Siempre conectados

Tres años han pasado desde que puedo hablar con Mama a cualquier hora. No necesito tener señal, batería, ni teléfono. Sólo necesito tener un momento para hablar con ella y los busco a menudo.

 

Pienso en Mama y recuerdo todas las veces que sabía exactamente qué decir y cómo manejar una situación. Pienso en Mama y recuerdo las copas de vino, las conversaciones por horas, los abrazos que se quedan contigo y el amor que aún a tres años de su partida lo siento profundamente.

 

Escribo mucho de este tema porque pues, Mama me dio vida y compartimos mucho en los 40 años que lo pasamos junto, ya que si le sumas los meses en la barriga, fueron 4 décadas de amor. Conste, sigo contando porque la mantengo conmigo. Le escribo, le hablo, le pido ayuda, le pido consejos, le pido fuerza, pero también le cuento de las aventuras de la vida. Lo bueno, lo no tan bueno y pues, de todo bastante.

 

Cuando le escribo una carta a Mama, le digo lo que la extraño aunque también le deseo lo mejor donde esté y que espero que haya el equivalente a un buen vino para compartir el día que nos reunamos. Le hablo del presente, de mis triunfos, de mis retos y le cuento de todo porque no quiero que se lo pierda.

 

Recuerdo cuando hablábamos de mi abuelo, su padre, y cómo se sentía tan cerca el día que el falleció. Eso fue en el ’95 y aunque yo le decía a Mama que entendía lo que ella decía, porque sentía algo similar, la entiendo mucho mejor ahora que estoy viviendo por mi versión de eso.

 

A menudo me preguntan que cómo manejo los días de las Madres, sus cumpleaños y días como hoy y siempre respondo lo mismo: hoy no es más difícil que ayer ni que mañana. Todos los días la extraño y la amo porque es parte integral de quién soy y nuestro amor me ha enseñado a escribirle y amarla en el presente. Cuando un barco fluye en el agua o nadamos, se deja una estela. Y qué son estelas sino las olas que creamos en la vida.

 

Comparto lo que siento por ella y cómo enfrento lo que hemos vivido porque es mi manera de compartir sus olas y combinarlas con las mías. Conozco mucha gente bonita que han perdido a seres queridos los últimos años y siempre les invito a que sientan lo que tengan que sentir. También les invito que hablen y que no sientan que tienen que quedarse con algo por dentro. Al hablar soltamos y también creamos un momento, un recuerdo, o una acción.

 

Cada día puede ser uno triste o alegre y está en nosotros cómo celebrarlo. Hoy escogí hablarle a Mama, escribirle una carta, hacer donativos a Save a Sato y Atlanta Humane Society por ser causas que sé que conectarían con ella y al Breast Cancer Research Foundation ya que, al momento, creo que están haciendo buen trabajo y sus altos ejecutivos no se lucran tanto como en otras corporaciones. He estado escuchando el Cheers MamaEstrada playlist con canciones que me hacen pensar en ella y ahora estoy escribiendo este post.

 

Hay días que me da duro y la extraño un poco más de lo usual (que nunca es poco). No tiene que ser hoy, ni el 17 de enero, ni el Día de las Madres. Ahora aún en esos días la celebro y doy gracias porque si la extraño así de mucho, te puedes imaginar el amor que me dio en la vida...y si eso te pone alguna idea de escribirle, llamar o visitar a alguien que amas o de brindar por ellos, pues he hecho bien por ella y por todo lo que nos dio en vida.

 

Gracias por compartir un rato con nosotros, porque esto fue una colaboración entre madre e hijo que siguen creando, compartiendo y amando juntos.

 

Un abrazo,

 

JD

Creative alternatives to address gun violence

If you think the opioid addiction crisis is bad, it pales into comparison to the addiction the US has with firearms. Just this post alone has been restarted three times because three major shootings have happened in less than two weeks.

