Motivation, Writing, Movies, #IWSG Story Ideas, 🏳️‍🌈 and AI neighborhood

Thank you to everyone who visited last month!
Here's a meme I found about writer motivation:

Movie 🎬  (on Netflix) Ladies First 

A misogynist wakes in an alternative reality.

It's not "women rule the world like women," but "women rule the world exactly like men in our reality," so he learns a lesson as to how life is for others. It'd make a smidge more sense if he had been turned into a woman and had to live in the real world. Or if he had trouble navigating the alternative reality because the ruling-class women didn't just mimic the shitty male rule to which he is accustomed.

QUOTE: "Balls [mean strength]? The delicate sack hanging off your body where the slightest tap has you weeping on the ground?" 

The signs and statues (especially if you know London) are fantastic. 

Still, a funny movie. Worthwhile. 👍

He learns to treat people with decency and respect. 

Watch with a pint of Guinness. 🍺

Movie 🎬  GOAT

Netflix animated movie. 

Basketball-like sport, but the courts, that's what makes this sport really interesting. Ice pond, a cave with stalactites, lava... 

And a team that doesn't practice together. 

They've got a LOT to learn and overcome. 🐐

Modo wins the most. "Roots run deep!"

Oh, and the twins are awesome. 🦏🦏

What's about to ruin my life:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1YKgsjAwY3 (Brief video about this.)


Petition (if you're willing to help)
https://www.change.org/p/no-data-center-at-2401-w-emmaus-ave
They plan to put it across from apartments and Camelot for Children (a daycare for disabled kids). It's a Neighborhood. It's MY neighborhood.
And the Governor of Pennsylvania is giving them incentives! 🤦‍♀️Desperate times here.

---

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

My story ideas are from all over. Several are from life (as I discussed last month). One came from a dream my husband had. Some are from someone else because I have done some ghostwriting, but I can't discuss the details, obviously.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Wkzqz3NB/

🏳️‍🌈 There are many books, authors, and people who need extra support (this month and always). 😶🧑🏾‍🏫 Censorship is a battle for everyone who favors freedom and equality.

#IWSG Short Story Conundrum slice-of-life

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.The awesome co-hosts for the March 4 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre!
Remember, the question is optional! March 4 question - What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

I haven't launched a book. I'm in the editing, writing, or querying stage of everything. I ghosted for a book. I heard it sold well in Germany. (It was written in English. No idea if the author had it translated. It was a wolf story, and that's all I can say.) 

I'm instead going to use this opportunity to discuss the short story I'm working on for the #AtoZchallenge. 

I grabbed two characters from another story I was working on a few years ago. Two of my best friends and I were going to write a fiction book together. It never got off the ground. We had the first few chapters. One friend sorta lost her passion for writing. I still hope we'll go back to it someday. ANYWAY. 

My main character in that story is Liv Good (yes, she enjoys the punny name reference), a psychic-medium who has inherited the rather large family home. The downstairs has been reconstructed for her needs, as she's mostly wheelchair-bound. It's also the home to a few mythical creatures she cares for, making it a paranormal story. Being a psychic-medium doesn't pay all that well, which is why she rented out the basement and the upstairs to the characters my friends were writing about. 

One of Liv's friends is Wren Noel. He's this quirky goth guy who is just so fun to write. Totally non-romantic friendship, seriously. 

In my upcoming April story, Wren Noel will be injured after a car crash. He's going to stay with Liv for a bit while he's in a wheelchair healing, and it's way easier to be at her place (which is accessible) than at his apartment. 

[It wasn't long ago that my husband and I were both unable to walk- briefly, for different reasons, and not simultaneously. But wow, let me tell you how fun stairs are when you can't use your legs. Much less trying to navigate the rest of our tiny apartment.] 

Anyway! So the story is just the two of them hanging out and binge-watching. They're making a crossword puzzle because one of his side jobs is creating a monthly word game for an entertainment magazine. 

But... I mean... it's not about anything. There's no great conflict. It's a slice-of-life narrative. 

"From its inception, audiences loved that slice-of-life fiction was authentic and relatable. Known for capturing the essence of human existence (even when stories take place in fantastical worlds), slice-of-life fiction resonates with audiences for its ability to convey the beauty and suffering of daily life."

