Dear Writers, Readers & Friends,

My dad loved Kenny Rogers. “The Gambler” album (yes, before it was vintage to have a record player!) frequently took a turn in the musical repertoire our house. I always loved story-songs (Elvis singing “Old Shep” was the very first one I heard, and I still cry like crazy when I hear it — it was his dog!!), and “The Gambler” was a close second. The songs became lodged in my heart. I would picture the lonely gambler on the train, dying, and it would make me sad. I would hear the whistle. The wheels on the tracks. I’d see the whiskey bottle, empty now, falling to the floor. I would tear up mostly because my dad was dying and I still thought I could somehow pre-process that grieving. But all these years later, the song still tugs at me. And as hokey as it may be, there is indeed some truth in knowing “when to fold ‘em.”

It is in that spirit, that I am folding my weekly blog into my monthly newsletter. I will still post here with awesome news or other things that seem important for you as writers, but I need to consolidate my efforts so I can be as helpful and productive as possible. My newsletter format will now be a little bit longer. I’m going to include a novel recommendation, a longer “letter” to subscribers, an additional writing prompt and other video and blog links that I think might be of interest to you. I don’t want to waste your time.

As some of you may know, I have sold another book to Shambhala, and I have a deadline to finish it up smack dab in the middle of the academic year, so I need to be a responsible steward of my time. I feel like I can provide more value to you with fewer postings.

I’ve kept this blog weekly for almost 5 years. I have enjoyed the writing practice of it and enjoyed connecting with you. I will be setting up a Fierce Monkey Tribe blog when I have more content built up and ready for you. I’m not going away. Fierce Monkey Tribe is not even close to going away. I’m just getting started with that.

You can find me on Facebook as me, Facebook as Fierce Monkey, and Twitter as me @laraineherring, and Twitter as Fierce Monkey @monkey_bytes.

I do hope you’ll join me over at the newsletter. It’s free. I don’t spam. You’ll get a download of the Fierce Monkey-festo and a 30 minute mp3: Meeting Your Inner Writer meditation that I created. The newsletter also goes to my Facebook and Twitter feeds if e-mail doesn’t do it for you.

Thank you for walking this far with me. I hope you’ll keep coming along with me. Know that I always wish you well, and that I believe in your writing. The writer’s life is a life well worth living.

Stay in touch.

Love,

Laraine

 

Fierce Monkey Byte of the week: Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days, nothing else matters. – Neil Gaiman

Fierce Monkey Tribe’s first on-demand course is now available! 

49 Days to a Fierce Writing Life for $49.

This course provides you with concrete tools and techniques for navigating the fertile and fallow times in a writer’s life. Lessons are delivered to your in-box over the 49 day period. Click for more details!

Mark your calendar for my annual Writing Warrior retreat at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Jan 2-4, 2015!

Please subscribe to my monthly Fierce Monkey Bytes newsletter for real-world tips for real writers. Be the first to know about upcoming books and contests, courses and conference calls and cool free things including some free webinars and conference calls! I’ll also talk about the writing craft, the publishing industry, and cool books I’ve found. Subscription is free and comes with a free 30-minute mp3: Meeting Your Inner Writer,and a printable Fierce Monkey-festo for your workspace! Because your writing is more than just marks on a page. It’s how you move the world.

Daily Om 8 week on-line course: Cultivate A Strong Writing Practice

This 8-week course provides guided meditations and practices to help you cultivate a sustainable writing practice. The course is available when you are! You choose the price you want to pay: $1 – $100 for all 8 lessons. Daily Om’s courses are all available on a pay-what-you-feel-is-appropriate scale.

The post Know When to Fold ‘Em appeared first on Laraine Herring.