 

It’s easy to feel hopeless with the seemingly never-ending gun-related events that continue to plague the U.S. It’s easy to feel disheartened, because for every effort to try and implement common sense laws that are designed not to limit your right to bear your arms, but to protect people from future events like what happens on an almost weekly basis, we keep seeing thoughts, prayers, and excuses.

 

It’s easy to feel this way because politicians and gun activists continue to turn a blind eye to this pandemic that’s been plaguing the U.S. far longer than COVID. It’s easy because they continue to use gun laws to appease to a certain voter base that wants guns for everyone and not much else or so it appears. Just look at the talking points of the Florida and Texas governors. Just look at other politicians who make campaign ads talking about machine gun bacon. Look at how fervent they defend the right to guns but fight against affordable healthcare, reproductive rights, the right to clean air and clean water, and so many other things that fall on the wayside because it’s a higher priority to protect the right to bear arms than it is to do pretty much anything else to benefit your average citizen.

 

You see all of this and it’s extremely easy to want to give up.

 

Well, it’s easy if you’re not one of the people who have lost a loved one to gun violence. For those people, it’s impossible to want to give up.

 

Angry? Frustrated? Enraged? Heart-broken?

 

Yes, to all of these.

 

But deterred?

 

How about no. How about hell no. (For an example, look at the acceptance speech of Manuel and Patricia Oliver, who are the parents of Joaquín Oliver, who was murdered four years ago in the Parkland shooting ). Then look at the ad for “The Lost Class” made by Leo Burnett.

 

In one weekend during May 2022, not one but two shootings occurred. Both showed clear signs that something could happen. Both happened anyways. Then a third shooting happened this week where teachers and students were gunned down by another person who had easy access to an AR-15. And still people insist these are isolated incidents and fight tooth and nail for change to not happen. They still complain about everything that’s wrong with the country and how everything’s so unfair and living conditions are impossible, etc. etc. But regulating guns? Nah. We can’t do anything there. Our hands are tied. Or maybe they’re too busy counting corporate money from the NRA. What I’m not sure is if they check their bank accounts before or after tweeting their thoughts and prayers.

 

People are expected to train for an active shooter but not much is done to deter, minimize, or make things a little harder for a shooter. By the way, let me edit that last sentence to make it a bit more uncomfortable. Children are expected to train for an active shooter. Children. And if that’s not insane enough, then tell me why it’s harder for you to buy cold medicine at a pharmacy than it is to buy a gun in many places in this country.

 

Which gets me to thinking maybe we need a different approach to address gun violence.

 

Imagine debt forgiveness, a living wage, or full health insurance for the entire family if you agree to vote for universal background checks. How about free gas for 5 years if we agree to a nation-wide 48 hr. holding period? How about halving the interest on your mortgage if we raise the age of being able to buy a gun to 21? How about free tuition for your kids if people are required to take a written and practical test to own a gun? How about free treatment for members of your community with a terminal condition or free insulin for any members in your community who have diabetes if we ban AR-15s and all high-capacity weaponry? How about free food, housing, and job placement for people in your community suffering from homelessness if people with a criminal record are unable to get guns nation-wide?

 

No? Then how about people make a wish list. The sky’s the limit because after all, this isn’t going to fly, right? Then why not go hog wild and say what you really want. People are not saying hand in your guns. They’re saying: let’s put laws into effect to make a background check mandatory. They’re saying maybe it’s not a great idea to sell guns to minors. They’re saying maybe you don’t need an assault rifle to hunt buck. They’re saying, if you have a criminal record or a history of violence, that maybe, possibly, it’s not the best idea to let you buy any weapon you want with little to no resistance. So ask away. State your demands. Let people know what it will take to bring change, and again, this is not to take away all your guns, it’s to try and do something to make it so that we don’t have a mass shooting every week. How sad is it that if we had a mass shooting every month it’d be not only an improvement, but a DRASTIC improvement?

 

Oh wait, the new talking point for THIS go around is that it’s a problem with mental illness. That’s the only issue. Although I completely agree that the US has a huge problem with mental illness and access to mental health care and coverage for everyone, some people have defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results...except that to compound things, nothing has been done since Sandy Hook, which would make this even worse than insanity. It makes the lack of change irresponsible, idiotic, vile, and dare I say, un-American.

