Published!

In December I decided that I was going to put myself out there a little more and start sending entries to writing contests. So far, I’ve entered one. I found out last week that I’ve been chosen for publication in that contest!

“Writer, Warrior, Royalty: Carrie Fisher” will appear in the Zoetic Press Dearly Beloved Anthology later this year. The anthology focuses on the large number of entertainers, icons and larger than life personalities that passed on in 2016, and how they impacted the lives of people they never met.

The piece being published is in the same vain but significantly different to the piece I wrote about Carrie Fisher a couple of months ago. Fisher remains a hero of mine, and I still find myself thinking about her passing with sadness. It’s strange when someone you’ve never met has such a lasting impact. That’s part of what I tried to get across in the piece I wrote for Dearly Beloved.

I have to say, I’m really excited about this opportunity. I know it’s a small step, but it is a step forward, and I haven’t had too many of those lately. I’m not stopping here, I have a second novel in the works (the first having been completed, ripped apart and eventually put on the shelf for a bit because I’m having trouble on getting from point C to point A- it’s a fantasy chick-lit piece so that is actually an accurate description of the issue). I’d love to get that completed in the next couple of months, but timing is up in the air with everything else going on. There are several short story and essay contests I have my eye on as well. Those may be a little more doable with the time I have available, so I’m starting to put some ideas together for those.

I’ll share publication dates and additional information as it becomes available. Until then, there are more stories waiting to be told. On to the next…

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Tell Me a Story Tuesday: Waiting Room Edition

woman-865111_960_720 I haven’t done a Tell Me a Story Tuesday for a while, so I thought it was time. For those of you who don’t know how this works, I tell you a little story and then ask you to tell one too. There are, of course, a few rules, but for the most part, you’re free to do your thing.

No one likes to sit in waiting rooms, well maybe more correctly, no one likes to wait. You do meet some interesting people and see some interesting things when you’re waiting. I think the level of interesting depends on where you’re waiting. For example, the ER waiting room can show you the best and worse of humanity. A doctor’s office or the waiting room at a mechanics bring a different atmosphere and clientele.

At the moment I’m at the car dealership getting a free oil change, sitting in a waiting room. This one is pretty tame. Well except when I looked up a minute ago and saw a car backing up into the waiting room. I get that it’s basically a big space, but you don’t usually glance up and see the taillights of a vehicle while you’re sitting inside. Everyone in the room got quiet and turned and watched it. Then went back to what they were doing.

Okay, that’s not the most exciting story. But as I’m writing this I drew a blank on the other story I had in mind. But my point is, everyone has a story. A kid who were pitching a fit. Someone on the phone who was having a very personal conversation that you really wish you didn’t hear. A couple having a fight or…the opposite…

So it’s your turn. What happened in a waiting room that you’ll never forget? Comment below with your story, or post a link to your own page with a story on it. It can be funny, it can be sad, it doesn’t even have to be real! Come on, tell me a story!

Telling No Tales

woman-41201_960_720 I’ve hit on this before, but sometimes it’s almost impossible to sit down and tell a story. Sometimes the stories are just too difficult to tell. Sometimes life just gets in the way. And you know what? That’s okay.

I mean it’s not okay if you can’t tell stories sometimes because it probably means that you’re so stressed out your brain, body, and soul don’t have the energy to do it. Trust me, that kind of stress is not okay.

Pressing on and trying to force yourself to put thoughts into words can be…painful. Again, trust me, I know. When that happens, when you find yourself in that situation, by all means, step back and take a break. Walk away. It’s okay to give yourself a vacation to clear your head or to take care of whatever it is that’s blocking your way.

Just don’t forget to go back and try again. That’s the part of the crazy trip I’m on at the moment. My brain and my body keep telling me at the end of the day when I would normally write that I just don’t have the energy left to try. I feel worn out and washed up and can’t imagine trying to capture the stories in my head.

writing-933262_1920 But then we lost power during a storm about a week ago. With no phone, no computer to distract me, I say on my bed with a tiny lantern and tried to think of something to occupy my time until I settled enough to sleep like everyone in the house had already managed to do. So I grabbed an old notebook I use to capture bits and pieces of stories, dug out a pen, and took a deep breath.

I pictured a scene in the novel I’m working on and started to write. It started with carefully crafting the letters and words that came from the end of the pen as my brain tried to find what belonged on the page. Within a few minutes, the writing went from neatly printed to cursive as I started to write faster. A few minutes more and the writing became messy, misspelled and incomplete as I tried to force my hand faster and faster to capture it all as it poured from my brain.

