Remember, This Is Supposed to Be Fun

Where Fleur writes a silly flamingo story and says goodbye to her Floof.

It was a rough week here at Casa Fleur. First off, it was super-duper winter cold (I will save you my complaints about the weather) and then my best friend Floof decided to run across the rainbow bridge on Wednesday, coincidentally also the coldest day of the week. To say I am crushed would be an understatement.

You have all been so kind on social media and offline, and I will not bring down your day with a sad post. Needless to say, she was loved.

My Floof

Right in the middle of all that, my good friend (and amazing author) Jennifer Chambliss Bertman nudged me to write a story for her Substack newsletter, which has a Writing Prompt Wednesday. Now, I am not much for writing prompts. I usually have a ton of other More Important Things on my to-do list. Who has time for something as silly as a writing prompt?

But because of my sadness, I grabbed onto this nudge like a life raft. I wrote a silly story about flamingos on an elevator.

You’ll be able to read it in her (Substack) newsletter on Wednesday. Subscribe and join the fun.

It took me just forty-five minutes to write this story, another ten minutes to polish it, maybe. Less than an hour—about as long as a TV episode, or maybe a movie if you count snack breaks. It’s not like we can’t spare that kind of time (see my What I’m Watching update below; I’m on season 3 of This Is Us).

A random flamingo picture. I’ll let you use your imagination as far as a bunch of them, on an elevator.

With this story, I was reminded that writing is FUN. Especially when you just take the baton (or in this case, the prompt) and run with it. It’s easy to forget, amid manuscript edits and novel-length projects, that this writing thing is supposed to be just that: FUN.

(I mean, if you’re here for the money, I’d suggest a more lucrative career. Accounting, or politics perhaps. I hear running for office requires no experience at all now.)

I was very sad because I lost my bestie, but these days have been hard for everyone because the world feels like a loud and inhospitable place right now.

Take my advice and write something silly. Make art. The joy and rainbow colors of that are sorely needed out there in the world.

Without a Floof in it, especially.

Consider me converted to the magic of the writing prompt. Thank you, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

What I’m Writing

Well, aside from a flamingos on an elevator sidebar, I’m editing that writing craft book, Writing MG and YA Mysteries, and it’s coming along. Just to have some (more) fun, I’m also writing a short story that is a fun blend between crime and speculative; I have no idea where I’ll send it for publication, but I like it. Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind. It’s been fun to write something new that has no plan.

What I’m Reading

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara, and it is quite brilliant. Aimed at middle-aged (or older) ladies obviously, but I hope it reaches a readership beyond that. Give it a shot if you find yourself at a bookstore or library. Out next week.

What I’m Watching

Nobody warned me… Okay, maybe I was kinda warned about the tissue boxes it might take to watch This Is Us. Crickey…

New goal: I want to cry as beautifully as Sterling K. Brown. It won’t happen, but it’s good to have goals. Coincidentally, he’s also in the new show Paradise—highly recommend that one.

Where to Find Me

Quite frankly, I’m happy to spend a February week in San Diego, visiting my oldest daughter. But virtually, I will be on a panel for Sisters in Crime, on Middle-Grade mysteries. Come join us!

A Last Floof

Alas, this brings an end to my Floof updates… She was a legend.

Thank you for all your kindness to this catlady. I’d like to think she’s floofin’ it up with all of our lost best friends over that rainbow bridge…