 

• Universal background checks.
• Nation-wide 48 hr. holding period.
• Raise the age of being able to buy a gun to 21.
• Written and practical tests to own a gun.
• Ban AR-15s and all high-capacity weaponry.
• If you have a criminal record and a history a violence, you don’t get to buy a gun.

 

There’s no reason all of these measures can’t be put into place. Excuses? Corporate interests? Yes. But no logical reason why any of these measures weren’t implemented a decade ago or right now.

The Tradition Continues

The Tradition Continues

There are many things and many people to celebrate on Mother’s Day. Each person has their own way of doing it, and for me, it’s always and shall always be important to publish something on Mother’s Day. No matter what life throws my way, no matter the challenges, it’s something that’s important to me…and when something’s important, there is no try. Today I’m happy to report that even with a last-minute push, I was able to deliver on one of several projects I’ve been promising for a while: the all-English version of my bilingual collection, Twenty Veinte.

Beyond just translating the Spanish part, there are some pieces here that have been tweaked or shall we say overhauled. It’s been 6 years since I published Twenty Veinte and in that time, I’ve grown as a person and as a writer so I did allow myself some adjustments on the existing English pieces taking into account what we’ve experienced collectively the past couple of years, even though I didn’t include anything pandemic-specific, because I didn’t feel the need or desire to do so.

Now the Spanish part was interesting to work on…because the pieces in the original bilingual version of the book were FAR from Traditional Spanish and often use very Puerto Rican language. “How Puerto Rican?” you may ask. Well to the point that a text translator was useless as a tool to accelerate or facilitate the process. Then beyond language, there’s context and that’s where it got really tricky with several essays and one particular short story.
 

In plain English, if you’re not from Puerto Rico, you wouldn’t get several references, jokes, and be a bit lost. That’s where the term transcreation came into play and quite heavily.

Transcreation refers to when you go BEYOND language and take into consideration socio-cultural and historic details and add context to make the communication relevant to the intended audience. So imagine going from writing something mainly for Spanish speaking Puerto Ricans and making it relatable and understandable to a global English speaking audience. If it sounds complicated, it’s because it is.

This required me to do several rewrites and do deep dives to overhaul what I’d written originally. It also showed me how I’ve grown as a writer with more recent pieces and how I once upon a time struck gold, and that certain pieces have aged pretty gracefully I might add.

Translating the essays brought the challenge of making everything understandable. That means that for a piece like Puerto Rico Salsa, Puerto Rico Reggaetón I had to explain a bit more of what the title refers to and explain a bit more of where I was coming from in regards to the opinion within that piece. For Lane Change (Cambio de Carril) I had to absolutely re-think a LOT of what is in that story, since it takes place within a car stuck in a traffic jam in Puerto Rico. By re-think, please understand scrapping about 15-20% of the story and rewriting it thinking of the intended audience.

Then came the poetry.

Translating my poetry was very tricky because I love plays on words and doing stuff that honestly only works or works best in the original language it was written. Transcreating 10 poems of varying structure, style, intent, and rhyme structure might not seem like a lot, but it was. It also sparked some ideas for future projects where I explore the concept of living a bilingual life further, except I’ll concentrate on one form rather than re-diving into stories, poetry, and essays in one go.

The Spanish version of the collection has also brought plenty of challenges, though I’m chipping away at it because, again, it’s important to me. As is Mother’s Day.

I am well aware that if I don’t publish anything on Mother’s Day, nothing will happen in the grand scheme of things. I also know that the date continues to be extremely important to me, because of what it means and who I pay tribute to. I am well aware Mom would ask me when I’d get done with the Spanish projects I’ve had lingering for so long…though I’m also sure she’d be happy and proud that I continue to keep the tradition going and all the other things I've done this year.

