$GME: GameStop and That Week the Stock Market Went Bananas

$GME: GameStop and That Week the Stock Market Went Bananas

For four weeks spanning January and February of 2021 (and really two bonkers weeks from the 26th to the 4th), something interesting happened that hasn’t really ever happened in the Social Media Age (that’s what I’m calling the time post-2008). A retail business’s stock went from an average of about $15-20 per share to $347.51 per share in a matter of days. Stock prices soring and falling isn’t anything new. But what is new is the method in which this stock increased, and how it captured its own moment in the cultural zeitgeist.

But before we start, let’s get a few things out of the way…

NaNoWriMo2020

It’s been a while since I updated my website or wrote in my blog. Needless to say, life has been crazy. My drafting and redrafting of “The Lightning Knight” took longer than I expected, but I hope that when all is said and done, it’ll be the story I always wanted to write.

Notes from the Boston Writing Workshop!

Notes from the Boston Writing Workshop!

Last weekend I attended my first writing workshop, The Boston Writing Workshop. This was a fantastic experience for a few reasons:

  1. I learned a lot of tips and tricks not only about writing but about publishing as well.

  2. I was able to pitch directly to an agent for 10 minutes. This is invaluable as you try to get off the slush pile.

  3. I was surrounded by other writers all whom were at different stages of their book writing / publishing, but all whom were excited and enthusiastic about it! Sometimes you need to get out and see other people doing what you’re doing to feel not so alone. 

As a first time writer, it can be daunting to try and write, edit, and publish your book. As a multiple time author it can still be those things as well. Having a chance to learn more, even the most basic of tips, was super helpful…

Let's talk about Imposter Syndrome

Let's talk about Imposter Syndrome

It’s not uncommon in the Startup or Tech world to hear the term “Imposter Syndrome”. It’s not a unique term to those respective industries, but it’s definitely more prevalent. The idea behind it is simple, “I’m not as good as other people at this thing, and when I see other people’s work, I feel as though I’m a fraud and shouldn’t be doing the thing I’m doing.”

A quick Wikipedia search throws out this definition: “Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".

It’s true and very real for basically anything you do in life, but can be especially painful when you’re trying to do something outside of your comfort zone.

Like write a book.

Writing is a process... let's talk about the process!

Writing is a process... let's talk about the process!

I've never been what you would call a veracious reader or even an avid writer. I wrote when necessary, and maybe a little bit more than that, but I was never one who would write and write and write some more. 

And then I decided to write a book. Why? Because I tend to jump into things head first and hope for the best :) But really, it was therapeutic, like journaling except for instead of my own life, it was a new world I was creating. It started by just sitting down and actually going for it - not holding back. I wrote the first two scenes of chapter one and I was off. 

Writing is a process, and it can be different for everyone.