When I think of a writing community I think of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). This little community of writers is so much more than writing. There is Novel Track. It's a place of accountability and support. You let the group know what your goal is at the beginning of each month. Then, as each day goes by you report in your numbers for that day. In return, you will receive positive reinforcement. Even on the days where you did nothing and tell the group you have a great big goose … [Read more...]
Day 47: The Writer’s Club
As a writer, we have all joined a special club that I'm happily a member of: The Writer's Club. It doesn't take much to join. Actually, it's relatively painless. Simply put, you just have to write. That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I joined the writer's club while my daughter lay before me getting sicker over those 16 days. At the time, I didn't even know I had joined. I was accepted without question. And all I had done was relay information to family and friends about Mari's … [Read more...]
The Journey with Patty Smith Hall
Please welcome this weeks guest Patty Smith Hall for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? My writing journey has been one long and winding road(a nod to the Beatles there) full of twists and turns, stopping and starting on a moment’s whims depending on what daughter needed me at the time. But 2004 was a pivotal year for me, the year I was awarded a scholarship to the ACFW National Conference in Denver. At that time, I had been writing … [Read more...]
Day 46: Frou-Frou in Your Head
I love this quote from the book. "Remember this: there is nothing until there’s something on the page." We can all have a million and one thoughts and dreams rolling around in our head, but until they are written down they are all frou-frou in your head. If you have thoughts or ideas, no matter how silly or strange you may think they are, write them down. Nothing may ever come from them. But what if something does? What if one of those ideas happens to become the next great American novel. … [Read more...]
Day 45: Stubborn and Stupid
I think at some point in our lives we are stubborn and can make some really stupid mistakes. Being stubborn is good in writing because if we were to stop writing after receiving our first rejection letter, there would only be a few books in the world today. I know I have made plenty of stupid mistakes throughout my lifetime. It's how I've learned to not make those same ones over and over again. As a writer we will make tons of them. It's okay. How can you learn to be a better writer if you … [Read more...]
Day 44: Sad Flailing and Panic
Look at the following quote. "Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up." —STEPHEN KING I would have to agree with Mr. King. No, you will never ever see me reading one of his novels (talk about nightmares for days). However, finding out that even a writer as good as he is gets writer's block and he looks at writing the same way I do makes it so I can relate to him. We all have those time where we panic because … [Read more...]
Day 43: Nelson’s News
Perception. There can be ten people who read the same exact story and you will have ten differing opinions on whether the story is any good and what they liked and disliked about it. A great example for me is the "The Shack." Personally, I loved this book. It was recommended to me by a friend shortly after my daughter died. It took me a long time to finally sit down and read it. I loved how the author was able to show God in such a way that the main character of the book could finally … [Read more...]
Day 42: Darling, What If You Tried…
Constructive criticism. With anything we do in our life we need someone who is willing to take the time and help us to get better. However, there are two very different ways to go about doing it. Let's say in your writing you head hop with your POV's (point of view). One critiquer says, "This is terrible. When you write you have to keep the same POV. How do you expect someone to follow the right character if you're constantly head hopping." Here is the other critiquer. "You have a strong … [Read more...]
Day 41: Overnight Success Story
I think we'd all like to be an overnight success story. It's a dream of ours as a writer. The process would be simple. We write out our novel. We work ferociously to get it just right. Then we query the agent of our dreams. You receive a phone call almost immediately from said agent where he says, "You're the writer I've been waiting for." You sign the contact he has for you the next day because he's flown to your house. Next he calls and tells you that Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, and … [Read more...]
The Journey with Lillian Duncan
Please welcome this weeks guest Lillian Duncan for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? How has God figured into my writing journey? In more ways than I have space to tell. I started writing when I was 40. As much as I hate to admit it now, I wasn’t living a Christian lifestyle at the time, even though I’d become a Christian as a young teenager many years before. My writing reflected the fact that I wasn’t living a Christian … [Read more...]
