I sit here this morning thinking back on the last couple of months, and the time seems to have flown by. Only eight months ago I sat up in my room with my husband discussing with him why I felt I needed to go to the ACFW writers conference in September. Besides that awesome friends I'll finally get to meet in person (Joy Avery Melville, Julie Lessman, Dineen Miller, just to name a few :) ) and the fantastic workshops I'll get to go to, I'll have that rare opportunity to pitch both my fiction … [Read more...]
Seeing the Gift
Wow, it's hard to believe that Mari's book is done. I entered the last of the edits to part 2 and sent it off to my editor (my dear sweet friend Deirdre). This day has been almost six years in the making. A week from tonight I will be on a plane heading toward Chicago as I go visit family. But even bigger than this is the reason I'm heading out that way to begin with. ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) is having their annual writing conference September 25-27 in St. Louis, MO. I'm … [Read more...]
The Journey with Fay Lamb #acfw
Please welcome this weeks guest Fay Lamb for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? God Is Always in the Details … and the Herbs of Life God is always in the details. I believe that’s what God, through Paul, is telling us when it is declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God proved the depth of that scripture by the sacrifice … [Read more...]
The Journey with Melissa Finnegan #acfw
Please welcome this week's guest Melissa Finnegan for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? As probably is the case with most writers the dream to write was planted in my heart at a young age, but for me it would be over thirty years before I heard God instruct me to write. That call couldn’t happen until I died to self and dealt with long hidden wounds from my childhood. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t writing a story or making plays … [Read more...]
The Journey with Kathy Nickerson
Please welcome this weeks guest Kathy Nickerson for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Thanks to Kristena for sharing her space to let me talk about my writing journey. In the late eighties, I wrote a personal experience piece about my battle with depression for Christian Herald Magazine. I was thrilled with the check that came in the mail and excited by the opportunities Editor Dean Merrill offered me for more articles. We worked … [Read more...]
Day 132: Double-Edged Sword of the Internet #acfw #365days
This is so true. As with so many things, there is the good and the bad side to the Internet. Starting with the obvious is the ability to do research about almost anything. I remember being in my 4th grade class and being told to write a book report on whatever the subject was. So I’d go get the trusty old encyclopedia hardcover book and go to the section with the info I needed. And then of course I’d plagiarize the heck out of that section of the book as I copied down verbatim what it said. Back … [Read more...]
Day 131: Do Not Try This at Home #acfw #365days
Well, this is a little different. There are so many things where there is a warning, especially on TV, where it says, “Do Not Try This At Home.” I think of that movie “Jack (you know the word)” where there is a guy who I guess does a bunch of really stupid things. Personally, I’ve never seen this movie and really never want to either. Dare devils who do their death-defying stunts. And you’re like, “Yeah right would I try that at home. I’m sane.” Or how about those who go after things like … [Read more...]
Day 130: Paying Attention #acfw #365days
When I write about Mari, I’m paying attention to my internal thoughts and feelings I have at the time. She will be at the forefront as I write out the words on the screen. For me, it’s knowing I’m being truthful about what I’m feeling at the time. It helps me to grieve for her and heal at the same time. Sometimes it’s when I’m feeling sad and really missing her. Other times it’s about the happy memories I have of her. I know all of this requires me to pay attention to my thoughts and feelings … [Read more...]
Was or Is?
I sit here thinking of Mari today. Time is moving one step at a time closer to the six year mark for Mari being gone. Can you believe it’s been six years already? I think back on all the times I wrote about time after she passed, especially that first year or so. The fact is that time continued its ever present trek forward no matter how much we’d rather have had it go backward for either more time with our little girl or for us to somehow change the outcome. Yet, we all know that’s not … [Read more...]
Day 128: Learning to Swim #acfw #365days
I normally don’t like to quote from the book but I like what this had to say: “I learned to swim from a magazine article I read when I was eight years old. It told me to grab my knees, duck my head, form a tight little ball in the water, and then float. The next step was to stretch out and continue to float. I did exactly what the article said to do, and lo and behold, it worked. I got my arms going at some point, and I was a swimmer. It’s kind of like writing: get a paper and a pen, start with … [Read more...]