- https://www.campfirewriting.com/learn/slice-of-life 

An example of a novel-length slice-of-life is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, which is one of my favorite books. 

"The ones where the focus is more on a character's journey through a period of time, and not so much about that one big bad problem that needs to be resolved." - http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/12/just-another-day-slice-of-life-stories.html

My Conundrum

I've never written a slice-of-life story before. I wasn't even aware of the genre until I sat down to write this post and did a search on stories that aren't about some conflict. (Person versus __ ) I have no idea if it'll be any good. 

That's what is making this writer insecure at the moment!

Tips and encouragement are welcome. 

Rereading Earlier Works with the IWSG

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the February 4 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox!

February 4 question - Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?

A few years ago, I pulled out an old handwritten notebook and started typing the story I had written in it. My debate was- do I keep it as is, or punch it up for modern times? It's a YA story, set in the 90's because that's when I wrote it. Half the plot dissolves to dust if a decade of tech is added to the story. Two major conflicts are resolved with the popularity of mobile phones and the existence of caller ID. (Actually, caller ID coming to my area was why I originally gave up on the story. Because, seriously, as soon as the MC knows the caller, the story moves to the closing resolution pretty quickly.) 

{Yes, kids, there was a time when we had to just answer phones with no idea who was on the other end. Or we used answering machines to screen calls, because unlike voicemail, you could hear the message as it was being left and opt to pick up the phone. And yes, that's why the old people leave you three-minute messages, because you might pick up... even though there are barely any answering machines left.}

Obviously, there are new workarounds since I started typing the story, new ways to mask numbers, or disposable phones. So I could go back to that story, again, now, and update everything. 

But it makes me curious what another five or ten years will offer, what other new plot points might deepen the story as technology changes everything again. She could spend three-quarters of the story thinking it's an AI bot calling her! (Laugh if you want, but I had a bot texting me this month and didn't know until last week that it wasn't a human. Because why would a bot text me at 1am? Why??? Because the programmer is an idiot and the bot isn't supposed to be doing that. 🙈🫢) 

Anyway, I have three other stories on my plate right now. And I spend wayyyy too much time on medical drama and whatnot, and not nearly enough on actual writing. 

(For friends and those who read last month's IWSG post-- Dad is back home. He's doing well. Heart surgery went great. My uncle had my dad all worried that there were five other procedures and problems, but no, my dad did not have the same issues as my uncle or their father. Dad's was a fairly routine fix, the surgery was less than six hours, and his hospital stay wasn't even a week.)

IWSG 2026 Writing Plans

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the January 7 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 
Remember, the question is optional! January 7 question - Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

Last year was a dumpster fire. Actually, that fire has been burning for five years. 😥

"Writer" is my most defining personality trait. I wouldn't want to be alive if I couldn't write. If I didn't have stories and characters in my mind. I don't want to BE without that quality. 

So I don't know what it means that I've committed such little time to what matters most to my identity. I mean, yeah, my family matters most, I love my husband most. But what I love most about myself, when I feel connected to my soul, that's the "JamieWriter" part of myself. 

When my local writing group met weekly, I definitely made more time for writing. Time to feed my soul, to feel a purpose, to feel alive. And there's talk of possible monthly meetings again. Hopefully that'll motivate me to function again. 

On the other other darkside 🌑☁️😔

My dad is scheduled for heart surgery this week. And we're all scared out of our damn minds about his odds. So, utter chaos is waiting like an assassin in the shadows to totally fuck up everything. 

And I'm worried about the Chronic Kidney Disease diagnosis. Obvious by my recent GOODREADS reviews.

Imagine Being A Writer #IWSG

 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

I didn't imagine the downfall of NaNoWriMo. 

Actually, when I first started publishing, I hadn't heard of them. Still, a bit of a shock that it happened. (I don't disagree. The safety of children, and everyone really, must come first. Still, an International organization with so many members crumbled virtually overnight. 🤯 ) 

I got my start in poetry. Did pretty well. Met some incredible people as result. (Some who are no longer alive, at least one who is regularly in US news politics still today.) 

