Everyone's writing time is individualized to that person and what works best for them. One person may only have an hour at lunch time to devote to the craft whereas someone else may have the entire day. We all lead different lives. Some are married while others are single. Some have children others don't. Some have a job outside the home and some may have no job at all. We can't judge someone else's output by what they do. Personally, I am now a stay home mom who homeschools her niece. I work … [Read more...]
Day 50: The Narrative of Your Life
We all have a narrative we live by. Our morales. Our ethics. Our beliefs. Our likes and dislikes. Plus many others. All the things make us who we are. And through writing, we can find ourselves through the words we write. I know I do in my characters. They come alive in my head and I try transferring that to the best of my ability to paper. The narrative of my life has been anything but easy. The positive through all of this is I can use those experiences in my fiction. Maybe somehow, someway, … [Read more...]
Day 48: Community
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 39: Keeping a Journal
I love keeping a journal. I typically go for long periods of time without writing in it but when I do it becomes a daily ritual. Right after Mari died I told Keith I had to get a journal. What I wrote in there were all my very raw and exposed emotions. Sometimes it felt like I wrote the same things over and over again. It's one of the ways that helped me through my grief. And then one day I had tons of thought swirling around in my head. But I had a different feeling this time about writing … [Read more...]
Day 37: Being a Writer
I think deep down inside us we all have a little bit of being a writer inside. If you've ever day dreamed or made up stories and played them out as a kid, you are a writer of sorts. The only difference is you didn't write them down. Whereas those that call themselves writers do. I love being a writer. I never thought I'd be one. I remember when I would be reading a book thinking about how much fun it would be to write a story myself. I had absolutely no confidence that I'd be any good. I'm glad … [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 34: The Duck or the Pâté?
It's strange to think of pâté. Personally I have never tried the stuff and really don't want too. When I was growing up my mom let my sister have a pet duck. His name was Peepers. I always thought it strange to have a pet duck but we did. He was a cute little thing. When I think of pâté I think of him. It just couldn't think about doing it. Eating Peepers, uh, no. When I read what Ms. Abercrombie wrote it was more like she was comparing someone who proclaims to write but does everything else … [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...]
Day 28: In the Company of Animals
Our pets are more than just animals. They are our family. We treat them as one of our kids. We worry for them if they become sick. We grieve for them if they die. For someone who might live by themselves, a dog or a cat or even both for that matter, can give them the peace of mind and comfort they seek. Looking back to the time right after Mari died, I knew I couldn't go and live back in the same house we had been living in. Keith didn't understand it. We'd only lived there for six months since … [Read more...]
