Erika Dreifus

It’s been quite some time since I’ve shared a post about what’s happening in my own writing life. I won’t attempt to recap the past few months, but I will give you a quick overview of of what’s I’ve been up to as the new year 2023 gets going.

• Generating/recording ideas, daily, through Tara Lazar’s (free!) Storystorm endeavor, which encourages writers “to create 30 story ideas in 30 days.” Although the project is oriented toward the kidlit community, I’m including non-kidlit ideas in my ever-growing list.
• Using Jami Attenberg’s (also free!)  “Mini 1000” to fuel a variety of projects (and phases of projects): notes about what I’ve been reading, pitch letters, and more.
• Registering for the 12 x 12 Challenge for picture-book creators (this one, alas, isn’t free).
• Thinking about Ron Charles’s public query regarding “what *really* irritates you in the books you read,” and sending in a few thoughts through the link he provided (yes, I drafted those thoughts as part of a “Mini 1000” installment).
• Breathing a sigh of relief after this week’s initial feedback on a commissioned short story suggested that no, my piece won’t be thrown out from the anthology, and beginning to consider some potential edits.
• Pursuing the possibility of an e-book version of Birthright: Poems.
• Compiling the links that I’ve been sent ahead of hosting the mid-month Jewish Book Carnival, a project of the Association of Jewish Libraries, for January.
• Enrolling in a “Beginner 2” Hebrew-language class that will meet virtually starting next week. (I’ve only taken one “beginner-plus” course, in person and with decidedly mixed results, since my enthusiastic embarkation on my personal [re]learning Hebrew project back in 2017.)
• Working, bit by bit, on the February 2023 newsletter—which will open the newsletter’s 20^th year.
• And, yes, I’m also trying to think about ways to mark this milestone, both when the February issue goes out, and, maybe throughout the publishing year. (Suggestions welcome!)