Are you wasting your holidays?
so many good ones just sitting there
“Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive ―Anne Lamott
Hi Writer!
Are you ready to celebrate the big holiday this weekend? I’m speaking, of course, about “July 6th Park”, the day on which we celebrate all things Jurassic Park.
Suck it, May the 4th.
I’ll be honest, that new Jurassic World movie looks abysmal, but knowing I could see it as part of a HOLIDAY, makes me at least 30% more likely to see it.
We writers don’t take enough advantage of holidays.
Think of all the mid properties you’ve engaged with double-digit times in your life merely because they were connected with a holiday – Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving, Katy Perry’s Firecracker, some of us have even watched HOP more than once. Do you think anyone would still be recording Jingle Bells in 2025 if it hadn’t gotten mixed up with Christmas celebrations along the way? Doubtful.
My challenge to you this weekend is to write something so inextricably tied to a holiday that people will pull their print copy out and read it to each other every year. It doesn’t have to be one of the “big” holidays either – Christmas wasn’t Christmas until Charles Dickens Carol-ed it up. Then he got to spend the rest of his life traveling around reading it to people. And Happy Birthday gets sung year round.
I think July 4th could use a stirring novella, or at least a short story. Give it a couple ghosts and a grim message. Maybe set it in Alaska where it doesn’t get dark until 11:30pm and then is light again before 5am.
Or go the O. Henry route – just picture it, a young couple at a barbecue, he trades his hotdog to give her a bun, she gives away her mustard to get him some ketchup. The sky bursts into beautiful colors above their heads. It practically writes itself.
Just send me a cut of the film rights.
This Week I’m Enjoying:
Reading: I really enjoyed this article about the composer Erik Satie, who I’ve only known as composer of that song that’s usually played under a poem or meditation (which turns out to be called Gymnopédie No. 1 -- trust me, you’d recognize it). Apparently he was quite a character. My favorite anecdote from the piece was about the music/art installation he composed music for, then got upset when visitors stopped to listen to the music rather than ignore it as was intended. “ Satie shouted at them: ‘Talk, for heaven’s sake! Move around! Don’t listen!’
Sidenote: I love the inventive formatting The New York Times incorporates into their articles. I know lots of people still loving reading a physical newspaper, but I appreciate that NYT doesn’t limit its digital edition to what the print version is capable of. Being able to listen to the music the writer is describing elevates the whole experience. Many, many magazines need to learn from this.
Watching: Greg was away for the weekend, so I’m all caught up on Just Like That. This is probably the best season so far, even though Carrie is more of a villain than ever.
Listening to: My Just Like That experience was 200% improved by the Guilty Feminist recaps. https://guiltyfeminist.com/episodes/ Their rewrite advice is always on point.
Class News & Updates:
NEW! Friday Writing Sprints. Join me at noon on Friday, July 11 (and every other week) for a free writing sprint. We’ll spend a few minutes chatting, then dive in for 45 minutes of silent writing time together. Bring your own projects, or start something new with one of my suggested prompts. There’s no homework assignment or obligatory sharing, just time to write and a little community. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2FDxMVpQS8GrOq2TNoTCrQ
Jumpstart Your Writing. 6 Tuesdays from 6-9pm at Grub Street, Boston Seaport. Begins July 22. Whether you've never written creatively before or you're a more experienced writer looking for a recharge, your mission in this course is simple: start off 2025 by devoting three hours of your week to writing. Through a series of engaging writing exercises, we will mine our experiences and imagination for material and bring what we find to life on the page, constructing characters and settings, shaping vivid dialogue, choosing point of view, and exploring the nuances of structure. We will discuss the process of writing and the strengths and weaknesses of the work we produce in class. With an eye on craft and an openness to inspiration, we will read and discuss short pieces (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry) by a variety of writers. ($395/$380 Grub members) Registration and more info at https://grubstreet.org/workshop/jumpstart-your-writing-in-2025-shoen-su25-2
Find me at the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. July 31 – August 3 in Hyannis, MA. This will be my first year at the CCWC and I’m delighted to teach a 3-day Beginner Writers course, and a 2-day Flash Fiction course. Registration and more info at: https://capecodwriterscenter.org/the-2025-cape-cod-writers-center-conference-july-31-august-3/
Arlington writers – Update on fall classes – my 6 week Flash Fiction class is now expected to run Thursdays from September 18. More info coming soon.
Grub Writers – this fall at Grub I’ll be teaching 6 Weeks, 6 Stories and two sections of Jumpstart your Writing. Get a sneak peek at the schedule on my website https://www.kayleighshoen.com/classes. I’ll share more info in the newsletter once it’s up on Grub’s site.
Until next week, Happy Writing!
Kayleigh
P.S. thank you to Greg for walking Honey so I could finish this newsletter while it’s still the 4th and my holiday misdirect makes sense.
FYI: book links in this newsletter go to my affiliate page on Bookshop.org. Purchases made via my link earn me a nominal commission, as well as contributing to bookshop’s fund for independent bookshops. The price you pay is the normal Bookshop.org price. Visit my Bookshop storefront and see my recommendation lists at https://bookshop.org/shop/KayleighsBookshelf