House Of Black & White

Flash Fiction "Door 3 April 1st " 

Tavern "Door 3 Newsletters worth mentioning"  it's in my journal as well as here.

Short Stories by Lilli 🧿 ☕ This week: Grammar Stuff, Part One December 26th, 2023

I chose this newsletter because grammar is a struggle for me. I'm guilty of using dangling modifiers and a passive voice. I also found it interesting about the usage of contractions in dialogue and just when writing. I hadn't thought about how often I use contractions when I write. I try to be more aware of my word choices.
So, I've found it better to refer back to this when I'm unsure of a grammar issue.

I thought Lilli's choice of short story selections an interesting combination of good writing styles and a nice mixture of the different cases here on WDC. Validation of one's writing is huge.

Poetry by Fyn This week: New Notebook Magic December 19, 2023

This newsletter struck a chord with me because every year at Christmas time I reward myself with a new journal and a box of number two pencils. I love the sound of the graphite scratching across the paper as I write. It drives my spouse crazy but isn't that what wives are supposed to do.

I love writing poems in my journal in addition to an exercise I do daily called Morning Pages. I write three pages every morning to clear my mind, plan my day's activities and sometimes just to vent. {Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way) I have twenty-six consecutive years of journals. I wrote in journals when I was younger but my first husband took perverse pleasure in destroying them so I lost my early childhood journals before I knew anything about morning pages. Sadly, there were many years I didn't write at all because of the same man.

I wouldn't have seen 🌕 HuntersMoon

STATIC

It Doesn't Seem Like Christmas  (E) A bittersweet memory of Christmases past. #2023340 by 🌕 HuntersMoon

which I enjoyed immensely. Nor would I have seen ~Brian K Compton~ 's

Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. #2310033 by Not Available.

. Please don't notice I need to review more often than I am. Anyway, if poetry is your jam, the newsletters highlight some very well written poems. Don't let it go to your head, Ken.

Horror/Scary by W.D.Wilcox The Fright Before Christmas December 19, 2023

I chuckled when I read “It’s that special time of year when your whole family gathers together in one place to look at their cellphones.” –Jimmy Kimmel

How true is that? I didn't get a cell phone until 2003 so it was never a priority in my life. I grew up with the phone attached to the wall era whereas my children and grandchildren depend on their cell phones like it's a lifeline. I ban cell phones at our family gatherings and the grumbling seems to go on forever. Is it really that difficult to talk in person to each other. That was an awesome reminder to us all to be in the moment.

In this newsletter was a written message in the shape of a Christmas tree which surprised me but with the holidays I didn't mind because chaos was my norm.
Why I'm recommending this newsletter is primarily the selection of stories chosen to be highlighted in this edition. When one thinks of the holidays horror stories don't come to mind unless we're yanking each other's chains about kitchen mishaps. If I hadn't read this newsletter I wouldn't have discovered these great stories.
Zehzeh

A Ghost Is Not Only For Christmas  (E) All because of a letter to Santa #2309266 by Zehzeh

I used to call my son my little dipstick like the author did his younger brother. Nor would I have seen Angus

"UNGH!"  (13+) A Family Reunion Around The Christmas Dinner Table Takes A Strange Turn #2021019 by Angus

family dinners can be interesting but not like what Angus delivered.

For Authors by Lornda Never Give Up November 21st, 2023

Lornada's editors note about the words flowing on the page and then we toss it all away. Why because we're our own worse enemy or because when we write we forget that every word on the page won't rock someone's world. It's okay to write crap. Sometimes in that crap is what you need to become better.

She used Alan Moore's example about reading bad books so we learn from them. We see that other people write crap, too!

I can't say I agree with DaVinci Code or Twilight being bad books, they weren't profound but definitely readable. I agree one hundred percent about Fifty Shades of Gray, I can't believe those books were even published. Three thrashy books by E.L. James that were supposed to be adult entertainment but instead caused physical harm to people because of the things she wrote. Tying people up and whipping them may sound kinky but not safe.

If I hadn't read this newsletter I wouldn't have discovered this amusing gem about an author that I truly enjoy.

What Makes a Good Writer?  (E) A bit of fiction about a strange experience with a famous writer. #2301860 by Dan I Am

by Dan I Am It's an amusing short read because I've on more than one occasion sat down with a healthy shot of bourbon and my computer and wrote in my walk-in closet so I could write like he did. I had read he wrote on his typewriter in a room so small it would give most of us claustrophobia and I wanted to try. And he enjoyed his booze and there are times I have too. I do enjoy a healthy shot of Jameson from time to time. What can I say, I'm an Irish lass.


Noticing Newbies by Jeff November 14th, 2023

Jeff chose the topic of daily writing habits something I actually do unfortunately the majority of what I write actually makes it over to WDC. I process a lot of emotional stuff in my journals. Heaven knows I have way too much to handle on my own. Very few people have buried three grandchildren in their life nor have watched their son struggle to die because. No I didn't word that wrong. My eldest son is consumed with guilt for letting his son have the dirt bike that took his life. John has overdosed three times, the last time was damn scary because he was unconscious for so long and then had to have heart surgery. So yeah, my journals are more a life line than a writing habit but thankfully this year they're becoming more creative.

I agree with Jeff about the importance of habit. I write every, or probably more accurate I chicken scratch three pages in my journal as I sip my coffee first thing in the morning. I set my alarm fifteen minutes earlier than I need to begin my day so I can be totally alone. No distractions or interruptions. There are days that I roll over and ignore that alarm but the majority of the time I don't. But if I've played Hookey, I write double the next day which is more challenging and the mental scolding I give myself pays off because I don't slack off very often.

If I hadn't taken the time to read this newsletter I wouldn't have seen

The Pedestal   (E) This is a poem about the moon being constantly overlooked compared to the sun. #2308316 by Dia

by Dia These particular two lines have stuck with me since I read them.

"I am only pieces and phases of myself
I still exist in all my memories"

I felt like the author had seen my journals and understood me better than I did myself. I connected different than the author's intent because her poem was a tribute to the moon but that's the cool part of writing, we never know what a reader will process from the words we've chosen.

tavern post "5 Newsletters Worth Exploring"