Horror was my favorite genre to write in. I had a 3-book series that was about to be a "deal," before I graduated high school. But the publishing house went under. And then I moved away for college (PENN STATE) and the box with the manuscripts was lost. And then the 3.5 floppy 💾 was destroyed. 

Nothing has turned out how I ever imagined it. I work for/with another writer sometimes. I was working on a collaboration. I have a dark YA that has been in the works for years, but it'll definitely be a banned book if any publishers ever pick it up. I could self publish, but I know I don't have the clout to get it to the right YA audiences. (Assuming such clout exists.) 

Getting back to the question, I thought it'd be 90% about writing. I thought getting an agent or publisher would be much easier. (Like my other experiences.) I had high hopes. I had positive energy, backed with evidence as things had gone smoothly. 

Don't let any time traveler go back and tell younger me what happens. She needs hope to survive. But, if there's a better future coming, and some time traveler could come give me a dash of hope right now, I could really use that. 

Bad surprises. Soul crushing. Uphill battles I never could have imagined and absolutely had no preparation to fight. 

🫣

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E3dbiK3Xf/

Review: House of Dynamite 

Three excellent beginnings. No climax, no ending. 

"What happens if a missle is launched at the US?" 

(The movie doesn't answer this. It asks it, basically, three times. The movie president is, umm, not the current... um... in the movie, the White House has an East Wing. And, in the movie, no one asks if the missle came from within. So it's a FICTIONAL movie, to be clear, it is not "torn from the headlines." It is not political in that sense.)

Writing, publishing, reading, and politics

 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Mfs5D34VB/

My response:

It is to my understanding that publishers like to sell books, that they prioritize exchanging books for money. Many of them hold the economic belief that followers are most likely to translate to sales. But no, a following isn't a requirement. If an author can show proof they'll generate sales without a following, that substituted proven method would certainly be considered. 🤔 Though, at that point, why not self publish? On the flip side of the coin, followers do not always translate into sales, so the economic theory may collapse. Except "influencer" is now an actual job that big corporations recognize. 

I suppose it's all in the pitch. A lot of publishers are just looking to know how dedicated an author will be to assuring a return on their investment. The publishing world has had remarkable changes in the last twenty years. 

Or, consider the 50 Shades of Grey series. By most accounts, these were not especially well-written or masterpieces. But there was a following online. And the followers commented about a desire to buy a book, despite free material readily available. So, even though it "NEVER" happens, a publishing deal was made, the free online already "published" versions were removed, and books were sold. Money was made, again to the point of drawing attention, and then a movie was made, which sold even more books. It wasn't about the quality of the words, it was about an audience willing to trade money for those words. 

So, if you can prove in advance that there's a market, that there are people ready to pre-order your book today, no, you don't need followers. Followers is just their word for people who are likely to purchase something with your name on it. It was once the job of publishing houses to do most of the work to find those buyers, but now authors are generally expected to do that task. The rise of the Social Media Influencer.

~~~~~~

The thing is, I get it. I am more likely to buy a book written by a friend, or by someone I've had a positive interaction with at some point. There are a dozen books on my shelf that absolutely prove this. 

~~~~~~~

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D7gELdGAE/

This post on Facebook is actually about history. (And may feel political, depending how you look at the story.) But this part, this excerpt...

Remember when reading and writing was about fun? When it was just enjoyable? 

Now writers are expected to "sell, sell, sell!" And readers are meant to buy, buy, buy and review to do the marketing so they help sell! As many readers are trying to "escape" for a few hours, but writers are supposed to nudge them toward being responsible readers who post reviews and encourage others to do the same.

I have a massive TBR stack. 📚📚📚 Which do I read next? An indie author who needs the minor publicity from my review? (Actually, I mostly leave those to my cousin. He's better at them and has an audience.) Or read a book by a dead author, who it won't matter to if I review it. Or this popular book I looked forward to reading. Or this other book that's now controversial. Or this one, or that one, or finish the other... 

