I did not move on to round 3, yet a lot of other very talented writers did! I will be posting some of the judges feedback on my site shortly.
Project Persyphious
The story is racing forward as the stakes continue to be raised for Preston. Have you started reading Project Persyphious? If not, now is the time. Chapter 4 is available on Channillo.com. Keep an eye on my social media to see how you can win a free subscription. Details coming soon.
Loose Ends
As I am working away at my books, I am always playing around with fun ideas and short stories. I am working on a fun short story now which will be made available to newsletter subscribers before anyone else! Look for details to be announced on Facebook.
Keep checking the site under Writer's Thoughts, it is being updated more regularly now. If you like what you see, feel free to share on social media. Don't forget to follow me follow me on Scriggler and Litsy!
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Recommendations of the month:
Website: Channillo.com
Channillo is a website I discuss often, not only because I have an ongoing series with them, but because it is a very fun platform. The concept harkens back to the way books and stories used to be released, as serials, a chapter at a time. Channillo does a great job at offering stories in easily read chunks, perfect for our fast paced lives. For a small monthly fee, you are able to read at minimum ten books a month, I highly recommend it. Not only do I write for the site, I also subscribe, so I may read some of the other talented writers.
Book: Any Female Author
The book recommendation this month is up to you dear reader, so long as it is by a female author. Even though it is 2016 there is still a disparity between male and female. All too often female authors are overlooked because the reader assume the book will be "girly". I can assure you, if you give more female authors a chance, your world will grow exponentially.
Calming Tip: How to slow down.
Life has been very hectic for all of us this past few weeks. With the US Elections, a sudden snowfall, and the holidays just around the corner, it is very easy to get overwhelmed. A tip which I have found to be helpful when stress is becoming too much is the 5 senses practice. This can be done anywhere and is not as obvious as a worry stone (or screaming). If you can, find a quiet spot, if not just try to close your eyes for a moment. Take a deep, calming breath and focus on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This can be done as quickly or as slowly as you like and is a great way to push your focus away from a stressful situation long enough to regroup yourself.
That is it for this month's newsletter, thank you for your continued support.
Travis J. Croken
Have a suggestion for the recommendation of the month? Email me at travis.croken@me.com.
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