It was an awesome feeling to finally have the words coming out again. Until sitting at an odd angle with the lantern got to be too much for my back. Then it was a little painful. Overall, I felt like a weight was lifted off of me.

The good news is, I know the words are still inside me. I know that I can access them. I just needed to look at it from another angle. I’ll be trying to write again soon, but with a lot more light.

New Year, New Look, New Outlook

As my intelligent and beautiful ones of readers have already noticed, I’ve not only changed the look and feel of my blog, I’ve changed the title too. A Look Through Lorie’s Lens was created when I was working in video, and while video production will always be my first love, it doesn’t reflect me or what I want to do any more.

laptop-820274_960_720 I want to tell stories, my own and other people’s. So, We’re All Just Stories in the End was born from what was on editing room floor. (Bonus points to anyone WHO knows where I got the title from.) With the change in title comes a change in perspective.

We’re All Just Stories in the End is going to focus on telling stories. I’m going to look at how business and individuals can use stories in their marketing to grow their reach and their profit. I’ll be talking about how different mediums can help tell stories. Of course, I’m also going to talk about telling my stories.

Regulars readers will also notice that I’ve added a page with samples of some of my writing. This is all part of my plan to continue to work as a freelancer to help people tell their stories. If you’d like to talk to me about your story, and what I can do to assist, just drop me a message here.

I’m really excited about the opportunities that lay ahead in 2017. I hope you’ll join me.

Sometime the Story Just Won’t Be Told

I’ve talked a lot about telling stories. About how important it is to tell your story, because no one else can. But, something I haven’t really discussed are the stories that can’t, or won’t be told.

Some stories just won’t be told.

I’m not really talking about stories you can’t tell for legal or moral reasons. Really, those are kind of self explanatory. I’m talking about the stories you can’t tell because…well you just can’t. Maybe they’re too personal. Or too emotional. Maybe you don’t even know where to begin. Maybe even the thought of putting words down just makes you anxious. Well, I’m here to tell you, that’s OK too.

Right now I’m in one of those places. There is so much going on, so much happening (and none of good if I’m going to be totally honest) that I can’t get the words out. My usual approach to stress is to write about it, but right now I can’t.

I can’t write. I can’t talk. All of it just swirls around in my head and I can’t really grasp a single thought that I can use to start with. Normally I can put something down about what’s going on and impart some positive wisdom at the end. The light at the end of the tunnel.

But not now. Not yet. Maybe never.

Maybe one day I’ll find the words. Maybe one day the story will want to be told. Maybe I’ll find the happy ending and I can turn it all around. Today is not that day.

And you know what, I think that might be alright. Maybe some stories are just not meant to be told. Some stories are so personal, so overwhelming, so…big that they just can’t be told.

SO, today’s advice on storytelling: if you have a story that just won’t be told, a story that you just can’t tell, give it time. Give it space. Today may not be the day to tell that story. Don’t give up though, there are lots of stories out there waiting to be told. So hang on, grab the next one and don’t let go.

Tell Me A Story Tuesday – Back to School 2016 Edition!

It’s that time again in our neck of the woods – Back To School! Now, I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not a huge fan of school starting. For us the world gets even more crazy once the school doors open, and when you add that to the fact that my oldest is a high school senior this year…well this fall becomes even more meaningful. I thought I would celebrate with Tell Me A Story Tuesday! mobli_img_2013-08-28_04.59.35

For my new followers Tell Me A Story Tuesday is pretty much what it says on the tin. Sometimes I’ll tell you a story, but I always ask you to tell ME a story. There are some ground rules to be mindful of, but other than that, go for it.

I’ll get the ball rolling with a very short story…

Our daughters were born six years apart. That’s not the way it was planned (we wanted them about four years apart) , but that’s the way it happened. Despite the age difference they are very close, annoyingly so sometimes. My oldest was so excited to be a big sister and help take care of her that we never had any real issues with sibling rivalry, sure there were some bumps, but no one tried to sell anyone or hide them or anything. Their closeness has come in handy on days like the first day of school.

My youngest was very excited to start school. She’s very smart and learns quickly, so she was happy to be doing something other than workbooks and library dates with Dad. There were no real tears her first day of school, lots of excited chatter but no tears (not on her end at least). We lived closed enough to the school to walk, so we skipped the whole way there (well some of us skipped, some of us drug our feet because WE were not ready for this) and didn’t really hesitate at the door.

