The dreaded slush pile. No one ever wants their manuscript to be tossed into this pile. All their hard work given up to chance that maybe someone just might pull your manuscript out and read it thinking it was the next Nicholas Sparks or Nora Roberts best-selling novel. Unfortunately, for most of us, we will either end up in this slush pile or, quite frankly, no pile at all. I'll be honest. As most of you know, I've never been published so I'm, as they say, relatively green behind the ears … [Read more...]
S is for Special Education #atozchallenge #specialeducation
One of the most impactual things to happen in Mari's life was her schooling. From the time she was only two-years-old, Mari started attending the Early Intervention Program that was part of the Chicago Heights School District. She was apart of this program until we moved in September 2004 to DeKalb. She started in an Early Childhood program there but the teacher, while she was a really nice woman, was very honest with me when she said she didn't know what to do to help Mari and her autism. Of … [Read more...]
R is for Revisions #atozchallenge
When it comes to writing, no one should ever just take the first draft as the final draft because we need to be certain that it sounds okay, grammar and punctuation is correct, spelling errors, and things like that. We should know going in that whatever we write down (or type) that we will go back and read over what's been said to make sure it looks okay. Even if we are one of those lucky people who gets it right the first time through, most of us must do this. Editing can be a tedious thing … [Read more...]
R is for Remember #atozchallenge
It's hard not to remember such a remarkable little girl as Mari. I know that I might be a tad bit biased, but I also know how this one little girl touched so many people's lives in ways I never could have imagined. In the two weeks prior to Mari contracting E. coli, she was in a special summer school program as well as a camp for special needs children. She went to summer school Monday through Thursday until around 1pm and then a bus picked her up and took her to camp. On Friday's she got to go … [Read more...]
Q is for Query #atozchallenge
The dreaded query letter. No one wants to write this yet it is a very important part of the writing process. I wanted to get a specific definition for a query so I thought what better way to find it than by doing a Google search and here is what I found: "A query letter is a formal letter sent to magazine editors, literary agents and sometimes publishing houses or companies. Writers write query letters to propose writing ideas." A query is basically your first step in the door. That all … [Read more...]
P is for Pseudonym #atozchallenge
A pseudonym. How many writers out there today have them? I know several people within ACFW use them for different purposes. One writer that comes to mind that uses pseudonyms is Nora Roberts. She was actually born Eleanor Marie Robertson. She uses the Nora Roberts name for her romances. She uses J.D. Robb for her suspense stuff. She's also written under Jill March and in the UK she writes under Sarah Hardesty. A pseudonym can keep you private life separate from your writing life or … [Read more...]
Q is for Quilt #atozchallenge
Mari and her quilts. She was a little girl who loved her blankets and especially those that were quilts. When she was small, maybe two or three, she fell in love with this quilt that had been handmade by her great-grandmother. She love this quilt so much it was literally falling apart. I felt so bad because Keith's mom wanted to protect it but Mari loved it so much it had become very well-worn. When she was about four I made her a purple, pink, gray and black check quilt. I sewed it on the … [Read more...]
The Journey with Bonnie Doran #acfw
Please welcome this weeks guest Bonnie Doran for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? I’ve seen God bring about a lot of “chance” meetings that led me from writing devotions and magazine articles to fiction novels. Here are a few high points: After I moved to Colorado, I learned somehow (God’s providence) about the Colorado Christian Writers Conference (CCWC). Through this conference and others, God developed my writing skills. I sold a … [Read more...]
P is for Potty Time
It brings a smile to my face when I think of Mari and potty time. I know that may sound weird but it's because of what the words 'potty time' actually signified for my little girl. Mari used the words 'potty time' more as a way of getting what she wanted or getting out of something she no longer wanted to do. Whether it was doing an activity she was tired of doing or if she simply wanted to get out of her room because she wanted to do something else. She'd say, "Let's go potty" as a way of … [Read more...]
O is for opens a door, window or gate
It seemed like there was never a door, window or gate that'd get in Mari's way. She'd simply open it and go where ever it is that interested her at the time. In her last six months we had moved to a new house in Burbank, Illinois. I think it was in this house where Mari was the most active with trying to do whatever it was she wanted to do without any regard to the safety aspect so Mommy also had several minor heart attacks as a result. I have to smile now looking back on those times knowing … [Read more...]
