The post below says that Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 is my latest book. It’s time to update that. My newest book is called Disrupted. You can learn about it at https://www.amazon.com/Disrupted-B-Lynn-Goodwin/dp/1804393487, and you can read the opening below.
Chapter 1
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
San Ramos High, Northern California
The earth pounded like a jack hammer. I dropped my phone and
it bounced on the floor of the main hall at San Ramos High. As I
grabbed it, the floor slammed into my feet again. That jack
hammer was working overtime.
“Get in a doorway,” a booming voice called.
I knew that, so I was surprised when the current Student
Council President came running toward me. The girl he was with
said, “Chill. It’s nothing. A trembler—not an earthquake.” I must
have looked worse than I thought because she stared for a minute
before she asked, “You okay?”
I nodded.
“You’re Sandee Mason, right?” the Student Council
President asked.
“That’s me.”
“I remember the assembly where you spoke about your
brother last spring.”
I nodded. Here he was, in the job my brother, Bri, had two
years ago, and I couldn’t help wondering if Bri wanted to tell me
something or warn me about someone. He used to send me
encouraging messages after he died – at least I thought he did –
and I kind of hoped he was trying to get my attention now.
11“Don’t worry, small quakes just release the tension between
the plates. The big one’s further away than ever and it seems like
it’s over now.” He pushed the hall door open for his girlfriend.
“Thanks,” I called after him. My dad had told Bri and me
that factoid years ago.
I grabbed my books and stuffed them in my worn backpack,
then slammed the door, which made as much noise as the under-
earth pounding.
I was already five minutes late for rehearsal. Not good. Ms.
G expected her actors to be prompt, and that went double for the
stage manager—me.
The quake spooked me. So did the Student Council
President. From the back he looked a lot like Bri, but Bri went to
Afghanistan and the body parts they could find came back in a
box.
Questions? Want a signed copy? Please use the comment box to let me know what you think.
Do you have an idea for a story but don’t know how to start?
Do you have a draft but need an editor?
Are you stuck on your summary? Cover letter? Query?
Do you want to make your story, memoir, or fiction shine and sparkle?
During this 4-week session, I’ll take your writing to the next level. That means something different for everyone. I’ll ask questions about your overall project and the chapters, segments, or scenes you submit. You’ll start seeing new possibilities and approach your writing with renewed energy.
Trying to figure out what to write next? We can do some free writing to help you figure out what you want to write about.
Stuck in your writing or productivity?
Why?
Let’s find out and do something about it.
We will brainstorm, try new tactics and techniques, and move your writing forward. Whether you need help getting started, want to revitalize your writing, are seeking fresh inspiration, or are digging more deeply into familiar subjects, I’d like to be your sounding board and advisor.
Your writing will generate questions from me. As you answer my questions, you’ll start seeing new possibilities. Find out what’s working. Learn to spot the segments that need improvement.
Ready to find a publisher? Let’s work on your cover letter or query and polish those first chapters until they sparkle. Together we’ll make your work the best it can be.
Because this is Independent Study, we work at your pace. I can guide you to useful sources for submitting shorter pieces, help you research and approach agents, and help you learn about the options for self-publishing, depending on your needs.
Tuition
SCN members: $205. Non-SCN members: $255
Instructor Bio
B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice. She’s written Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 (memoir), Talent (YA) and You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers (self help). Never Too Late and Talent are award winners. Her newest book, Disrupted, came out in January. Google Goodwin + Disrupted to find it. Shorter works have appeared in Hip Mama, The Sun, Good Housekeeping.com, Purple Clover.com, and Flashquake. She is a reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network. Visit her website and her blog.
Are you one who dreams of publishing your stories in a book some day?
We are all natural storytellers. Some of us decide to write our stories down. We want to pass them on to children or others have encouraged us because our unique stories have universal value or we are driven to write because writing helps us solve our own problems.
I think of some of my writing friends’ tales of a grandparent’s life in San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century, of struggling to survive a Japanese war camp as a child, of traveling to places like Brazil as a single woman, of trying to find a mother’s home, or like me, moving to another country and having a normal life except with the adjustment to a different culture and being illiterate in a new language. We all have stories to tell, but it takes persistence, dedication and focus to bring a book to life.
I’ve been in a writers group for more than 20 years. Many of the writers in the group join with the intent to complete a book. They all have great stories to tell. The writers are aided by the encouragement and support of the group of fellow writers. As they write portions of their book, they realize how difficult writing, editing, publishing and selling a book can be. All of those tasks are more complicated now. Major publishers have been squeezed by digital publishing so they rely heavily on well-known authors. Independent publishers look for new authors, may have editing staff, but not the resources to provide promotion. Agents are swamped with requests for help getting a book published. All the different jobs besides doing the writing can deflate the interest of a fledgling writer. But if they persist, they can publish a book.
I’ve been lucky to watch numerous friends produce a book. Sometimes the book is not the story they thought they were going to tell. Often they started with a memoir, which honed their writing skills. They struggled with naming names of people close to them and decided to turn parts of their lives into fiction. Sometimes they started over and over again with a different point of view each time. They sought the help of editors to polish their work and to help them stick to deadlines.
For me, I started out with family stories, asked relatives to send me their responses to the statement, “I remember…” which I collected and published through a printing company owned by one of my cousins. The more I wrote the more I realized that short essays about life and my artwork let me say what I wanted to say. Writing helped me to understand my place in this crazy world. Blogging became the avenue for my writing.
Some friends have managed to produce a finished work (some have published more than one book). I am proud of their endeavors because I know they have accomplished what many us dream about.
Elizabeth Fishel
Elizabeth is the founder of Wednesday & Friday Writers Groups, journalist, teacher, and author of 5 non-fiction books about women and their relationships with their families. Her latest book, co-written with Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D
A mother, author and blogger who in her own words: “My first fun blog, shoezle, started way back in 2011 when I barely knew anything about social media or how to take a picture on my shiny hot-pink cell phone. I guessed at how to blog and through the amazing feedback from readers and a bazillion writing groups and classes, I got better. I got better a blog photos too. Then I got the courage to write a book.”https://www.francielow.com
Irene Sardanis
A retired psychologist and writer was born into a Greek family in the Bronx in the 1940s in which fear and peril hovered. Out of the Bronx is her story of coming to terms with her mother and her past that terrified and paralyzed her for far too long — and of how she went on to create a new life free of those fears.
A cookbook author, blogger, recipe developer, food and travel writer, and teacher has a passion for cooking and baking that she loves to share. Her latest cookbook written with Sara De Leeuw.
A columnist, author and performer, and one of my cousins. In her own words, “She champions the idea that it is never too late to reinvent oneself in unexpected and fulfilling ways.” Her latest book, Blue Yarn, describes her experience in Africa where she loses her marriage, her home and her career.
Former drama teacher, continuing to be a writer, editor with Story Circle Network and blogger. Her latest book, Never Too Late, describes her new life as a wife at 62 and the challenges of changing from lifelong single to married woman.Talent is a young adult novel about a young teenager trying to get out from under the shadow of her older brother.
B. Lynn Goodwin 