Kindergarten students were allowed to have their parents walk them to class the first day. But that’s not what we did. Big Sister had promised to get Little Sister safely delivered to class, and to check the place out and make sure she felt it was safe. So we stopped in the lobby and watched our girls walk hand-in-hand down the hall to a new adventure.

So now it’s your turn. Use the comments section below to tell me a story. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be good. Just tell me something that happened to you at the beginning of the school year. Don’t forget to follow the rules. Class is back in session – I can’t wait to hear about it!

4 Ideas to Make Storytelling Easier

I’ve gotten some questions recently about storytelling, and I thought I wold share some of the discussion with everyone. First, let me clarify what I mean about storytelling.

Tips for telling your story

To me, storytelling can be anytime you’re telling people something. That could be in the traditional sense like a novel or autobiography, or in a marketing sense like a marketing or social media campaign. Instructional design, script writing and video production as well as content development can all fall under storytelling – you’re trying to share information or persuade someone by telling someone something. I look at all these things as storytelling because it puts you more in the mind of getting your information out in a creative and/or interesting way that is more likely to hold interest and make an impact.

With that out of the way, let’s look at 4 ideas (and a bonus tip) that will hopefully make storytelling easier for you.

Who cares? I know, everyone should care about what you have to say. Unfortunately, that’s not actually true. So ask yourself, who am I telling this story to? Who is going to care from the first word, and who do I want to make care? Spend a few minutes thinking about the audience the piece is for and what you want them to take away from the story your telling.
These guys might care….

I know that’s the first step in any kind of writing, but too often I see people trying to tell a story, market something or teach something taking a shotgun approach – spreading the information as thin as you can to try to reach as many people as possible. The majority of the time that only makes the story boring and too diluted to have the impact you want.
Watch your language. It’s no secret that when people write for business they write more formally, it’s what we’ve all been taught. But, that’s not always the best option. You need to look at the audience and the story you’re telling. If you’re talking about profit and loss margins something more formal is probably the best choice. If you’re talking about a client’s theme park or telling people about the time you were having such a run of bad luck that your left shoe fell down a sewer grate and you never saw it again, you probably want to be a little more informal.
What do I mean by informal? Using contractions for one. A lot of people seem to have issues using contractions in their writing, and that quickly makes everything more formal. Word choice is important too! Using slang can also be a big help in making what you’re writing more approachable. If your writing a young adult (YA) romance novel and say, “Would you like to go spend time at the local shopping complex?” versus, “Do you want to go hang out at the mall?” your reader is going to feel like they’re reading a text book – and chances are if they’re reading a YA romance novel they probably get enough of text books in their daily lives and won’t give your novel the time of day.
Let your Medium guide you. I’m not talking about Madam Elaine, Psychic to the
Let your medium Guide you!

Masses, I’m talking about the medium you’re using to tell the story. Are you telling your story verbally or in writing? Are you doing a slide show presentation or blog post? Consider the length of time or space you have to tell the story. Shorten or expand as necessary.
Say it out loud! One of the easiest and fastest ways to check on how your story sounds is to read it out loud to yourself. Listen to how it sounds. Does it sound too formal? Not formal enough? Is there a sentence that’s hard to understand when you hear it? Is it something that is easy to understand and hit the notes you’re looking to hit? The answers to questions like these will tell you a lot about the writing style you used for the piece (or your writing style in general) and the how others will hear it – even when they read to themselves most of your audience will be hearing their voice saying the words so in a way they are hearing it out loud.
Bonus TIP! Reverse it! If you’re worried that your writing style or speaking style is too formal and you want to work on that, start verbally rather than in writing. This especially works well if you’re telling your life stories. Record yourself telling the story verbally before you start to write. Listen to it carefully. What do you notice about how you tell the story? Is your word choice different than when you write? Are your sentences shorter? Do you use a storytelling voice that is warm and approachable? Keep these things in mind when you start to write and see the difference it can make in the final product!

I would love to hear from you! Drop me a note and let me know what you think of the post and what tips or ideas you have to make storytelling easier!

