Linda / Lyndi

When everything shut down back in March, one of of my first thoughts was: Now I have time to write!

But somehow, things didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. I spent the first month of the “safer at home” period basically on staycation, reading, watching TV and researching my family history. The writing has been only sporadic, and I know I’m not the only author who has been affected this way.

That’s why I’m so looking forward to this month’s OCC/RWA Online Class.

Here’s Allie’s video invitation to the class:

How to Write When It All Goes Wrong
Oct. 12 – Nov. 8, 2020
with Allie Pleiter

About the Class:

Is your muse yelling “SOS”? How do you keep the words pouring onto the page when your real life feels like it’s under attack? Every writer knows how stress and personal crises can strangle your creativity. Help is on the way in this online class with multi-published author Allie Pleiter. You’ll learn:

◦ Writer-specific tactics to get you through the thick of your crisis
◦ Ways to keep the words flowing
◦ Smart communication with colleagues and collaborators
◦ How to use your circumstances in your writing

As the author of over 30 books and the creator of The Chunky Method of time management for writers, Pleiter has met deadlines in the midst of some imposing traumas. With candor, insight, and the wisdom of experience, she shares practical and inventive strategies for how to stay afloat and creative amid life’s stormiest seas.

Comments from attendees:

“I found Allie’s explanations and insights to be very helpful.”

“Thanks to Allie, I’m realizing I don’t have to “shut down” creativity during a crisis. There are a lot of options to working with creativity, rather than against it, during times of duress.”

About the Instructor:

An avid knitter, coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four novels at a time. The bestselling author of over fifty books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-year career with over 1.5 million books sold. In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management for writers.

Visit her website at http://www.alliepleiter.com to learn more.

Fees are $20 for OCC/RWA members; $30 for non-members; $10 for OCC/RWA volunteers.

Note: OCC/RWA members who paid $55 for dues and wish to claim their free online class should email treasurer@occrwa.org.

Hope to see you in class!

Linda McLaughlin

Labor Day is a holiday that doesn’t seem to have much point any more beyond BBQ and a long weekend, but there is a reason for the holiday. Begun in 1894, Labor Day was intended to celebrate the labor union movement, which started in the 19th century and reached its height in the US at mid-20th century.

International Worker’s Day is celebrated worldwide on May 1st, but the date coincided too closely to the May 4, 1886 date of the infamous Haymarket affair in Chicago. Anarchists threw a bomb into the crowd as the police attempted to disperse a peaceful rally in support of labor rights. Seven policemen and at least four civilians were killed in the blast and subsequent gunfire, and dozens of other people were wounded. The Communist embrace of May 1st further discredited it in the minds of the American people. So we have Labor Day in September.

I grew up in a union household. Before her marriage, my mom worked in a factory and joined the union. When she turned 65, she started getting laughably small pension checks from the union. My dad was a lifetime member of the Brotherhood of Teamsters, and his union pension was a godsend in their later years. My nephew has worked construction since finishing high school and the only pension he will get will be from his union.

Sadly, union membership in the private sector has dropped to 6.2% by Jan. 2020 (down from 7% in 2018), and surprise, surprise! wages are stagnant. Cause and effect, people. Large corporations have worked very hard to destroy labor unions, in part by supporting Right to Work (for Less) laws in states all over the country. I’d love to see a resurgence in union membership in this country. There’s a reason why workers in the old days wanted to organize, and some things never change. Only public sector unions remain healthy.

I’ll get off my soapbox now and leave you with a laugh.

Back to the barbie. Happy Labor Day!

Linda

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Author Archives: Linda / Lyndi

How to Write When It All Goes Wrong with Allie Pleiter #onlineclass #writing

Just Another Holiday? Why Labor Day Matters (or Should)