I continue to receive messages asking how she’s doing, since I often post #CheersMamaEstrada pictures, videos, and pieces and I only regret having to let people know that she’s passed away and that it’s been some time. The regret is because I feel bad knowing people will feel bad they brought it up. I miss her every day though every time I get asked how she’s doing, part of me does smile, because it means I keep her memory quite alive.

Whether it’s a poem, a song, an essay, a book, a character based on Mama, or this tradition, it’s easy to always keep her with me. I know several wonderful people who have lost their moms or other loved ones in recent weeks and months and it hurts to see good people go through something so tough. Still, it’s a part of life and I always do my best to drop a line and invite them to feel whatever they have to feel, to embrace it, and pay forward all the love they received in life. I also invite them to talk to or write to their loved ones and to do it in the present tense. Write a letter as if you’re catching them up with everything that’s happened. Have a hard question to ask or something you need to get off your chest, write it out or tell them. It’s something I do often and it helps me more than you can imagine…as it does to publish something on Mother’s Day.

So here’s to tradition, to goals, to getting things done even when there are challenges in the way, and to doing the things that are important to us. This makes it Book #19…though it only serves to fuel the fire to get to my next projects, so as I’ve mentioned before. When it comes to my books, best not blink.

My best to you and all the mothers who have made and continue to make life better.

Peace, love, and Happy Mother's Day

La Marcha de los Escritores 2022 – MOTW

Ya andamos en el tercer año de este movimiento llamado #MarchOfTheWriters. Es impresionante como vuela el tiempo y conste, mis disculpas por la tardanza, ahora quería hacer un post en español explicando un poco de lo que es este invento. 

 

Por los 31 días de marzo, hay 31 temas para compartir en las redes y conectar con más lectores y escritores. Para mí ha sido algo bien bonito ya que he conectado con gente muy bonita de todo el mundo y la creatividad se deja sentir. Antes de entrar en los temas, una pequeña nota aclaratoria: la intención de esto es de conectar, de pasarla bien, de ponernos creativos. La vida y el mundo nos regala bastante estrés y estamos viviendo tiempos intensos por una variedad de razones. Así que si te pierdes un día, no pasó nada. O pones más de un post o lo que te convenga. ¿La vida NO cooperó? Hey, todos estamos bregando con aventuras y sorpresas. De nuevo, esto es para pasarla bien así que incluso hay temas que no te interesan hacer posts, relax y le metes empeño al que te inspire.

 

 

Ok, otras preguntas comunes que me han hecho.

 

¿En qué plataforma?

En la que quieras. Puedes enfocarte en Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok o hasta LinkedIn. Lo que te funcione, ESO.

 

¿En qué lenguaje?

Por lo general yo hago mis posts en inglés simplemente porque me es más fácil ahora no te sorprendas si ves que escribo en inglés y español o ambos.

 

¿Se pueden combinar posts?

Claro que yes.

 

¿Cuáles son los hashtags para compartir?

#MarchOfTheWriters #AuthorLife #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #AuthorLoop #authorlifemonth #MOTW #MOTW2022 #lamarchadelosescritores #bookstagram #booktwitter #authortube #booktube #Bookstagram 

 

Ahora si tienes otros hashtags que te funcionan mejor, go for it.

 

Ok, ahora a lo que vinimos. Los temas:

 

 

1.     Nuevo mes, mucho gusto.

 

Es el comienzo de March Of the Writers así que déjale saber a la gente quién eres, que haces, qué haz publicado y ¡conecta!

 

2.    Veo veo…tus libros.

 

Si tienes libros publicados, enséñalos. Si tienes un manuscrito en libreta, a ver la libreta. Tienes una página de autor en Amazon? Ponla para que te conozcan!

 

3.    El ritmo de tus palabras

 

Llevo ya tres años recopilando música para un playlist y le seguiré sumando música para inspirarme a mí y a otros que necesiten una melodía para escribir.

 

4.    Proyectos Activos

 

¿Qué estás escribiendo en este momento y qué tal te va?

 

5.    Tiempos de escritura

 

Hay gente que escribe en bloques de 15 minutos. Hay quienes escriben por horas. ¿Qué te funciona?

