Hey Story Lovers,
I’m sort of obsessed, so I know I’ve mentioned that I’m playing tennis again. I say again, because I played the junior circuit from age 10 to 15. Then I quit. Then I played again in college. Then I quit. After not touching my racket for 25 years, I started hitting casually again in a clinic twice a week. Then, a year ago, I got this nutso idea that maybe I was pretty good at tennis and I started playing competitively on the senior circuit.
Why have I quit so many times? That’s not a hard question. Because tennis is grueling. Tennis requires running for hours, and that’s the easy part. It also requires focus—like you can’t be checking your phone between games and expect to get your serve in. And then there are those women (not all) who cheat and accuse you of cheating and exercise all forms of psychological warfare. If you thought hockey was vicious, you haven’t seen old-lady tennis. The whole experience is agonizing.
So the real question is: Why am I playing again?
Yesterday, I went to our First Draft writing group hosted by Allison Langer and started to write. What I wrote was a dog-poo pile of words, but it was a start and that got me thinking, how will I ever mold that poo pile into a coherent essay? How does any writing go from prompt response to final draft?
Come to the Tips Clinic this Saturday and let’s go through the paces.
TIPS CLINIC
SATURDAY, February 14, 2026 (Valentine’s Day)
12 to 1 p.m. ET
Zoom
Tips Clinic is $50.
If money is an object, please use this FREE Tips Clinic Zoom link.
All Patreon members, please use the free link.
As always, we have two First Draft weekly writing groups where you write to a prompt and share if you want.
Click here to join Allison Langer Tuesdays 12-1 ET.
Click here to join Margery Berger on Mondays 12-1 ET. The first session is always FREE.
I have a really cool video to share by Men 4 Choice. For decades, reproductive rights activists have kept men on the sidelines. I was/am one of those activists. “Get out of my bush,” was a popular slogan during the Bush years. Catchy right? Now, “Get into my bush,” should be the slogan. Reproductive rights—abortion rights—is everyone’s issue.
Watch this video on how and why Men 4 Choice got started and how and why they’re changing the world for good!
Thanks for reading. Keep Writing!
Love,
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