The Writer's Mailbag: Installment 140

But that’s just the hand we were dealt with, so we make do, right?

Welcome back to the Mailbag. I hope you find an answer to a question that’s been bugging you, or I hope you have something to add to the discussion that will help someone else…that’s what this is all about, community, writers helping writers…so let’s get started!

If you get nothing else from the Mailbag today, I want this message to sink into your brain and your heart . . . what we do matters!

No, there is no question prompting this. I just want you to know . . . what you do matters!

I swear there are days when it feels like civilization is coming unraveled, but then I think back on my sixty-eight years and I realize there has always been turmoil, in this country and abroad, and somehow we have always made it.

And one of the reasons we have survived is because of the Arts. Music, sculpture, paintings, books, poetry, it all soothes our souls when it is most needed. The Arts are a reflection of our advancement as a civilization and as a species, and the Arts are a way that we communicate to each other, soaring above differences in language, differences in religion, and differences in politics.

The Arts are universal, and each of you is a part of that.

So yes, what you do matters!

From Rasma: “Always starting my week off right with your mailbag. Managed to catch it at the beginning of this week. This is nostalgia week for me with my B-day and all. Hope your week is great and inspirational. Oh, yes How does one keep from boring repetition when writing about something that has occurred in their lives? For instance I write about a certain period in my life and then I come up with another post but I feel it is necessary to remind others of what I wrote about previously.”

Rasma, that question is a first.

It’s an interesting question and I’m not sure there is a quick fix for that. Avoiding repetition in any writing, or any written series, is a matter of awareness, and avoiding boring repletion is a matter of making the language work for you. There are tens-of-thousands of words to use. Avoiding boring repletion seems, to me, to be a matter of putting your skills to work.

Give me a writing prompt, give me 24 hours, and I can write five different stories about that same prompt. You can do the same using the same personal experiences. Challenge yourself to find a new way of sharing those experiences with us.

From Honey: “So now this has me wondering, "Does it count (show up as a view) if we click on one of our own hubs under our section where we edit hubs? It doesn't appear to me that that way adds to the total views but the above answer has me confused. I'm thinking maybe it only shows up as a view if you go into it through your profile page or of course google it and click on it that way.”

Honey, I asked and no, editing does not count as a view. It only counts if you open the article through your profile page or during an online search.

That was too easy! LOL

From Pete: “I’m thinking of entering a fiction contest. I did an online search and suddenly I was faced with so many contests my head was spinning. How do I know which are legitimate and which are not?”

Another new question…I love it!

I would suggest you go with the established contests, Pete. “Writers Digest” always has contests going on. “The Writer” does as well. “Fanstory” is reliable, and I’m sure people who read this will comment about contests they have entered. Stick with contests offered by legitimate sources like the ones I mentioned and you’ll be fine.

AND THAT’S ALL WE HAVE

This will go down in history as the smallest Mailbag we have had. I’m all for breaking records, but let’s not make this a habit, okay? You can ask questions in the comment section below, or email me at holland1145@yahoo.com.

2017 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”