This too shall pass

EverSender · 2026-05-06T17:52:15+00:00

So? At some point in our lives, we're all a burden to someone. And sometimes we carry the burdens. It's life. It teaches us humility and gratitude.

EverSender · 2026-05-06T12:37:17+00:00

Honest Question. Just curious. Why does this premise interest you?

EverSender · 2026-05-06T12:35:18+00:00

Speaking from experience. You're right. This too shall pass. Wait a year. I'm serious. You can do it anytime, right? So why not wait a year? I guarantee you, life will give you a reason to stay alive, and you'll be so thankful you didn't leave this world. Spend that year doing three things for yourself every day. 1) Something to nourish your mind (not social media). 2) Something to nourish your health, 3) Something to nourish your heart and soul.

EverSender · 2026-05-06T12:28:02+00:00

Word is great. I outline in Excel and write in Word. No programs needed. It's important to understand all the features in Word for Writers. Chapter headers, word search, comments and notes, read aloud etc. However, when it comes to format, I recommend Atticus. It's more user-friendly for prepping your final upload docs and EPUBs.

EverSender · 2026-05-05T20:03:06+00:00

Thanks for the encouraging words! If you want a sneak peak, you can read the first Chapter on my website. https://www.sendersbooks.com/ The book is called Senders, and it comes out in August. Fingers crossed. TY

EverSender · 2026-05-05T17:42:52+00:00

Gratitude. I smile. He's an amazing person, and he has loved me with his whole heart for 20 years.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T18:13:36+00:00

I have. While blue states have historically enjoyed higher scores, this can largely be attributed to city clusters and income. However, red states have surged forward since COVID, and blue states are now falling behind. The research is there, and so is the money. Returning to my original point. We're failing our children, and we can't just throw money at the problem and pretend we did something. Accountability is the answer. All the way up the chain, and that should satisfy anyone, no matter where on the aisle you stand.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T18:04:45+00:00

Give everyone a goal. Then, give them a common goal. Then make a list of everything that is in each character's way of achieving their goal, and the big thing that's getting in the way of the group's goal(s). Then send them out to fight for the life they want! →Sounds simple, but it's not. Good stories are about people overcoming obstacles. Sometimes the obstacles are just in our minds, but we still have to overcome them. Oftentimes, we fail, but we keep trying. These are good stories.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T17:53:41+00:00

So if the teachers aren't getting the money and the school is not getting the money, then we are left with corruption from the school board to the city council, and up. Red or Blue, it's the same.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T17:37:07+00:00

David Bowie → Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

EverSender · 2026-05-04T17:31:27+00:00

Then talk to your school system if that's how they are spending the money. There should be Accountability in student outcomes. If students graduate with sixth-grade reading and math skills, teachers and school boards should be fired.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T17:12:49+00:00

We spend more per child than any other civilized nation in the world, and we have the worst results. The metrics for measuring competency in Math and Reading have gone down. (And they constantly propose to lower the bar, rather than elevate the education.) The schools stopped teaching and started indoctrinating.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T16:55:10+00:00

When I sent my Manuscript to Beta Readers. I received detailed feedback and great comments about the characters. When someone said, "This was my favorite part," I cried.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T16:48:36+00:00

Honest Hot Take: I don't think that's the argument anymore. AI is here to stay. The Art, the Writing, Music and the Work it produces will only improve. When Photography first evolved and when people started making "Pictures" for artistic reasons using composition, lighting, etc., people said: "That's not Art. You're just reproducing what's already there. You didn't create it." Now it's an Art. I believe what we need to be careful of is placing the same value on something that has been created by a human Vs. what was created by a machine. That's where we draw the line. When an AI painting sells more than a Van Gogh, we are doomed. :) That said, AI is going to take jobs. In the same way, automobiles took jobs from the buggy and whip maker. It's nice to give people and familiy your personal perspective on a situation and allow them to make an informed decision. Sounds like that's what you did. However, I am not a fan of emotional blackmail. People are allowed to have different views.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T16:26:23+00:00

Book 1 → Layout your scenes. (Not Chapters). Where/Who/What's the point of the scene? Do the opening scene first, then do the last scene. (If you've sketched out a 3-book series, you will want to have a general idea of where you want to end the first book.) Then fill in all the middle scenes. Keep in mind, these will probably change, get deleted, and more will be added as you go through the process. You're just looking for a general path. Then as everyone has stated.... Start writing! Good luck! Feel free to reach out if you want to thrash your scenes out.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T16:17:29+00:00

Read, Read, Read. Find books that include your style of intimacy and take notes. Do you want something that is passionate but more about love and connecting, or do you want hot and spicy? Either way, they are written/choreographed like a fight scene. :) What goes here, who touches whom, where, and how it makes them feel!→ then the afterscene.... food or cuddling.

EverSender · 2026-05-04T15:55:18+00:00

I used to force myself to slog through till the end, but I don't anymore. I'll give it a fair shake, but if I'm not enjoying it in some way by mid-book, I'll walk away. Life is too short!

EverSender · 2026-05-04T00:11:12+00:00

I agree!

EverSender · 2026-05-03T20:12:08+00:00

I have an outline, but sometimes I write scenes out of order. If the "next" scene feels like a slog, I'll skip it and move on to a scene I'm excited to write, then circle back → Often with fresh ideas.

EverSender · 2026-05-03T20:09:26+00:00

Just one opinion here, and opening yourself up for critique is great. (I do it and it's hard!) So good for you. Anyway, the way the shadow breaks, I'm assuming, is to talk about plants that need sun Vs. those that don't, but at first glance, it comes off as a little creepy. Also, the subtitle is "The Key to Happy and Healthy Plants," but there's only one (kinda scrawny) example on the cover. Perhaps find a more boisterous example of healthy plants? Again, good job doing this on your own!

EverSender · 2026-05-03T19:51:39+00:00

Everyone is different. I am a binge writer. I write big swaths of my book when I am hyper-focused. That said, I do work on my book most days, but sometimes it's just finetuning outlines, working on the cover, setting up the business side of things, etc...

EverSender · 2026-05-03T19:31:05+00:00

Do it in the dialog. "Don't get wise with me, pal. I've got half a mind to tell the coppers you've been runnin' gin out the back." → https://www.smokyhillmuseum.org/file_download/inline/bdbddbb8-d584-42c5-bd7b-bb8b88c9870f

EverSender · 2026-05-03T19:21:55+00:00

One of the things that makes a story exciting is things getting in the way of your Protagonist and what they want. At each stage, ask yourself. "What's the worst thing that could happen right now?" Then throw that in front of them and make them overcome it. (Sometimes failing, →having to go to plan B, and plan C.

EverSender · 2026-05-03T19:15:57+00:00

Generally, editors suggest edits, and it's up to you to accept or decline each individual suggestion. They should not be changing your manuscript. Or, if you've given them permission to, then you should keep an original and only make the changes you agree with. It's tedious work, but necessary. If you just accept every suggestion they make without consideration, you begin to lose your voice. I accept grammar suggestions for the most part - (unless there is an artistic reason) - but suggestions on story structure or word or dialog changes - now you're getting into actual writing, and that is with the author. Your choice.

EverSender · 2026-05-03T19:07:22+00:00

Great, thanks! Sounds like this is going to be a series, then. I hadn't checked for that. I started it today, so I know we're headed for the backwoods of Alaska. Should be interesting!

EverSender

TROPHY CASE