• The Written Word returns

    When Yahoo Groups shut down last month, I lost access to The Written Word, a mailing list I’d run for nearly 17 years. The contact information for hundreds of subscribers also disappeared as did my entire archive of past postings.

    The concept for The Written Word was simple: email a daily quotation about writing, editing, journalism, poetry or publishing. It was basically the online version of a page-a-day calendar.

    On weekends and vacations, I would prep future emails by scouring magazines and reading writing-related websites. I’d buy quotation collections secondhand and fill ’em with sticky notes, marking the pages that offered advice I wanted to share. Whenever I scrolled through social media, I’d save any interesting commentary from experts in the publishing business.

    While my goal was to provide a bit of inspiration to aspiring and professional writers, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that the quotations I shared sometimes helped me too.

    As 2020 ended, I considered putting this project behind me. It was only after reading the many old emails I’d saved thanking me for sending the quotes that I decided to continue The Written Word. I may not be able to go out into the world and volunteer in person right now, but I can help others in this small way.

    So, I’ve relaunched The Written Word on Tiny Letter. To subscribe, click here. And if you enjoy what you read, share it with others and encourage them to subscribe as well.

  • old typewriter

    Quote of the day

    “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” —Neil Gaiman

  • In Memoriam: A Look Back At Many Of The People We Lost in 2020

    hourglass.jpgSome people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people led.

    In 2020, these were the obituaries of people whose lives — and deaths — most affected me:

    * Betty Pat Gatliff, forensic artist

    * Neil Peart, drummer

    * Michael Cafferty, author and attorney

    * Mary Higgins Clark, mystery novelist

    * Kirk Douglas, actor

    * Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician

    * Clive Cussler, adventure novelist

    * James Lipton, “Inside the Actors Studio” host

    * Kenny Rogers, country music singer/actor

    * Bill Withers, R&B singer

    * Earl Deutch, ‘Kiss Cam’ favorite

    * William Helmreich, sociology professor and New York walker

    * Bob Otto, who played “Taps” at more than 5,000 veteran funerals

    * Tom Burford, apple expert

    * Kate Matte, bookseller

    * Brian Dennehy, actor

    * James M. Beggs, NASA administrator

    * Madeline Kripke, doyenne of dictionaries

    * Jack Randall, ichthyologist and coral specialist

    * Little Richard, self-described “King and Queen” of rock and roll

    * Roy Horn, illusionist

    * Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite, last of the “Monuments Women”

    * Fred Willard, actor

    * Ian Holm, actor

    * Joel Schumacher, director

    * Carl Reiner, comic actor/writer/director

    * Hugh Downs, broadcast journalist

    * Ennio Morricone, film composer

    * John Lewis, civil rights leader and congressman

    * Kelly Preston, actress

    * Regis Philbin, talk show and game show host

    * Olivia de Havilland, actress

    * Wilford Brimley, actor

    * Chadwick Boseman, actor

    * Ruth Bader Ginsburn, Supreme Court justice

    * Eddie Van Halen, rock guitarist

    * Sean Connery, actor and original James Bond

    * Luis Troyano, “Great British Baking Show” finalist

    * Alex Trebek, game show host

    * Jan Morris, travel writer, historian and memoirist

    * Ben Bova, science fiction writer

    * Betsy Wade, journalist

    * Al Cohen, magician and magic shop owner

  • 2020: The Year In Review

    At the end of each year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2020. I:

    * Produced/edited hundreds of breaking news stories about the near-war with Iran, Trump’s impeachment trial, the massive wildfires in Australia and California, the coronavirus pandemic, the busy hurricane season, the racial injustice protests, the 2020 election and numerous celebrity deaths.

    * Penned 16 journal entries.

    * Passed the 60,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker).

    * Began a stay-at-home regimen due to the pandemic on Feb. 26. Took one COVID-19 test (negative) and purchased a dozen masks. Avoided getting sick.

    * Maintained two Instagram accounts: @thejadewalker and @catsofjade.

    * Read 64 books and numerous magazines.

    * Watched 48 TV programs, 64 movies and listened to many podcasts.

    * Participated in The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New Hampshire Writers Guild, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Authors Guild, PEN America and the Silent Book Club, Manchester, NH chapter.

    * Planted a container garden and launched a gardening journal.

    * Spent months searching for our next home (alas, not in Scotland — damn pandemic). No luck yet.

    * Tried to get more sleep. Failed miserably, due to stress.

    * Fainted, landed face-first on hard tile, lost a few teeth, fractured my jaw and suffered through a lot of dental work. Now wearing braces.

    * Decorated the front and inside of our house for Christmas and mailed 30 Christmas cards.

    * Suffered from at least 33 migraines and lost 62 days of my life to pain. Average headache duration: 19 hours.

    * Mourned the deaths of my dear Aunt Mona, several colleagues and our 14-year-old cat Brigid.

    * Worked my 30th year as a professional journalist. Am once again facing possible layoffs since my news outlet has been sold.

    * Celebrated my 20th anniversary as Jade Walker.

    * Celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.

    * Turned 47.

     


    End of the year

     

    Goals for 2021

    * Change careers.

    * Avoid any library fines.

    * Organize the pantry.

    * Plant more flowers and veg in the garden.

    * Sleep at least 7 hours a night.

    * Work on my fiction.

    * Read at least 60 books.

    * Practice hygge.

    * Win the lottery.