 

6.    Metas para el 2022

 

Aunque vivimos en momentos caóticos, podemos seguir con nuestros sueños y nuestras metas. Incluso podemos hacer eso y apoyar buenas causas o posiblemente una de tus metas este año es apoyar una buena causa. Cuéntanos, ¿qué espera para el resto de tu 2022?

 

7.     Tribu de autores

 

Hay días buenos y días menos buenos. Ahora hay gente que están para nosotros en las buenas, las malas, las horrendas y la anda pal car$%^o. Quiénes son y coparte el amor.

 

8.    ADN de Escritor

 

Hay estilos, temas recurrentes e ideas que permean todo lo que hacemos. ¿Qué cosas son integrales para tu cuerpo de trabajo?

 

9.    ¿Qué andas leyendo? Comparte tu TBR

 

Un TBR es una lista de libros To Be Read y la mayoría de nosotros tiene un lista laaaaarrrrgggggaaaa. Comparte lo que tienes en la mesita de noche y qué le tienes gana meterle los dientes de tus libros.

 

10. Agendados e inspirados

 

Aunque tenemos que tener claro que en estos tiempos hay que ser flexibles, también hay que hacer planes.

 

11.  Gotitas del Saber

 

Todos vivimos y aprendemos así que ¿por qué no compartir ese conocimiento?

 

 

12.  Inspiración Fílmica

 

Hay escritores que no ven NADA de tele. Yo no soy de esas personas. Me encantan las series, las películas, los videojuegos y en sí, de la manera que haya una narrativa, de seguro me apunto y me encanta compartir.

 

13.  Gustitos

 

El que sólo trabaja y no se premia nunca, pues como que no goza. ¿Cuáles son algunos gustos o premios que te das cuando completas un proyecto o algo importante?

 

14.  Tu pitch

 

Aparte de escribir libros, hay que venderlos sea a lectores si autopublicas o a agentes y casas publicadoras si buscas publicar tradicionalmente. La idea es que nos des ese resumen de 30-40 segundos de tu libro. Si lo haces por video mejor para que o llames la atención o recibas tips de cómo mejorarlo.

 

15.  Socialmente plataformado

 

Hay un sinnúmero de plataformas sociales en donde conectamos con la gente. ¿Cuáles son tus favoritas o las que participes? ¿Qué te gusta de conectar? ¿Qué retos te encuentras? (Aparte de ganarle al algoritmo?)

 

16.  Tu fanaticada

 

La gente no sabe la diferencia que una reseña hace y lo que motiva. Usa este espacio par dar las gracias a la gente que ha reseñado y o comparte una imagen o lee una de las reseñas que más te ha hecho el día.

 

17.  Leyendo los clásicos

 

Hay quienes sólo leen lo nuevo ahora hay unos clásicos que se merecen su título. ¿Cuáles son algunos de tus favoritos?

 

18. Digital o Análogo

 

Siendo que estamos en el siglo 21 y viviendo los 2020’s, hay quien lo quiere todo digital y otros cuyo romance con el libro físico no tiene reemplazo. Incluso, hay híbridos que le gustan ambos. ¿Hacia qué lado te inclinas y por qué?

 

19.  Locura metódica

 

Cada loco con su tema y cada escritor con sus peculiaridades. Comparte un hábito de tu proceso que es esencial para poder escribir.

 

20. Desbloqueándote

 

Hay múltiples tipos de bloqueo y por suerte hay una gran variedad de ganarle a ese bloqueo. Dinos qué te funciona y qué le recomiendas a otros escritores.

 

21.  Marcalibros maravillosos

 

Nos encantan los libros. OBVIO. Ahora hay muchos que también apreciamos muchos estos artefactos para no perdernos cuando el tiempo no nos da o nos gana Morfeo. Comparte fotos de tus marcalibros favoritos.

 

22. Herramientas esenciales para escribir

 

Bolígrafo, lápiz, computadora, maquinilla, MS Word, grabadoras, Scrivener… Qué herramientas son esenciales para escribir y qué te ha salvado la vida en más de una ocasión.