Did I Ever Tell You About the Time….I Was A Giant Pickle

Working in small market television is a strange and wonderful experience filled with weird and amazing things that most people may be surprised to hear about. The flutter of phone calls reporting first robin sighting each spring…the UFO sightings around the full moon (I kid you not)…I will gladly be sharing some of these stories as we go along. But first, as promised……Did I ever tell you about the time I was a giant pickle?

Sitting in the convertible was a challenge. It pushed the air holes to the top of my head making it hard to breathe.

I was working at WWCP-FOX 8 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania when I found about the chance to become a pickle mascot. It wasn’t my grand plan or something, the opportunity presented itself and I seized the gherkin. I started full-time in Production Department during my last semester in college and worked my way up from Technical Director to Promotions Producer. It was a fancy way of saying I worked the 4AM to 1 PM (but usually it was when I could finally get out of there for the day) doing morning news cut-ins and any promos (the commercials for TV shows) or promotional videos that needed edited or produced. I took promo feeds and checked faxes for changes to schedules, helped come up with ideas for local campaigns, etc.

It was on one of the national feeds for a Fox Sports Kids’ show we aired called In The Zone (followed by a fax a few days later) that I saw about a marketing campaign they were going to try to create a new mascot call the In the Zone In A Pickle Pickle. They were only going to let 20 or 25 affiliates have the first test mascots so we had to act fast if we were going to get in on the ground floor of this thing. Our Promotions Director wasn’t too sure about it, especially when she realized that the only employee at the station that met the 5′ to 5’4″ requirement was me. Having only one person who fit in the costume could limit the number appearances and would prevent me from getting a break when we were out places. Thankfully I was volunteering with some very willing (i.e. gullible) high school students who just turned 18 and volunteered to be Jr. Pickle People! We faxed off the form and were selected as a test market.

Our Pickle debut was at Mascot Night for the (now defunct) local pro baseball team, the Johnstown Johnnies (whose own mascot was a giant baseball head…thing…think sort of the Headless Horseman only in a baseball uniform and with a giant baseball with a head instead of a pumpkin)***. It was in the 80’s and about 70% humidity. Perfect night to be wearing a felt and foam suit with Lycra pants. I was joined by the star of the evening, the Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot, who turned to be out a really cool guy, as well as the walking teddy from a local hospital and a couple of other regional mascots.

Free Rides for pickles

Since our station was one of the sponsors I got to ride around the track in a white convertible driven by Chris, my official “Pickle Wrangler” and body-guard for the night. I thought I might get to cool off, but when I sat down it pushed the air vents over my head and I almost passed out. On the plus side both the Pittsburgh Parrot and I got to throw out the first pitch. Between the giant three finger felt gloves and the fact that I couldn’t move my arms all that well and when I moved my arms past my shoulders I couldn’t see out the eye holes anymore (and lost sight of the catcher) let’s just say the ball did not reach the plate and leave it at that.

We had big introductions of all the mascots between the 1st and 2nd innings so we had to wait under the home dugout for our big moment. The Parrot was on stilts, like you do for special occasions, leaning over the top of the vending machine. I was dressed as a giant pickle and was leaning against the wall. The Giant Baseball Head Guy kept pour drinks down through the gaping hole in his mouth. The life-size Teddy Bear was leaning against the other wall. We were talking about 401(k) versus IRA investments…with the large talking bird giving some really great advice when the “Pickle Wranger” burst out laughing and doubled over. “This is the strangest conversation I have been a part of in my entire life.” The four of us looked around and shrugged. The Parrot saying that this was one of the more normal things he’s done.

The Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot tried to give me a hug but I ended up falling over. You can see him trying to escape the kids rushing to help the “Green M&M” back up.

I actually had a great time with the Parrot. We got along great and interacted with each other in the stands. He came over to give me a hug at one point and neither one of us realized how top heavy my costume was. Until I lost my balance. I heard him say. “Just relax, I’ll put you down.” I knew I was well padded so I just went with it and the next thing I knew I was looking at the sky. A bunch of kids had surrounded us by that time and started yelling at the poor guy for tackling the green M&M. Then the kids tried to help me up, yeah that didn’t go well. Pickle Wrangler Chris to the rescue.

The big problem with the costume was that it didn’t necessarily look like a pickle. It was big. It was green. It was bumpy. Most the bumps were covered by the baseball jersey. And the stem at the top didn’t look all that stem like. Most people really did think I was a giant green M&M, peanut to be specific. I was also called a jelly bean. And a pepper. No one guessed pickle.

