There's nothing quite like a new year to bring out the lofty ambitions. We're refreshed and rested after some time off for the holidays, and January 1 feels like the right time for a fresh start. But sadly, New Year's resolutions have become almost a joke in our culture. The regular attendees at the gym … Continue reading 7 Tips for Sticking Your New Year’s Resolutions
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Giving Thanks, Plus NaNo Updates
My daughter came home from Sunday school last week with a paper she was excited to share. "Mom," she said, "we talked about being thankful at church." Then she read me the questions on her sheet, plus her answers: Think about your closet. How many shirts do you have? Sixty. (Just a wee bit high...but she … Continue reading Giving Thanks, Plus NaNo Updates
The Power of Voice
"Vox populi, vox Dei." My kids study Latin as part of their homeschool work (I know, I'm a mean teacher). One of their books last year contained the above Latin saying, which means, "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Now, while I don't agree that people speak in place of God, … Continue reading The Power of Voice
It’s July! Time for a Mid-Year Progress Report
Somebody pinch me. Is it already halfway through 2018? Where did the year go?? Seeing as how time seems to be flying past at twice its normal rate, I figured it's time to check in on the writing goals I set back in January and evaluate my progress. I confess, I had to reread my … Continue reading It’s July! Time for a Mid-Year Progress Report
Isaiah’s Top Ten Rides at Busch Gardens: A Guest Post
Hello, friends! My family has been on vacation this past week, so yes, I am absolutely cheating on this blog post. Today we have a special guest, my soon-to-be 12-year-old son Isaiah. Since we spent the last week in Williamsburg, Virginia, I've asked him to write up his top ten favorite rides from Busch Gardens … Continue reading Isaiah’s Top Ten Rides at Busch Gardens: A Guest Post
Author Platforms, Pen Names, and Writing in Multiple Genres
As many of you might know about me, I not only love reading many different kinds of stories, I enjoy writing in more than one genre too. But this kind of variety (indecision?) can be a double-edged sword--while fun, it makes selling and marketing your books a lot more tricky. The tried and true plan … Continue reading Author Platforms, Pen Names, and Writing in Multiple Genres
On How Becoming a Writer Is Like Falling in Love
I've been writing (in a dedicated sort of way) for about four years now, but my writing journey started much earlier. I wrote the first draft of my first novel over seven years ago, and the idea for that novel sprang out of my time in Texas...which takes us all the way back to about … Continue reading On How Becoming a Writer Is Like Falling in Love
A Crash Course on Wooden Sailing Ships for Writers
Hello, friends! I'm so excited about today's topic, because it means I get to dust off my very dusty nautical archaeology degree to talk about the basics of wooden sailing ships. Why might this be of interest to you? Well, if you're a writer, and your character is ever going to set foot on a … Continue reading A Crash Course on Wooden Sailing Ships for Writers
You Can Break the Rules If You’re Victor Hugo
Hello, friends! Some of you might recall that I read The Brothers Karamazov last year with a book club (homeschool moms are way too ambitious, sometimes). This year we've decided to up the ante--apparently 800 pages wasn't long enough---so now we're reading Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, which checks in at a whopping 1460 pages for the … Continue reading You Can Break the Rules If You’re Victor Hugo
Novel Writing 101: Building a Story with Scenes
Today's post, as promised, will look at how we can come up with scene ideas to fill in the gaps in our novel outlines. But first, a quick review... What, exactly, is a scene? Simply put, scenes are the building blocks that make up a story. They may contain dialogue, action sequences, narrative, exposition, or … Continue reading Novel Writing 101: Building a Story with Scenes
