Greetings, Today, I’m conducting a personal experiment. In light of a ton of personal time I’ve accrued at my work, I decided to take a mental health day and devote a day to writing, reflection and prayer. No internet. No email. No phone calls. No pleading puppy dog eyes (leaving the house!). I am hoping for a day of refreshment and will certainly let you know how it goes. I’ve never done anything quite like this, as I typically stay “plugged in” to my work and email even on the weekends. It’s a horrible habit, I admit. I’ll certainly have some new blogs and musings and will let you all...
Why not making it to the semi-final round of the Genesis contest was exactly what I needed…
Last week, the semi-finalists were announced in the 2011 ACFW Genesis Contest. Two of my fabulous critique partners made it and I couldn’t be prouder. It stung a bit that I wasn’t in the semi-finals. This was my year—I was sure of it. But as I’ve come to realize over the past few days of pondering, that thought is perhaps the very reason why I didn’t final. I have a tendency in life to work very hard, excel my expectations and then coast for a while until the ground falls out from under me. It’s a habit I’ve known about my whole life and constantly combat. But lately, I’ve been...
Congrats to my critique partners!
I’m doing the happy dance for two of my critique partners, Sandy Ardoin and Heidi Chiavaroli, who have made it to the semi-final round of the 2011 Genesis Contest! I’m so excited for them and proud of their work. Both are terrific writers and amazing friends. Wishing them well as they head into the next round! 🙂
Blog Highlights of the Week
There have been so many spectacular blog posts this week, I have to share! My lovely friend Caitlin Muir talked about the sliding scale of producing vs. consuming media. My agent, Wendy Lawton, has had a fantastic series running all week about the Good News of Publishing. My favorite was about publishing being a fashion industry. Must. Read. Time management is so vital to authors – especially anyone serious about a career in publishing. Author Jody Hedlund talks about making your writing schedule work. Amanda Cabot blogged on my critique partner, Sandy Ardoin’s, blog about simplifying historical research. Oh, I could go on and on. Currently reading Don Miller’s...
The heart of research
I’ve spent hours and hours researching World War II history and it’s hard to find much about the Pacific Northwest during World War II, even though there is a TON of history there! That’s when I discovered the Portland Oregonian’s online archives. They have every issue online and accessible for a day fee or monthly fee. The stories are unreal. There are the typical AP headlines and world news, but then you stumble over a headline like “Couple Strip Clothes to Save Hiking Pal” and just die. You can tell a lot about the area too by how the stories are arranged by “importance.”