This one is interesting. When we write we are writing out what is playing in our heads. Read this section from the book: "Writing a novel is like living in a parallel universe. A universe that, unlike reality, you can more or less control. Every day, you find your characters sitting around like polite house-guests waiting to see what you have planned for them. It can be exhilarating on good days, and on other days so difficult and frustrating you think your head might explode. But if you keep … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2014
Day 87: Lessons of Drama
Which one of these paragraphs has more of an emotional effect for you? Mom stared off into the distance. Her mouth didn't move. Her hands stayed in her lap. One tear trailed down the side of her face. She stood and walked out of the room. Mom longingly stared off in the distance. Her stoic mouth didn't move at all. Her hands stayed perfectly still in her lap. One lonely little tear made its way down the side of her face. She gracefully stood and gently walked out of the room. I hope you … [Read more...]
Day 86: Looking vs. Seeing
Have you ever been told before that you might be looking at something but you're not seeing it? I think we all have at some point. An example is my daughter Mari. When we would go into a store and Mari would have a meltdown, people would look at her but that is just the outside they were seeing. They wouldn't stop to think that maybe there's a reason she's acting like this. So in other words, they looked at her outside, but they never saw the inner beauty of Mari as they rushed to judge not … [Read more...]
Day 85: Motivation
Motivation. What a word. It can mean so much to so many people, yet what motivates us is all so different. Just like our fingerprints are all different, so is the motivating power behind what we do. For me, what motivates me to keep writing on my daughter's dedication website is my daughter. I can write about the good times and the bad. When I'm feeling lonely or have a need to write down the thoughts that swirl around in my brain like a tornado. On this website, my fiction writing and how … [Read more...]
Our website has an addition to the header
I had to share something I'm excited about. Almost a year ago I had a major overhaul of the design of Mari's website redone to give it a fresher, more professional look. At the time when the facelift commenced we were getting ready to move and I didn't really have time to find a picture I thought might look good to add to the header. So the designer installed one with a picture on for the time being until we could get to Alaska and I'd have more time to really find some pictures I thought that … [Read more...]
Day 84: How to Be a Writer
There's an age-old saying that says "patience is a virtue." However, God skipped the boat with me on that front. Sometimes I can feel the frustration boiling up to where my lid could blow a hole through the roof. I know my voice can suddenly shoot up to screaming in a second. This has been a flaw of mine since I can remember. Through all of this, God decided in His infinite wisdom that I could handle a blond hair, Caribbean blue-eyed beautiful little girl who happened to have severe classic … [Read more...]
Day 83: Retyping the Best
This is an interesting concept. Have you ever thought about taking one of your very favorite books and retyping it out? That's right, the entire thing. Nope? Well, I hadn't either until I read about today's phrase. Here is a small excerpt from the book: "When Donald Ray Pollock turned forty-five, he decided he wanted to do something different with his life; he was going to learn how to write. He began by retyping stories by writers he liked —John Cheever, Richard Yates, and Ernest … [Read more...]
The Journey with Joanne Sher
Please welcome this weeks guest Joanne Sher for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? How have I seen God work in my writing journey? For me, this question is huge, in so many ways. Because, you see, it is because of my writing journey that I became a Christian. And it is because I am a Christian, and associate with other Christian writers, that my writing journey is where it is today. So, here I go. :) You see, I was raised Jewish in … [Read more...]
Day 82: Finding a Genre
I'm a romance nut. I started off reading teen romances by the time I was 13 or 14 years old. I eventually graduated to adult romances. The ones I like the most are historical romances set in the UK somewhere, but mostly in London. I also like to read historical romances set in the US. Once in a while I will read a contemporary romance. The point is, I love my romance books. So, when I had my first book idea pop into my head I was sure that I'd be writing a romance. I began to write my book. … [Read more...]
Day 81: Writing on Water
You might be asking yourself, "What in the heck is she talking about?" Well, here is a quote from the book that I think speaks volumes: "Annie Dillard in an interview once ranted that computers can create huge mushrooming paragraphs. Sometimes with these computer keys I feel like I’m doodling on a piano or writing on water. It’s too easy to revise, to slash and burn without letting the writing cool, or even worse, to blither on and on into lethal mushroom clouds of words." When I read that … [Read more...]
