In life we usually learn by either example or making a wrong decision. This is how we better ourselves. I love this because if I never learned from any of my mistakes what good would that be. My writing has benefited from this. If I had started to write and then didn't get any feedback/critiques on my writing, I wouldn’t have learned how to become a better writer. My writing has become stronger as a result of the time and effort I've put in. My hope is that those who have been helping me will … [Read more...]
Day 113: Surrender #acfw
I love what the author said about surrendering. “Surrender to your own ego. Let yourself sound dumb, dull, or overly earnest, or whatever you fear most about your own writing. Surrender and then rewrite.” Think about that. For a long time I had it in my head that if I wrote something everyday on my daughter's dedication site that I would start to sound redundant. I didn’t want to bore people so I only write when the mood struck me with something. In those times I just hammered out entries. … [Read more...]
Day 112: Getting to Denver by 4:00 #acfw
The basic gist is this: Procrastination. How often do we say or think, “Oh, I can wait to do ________ until tomorrow (or whatever time you put). Fill in the blank with whatever it is you're putting off. For me, it's been so many different things. I think we can all say that about something that we needed to do but didn’t feel like it so we pushed it off until the last possible minute and then it’s crunch time. I admit that I have procrastinated a few times with my writing. I know it'll be … [Read more...]
W is for Women’s Fiction #AtoZchallenge #acfw
Picture this. You take a woman who is an avid reader of romance. She loves both historical and contemporary. With or without suspense. She's been reading it since the time she was about thirteen. So what kind of book do you think she would probably write? I bet you'd logically said romance. However, since today's letter is W and the topic is women's fiction, it must be women's fiction, and that writer would be me. From the time I first read a teen romance I fell in love with the heroine and … [Read more...]
The Journey with Sylvia Bambola #acfw
Please welcome this weeks guest Sylvia Bambola for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Years ago God spoke to me about writing a novel for the secular world. I believed it. I received it. There was no doubt in my mind that it was God even though He sounded nothing like Cecil B. DeMille. So, for two years I worked feverishly until finally the great American novel was ready. I had amassed a list of all the publishers I planned to favor with … [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...]
N is for Novel
The novel. It's been around for not only years but centuries. It's a place where we can lose ourselves as we read what's been written on the page. We can go off on adventures or fall in love with a prince. We can go to a place only the imagination can make up or a place we've never been before. Novels can be both historical or contemporary. They can teach us things or simply be a nice escape from reality. They can be light and just a fun read or they can be go deep delving into emotions that … [Read more...]
M is for Mentor
In life we can find a mentor for so many things. Athletics. Business. Politics. Our Faith. In writing, finding a mentor to help you be the best writer you can be I feel is one of the most important things we can do. Sometimes you only have one, and if you are fortunate enough you may have more than one. These people take time out of their busy lives to help you as you grow. And they don't just help you in your writing but help you in your life when the time is needed. I feel like I have been … [Read more...]
L is for Literary Agents
How many of us dream of being a published author someday? I have a feeling many of us do, especially if we know we're writers and have been working on a book of any kind. Writing is relatively new for me. I only found writing after the loss of my daughter. I actually started writing while she was in the hospital those sixteen days fighting for her life from what the E. coli did to her little body. But in the end it had wreaked too much havoc on her little body and she went home to be with … [Read more...]
K is for Kindle Matchbook
How many of shop on Amazon today for a new book or whatever else it is we might be looking for? I have a feeling the majority of us go to this cyber giant for whatever it is we plan to read next. Are you one who still like to read the old school way of either a hardback or paperback book? I used to be like that up until about a little over a year ago when I needed to walk on my treadmill to help with hip pain issues I'd been having. However, either walking with a book in hand or even trying … [Read more...]
