All is well…

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All is well with me. How about you?

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I’ve come up with an answer to my last post:

Yes. Awards matter.

Maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe I’m being vain, but they sure make me feel good.

I am pleased to report that another award has come  my way. This one turned up in my spam box! Who knows why it landed there. I mentioned it to the company owner, because it seemed odd and strange to me.

What’s the award for? Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. Awards from 5 different companies must mean something. If you’re following this blog, you already know what it’s about. If you’re new to the blog, click on the link.

The stickers are small enough that I could find a place to put them without ruining the cover design. Maybe I should do that…

So what’s going on in your writing life and the rest of your life? Inquiring minds want to know. What was your best moment this month? Leave a comment and let me know, okay?

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Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at  62 

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One Year Later: Do Awards Matter?

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A year ago I wanted to win as many awards as I could for Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. So I entered in a bunch of places, and won some First Places and some Honorable Mentions and some Finalists. As you can tell from the tone of that last sentence, it mattered more before I did it.

I love that I have won from 4 or 5 different organizations. The latest one is the Royal Dragonfly.

Having been a writing contest judge, I know it’s the repetition that counts more than any one prize. I know opinions vary, and the fact that Never Too Late is receiving so much recognition is rewarding, but it’s a little scary that I could not name the awards from memory.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll look back on these days and wonder why I didn’t lean into this time more. Then I’ll remember how much Richard and I were both doing, and maybe I’ll remember these as some of the best years of our life together.

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Be sure to check the mirror in the upper left-hand corner.

I believe this is the one-year anniversary of Never Too Late‘s publication, and I’m glad I said yes to my husband and my publisher.

I’d love to read your comments about publishing books and articles. Can you share?

December 10 – Giving in Paradise (California)

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I wonder how the people we saw in Chico and at the fairgrounds are doing now. When are the checks coming? How many are with relatives? How do you cope as the loss sinks in? How many have still not been found?

One Woman's Day

By B. Lynn Goodwin

Volunteers matter—especially when emergencies come up. At the Butte County Fairgrounds in November my husband and I found a mixture of hope and despair, of gratitude and anguish.

We couldn’t get near “Paradise Lost,” as reporters dubbed the Northern California town ravaged by fire, so we went to the tent cities at the Butte County Fairgrounds and the parking lot next to Walmart.  We found unparalleled need along with volunteers helping those who’d lost everything but their lives.

My husband and I took a huge stack of $50 gift cards donated by people in our church.  We followed the suggestion of a church guest, who returned to Paradise on weekends. He was there with his wife, who barely made it out ahead of the flames. They’d lost their home but had each other. He said, “Take gift cards and give them directly to the people.” My…

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Giveaway

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B. Lynn Goodwin

Here’s a quiet giveaway for the e-book version of

Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62.

Go to https://www.amazon.com/ga/p/2fa33846b918dfd7#ln-dei and you stand a good chance of winning a copy of Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. The giveaway ends November 2.

Even if you’ve read the book, you can pay it forward to a friend, a library, a senior center, a book club, or anyone who claims she can’t find that right person. Maybe you can help your friend reinvent the meaning of “right person.”

And why is this a quiet giveaway? I haven’t acquired skills in promoting it. So if you see this, why not give it a try.

There is hope for anyone seeking a life partner. I am living proof of it.

Enter the giveaway today.

https://www.amazon.com/ga/p/2fa33846b918dfd7#ln-dei

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Seeking Support for your writing?

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“No one, and I mean no one, writes alone in an attic with no support. Think about it: in order to stay in an attic all day doing your thing, someone has to shop, cook and clean for you, do the laundry, bring you new supplies. If we’ve heard of a writer, someone edited and published them. Someone bought the books.

“My point is: the myth of the lonely artist serves none of us. If you have a dream to write, get a buddy, take a class, find a group, or get support to find alone time if that is what you need.” — Elizabeth Stark

Real life doesn't have a script.
What are you searching for?

So how do you find the support you need? Check out the following resources:

Hippocampus Magazine

Story Circle Network

International Women’s Writing Guild

Shut Up and Write

National Novel Writing Month

National Association of Memoir Writers

Writer Advice

The resources are out there and many stories sit inside your head, waiting to be told. Writer Advice has a manuscript consultation service, which I run, and I also teach Independent Study, working one-on-one with you and your writing, through Story Circle Network. Why face the blank page alone when there are resources to help you?

You can see a sample of my writing in the free section of Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 here.

B. Lynn Goodwin

Goodbye, Sweet Friend

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Your spirit will live on until we join you.
Every time I’m afraid to make an outrageous request, I’ll think of you and find the courage to do it.

20 Minutes a Day

My friend Devorah Winegarten died today after a short and intense battle with cancer.  She was one of my Circle Sisters, which is what we call our fellow writers at Story Circle Network. She and I were in a daily Internet group where we shared our victories and challenges related to our works-in-progress. Debs, or the Debster as she often called herself, was a powerhouse of positive energy and forward motion. She set the pace for that group with clear challenges for herself and lots of encouragement for the rest of us to push forward through our fear and procrastination.  She was the queen of the outrageous request, modeling how asking for more than you think you’ll ever get can result in more yeses than nos. Yes, Debs had more energy, more focus and more excitement for life than most of the rest of us combined.

Debs and I were…

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The Hurrieder I Go . . .

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This is an observation, not a complaint. I love all the good things that are coming my way.

B. Lynn Goodwin

  • Awards for Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62
  • A new writing project — too soon to tell you about it
  • New editing jobs — through Story Circle Network and privately
  • More books to read — including three competing for the Sarton Award offered by Story Circle Network and a number sent by some excellent publishers
  • Submissions to Writer Advice’s Flash TRAVEL Contest, which I love reading and commenting about.-Read about it in the tan box at Writer Advice .
  • The next speaking engagement …
  • The light on the hills as the sun sets …
  • Thursday night dates with my husby, whose unexpected attention and love gave me the inspiration for Never Too Late.

R & Me

So, “the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get” (thank you Lewis Carroll) and I don’t publish here often. New things are coming soon. Sign up to be notified by putting your e-mail in the “Follow” box.

And if you are a writer, please check out Writer Advice’s Flash TRAVEL Contest.