😮‍💨 Yup. 🖥 And then I go back to tv, which I can watch with my husband. Trying to spend as much of our time together as possible, as we may have only a few years left. That's what doctors say now, ticking clocks. Forget dreams, goals, and plans! Prepare for death. We bought our graves and just ordered our tombstones. (Obviously, the death date will be engraved later. Or etched. Whatever.) I can't exactly wrap my mind around that. 

Favorite Written by me #IWSG

 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Lake Wallenpaupack is in Pennsylvania. 

"Lake Wallenpaupack received its name from the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans who called the area's central creek "Walinkpapeek" or "Wallinkpaupeek," a name that means "the stream of swift and slow water". The name was then applied to the valley and subsequently the large reservoir created by a dam on the Wallenpaupack Creek in the 1920s."

(🗣 Wall In Paul Pack )

"It's a large, man-made reservoir in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, known for its extensive recreational opportunities including boating, fishing, swimming, and hiking. The 5,700-acre lake, created in 1926 for hydroelectric power and flood control, offers over 52 miles of shoreline and is a popular tourist destination."

"The former town that now lies under Lake Wallenpaupack in Pennsylvania is Wilsonville. This community, named after Judge James Wilson, was submerged in the early 1920s when Pennsylvania Power & Light (PP&L) built the dam to create the hydroelectric lake, relocating residents and clearing the land for the project."

This is one of my favorite writings because it made my mom so happy to see it. Sure, she appreciated the poems I had published over the years, and was always supportive. But she really loved this little piece. Showed it to everyone. 

IWSG writing software and Health wishes and vibes

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

July 3 question - What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

I was DIE HARD into MS Word for, basically, ever. I'm Gen X. Word is what I learned since middle school. That's what I knew.
Then, one day when I was house hunting/ dreaming, I thought, "You know what'd be seriously awesome? If I could write on my main desktop commputer, but later use a laptop and sit on the porch or something for a few hours and write there, but still have access to what I was writing. Without saving on a thumb drive or whatever." And BEHOLD, the CLOUD ☁ came into existence. My love of Dropbox is deep. Then I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time, and bought Scrivener. Then I had to LEARN how to use that. And I like it for several reasons. But I can't use it on my phone. (Don't bother telling me the ways I could. The Android app just doesn't "pet my fur." 😼🐈) 

So, honestly, what I use to write most often is Google Drive. I can easily share with my writer friends. I can access it on my phone or laptop (the Desktop is as dead as the Windows Vista it used). And I can save in multiple formats. Plus, it works with Grammarly. So that's my answer.

---

I was hospitalized on Jan 13, 2024, and diagnosed with a stroke. I was discharged after having a serious asthma attack, and the medical team realized they were killing me.
I can't change what happened.

But I am going to write some positive vibe stuff, how I WISH things had been handled.

• "I see you're squirming pretty hard, and your 9-1-1 call said you needed to urinate. So I'm going to let you use a bedpan quick, while putting in the IV line here in the ER room where you have a fan and can breathe. Breathing is important. We need to make sure you keep breathing while we assess your possible stroke. 

(Instead of forcing me to continue to hold it. Taking me to the CT room, where it was too difficult to breathe, and increased suffering for 15 minutes while trying to get an IV.  Noting I was struggling to breathe, doing nothing about it. And injecting a dye so it felt like I had urinated, making the urge so much more painful, then yelling at me for not being still enough. Did they WANT me to piss in the CT machine? Because it was crazy close to happening.)

• "Your hand is turning purple, and you are screaming in agony. It seems the automatic bp cuff doesn't work on you, and it, in fact, triggers your "fight/ flight response," which increases your blood pressure. We need to lower your pain to reduce your blood pressure, so we're going to try doing it by hand with a cuff that actually fits your arm."
• "You've been admitted. Here is a mini bottle of hand sanitizer so you can keep your hands clean, especially before you eat. We won't let you wash your hands because you can't get up."
• "Hi, I'm one of the nurses. I need to <medical reason>, so I'm going to grab your gown and stare down in it at your chest. 