 

23. Dónde gustas leer

 

Hay gente que le gusta leer en su casa y hay otros que aman darle un roadtrip a sus libros. ¿Dónde te gusta leer y por qué?

 

24. ¿Por qué escribes?

 

Esta pregunta es el equivalente de los escritores de la famosa: ¿Por qué estamos aquí?” ¿Qué satisfaces con tu escritura?

 

25. ¿Cuál es tu marca?

 

Más allá de los libros que escribimos, somos una marca y representamos algo con nuestras obras y cómo nos conducimos. Así que cuéntanos: quién eres y por qué deberíamos ponerte atención.

 

26. Metódico o a lo loco

 

En inglés se le dice plantser al que va escribiendo según le ataca la musa. Y los que planifican, pues son planners y a menudo es divertido ver cómo cad uno defiende su estilo y preferencia.

 

27. Hábitat del escritor

 

Eso fue un título bien firifulli para invitarte a compartir tu escritorio o dónde escribes.

 

28. El libro que más veces has leído

 

Muchos leemos mucho…ahora hay ciertos libros que volvemos a ellos porque nos encantan y son parte de nosotros.

 

29. Que quéeeeee- opiniones NO-populares

 

Una peli, libro, comida, banda, artista, destino, o autor que todos parecen amar y no soportasssss.

 

30. Gente que debes seguir

 

Pero si ya hablamos de nuestra tribu!!! Lo sé, lo sé. Ahora las probabilidades de haber conocido alguien nuevo es bien grande. Así que comparte la gente nueva con las que conectaste y cuadren desde ya para charlas de escribir.

 

31.  Manteniéndonos en contacto

 

Triste cuando termina ahora no hay por qué dejar de conectar. Dile a la gente dónde te pueden conseguirte a ti y tus libros!

 

 

March of the Writers 2022 – Return of MOTW

It’s amazing how time flies and suddenly March is upon you once again. So in typical moi fashion, here I am announcing the prompts for this year’s March of the Writers! I’ll offer a brief explanation of each prompt though by all means, the main thing about this month-long shindig is to have fun and do these prompts on YOUR terms. This is all about connecting with new readers and fellow authors and creatives alike. You can be as brief or as extensive as you want. Are you in the mood to do blog posts, tweets, or BookTube/AuthorTube videos? Have at it. Want to do this on TikTok? Why not? Again, these are just ideas to connect to people and hopefully help you connect with people including yours truly. 

 

 So without further ado, here are the prompts!

 

 

1.     New month, who dis?

 

It’s the start of #MOTW, tell us who you are. After all what better way to start anything than introducing yourself?

 

2.     Show & Tell (Your Books)

 

I’ve changed the order of certain things to make sure we hit on some key things, like what you’ve written for instance! Have a book or twenty? Show em off, baby!

 

3.     Writing Muzak

 

Something I’m very proud of in regards to #MarchOfTheWriters is the writing playlist I’ve compiled. If you have tunes to share, by all means, suggest so we can keep feeding this list. Well over 1,000 tracks on both Tidal and Spotify so let’s share the wealth!

 

4.     For those about to WIP

 

Are you about to start a new project? Are you in the middle of a WIP? Tell us tell us what you’re working on. Genre, topic, character names, and if you’re particularly brave, title.

 

5.     Sweet spot: writing session length

 

The more writers you meet, the more you’ll realize how varied we are. Some people love long writing sessions. Some like several short sprints. What’s your ticket to wordcount glory?

 

6.     2022 goals

 

Regardless of the state of the world, which is pretty chaotic, we should all have dreams and things we strive for. Although two months have come and gone, tell us what some of your goals are for the rest of the year.

 

7.     Author Tribe

 

Another prompt I’m bumping up in the priority list is to share something about your writer tribe. Want to share a BookTube channel, podcasts, blog, or website we should check out? Go for it. Want to do a collage with your favorite people? Knock yourself out. Want to craft a message saying thank you to the people who are in your corner? No worries, these aren’t the Academy Awards and you can go as LONG as you want with no music to interrupt.

