I have to admit that when I write about anything personal I try not to write something that might hurt my mom's feelings. For me, my writing is important to me and I try to be as free as I can. However, to put something down on paper that might later hurt my mom, even if what I say is true, I don't feel it's worth it to do this to her if I can help it. The bottom line is she's my mom and always will be. Has my life been this picture perfect life where my childhood was something other people … [Read more...]
The Journey with Kelly Irvin
Please welcome this weeks guest Kelly Irvin for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? God has the wheel My writing journey began when I was a child, but it has managed to meander all over the place for most of my life. It’s taken me many years to discover God’s plan for me and to discover I was never in charge at all. I'm from a working class family and I always knew I wanted to write novels, but I also I wanted to be able to support … [Read more...]
Day 78: Dimes in Ivory Soap
I really loved this one. To put it simply. Only I know my complete past. Only you know yours. Only every person out there today knows their complete past. So you might be saying, "So what." The thing is if you don't write down your past who will. There is a very high probability that unless you're someone like Lady Diana or Billy Graham that no one else will but you. It's just like Mari's story. I already know that unless I write it down that the chance of it ever being written is slim to … [Read more...]
Day 77: Why Write?
I love this question. Why do I write? It's simple really. I do it because I've grown to love it and couldn't imagine my life without it now. I write when I'm sad. I write when I'm happy. I write when I have news to share. For me it has become an extension of who I am. I think, in a way, people who read what I write have a view into who I am as a person and have become happier as a result. I think back to the day I started my daughter's dedication site. I was so sad. Grief engulfed my body. … [Read more...]
Day 74: The Truth and Nothing But
It's interesting when we compare fiction to nonfiction. With fiction as a writer we many times will infuse a part of who we are into our stories, but the story itself is fiction. It comes from the recesses of our mind as we write down the story. Nonfiction, however, is based on real life stuff. Take this quote: "The writer of memoir makes a pact with her reader that what she writes is the truth as best she can tell it. But the original pact, the real deal, is with herself. Be honest, dig … [Read more...]
Day 72: Writer’s Remorse
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 from … [Read more...]
Day 71: Being Your Own Shrink
I have to share this quote with you. "You have to have done that hard psychological work before you sit down to write." —MARY KARR This is one of those 'awe-ha' moments. Ever since I can remember I never understood why God would allow, in His loving giving Self, the terrible abuses and neglect that happened to me throughout my childhood. As I entered high school, my freshman year we attended a church a couple of times. It wasn't till the following summer I was able to get a ride to it … [Read more...]
The Journey with Emilie Hendryx
Please welcome this weeks guest Emilie Hendryx for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? In the Midst of the Journey I’ve always loved reading and writing. Ever since I was a little girl, I can remember dreaming up ideas, creating imaginary places, and compiling all of the elements of a good story into a play session with my stuffed animals. At that time, I didn’t know much about the fundamentals of writing or story telling, I just knew … [Read more...]
Day 70: The Right Age to Write
Do you ever wonder sometimes if you're too old to write? I know several people involved with ACFW that they knew since a very young age that they either wanted to write or that they were meant to write. To put it bluntly: It was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I struggled all through elementary school to the point I was held back in second grade. My grades always consisted of getting C's and H's. (You might be asking what in the world is an 'H' letter grade? It simple. It means Having … [Read more...]
Day 69: Your Naked Prose
I want to share with you something the author wrote: "Writing is so intensely personal — our thoughts, emotions, memories, imagination, fantasies right out there under the spotlight — that it really is a striptease act. So it’s natural to panic if someone doesn’t think your naked prose is perfect. Hopefully when you get feedback, you can use it to make your work better. But if someone gives self-serving, snarky comments in a workshop or writing group to build up his or her own ego, leave at the … [Read more...]