(Because in literally any other situation, a stranger grabbing your clothing and staring at your chest... that's assault. Seriously, this is unethical behavior in any other situation, no matter how you cut it. I'm not sure I wasn't assaulted, to be honest. But for my mental health, I tell myself there was a reason. I didn't have any leads on, so it couldn't be one was loose. Umm... maybe he was checking that my ribs were still inside my skin. Uhh... I don't know. I reported it, but I don't believe anyone cares.

My mind, in that moment, went to defending myself. I would have slapped him. But my right arm wasn't properly functioning yet. And, he was a BIG guy, his body was on my left arm, rendering it useless. I didn't think of screaming because it takes a lot of air to scream, and I was having enough trouble breathing.)

• "We see you are taking Advair 250/50. That's a pretty serious respiratory prescription. Is there anything we can do to help keep you breathing?

(As opposed to, "oh, we didn't think your asthma was serious." Said after my attack. 

• "Let me get a tape measure. It seems you won't fit into this MRI machine in the position we need. And it'd be too hot. So we'll leave you in your room.

(Instead of trying to cram me in, injuring my elbow, ignoring that injury, and then exclaiming, "oh damn, she stuck." And then sending me back to my room.)

• "I've brought you back to your room. Let me settle you on the bed and make sure you have your call bell and such."

(As opposed to dropping me and rushing out. Why assign a nurse to escort me if she didn't have the time to keep me alive? The asthma attack was 💯 totally avoidable. Half a second to push a table over. I almost died because someone didn't shove a table my way as she rushed out. Take a second to secure the patient you are with. That's a very basic care procedure. Don't put your "fall-risk" patients in dangerous situations. "ABC" - airway, breathing, cardiac -- make sure your patient can breathe and has a heartbeat before leaving the room.)

• "We're discharging you early because you stopped breathing, and we don't have a way to keep you alive. But, since you just took your first five steps today, we recognize you will need some help getting back into your home. So we've called <paramedics, firefighters, physical therapists, wrestlers doing community service, the local bodybuilders association, who the fuck ever> to help get you home safely since you can't walk on stairs yet."
• "We've contacted tech support and they did some minor programming. Now we can put a copy of your MSDS sheet on your chart, along with a note. So no medical person will ever neglect your respiratory needs again."

(Seriously, since we don't use paper, and thus can't paperclip a thing, create an alternative! We have the technology. Even just a note on the chart, people can Google CT-511 themselves. Or just note that I need air 60℉/ 15.5℃ to properly breathe. An anesthesiologist might need to know details, but at least other doctors could avoid needing to use, "😰 CODE BLUE response team!" Just stop trying to make me unalive.)

Primary reasons I (uselessly) reached out to half a dozen lawyers:

1. I should not have had to experience another asthma attack while hospitalized.
2. My elbow should not have been injured, and that ignored, while hospitalized.
3. My right big toe should not have been injured and ignored while hospitalized.
4. I should not have been prescribed an overdose of aspirin.
5. I was discharged so fast that another patient's information was attached to my discharge summary. HIPPA violation?
6. Arrangements should have been made to get me home safely, as I could not yet walk well enough on my own (especially on steps).
7. I wonder if manual blood pressure readings could have been taken in the ER, instead of letting my left arm turn purple. Especially as my right arm wasn't working at the time. Could one hand/ limb have been protected? 
8. Is it possible, in the future, for my respiratory condition to be taken seriously at the onset?

I'm sharing this on my blog because this is my space. I wanted to write about what happened and how I wish I was cared for instead. Mostly, I wish I would have been safe at the hospital, that my breathing would have mattered. I feel scared and helpless. I know no one can do anything about it. But I wish there was a way to prevent anyone else from facing this situation. And I wish I could protect my future self. Not that this blog post accomplishes either of those, but I genuinely don't know what to do other than leave this record here. 

Thanks for reading.

Asthma/ Respiratory Condition
Requires air 60℉ or below

⚕ Diabetic, Stroke. Jamie Dorner
Latex Allergy

Totally useless medical ID bracelet on my wrist. I had on my old one in Dec, but pretty much the same except for the stroke update.

From a writing prompt

Actual writing ahead!
A short story/ flash fiction from a prompt. A closed writers' group on Facebook hosts this thing.