 

8.     Writer DNA

 

As writers, there are certain things that make their way into our projects. What are some of the core message, themes, and topics that make it into your work?

 

9.     Show off your TBR

 

Writers better read, so tell us what is in your reading queue or what you’re currently digging into!

 

10.  What’s on your calendar?

 

We all know the importance of pivoting, but we also plan and hope we can keep those plans! What are some things you’re looking forward to in the coming months?

 

11.  Writer Wisdom

 

We all live and we all learn, so why not share a lesson or three that could help a fellow writer?

 

 

12.  Filmspiration

 

I’m not one of those writers and book lovers who turn my nose up to TV and movies. Nope. I love me some boobtube goodness, so what movies have left a mark on you?

 

13.  Treat-yo-self

 

All work and no play makes anyone dull as dishwater! We NEED to learn to reward ourselves more often, but careful, I do know some people who always seem to find a way to reward themselves. That aside, when you achieve a milestone, how do you say thank you and congratulations to you?

 

14.  Return of the pitch

 

You got a working script? Share with us that pitch and let’s try and be constructive with feedback to help each other get the best spiel possible to convince people to not only be interested in our books, but pre-order the damn thing!

 

15.  How do you social?

 

There are plenty of ways we connect with readers and writers on the interwebs. What are some of yours or what tips would you offer a fellow creative in regards to connecting?

 

16.  Fanfare (reviews)

 

Getting a review is not only nice, but makes the world of difference. As a salute to those kind souls who put words to a review in support of us, share a review that touched you or taught you something important.

 

17.  Fav classics

 

People are ALWAYS raving about the next great new book, but what are some deep dive classics that shall always have a place on your bookshelf and why?

 

18.  Digital or Analog

 

The smell of a book or the convenience of carrying a library’s worth of books in a device. This topic shall never go away because we all have our preferences. So tell us, what’s your choice and why?

 

19.  Method to your madness

 

What’s a writing habit you learned that was instrumental in your writer journey?

 

20.  Block Breakers

 

You could have a proper block or just be exhausted, but blocks can and do happen. What’s something that definitely helps you to maneuver around writer’s block?

 

21.  Bookmark Brag

 

Beyond all the books we have, many of us have plenty of pretty bookmarks. This is not a time to be shy so SHOW EM OFF!

 

22.  Tools of the trade

 

Pen? Pencil? Laptop? Typewriter? Scrivener? Word? Speech to Text? What tools make your writing flow?

 

23.  Fav place to read

 

As creatures of comfort, we also have our favorite places to indulge in what we love. What’s your choice when it comes to getting snuggly with a book?

 

24.  Why do you write?

 

The writer equivalent of “Why are we here?” What is at the top of your Writer Maslow Pyramid in terms of needs when you write?

 

25.  What’s your brand?

 

Some people have done the writing thing for years. Others are starting out. What is consistent is that beyond the books we write, we are a brand. So you, yes you, what is your brand and why should people care about your work?

 

26.  Plot or Pants

 

Oh I do enjoy the passion in which pantsers defend their right to pants as much as I enjoy the methodical and logical approach of planners. So tell us, plot or pants, which will it be?

 

27.  Writer habitat

 

Also known as your writing desk or work area. Show it off!

 

28.  Book you’ve read the most

 

There are some books that are almost a tradition. What’s a book you’ll be rereading until you pass the page of this life?

 

29.  Unpopular Opinions

 

What’s a movie, book, food, band, artist, location, vacation destination, or author everyone loves that you can’t hhhhhhhelp but hhhhhhate.

 

30.  People to follow

 

We mentioned our author tribe before already, so what gives? It’s pretty simple…you’ll probably meet some new people in these weeks. So who has caught your attention and when are we doing a writer sprint?

 

31.  Keep in touch

 

The usual post where we share everywhere people can find us AND our books. Till next we march.

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls