Before I begin my regular post, I have to say that I have been deeply touched and highly encouraged by everyone in this group, by all who stop and give comments and by the posts you all share.
When I received news that Ken Rahmoeller (Chemist Ken, My Hogwarts Sabbatical) passed away, I cried. I had never met him in person. I never spoke to him other than through the comment sections on our blogs so I don't even know what his voice sounded like, but yet, I will miss him. He touched my life with his words, his fun, funny, and genuine posts over the course of a decade. He always encouraged me. I am praying for his family to be surrounded by a comforting support network, and loving family and friends. If you want to know more, you can read his obit here.
Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting the Insecure Writer's Support Group over a decade ago and all the volunteers who keep it running.And thank you for everyone helping this month: Patrcia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!
Please note, I have posted about this at two other places, but this blog is my official, connected link to IWSG. Those other posts are, in a way, an invite for more people to check out our awesome group.
June 7 optional question - If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?
Answer: That's not happening. I have only "stopped" writing for short amounts of time.
If I had to give it up because of some major health concerns, I would attempt to overcome those health concerns with new ways of writing and sharing stories.
I come from a storytelling family. Most of my family members don't write, but they do spin yarns, based mostly on facts and life events. My grandparents were all uneducated - farmers, loggers, sawmill workers, and a Calvary Sergeant turned farrier, who also worked in a sawmill and had a large vegetable garden. None of my grandparents graduated from high school. Their spelling could be creative. Some were from Canada and didn't realize American and Canadian spelling and grammar are not the same.
Despite their lack of formal education, my grandparents all loved swapping stories and reading. They were some of the best storytellers I've ever heard, with the way they could evoke emotion and setting with the tone of their spoken words. Their home libraries were either well-kept or scattered, but even those with organized shelves had books in nearly every room. They all also loved music. They couldn't read music, but they continued to play music, picking out the notes on their instruments.
If I couldn't write stories, I would tell them or sing them, or do both. I can't imagine living a life without stories and music. They are not only necessary for joy, but they are necessary for living and making sense of life.
What would you do if you stopped writing? Would you?
FROM MY WRITING DESK
I'm writing Kindle Vellas, working on how The Rayatana and Anomalies fit together, journaling, and writing poetry.
If you are interested in reading any of my work, check out the tabs above or go to one of the links below:
Liftoff, The Rayatana Book 1 is currently only 99 cents for eBook.
Champion in the Darkness is available for Kindle Unlimited for the summer.
A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts has a new cover and is currently only 99 cents.
Dark Blade: Forged is a complete Kindle Vella series and is my second highest earning book of all time. Eventually, it will find its way to paperback and eBook, but for now you can find it all on Vella.
So many other authors have awesome books coming out. If I get the links, I could post about some of them. Let me know if you have a new book coming out soon.
26 comments:
I cried about Ken also. I've lost more than a few blogger friends. I also can't imagine not writing.
Social media has changed the meaning of friendship significantly, hasn't it? Or perhaps it has just made more of these kinds of relationships possible.
I'm glad quitting writing isn't among your options.
I love how you'd find other ways to be a story teller. :) Looks like you are staying busy, as well. I'm actually working on a new Vella that is better planned than my first attempt. I wish I could delete the first one because it was a learning experience and should have stayed in the "drawer."
Here's a link to my IWSG post: https://www.charitybradford-riverford.com/post/iwsg-the-pit-of-despair
I was crushed when Loni let me know he passed. He will be missed.
The way your grandparents told stories is becoming a lost art.
I cried too when I found out about Ken. Even though I never met him in person, he touched my life.
When I saw your post on FB about Ken, it blew my mind. I've had way too many people recently die on me. Y'all, stop it.
Such sad news about Ken....
I think it's a special skill/talent to be an oral storyteller, one of those people who draw you to them with their words. And to be both an oral storyteller AND one who tells stories on paper?! Amazing!
Susan - same on all counts.
C.Lee - Social media has changed us, and it isn't for worse or better, but different and able to communicate across distances.
Charity - I've made some mistakes on Vella, but you know, I'm not taking them down because they still earn some of their keep. :)
Alex - I agree. I have never been as good at telling stories orally, but I'm trying to work on it again. As a kid, I think I turned to writing because I struggled with speaking, but I think they can work together.
Loni - Yeah. He was an uplifting person.
Patricia - I'm feeling the same way. Death is just so wrong. (My pastor has a sermon on this that makes sense, about how death was never meant to be a thing, but then it became one, so that's why we all rail against it. Wish I could say it succinctly.)
Madeline - I'm not that, but thank you... I would try my best to become a storyteller if I couldn't write. As it is, I'm still trying to become a storyteller, just in case.
Ken will definitely be missed. His kind and genuine posts always made him feel like a friend.
I love your family's traditions with stories and music! My mom was a story-teller to the end. Some of those stories might even be true :)
Jemi - yes, I have to say I'm not sure how much truth and how much embellished truth is in the stories I heard as a child. :)
Ken was such a gentle soul.
Good thing we don't have to sing our stories because I would be in big trouble.
I'll miss Ken too. I was fortunate to meet him at a local SCBWI event.
That's so cool that you come from a family of storytellers.
He touched a lot of peoples lives. So many post remembering him today.
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My family was also storytellers!
I'm sorry about Ken. His loss will be felt by many.
Your family sounds fascinating. How do you like writing Vellas?
I was so sad to hear about Ken.
Although I've been in a writing rut for a while, I can't imagine not coming up with stories.
Diane - I think it would be fun, but we would all have to be kind to one another.
Natalie - that's cool that you got to meet him.
HR - Yes, he did touch a lot of people. Storytelling families are fun.
Sandra - I think Vellas are interesting in the way they are formatted and how that kind of changes the style of writing slightly, but overall, I think it's strengthening my writing skills. There's a handful of Kindle Vella groups on Facebook which are nice to be a part of, for marketing and encouragement.
Sarah - yes, story brainstorming and ideas are half the fun of writing. :)
I also cried about, Ken, Tyrean. It seems so cruel and unfair. He was such a good person. I loved hearing about your family history. There was oral history and song long before writing. Happy June!
Fundy - It does seem cruel and unfair - death always is. He was a great guy.
Happy June to you, too.
I love the idea of storytelling!
Yvonne - I do, too. I haven't quite mastered it, but I keep on working at it, just in case I need a new outlet for narratives.
Storytelling is in our blood :)
Good to know that Kindle Vella is still going strong.
I had been praying for "Chemist Ken" for months. Yes. I cried. At least Ken is not suffering any more. I will continue to pray for his family.
My father was a storyteller, too. He was an oral storyteller for his family. And so am I. Thank you, Tyrean, for a beautiful post. All best to you!
I am so sorry to hear about Ken! I know a blogger friend who was his critique partner, and she's devastated. Even though we don't always meet our blogger friends, it's a big loss when they're gone!
Sounds like you are a true writer. It's in your blood!
It seems like you have storytelling in your blood.
Thank you for sharing that remembrance of Ken Rahmoeller. I'm new to the group and he sounds like a fantastic human being.
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