THE TWINS AND THE PIT

“Sometimes, love means clinging on to someone, and sometimes it means letting them go.” I flex my fingers around her hands.

“No! You promised not to let go,” her eyes widen, her attempt to sound authoritative overridden by the fear oozing from her voice.

“But when you love someone, sometimes you have to let go,” I manage not to laugh, to keep my voice serious.

Her fingernails dig into my skin. “You will not drop me. I'll tell mom about your box.”

“What box?” I tighten my grip. The kids behind me light up with chatter.

She smiles up at me, her hands relaxing. “Seventh floorboard from the door. I took a video of what's in there. And I backed it up on my friend's cloud drive. Oh, and I have another of you from last Tuesday, when you added to the box. It's not clear what's in that bag you were carrying, but you take it to your room, and then there's the sound of the board moving, and then you come out with an empty bag and insult me. Mom will certainly put it together.”

“Slimy twit! You're not supposed to spy on me.”

My twin sister rolls her eyes. “Pull me up. We've won.”

“Which friend?”

“What?”

I let go of one of her hands. “Which friend has the backup copy?”

“You're not going to let me fall!” Her dropped hand reaches for me. She tries to yank herself up. We both know she can't.

The kids behind me snicker until I turn my head toward them. “Anyone not wanting to land in the pit should leave. Now.”

No one doubts my resolve. They run like roaches from the light. I turn toward my twin.

“If you drop me, mom will ask what happened, and I'll tell her why you let me fall.”

“When I drop you, it'll take time for you to get out. And you'll be covered in the goo of the pit. I'll get home first. I'll tell mom you jumped, and that you've been planting evidence against me. I'll show her the box and say it's yours. That I was keeping something else in there. Her mind will be made up before you get home.”

“No! No, you can't do that. Help me up. Just help me up. I'll get rid of the videos. And the backups.”

“And you won't spy on me again?”

She shakes her head. A tear slips out and rolls down her cheek. It drops to the goo far below.

But what is one tear compared to wax, mud, decaying plants, bits of trash, and thousands of insects? They say the pit was once for swimming in. That important people raced around in it, back when it was full of pristine water. Back when there was so much water that people wasted it for things like that.

Now we just hold each other over it and see who can keep their partner from falling in the longest. My sister and I hold all the records.

“Which friend has the backup?”

“Sett,” my sister answers with a huff.

“Poinsettia? You gave her the backup copy? Why her?”

“Like she's storing anything else on her cloud? Besides, she's the only one who wouldn't turn on me and blackmail you herself.”

“No, Fuzzbrain, I'm the only one who wouldn't turn on you.” I lift my sister up. She's clean, as always, because I've never let her fall into the pit. And I never would. But she doesn't need to know that.

“Why do you have that stuff in the box, anyway?”

“You aren't old enough to understand.”

She punches my arm as we walk home. “I'm the same age as you, Troll.”

“I've matured faster.”

“You wish. Race you to our front door?”

The 777 Writing Challenge

The 777 Writing Challenge has landed in my lap. J tagged me.

http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com/2015/11/18/777-challenge-during-nanowrimo/

The 777 challenge requires you go to Page 7 of your work-in-progress, scroll down to Line 7 and share the next 7 sentences in a blog post. Once you have done this, you can tag 7 others to do the same with their work-in-progress.

Here goes:

“I was accepted. I’m not going to go though. It’s too far. There are no buses.”

“How are the other students going? Do they all have parents with cars?”

“No. I mean, I don’t know, but the school has dorms. I meant that there aren’t buses I could ride to come back and forth to visit.” I rub my eyes. “It doesn’t matter. The place is probably expensive.”

She sits up straighter and crosses her arms. “Probably? You mean to tell me, Lenore Allan Franco, that you didn’t ask? You’re willing to dismiss a path to your dreams, the chance at the a better future, without doing the slightest touch of research. What would it hurt to ask? You’re smarter than this.”

---

I'm tagging some Lehigh Valley WriMo friends (a few who probably won't do this, but I'm putting it out there)!

1- NickiIV

2- Ooklah

3- silverroses

4- Kaeirdwyn

5- Erin_M_H

6- chrissiemkl

7- Tayron

Rock on!