Focus Pocus

Wish I could wave a magic wand and make my next post appear, but that's not going to happen. Just like everything in life nothing gets done until you sit down and do it. At the beginning of 2016, members of my critique group decided to share their writing goals. My goal was to post a memoir piece once a month on the subject of autism in our family and to bring it to the group for their review. It seemed like an attainable goal. I figured by the end of the year there would be 12 perfectly polished pieces I could combine into a book. Exciting, eh?

Focus pocus! Another deadline bumped me off my mark. Submissions were due for the 2016 Redwood Writers Club anthology. While considering the opportunity to see my words in print, I felt pangs of guilt because I would lose focus on my New Year's goal. How could I justify the delay?

Are you thinking what's the big deal? It's only a few weeks, a month? No. How about forever? I have seen my writing evaporate the second I stop thinking about it. Try to remember a dream after you wake up. The more time that elapses the harder it is.

On the other hand, I knew what a great opportunity this would be. I could work with an editor for free! Editors aren't cheap. It's also a nice feeling to be able to contribute to the club. The anthologies raise funds.

I'm happy to report my piece was accepted. Wonderful. I was not happy to see how much editing the story needed to produce it for a page. But, with great relief, I finished my second draft. I'm hoping there won't be much of a third. We'll see. Maybe I can rescue that fragment of my 2016 dream after all.

In other news, I also belong to our Napa Valley Writers Club and they just celebrated their four-year anniversary. Guess what? They are in the process of planning a maiden edition of their anthology. Should I submit? Of course. Focus Pocus!

We're All In

photo by Pete Prodoehl

"Thank you for submitting "Chase at Bat." We are happy to tell you that we have selected your piece for potential inclusion in the 2015 Redwood Writers Anthology."

Yay! This is the first sentence of an email I received from the editors of the current California Writers Club anthology project, Journeys. I'm excited for a couple of reasons. First, this is the 10th anniversary edition. Second, this is the first time all of the members of my critique group will have pieces included in a Redwood Writers Anthology. Amber Lee Starfire is the overall editor, and Marilyn Campbell, Patsy Ann Taylor, and I are authors of short stories. We're all in!

My story, Chase at Bat, has been revised, rejected, and revised again at least four times now, and it's ready for a new editor to help me shine it up once more. Originally, I had thought I would include the story in a collection of stories about raising Chase, and that is still a future possibility. 

"Chase at Bat" is a story about my autistic son, Chase, and his first introduction to sports. At age eight my son surprised me by his ability to take part in a team sport. It was the beginning of a journey for both of us.

I will be assigned an editor by May 1st. Stay tuned for the launch date of our new anthology and order your own copy, or click if you would like more information about the Redwood Writers. 

Since joining the club in 2010, other Redwood anthologies that my work has appeared in are, The Sound of a Thousand Leaves in 2011 and Water in 2014.

Thanks to Patsy. She wanted me to attach this note to my post.
("It should be noted that all of the anthology submissions were blind (no names attached) and Amber had no idea who the accepted authors were.
In fact, when we had our critique group meetings, we couldn't share anything about what we were submitting. Amber didn't want to know anything about our work. And we didn't tell.")