Each year in January, Max Regan hosts two weekends of writing intensives. These four days, with their small and large group sessions, create an opportunity to begin the year focused on your work as a writer. To benefit from the opportunities of these weekends, you need to put aside other things that call your attention and put your identity as a writer up front and center.
The first of the intensives found me with a writing space that was completely topsy-turvy. My mom had all our rugs cleaned and to do so they had to move all my things about and unplug my stuff. They supposedly put everything back ‘where it was,’ but in reality they just moved the heavy objects to more or less the general area of the room where they thought they had originally been. Needless to say, it was a hot mess.
So the first session, I took time to re-organize the writing space. I also had the opportunity to share my conundrum. I have one book that needs minor tweaks and is then ready to head out to copyediting — War Rising. I have another book with a significant amount of already written chapters and a clear outline toward finishing — Gortive Offensive. I also have Love’s Flame, the second book in The Dragon and His Kitten Series outlined and needing a first draft. So what should I do first?
Well, as I went through the first weekend, I made some strategic decisions. War Rising, book 2 of Thyrein’s Galactic Wall series, was the one that needed to be on my desk first. Clearly, the gap between book 1, United Vidden, and this one has been too long, even though fans of the universe got a chance to learn about Nichamir and Denipia in Love’s Call last year. That book is not the follow up of United Vidden and so War Rising is essential to move forward.
So, when the second intensive weekend came along, in spite of the fact that I had not finished actually re-organizing ALL the space of the room, I decided to use the sitting area section that was open and available and begin the final read through of War Rising. I also had the opportunity to work various short stories in the groups and place them into contests. I even submitted some poetry, though I don’t really think my poetry is that great. But then if you don’t submit, the answer is always no. Maybe I’ll get a yes on some of this?
Anyway, this month is all about getting War Rising ready to go to copy edits. By the end of the second intensive, I was half way through the novel. Last weekend, I had to stop and put away the Christmas decor before my HOA sent us a lovely letter about it. I’m committed to pushing this book out to the next phase of production by end of January, so this weekend is the final push. Wish me luck!
Well, we finally are on holiday. I rather like the school calendar CyFair has more than the one we used in Alief. We let out for the winter break on Thursday but we don’t return to work until Monday, January 8th. It’s nice having those days post New Year’s to get things done rather than extra days during the hectic pre-Christmas time.
The one bad thing about the calendar is that we don’t get a day of work before the kids arrive. January 8 is the first day back for everyone. So there’s no time to be in our rooms and prepare. The school will be open on Friday January 5th and I will go early and do a morning of cleaning out the old and being ready for the new.
Plus, now that I have a better handle on the time I need for school work, I can plan the time allotments for Inklings, Houston Writers Guild, and my own writing time much more realistically. It has been hit or miss with that this semester and it has added stress as I toggle from one thing to another in a disjointed manner. I hope to start 2024 with a more streamlined agenda — you guys remember my post about how I do my time allotments, right?
This will be our final blog post for the year. Ellen, Rachel and I will be back the first week in January. Hope everyone’s holidays are full of love and laughter. See you in 2024!
Saturday, November 18, starting at 6pm, writers from Houston Writers Guild and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts will be at Brazos Bookstore for the annual Haunted Holidays Short Story Reading. This event began as the brainchild of the amazing 
If you are a writer and would like to read a story that evening, there are still some spots available. You can register on the information page on the 
As a writer, it is important to stay abreast of what is happening in the publishing industry. Many things have changed and when you are serious about having a career as an author, you must stay informed. Author conferences are a wonderful place to network and learn about what is happening in this vibrant industry.
Saturday is the main day and starts with a powerhouse keynote by renowned fantasy author Kevin J Anderson. Sessions offered during the day include: Tips to being a freelance author; legal issues for authors; several sessions on different types of editors and when you need which; using writing to bolster your personal and professional life; a magnificent panel on writing diversity into your books; effective kickstarter campaigns; writing for radio; marketing tips for authors; using critique groups effectively; and even an old-style Samurai Renga Poetry competition.
Sunday the weekend closes with a wonderful session by Kevin J Anderson on how to maximize your productivity.
If you are an author, I strongly encourage you to check out this conference. It will be a great event and offers many oppotunties for authors to grow professionally. Here’s the link to the website for a more complete description of the offerings as well as a chance to get your tickets. While you are there, consider joining the Houston Writers Guild. It is a volunteer run organization that truly seeks to help 
Well, it is time once more to start a new notebook. A Writer’s Notebook is a term coined by Ralph Fletcher. In his book by that same name, he describes how authors all have notebooks in which they collect seeds for possible writing pieces. Of course, it also includes writing pieces and design documents.
Some of my oldest notebooks are covered in pictures of movie stars. Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, and Denzel Washington have made many cameos on my covers. Also found there are the Prince of Monaco as well as King Felipe of Spain. Needless to say, there are only hot males. No ladies.
Maleficent is always there. I adore that character. She is the epitome of a strong confident woman. Yes. She’s evil. But she knows who she is and embraces herself fully. Naturally, I’m referencing the cartoon movie and not the live actions.
Recently, I have moved from composition notebooks to the cute notebooks that you can buy in stores. Although these already have cool designs, I still add a bit of my own flavor on the covers judiciously and on the inside flaps. Some that are just solid colors I can decorate fully.
If you are a writer and have some amazing writers notebooks, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to post on Fern Brady, Author on Facebook some of yours notebooks and let me know how you use this tool. Even if you are not an author, and just enjoy journaling, or scrapbooking, please share some of your wonderful creations with me. 
There are moments in life when it becomes necessary to take yourself off somewhere and reflect. My trip to Brownsville proved an amazing time of refreshing. The last day I was there, I visited South Padre Island.
During my recent visit, I took a day to enjoy the time by the ocean. There’s something about water that brings on a deep sense of peace. Listening to the waves, feeling the salty breeze on your body, the kiss of the sun’s rays on your skin, all this makes for a great time of meditation.
There was a lot to process that weekend. The attack by a parent group that is pushing for puritanical cleansing of education was high among these. My name was smeared by them as if somehow my author persona made me unworthy of working with kids. After being a teacher for 23 years, my identity was called into question.
Since my birthday is in July, we had several parties at the zoo. As I walked it during my recent visit, I stopped at the area where we would have the celebration. It is still an eating spot.
