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's 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...]
The Journey with Jennifer Slattery
Please welcome this weeks guest Jennifer Slattery for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? It’s always exciting, terrifying, and more than a little unnerving to sense God calling you. I believe most often, the details come later. Consider the biblical character Samuel, awakened by God one night. Three times God called out to the child, “Samuel! Samuel! Samuel!” And three times, the young boy bolted from his room in search of an earthly … [Read more...]
The Journey with Jo Walker
Please welcome this weeks guest Jo Walker for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? In Psalm 139, King David begins by telling us there is simply no place we can go that God isn’t already there. In verses 13-16, he points out the reality that God is even with us when we are being formed in our mother’s womb. He speaks to how wonderfully we are made, and goes on to tell us that every day of our life was recorded before one ever … [Read more...]
Day 30: Out of the Box
The age-old saying goes, "Think outside the box." But first we must have a box to think outside of. Is our box more of a literal box we throw different things in for differing reasons? Or is it more of a mental box in the far corners of our brain? For some it might even be both. So what's in our box? For me, I have boxes for tax related stuff. Shoe boxes with shoes, sometimes. While others I use as a temporary storage facility for whatever is around at the time. Then I have them for my … [Read more...]
Day 24: Writing While Drooled Upon
Really, this just means to not let anything get in the way of your writing. I know I could have what seems like a million and one things to keep me from writing. To be honest, I think I let many excuses get in the way of doing so. If I was more disciplined I think I could find the time I need. But, for whatever reason, I can't seem to find the motivation within myself to become disciplined. It's almost like it's a vicious cycle. I know right now it has a lot to do with the time of year. You … [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...]
What would I never want to be
I'd never want to be someone who is callous or uncaring. To be self-centered or mean-hearted. I want to be someone that cares about others and can be encouraging when they need it. I think when you know Christ and have Him in your heart, you can't help but be the opposite of those first four I mentioned. I naturally want to help people who need encouragement. When someone is down, help pick them up somehow. If I'm in a story and see something that's perfect for someone, I'll pick it up and … [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 is how I've learner to not make those same mistakes over and over again. As a writer we will make tons of mistakes. It's okay. How can you learn to be a better writer … [Read more...]
Day 31: Dreaming Your Ship
I love this: "If you say your story is fiction, it’s fiction. Period. How much or what part of it is autobiographical is nobody’s business." That was quoted from the author of the book I'm using. As most of you know, I am very new to writing fiction, well writing at all for that matter. But in particularly fiction. It has never once crossed mind to accuse an author that the fiction story he or she has written is anything but fiction. I'm sure there are some people out in the world today who … [Read more...]
Day 29: First Things First
There's an old saying that goes like this: In order to start your journey we must first know where we are going. For example, in order for Keith and I to know the exact route we will take to get to Alaska when we start our journey, we must first know exactly where we are going. So in this case, first things first, we know we are going to Anchorage. From there we can plot our long course, making our stops along the way until we make our destination. I think there are many times in life where we … [Read more...]
