A Publishing, A Play, And A Book - Oh My!

I still don’t get it. My blog writing here has becoming increasingly bitter over the last few posts, but somehow readers are loving it and being sweet and supportive to me. Maybe it’s because my words are delicious like bittersweet chocolate? Or maybe you’re just holding onto hope that I will snap out of it and get back to writing a kickass post? Whatever the reason may be, you’re sticking around. You’re continuing to read. I thank you for that. So even if this doesn’t classify as a kickass post, it does classify as kickass news! Which is exactly what I want to share with everyone, in small bits, like bittersweet chocolate chips.

I've Been Published!
If you follow me on Twitter (and my Mom says you should), you have probably already heard the news. My words were published by Examiner.com's Generation Y Examiner, Sharalyn Hartwell. Here's a snippet of the article...

Gen Y Gives Thanks:
The Opportunities of Technology and The Romance of More Simple Means

"The romance of a ribboned notebook. The smell of the oiled leather cover. Inside, virgin paper awaits, just begging to be touched with the thrill of violet ink. A Moleskine notebook has real pulling power on me, as does proper stationary. Stationery is romantic, poetic, sensual. Typing on a computer keyboard feels anonymous, anodyne, soulless. I'm so grateful that I’ve rediscovered my childhood love of writing. It has given me the creative outlet in which I so desperately craved. And through it, the ability to express the things in my everyday life that are often too difficult for me to verbalize.

Writing an e-mail is just something you do, perfunctorily and without much thought. Writing a letter or a card is a careful considered act and one that makes the recipient feel as if they’ve received a tiny present. Tragically, letter-writing is a dying art, even when it comes to love letters. It seems people are perfectly content to be wooed by text these days. I know this sounds shocking coming from me, a self-proclaimed tech whore. I do love my gadgets, but I also love the written word. There is just something about the feeling of a pen between my fingers and paper beneath my palm. To me it’s intoxicating." ...read the full article here.

Writing My First Manuscript!
When offered to turn my writing into a NYC play, naturally I was flattered. But I initially turned it down because plays, musicals, and slam poetry just isn't me. I'm snowboards, sportbikes, and Bulldogs. Then after talking with a friend, I started to wonder if I turned down the NYC theater writing gig too early. It's good to do things out of your comfort zone, right? So I decided to do it, like a big cannonball into the water! I'm nervous, but hopefully I'll swim and not sink. I don't know the first thing about writing a manuscript, but I'll learn along the way. My first draft is due this weekend. Wish me luck! (I'll post more on this in the future, but just wanted to say thanks to Effable Arts and the 8 other writers involved in this project. Looking forward to working with everyone. Should be fun!)

From Blog To Book!
There are lots of services out there that can turn your blog into a book. But when I received an e-mail from a reader who wanted to do this herself, I was blown away. She enjoys my blog so much that she wants to take it with her when she travels around the world, but wants it to be in a more tangible form - a book to hold in her hands. Naturally, I loved the idea! She is going to design the cover and select her favorite posts of mine to include. All I need to do is write a Preface for the book. I'm a virgin manuscript writer and a virgin book preface writer. But, I'm up for all these challenges!