To write truthfully sometimes we have to write things we may not want others to know but are important to be true to who we are as a writer. When I think about this it kind nails me to the wall. My past isn't pretty. And it's not from anything bad I've done personally, but instead what has been done to me as a child. I think of my mom and every thing she went through as a child. My Granny and Grandpa partly raised me as a child. However, how they were with me was completely different than … [Read more...]
Day 68: Making Use of Fear
In life there are so many things we can be fearful of. Some seem irrational like small spaces, loud noises like fireworks shows, or even the little itty-bitty spiders that to some say, "it's more afraid of you than you of it." I think my granny (noises) and my mom (spiders) would beg to differ. When it comes to writing, fear can grind us to a halt. We are afraid of what some might say about our writing. Or we won't ever find an agent or publisher so why try. Or sometimes the strongest fears … [Read more...]
Day 62: Feast or Famine: Part 1
This is a two-day posting. For today's topic it's about the "feast" in writing. Have you ever sat down to write something and story after is sitting there ready to write. In fact, you have so many of them you're overwhelmed with were to start. This is like the feast. As writers we have to discern what we need to write about. A great place to start would be to pray asking for God's help in knowing what should be written about first. So discernment is the key. We need to listen closely what our … [Read more...]
B is for Beautiful
The beautiful miracle we know as Mari. Keith and I were told we couldn't get pregnant the old-fashioned way. Between Keith having his issues and me having mine, we were told IVF was the only way I'd get preggers. I still remember sitting in a Piazza Hut with Keith, my mom, and her husband at the time. A few tables away sat a family with a baby that was big enough to sit in a high chair. I looked at him and yearned to have one of my own. Tears formed in my eyes. My mom looked where I was … [Read more...]
Day 56: No Drama
In life I think we all wish we could lead a drama-free life. It sometimes feels like my family, not my immediate, there always seems to be some kind of drama. From my sister to whatever made up story she has told recently to something with my brother to something with one of Keith's brothers. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has family members who automatically bring with them drama. But when we sit down to write, and we're in our own world in our own little bubble and the only drama we … [Read more...]
Day 41: Overnight Success Story
I think we would 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 the 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. Then next he calls and tells you that Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, … [Read more...]
Day 36: The Peculiar Art
As writers it does take a certain type of person who doesn't mind sitting by themselves diving deep into the recesses of their minds as they write or type out onto the page lines for their story. You can't be in an office work space surrounded by people who constantly interrupt you. Scenes can flow out of you fluidly which requires sitting down and getting it all out on paper. Writing is a peculiar art in that as writers we do like to be alone. Quite frankly I think many of us thrive on it. I … [Read more...]
Day 11: Racing Hearts and Churning Stomachs
I think in life there are so many things that can make our hearts begin to race rapidly and our stomachs to do flip-flops all over the place. A new job. The first day of a new school year. Going on a first date. Or even standing up in front of a room of people getting ready to talk. And the list goes on. Nervous energy can either root us to the ground stopping any forward momentum or it can propel us forward giving us the courage we need. Sharing our writing with others is much in the same … [Read more...]
Day 4: Choosing Story Over Relatives
Today's topic sounds strange to me. It almost sounds selfish. I think this strikes me funny because I think family is the most important thing there is. Some people haven't been blessed with a loving and caring family. So to put a story before their family is a no brainer. However, if your family is close, turning your story over them may make you take pause. I know I would never write something to intentionally hurt my family. No matter how screwdriver up we all are they are still MY … [Read more...]
Day 1: Switchbacks up the Mountain
Switchbacks up the mountain can mean so many things. I think life in general is a continue road we travel up and down mountain. Sometimes the mountain is more of an easy hill that we climb and where life seems to move forward at a nice pace. But then there are those times where the road going up the mountain is so narrow and steep we feel we might fall off the edge plummeting to the ground below. I know that first year after Mari died my life felt more like the later. It felt like at any time … [Read more...]
