November 5, 2021

Dear Friends and Family, Students, Readers and other Sentient Beings,

At last, November rains have come to green our parched hillsides. The fires are out. In the mornings, geese fly overhead half obscured by mist. How big they are, their heavy bodies. How sure of themselves they seem. They give me courage. We’re still here, I hear in their haunting calls. Each sighting seems a little miracle.

And I'm starting to see old friends, in twos and threes -- though vaccinated, we're tentative as deer. Do you hug? Bump fists? Mask / no mask? It's awkward and surreal, and I'm enjoying the moment in all its weirdness. We’re still here.

Like most of you, I’ve become a denizen of the nowhere and everywhere landscape of the Zoom universe. I've been teaching online through the Community of Writers, learning how to craft a class that will energize the participants instead of drain them, and have landed on the weekend intensive as the perfect marriage of form and content. So far I've taught 'Writing from the Senses' -- the irony of teaching people to be in the body virtually did not escape us, but how we needed that message right now-- 'The Art of the Sentence,' and 'Scene and Story.' People seem more at home and comfortable in their little squares than they ever did in big lecture halls, and I like that there's no hierarchy, no front row vs 'back-of-the-classroom.'

But it's a new world and you learn to be cognizant of physical limitation. There's only so long anyone can sit and look at a screen before their minds go to static, test pattern. Devising an online experience is a lot like writing a book--you're always learning, crafting something unexpected, necessary, while keeping the reader fresh.

Luckily, Brett Hall Jones at the Community of Writers takes community very seriously, and has found ways to help people connect, unwind together, have a human moment as well as working on writing. I too have needed the community. I've also been grateful for the 'tech elves' who handle the computer challenges as they arise. I feel utterly cared-for when I teach for them.

On the weekend of Dec. 3-5 I’ll be offering my next intensive: “Dialogue for Fiction Writers,” in which we’ll explore aspects of writing dialogue for the page, including compression, gesture, the Million Dollar Line, incorporating landscape, and examining the special challenges of the multi-character dialogue scene. There’s an Early Bird discount until November 15. More info at www.communityofwriters.org.

Detail from *Sloth,* collage by Allison Strauss

Movie news is always fun. The film adaptation of my noir short story “The Method” is finally set to shoot. Filmmakers Jace Anderson and Adam Gierasch have been working for several years to pull the parts of this together. The pandemic came just as they were preparing to shoot in spring of 2019. But now, casting is almost complete, and they're set to shoot next month.

"The Method" appeared in Akashic’s Los Angeles Noir. (It’s been a noir year in general; my revenge story “Sunrise” appears in this year’s Palm Springs Noir.)

I continued to tape my “Writing Wednesdays” writing tip videos throughout the pandemic-- a sort of fireside chat for emerging writers which I host live at noon every Wednesday (Pacific) on my Facebook Author Page. Although it was hard continuing to work in all that uncertainty, the regularity of Writing Wednesday was a definite port in the storm. Now, as I entertain the possibility of ditching Facebook eventually, I'm posting the videos to a new YouTube channel, Janet Fitch’s Writing Wednesdays. Subscribe, and ring the bell if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts. Many people find YouTube easier to navigate, but I'll continue to do the show live on Facebook for the time being. I love seeing your questions in real time.

Another constant during the lockdown has been poet Peggy Dobreer's meditation/writing-prompt sessions on Zoom that she calls "Slow Lightning." Every weekday morning from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m PST -Peggy hosts a guided visualization, a bit of silent meditation, then a writing prompt and share. It's open to the public (she started before Inauguration when we were all ready to jump out of our skins) and I'm finding it very helpful in organizing my energies for the day. Plus, I'm writing poetry! If you're interested in trying "Slow Lightning," contact Peggy at adhocink@yahoo.com.

One thing that has not changed during the pandemic has been reading. Reading massively, joyfully, getting out of this moment, getting more deeply into it. Fiction, poetry, essays. I often review on Goodreads, so if you’re looking for your next good book, check out my reviews there: www.goodreads.com/janetfitch.

Of course, the 104th anniversary of the Russian Revolution will not be celebrated in Russia on Nov. 7th. But if you’re thinking of giving The Revolution of Marina M. or Chimes of a Lost Cathedral for Christmas or Hanukkah, I’m once again offering a hand-painted, personalized bookplate as my gift to you, to thank you for your friendship, encouragement and support. Just email me your postal address and the name of the recipient and I will send you a bookplate you can mount in their copy.

It has been an artistic year for everybody at our house. My daughter, collage artist Allison Strauss, was artist in residence at Altadena’s fabulous Secret Land residency in October. You can follow her on Instagram at @allisonstraussart and see what she created there. And my husband, comedy writer Andrew Nicholls, published a hilarious and insightful craft book entitled Comedy Writer: Craft Advice from a Veteran of Sitcoms, Sketch, Animation, Late Night, Print and Stage. Budding comedy writers on your Christmas list? Search no further.

Thank you for reading. I wish you healthy, safe and happy holidays, good writing if that is your predilection, and always good reading. We're still here.

With love,

Janet

November Thoughts 2021