Have you ever been told before that you might be looking at something but you're not seeing it? I think we all have at some point. An example is my daughter Mari. When we would go into a store and Mari would have a meltdown, people would look at her but that is just the outside they were seeing. They wouldn't stop to think that maybe there's a reason she's acting like this. So in other words, they looked at her outside, but they never saw the inner beauty of Mari as they rushed to judge not … [Read more...]
Day 85: Motivation
Motivation. What a word. It can mean so much to so many people, yet what motivates us is all so different. Just like our fingerprints are all different, so is the motivating power behind what we do. For me, what motivates me to keep writing on my daughter's dedication website is my daughter. I can write about the good times and the bad. When I'm feeling lonely or have a need to write down the thoughts that swirl around in my brain like a tornado. On this website, my fiction writing and how … [Read more...]
Day 84: How to Be a Writer
There's an age-old saying that says "patience is a virtue." However, God skipped the boat with me on that front. Sometimes I can feel the frustration boiling up to where my lid could blow a hole through the roof. I know my voice can suddenly shoot up to screaming in a second. This has been a flaw of mine since I can remember. Through all of this, God decided in His infinite wisdom that I could handle a blond hair, Caribbean blue-eyed beautiful little girl who happened to have severe classic … [Read more...]
The Journey with Joanne Sher
Please welcome this weeks guest Joanne Sher for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? How have I seen God work in my writing journey? For me, this question is huge, in so many ways. Because, you see, it is because of my writing journey that I became a Christian. And it is because I am a Christian, and associate with other Christian writers, that my writing journey is where it is today. So, here I go. :) You see, I was raised Jewish in … [Read more...]
Day 82: Finding a Genre
I'm a romance nut. I started off reading teen romances by the time I was 13 or 14 years old. I eventually graduated to adult romances. The ones I like the most are historical romances set in the UK somewhere, but mostly in London. I also like to read historical romances set in the US. Once in a while I will read a contemporary romance. The point is, I love my romance books. So, when I had my first book idea pop into my head I was sure that I'd be writing a romance. I began to write my book. … [Read more...]
Day 81: Writing on Water
You might be asking yourself, "What in the heck is she talking about?" Well, here is a quote from the book that I think speaks volumes: "Annie Dillard in an interview once ranted that computers can create huge mushrooming paragraphs. Sometimes with these computer keys I feel like I’m doodling on a piano or writing on water. It’s too easy to revise, to slash and burn without letting the writing cool, or even worse, to blither on and on into lethal mushroom clouds of words." When I read that … [Read more...]
Day 80: The Strip Club
I like to think of this as more of the strip club of our life. When we write we are opening ourselves to others. We tend to put a part of ourselves, no matter how big or small, into our writing. In order to be good we have to be willing to strip down some of those internal layers so we can write what needs to be written and not just what we want to write. Think about that for a moment. In order to do that we have to leave ourselves partially vulnerable as we write. Not everyone can do this. … [Read more...]
Day 79: What Does Your Mother Think?
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...]