The pickle wasn’t as scary as some of the other mascots (I’m looking at you Big Baseball Head Guy!) and since most people thought he was candy he was pretty well accepted. Well by everyone but my niece who decided The Pickle was the Spawn of Satan. But The Pickle could not be denied and she warmed up to him.

Only my niece seemed convinced that The Pickle was evil.

Pickle Mascot and child waving at camera

The Pickle wins hearts and minds of small children

I think I lost close to 10 pounds by the time the night was over. When I finally took a break out of the costume and slipped into the stands somewhere in the 6th or 7th inning the Parrot spotted me and attacked my husband and I with a super soaker. When we were in the dressing room talking I mentioned that I had recently gotten married and he said he wife came with him, so after he soaked us he went and sprayed a woman who looked like she was going to kill him and then pointed at himself. I gave him a thumbs up and told my husband it must be the Parrots wife. Again…strange conversations you don’t expect to have at the ball park.

I doubt my husband saw this coming we got married a few months earlier.

The Jr Pickles took over most pickle duties and I was the wrangler after that. We did a blood drive or two. But the whole In the Zone In A Pickle test period was really only about six weeks, so we didn’t get to do all that much. By the next summer I wasn’t at the station any more and I never heard another word about The Pickle.

***I’ve searched for a picture of the Johnnies mascot but couldn’t find one. If anyone out there has a picture, or a link to one, I would LOVE to include it. Please share it in the comments section below!! Thanks!

I’d also love to hear from anyone who was ever a Pickle or involved in the project! Leave a message below!

Seeing that this week is San Diego Comic-Con, and I took my girls to their first con a few weeks ago, I’ve got cons on the brain. Did I ever tell you about my con experiences? Tune in next time!

Did I Ever Tell You About…How I Got My L.E.G.S.?

Welcome to my first Did I Ever Tell You About…story! This one answers a question some of you may have about something you may have noticed…

I was born Lorie Elaine Gindlesperger. A little long and a lot of letters, especially when you’re in grade school, so I used my initials on the second page of tests and homework. When I got to 4th Grade a clever teacher (or at least a teacher who thought he was clever), started adding an ” ‘s ” to my initials and calling me L.E.G.’s. He would even sing a line from the popular ZZ Top song proclaiming I had legs and I apparently knew how to use them.

I’m L.E.G.S.

Now, my parents said that they never realized that my initials spelled LEG. They liked my first name and my middle name was chosen as an agreement with my older brother (another story for another time). Regardless, by the end of 4th grade I was dubbed LEG’s and I embraced it. I used LEG’s all through high school and college to sign messages and notes. I wrote it on things that belonged to me. People started using it a nickname. I even decided that I wanted my own LEG’s production company, complete with a leggy logo.

L.E.G.’s became my alter ego. It was cute. It was fun. L.E.G.’s was a little more edgy, took more risks and was a lot more fun than I felt more days. Then I met my husband.

At the end of our second date he looked at me and said, “You know this is meant to be don’t you?”

“Oh reeeaaaaallllllly,” I said skeptically.

“Yes. Because you’ll finally have your ‘S’.”

16 months later I did in fact get my ‘S’. When I tell this story my husband likes to say it’s why I married him….well it didn’t hurt.

It’s because of that pesky ” ‘s ” that turned into a “S.” that I use Lorie E.G. Singer as my professional name. It’s a nod to who I was, who I am, and who I want to be.

And that my friends, is how I got my L.E.G.S.!

Do you have a clever or unique nickname? Share the story in comments below!

A Bigger Reboot than I Planned

In my last post I mentioned that I was planning on rebooting my blog and my approach to things. It turns out that I’m rebooting more than I planned. I lost my job earlier this month and I’m in a position to make bigger decisions than I originally planned as far as what I want to do with the next part of my life.

It’s scary and exciting and overwhelming and thrilling. I am blessed to have an amazing family that supports me and is willing to following me anywhere. I am honored to have friends to come to the aid with leads for jobs and freelance work to keep us afloat. I am fortunate to live in a country where women are able to do anything and be anything. Being without a job is awful, but all things considered I’m feeling pretty fortunate.

As of today I’m a freelance storyteller! Have a story you need tell? I’d be happy to help you do it! I’ll be adding more information in the coming days on the kinds of things I can do to help get your message out to the people who need to hear it.

Please keep me in mind if you need any help and wish me luck!

We're All Just Stories in the End

Read, Write, Repeat

Stories