Ciao, amici! I’ve got a bonus for you. I was with my daughter last week (and a lot of this week) so I didn’t post last Friday. I did, however, save a lot of links. I didn’t have time to read them all—only some—so I can’t guarantee they’re helpful, but they looked promising. Long story short, I have two week’s of links for you. Hopefully they’re all as good as their titles indicated.
On that note, my inbox, as you might imagine, is laughably out of control. I’m never going to catch up, so I’ve decided not to try. If I missed some (or any) of your posts, I apologize. Moving forward, things will be back to status quo.
I took this time off because I don’t know when I’ll see my daughter again. We tried to figure it out when she was here. Our best guess is it’ll be at least a year (unless we come up with a better option sooner). So you can see why I took the time. Family is so important to me. Which is why, although this isn’t a writing quote, it seemed so fitting for me to use it for my weekly inspiration.
A man should never neglect
his family for business.
Substitute “man” for the more modern “person” and I couldn’t agree more. Walt Disney got it. And for the past ten days, I lived it.
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend here in the US. Families and friends will gather (enjoy the time together because it’s all too fleeting) for picnics and parades. I wish all of you love and laughter, food and fun… even as we remember with a moment of solemnity the grave importance of the day and the ultimate sacrifices that made these celebrations possible.

And now, this week’s writing links:
Posts by me, about my work, or at sites I contribute to:
Me
I didn’t actually post the past two weeks, but I also didn’t have the time to share posts by my lovely hosts when I released The Gate, so I’m trying to make up for it here. If you haven’t already, please visit these generous bloggers who gave me their platform and deserved more from me in return.
- No Idea Excerpt | Craig Boyack
- Muzzle Flashes Excerpt | Joan Hall
- Freeze Excerpt | D.L. Finn
Story Empire
- Hero’s Journey/Monomyth Part 3 | C.S. Boyack
- The Name Game | Joan Hall
- Friday Question: Where Do You Start? | Harmony Kent
- Story Bible | Mae Clair
- Setting Descriptions | Me
- Book Cover Friday: Music of the Deep | Joan Hall
Posts by others in the industry:
- Say More with Less | Live Write Thrive
- Learning from Good Movie Openings | Kill Zone
- Writing on a Deadline | Fiction University
- 6 Reasons No One Reads Your Blog + Solutions | Mixtus Media
- 100 Blog Post Topics for Fiction Writers | Mixtus Media
- Basic Scene Checklist | K.M. Allan
- Reader Targeting | David Gaughran
- The Telling Detail | Helping Writers Become Authors
- Character Development | Writing Your First Novel
- Essentials for Bloggers and Website Owners | Natalie Ducey
- Portraying Violence in Fiction | Louise Harnby
- Advertising, Pt. 1: BookBub | Valerie Biel
- 4 Reasons to Use Action Beats | K.M. Allan
- Bringing Life to Locations | Mythic Scribes
- Gutenberg Carousel Tutorial | Natalie Ducey
- How to Analyze Website Data | Nicholas C. Rossis
- 15 Writing Habits for Success | Written Word Media
- Tools for Authors: Book Brush | Written Word Media
- 5 Ways Authors (Try to) Fake Good Storytelling | Helping Writers Become Authors
- Book Pricing Strategies | IndieReader
- Pacing | Fiction University
- Fingerprint Forensics for Crime Fiction | Louise Harnby
- Facebook Changes | Nicholas C. Rossis
- Build to an Exciting Climax | The Write Practice
- How to Know if You’re Ready for an Editor | Standout Books
- First Draft Revisions | Kill Zone
- Contrasting and Condensing Characters | Writers Helping Writers
- Scenes Through Characters’ Senses | Live Write Thrive
- Saggy Middles | Writers Helping Writers
- Exclusive or Wide |The Creative Penn
- Story Structure in a Flash | Writers Helping Writers
- Deep Dive into POV | Live Write Thrive
- Legal Obligations of Self-Publishing | Standout Books
To make you smile:
- Monday Funnies | The Storyreading Ape
- The Pun Also Rises: Food | Bluebird of Bitterness
- INFJ Truths | Jessica Bakkers
- More Changes | John W. Howell
- Sunday Funnies | Bluebird of Bitterness
- Monday Funnies | The Storyreading Ape
- Beauty Tips/Middle-Aged Momma | Random Short Stories
- Lucy and Twiggy Enjoy Freedom | John W. Howell
And when you’re done with these links, don’t forget to check out the sidebar, where you’ll find more links to some of my favorite sites.
Have a great week! Arrivederci!
Staci, I’m so glad you have these treasured moments with your daughter and family. That’s what it’s all about. The good stuff!
A lovely tribute to all who sacrifice(d) so much. I hope you enjoy a beautiful day of remembrance and gratitude.
