I love this. Here is what the author said about loneliness: “Writing can be a lonely business. But gradually your characters, or the scenes and people from your past, begin to rise up around you, and you find yourself writing your way out of loneliness, writing your own company. And you’ll find yourself at dinner some evening telling your family or friends, “Well, Natalie really made a mess of things today” or “I can’t believe what John said about Kathryn’s dog.” And everyone will look at you … [Read more...]
Day 116: Why Writers Get Scared #acfw
As writers we have to be willing to pour ourselves into our writing. It’s what makes a good story. I think the reason why my daughter’s hospital story has touched so many is because the words written came directly from my heart. I didn’t hold anything back. At the time I only thought of them as updates for friends and family. But over time they have become so much more. Some of the comments I’ve received have been such a blessing for me. (To read the comments others have left, click the … [Read more...]
Day 115: Writing the Tree #acfw
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...]
The Journey with Angie Brashear #acfw
Please welcome this week's guest Angie Brashear for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Venturing to Other Worlds The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, a childhood dream, and a journal. What do they have in common? Take a short venture with me to find out… My path to salvation began with a classic fantasy, told to me in the midst of my secular world, for when I was in the fifth grade, my teacher read aloud The Lion, the … [Read more...]
Day 114: The idea That Won’t Go Away #acfw
Have you ever had one of those moment when you're writing where your characters just won’t shut up. They continue to talk and talk and talk. They won’t quit until you write what they're telling you to write down. This has happened to me a few times with the fiction novel I’ve been writing to the point I have a major rewrite in the works that'll need to be completed by the time I go to my first writer's conference in September. If you aren’t a writer you may think that we have something … [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...]
Day 110: Reading in Russia #acfw
Have you ever read a book and loved it so much you contacted the author either by snail mail or email? I have. I read a book called The Wedding Kiss by the pen name Hannah Alexander. The names of the actual authors are a husband and wife writing team. There real names are Mel and Cheryl Horde. I loved this book so much I wanted to let them know so I sent an email to them to the email address listed in the book. Cheryl actually wrote me back. We ended up talking back and forth for several … [Read more...]
The Journey with Alexis Goring #acfw
Please welcome this week's guest Alexis Goring for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Modified version of original post by Alexis A. Goring on September 12, 2013 for “God is Love” blog ~*~ Ever since I was a little girl, I DREAMED to become a published writer and in September 2013 that DREAM came TRUE! I praise God for the wonderful ways He’s been working in my writing journey and as a guest on Kristena’s blog, I’d like to share my … [Read more...]
The Journey with Melody Balthaser #acfw
Please welcome this weeks guest Melody Blathaser for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? A special thank you to you, Kristena, for allowing me to share my writing journey. It is a privilege! As a teenager, I stumbled upon romance novels and the rest is history. School nights spent under covers with a flashlight, entrenched in an imaginary world of spirited southern belles and handsome drifters. A time or two, I read all night! This … [Read more...]
