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 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...]
Day 25: Failing Better
"Fail. Fail again. Fail better." This is a quote by Samuel Beckett. And here is another one by Thomas Edison: “I didn’t fail one thousand times. The lightbulb was an invention with one thousand steps.” I think we hear many times throughout our lifetime how it doesn't matter how many times we fail as long as we keep on trying. If we stop at the 999,999th time, it might have been that millionth time that could've been the one to work. For me, I've been constantly learning about writing both … [Read more...]
Day 14: Waiting for Pizza
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about piazza? For me it's one with Canadian bacon (not ham :) ) and pineapple with extra cheese, and easy on the sauce. Of course, double the pineapple while were at it. I can almost taste the pizza in my mouth already. The key here, no matter whether you have a frozen pizza, you pick up a fresh one at the store or have one delivered to your home, you still have to wait. Man, that waiting can be agonizing sometimes, but boy are the … [Read more...]
Day 12: Patience
Let me just say that of all the gifts God has bestowed upon me, patience isn't one of them. I might be good at things like scrapbooking, crocheting, cross stitching, computers, and even writing, but I have such a low threshold for being patient. Don't get me wrong, man do I wish it was better. I have come to accept this lack of quality as it is. It's something I have to work on on a day in and day out basis. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Mari. It was June 12, 1999, only … [Read more...]
Day 3: The Holy Calling
Its amazing sometimes how God works. Many say His ways are mysterious. The bottom line, no matter how much we want to control every thing, we simply don't know His plan for all of our lives. His plan is greater than any of us can fathom. For me this hit me head on like a Mac truck (I know clique, but it's true) when God decided to answer our prayers about healing my precious baby girl by telling us all no, that it was time to bring her home to heaven where she'll be free from autism. He … [Read more...]
Quitting A Bad Habit
If I could quit one bad habit I have it would be to quit being a procrastinator and just get things done. Why do I wait until the last-minute where I'm running around frantically trying to get done whatever it is I'm doing? I have no idea. I think part of my problem is time management and how I can easily eat away at my time when I should be doing something else. When you work outside the home for someone else you are forced to be accountable with your time because if you don't the chances of … [Read more...]
To Change Something About Yourself
If I were given the opportunity to change one thing about myself it would be to have much better patience. I didn't want to just say patience, because no matter who you are you have some. It might seem microscopic, but it's still there. God may have bestowed many gifts upon me, some still unknown, but the one He didn't give was the gift of patience. This is a weak area for me. I can easily get frustrated and don't dare try to talk to me in those moments of deep frustration because I have a … [Read more...]
The Journey with Carrie Turansky
Please welcome this weeks guest Carrie Turansky for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? My Writing Journey I’ve loved reading since I first visited the library as a young child and checked out a tall stack of picture books. I soon graduated to chapter books and spent many happy hours, lying on our porch swing reading. Those lazy days gave my imagination a chance to grow, and they helped me develop a love for well-told stories. My love … [Read more...]