Many thanks for including two of my posts here, as well. I sincerely appreciate all that you do. Cheers, my friend! 🙂
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Glad to share your hard work, Natalie.
Family time is the good stuff, isn’t it? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Thanks for visiting!
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So glad you were able to enjoy the time with your daughter! Family first for sure. Happy Memorial Day!
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It was a wonderful visit. Too short, but we all enjoyed it. Thanks.
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Glad to hear you enjoyed your girl 🤗
The rest will sort itself out…
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Thanks, Jessica. I have to believe that.
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Wise words from Walt Disney! I’ve learned not to even to try to catch up with all the blogs I miss when I’m away. I just jump back in and move forward. It’s the only way I can ever get back to square one again. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
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I think that’s the only way to maintain my sanity. Sorry I missed stuff, but I’ll never get to all of it.
Have a great holiday!
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Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide.
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Thanks, Traci!
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Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, Staci. I’m glad you had a precious ten days with your girl ❤
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Thanks, Jacquie. I really did.
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So happy you got to spend 10 days having fun with your daughter. There’s nothing quite as wonderful as hanging out with people you love.
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Thanks, Judi. Saying goodbye was awful, but the days we had together were priceless.
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So glad you had ten days with your daughter, Staci! Is she studying abroad for a year?
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No. It’s just scheduling. She’s coaching this summer, so she had to stay on campus. She’s spending Thanksgiving with our extended family because I’ll be too far for her to make a fast trip (you know they don’t get much time off). Winter break will be spent in Peru with her boyfriend’s family, so I won’t get that time like I usually do. Spring break is in the middle of tennis season, so she can’t travel, and they don’t get any time for Easter. That takes us to next summer. It sucks. I keep hoping something changes, but I don’t see that happening.
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Wow – she’s busy! Hope you can work something out.
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Fingers crossed!
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I am so glad you had time with your daughter. Family first, always!
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It was a lovely ten days. Thanks, Mae.
And yes: family first, always!
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Thank yo for the links, Staci.
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You. Not a Sly Stallone imitation.
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I’m a huge Stallone fan, so I’ll take the first one as a compliment. 😉
Thanks, John.
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Ha ha ha. Hey, Adrian
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When I was in college, my mom was walking around the house one day saying, “Yo, Sylvia.”
My sister and I questioned what she was doing. She said, “You know, from Rocky. ‘Yo, Sylvia.'”
When we explained she got the name wrong, all three of us laughed for a good long while. And to this day, when we revisit the memory, we still get a chuckle out of it.
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Great story, Staci. Made me laugh. 😁
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I’m so glad you got that time with your daughter. These are those moments in life that you will always cherish! It’s the same issue with my son being so far away at school and seeing him, but he graduates in a few weeks,
so, will see where he ends up next:) Hope you have a great holiday weekend and week, Staci!
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Thanks. And I hope you get some quality time with your son. Have a great holiday weekend!
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I agree with you about family. Thanks for the links.
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Thanks, Craig.
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I agree with Walt. Family comes first. Good list of links. I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to visit as many websites. Next week…
And thank you for pointing out the importance of Memorial Day.
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I’ve got a lot of veterans and active duty family members, so it’s important to me to mark military holidays. I’m honored and humbled by the service and sacrifice of all military men and women (past and present) and thank God for them everyday.
And Walt did have it right. I think the world would be a better place if more people had more focus on love and family and less focus on money and power.
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Agree with you on both points.
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Reblogged this on Legends of Windemere.
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Many thanks, Charles.
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You’re welcome.
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I love the sentiment, Staci. Glad you had a lovely time with your daughter. Enjoy the long weekend, and thanks for the two weeks’ worth of links … Reblogged this on: https://harmonykent.co.uk/author-inspiration-and-this-weeks-writing-links-7/
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I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Thanks, Harmony!
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Thanks for including two of my posts, Staci 😊. Sounds like you had a wonderful time with your daughter.
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My pleasure. I love sharing great content. (Given the length of my list, that probably goes without saying.)
We had a great time together, thanks. Too short, but wonderful nonetheless.
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It’s not always easy to remember your priorities! My father always put his work before his family, as men of his generation often did. So, I vowed not to make the same mistake; that’s why I’ve always worked from home. Even so, I have been guilty at times of that same sin for which I used to accuse him 🙂
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My husband is a workaholic, too. But that’s the way he shows love for his family. While I’d love more time with him, I understand what he’s doing and am very grateful. The way I see it, he’s not choosing business over family; he’s choosing to take care of his family (an expression of love), and that’s the way he’s doing it.
I think it’s wonderful that you’ve always worked from home. Don’t beat yourself up over the days where work consumes you. You’re doing it for your loved ones, and that’s another way to express their importance to you.
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It’s a fine balance 🙂
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Reblogged this on Nicholas C. Rossis and commented:
Staci’s back with two weeks’ worth of writing links!
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Many thanks!
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