That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Drama; Next-Up Praise. Why we need to know love & new links!
Substack likes to send me gold stars…
Because That Place You Love has published 43 weeks in a row in the top 6% of publishers.
The acknowledgment reminds me I’ve spent a good chunk of my life not finishing things I started.
It reminds me that most of my childhood schoolwork had notes in red like,
“Nice job. Please finish.”
There are moments when I could say, “Who cares if I show up?”
I mean, really.
Something I’ve noticed over the past three years is that expectations - in general - are low in the broadest sense. We don’t expect things to work the way they’re supposed to or people to do what they said, and like, that’s fine?
Status quo. No consequences.
Passivity en masse is as violent as aggression.
This is the time we need to know LOVE.
Everyone needs some soothing, some praise, to carry on.
Give it out freely.
Round Up on Drama. New Theme: Praise - below!
If you’ve missed a week or you’re starting to feel like you might have a story to contribute, click on a THEME LINK to write 150 - 200 words on:
I always include new posts with unique links in the Round-Up.
4 Contributors weighed in on Drama:
I wrote about theatrical drama in our everyday lives and the drama of distress, when an outburst can be a call for attention amidst a quietly building crisis.
Carole D explores the drama of nature, as witnessed every morning in her garden where the cultivated & the wild each have a colorful story tell if you look for it.
Intact Animal revisits the myriad of dramas that occur in a family over time, and how every member plays the role of victim & victor until there is a peacemaker.
Melissa S admits that “not perceiving things as dramatic if they are anything short of soul destroying” might be extreme and that drama can also be comedy.
Amelia honors the first drama queen in her life, a woman of the “rag trade” who could even turn doctors to putty with her fiery presence & twinkle in the eye.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
If you’re reading this for the first time…
And want to know more about the ZINE’s mission, go to ABOUT or FORUM on the Substack platform or read the introductory post I WAS AN EASY LIAR.
Next Up: PRAISE
I’ve been working on a ‘based on a true story’ screenplay the past few months. It requires extensive research of the period, investigation into a specific sport, and human understanding of how the key people involved changed.
Some days I have a eureka moment and the writing flows. Scenes evolve. The story moves forward. It becomes a film on the page.
Other days, I come out of the ‘cave’ feeling like a fraud. I have no idea what these people might say. I question choices I made about conflict. And conflict (aka drama) is what draws us into a movie.
Stakes. Choices. Consequences.
On Tuesday, I was feeling pretty low after six-hours of research & writing. I just couldn’t see the story.
A good friend, a film editor, called to tell me she read my post about DRAMA. She praised my writing, said it was effortless to read.
Her PRAISE from out of the blue was just enough to remind me I’m on a longer journey. Feeling like a fraud is a station stop every few kilometers along the way.
Where does PRAISE take you?
When was the last or first time someone praised you?
How does it feel to dole out praise? Does praise have to be verbal?
Read & Share on Monday in 150 - 200 words!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle