My “to-read” pile seems to double every week. My “to-read” list grows exponentially. (And that’s if I don’t surf around Amazon for more than five minutes.) What to do? Reading is so essential to the writer, for inspiration and renewal. But, I also need to get some actual writing time in. When I get hooked on those really great stories, I don’t seem to get much of anything else done around the home as I race through every page. Then, I get some books where they lag but I still try to plug through. How do you balance life with your stack of books to read? Do you trade in...
Writing what you love
A few days ago, I had a friend ask, “You’re a writer, right? Would you look at this thing I wrote…but don’t tell anyone!” I was so excited to hear that she’d been writing – not every writer is a creative writing major and been writing stories since first grade. But I understood completely where she came from with the “but don’t tell anyone.” In high school, I had a small group of friends who read my stories and we all wrote different things. In college, I set it aside and hardly mentioned to anyone about my love for fiction. When I graduated and started back on this track, I...
Day of Inspiring Words
The OCW One-Day Conference this past Saturday left my cup of joy and inspiration overflowing. Robin Jones Gunn, one of the first Christian authors I ever read (at age 14, the Glenbrooke Series), spoke about God’s dreams for us. Gunn is a dazzling speaker with such enthusiasm and joy that it spreads throughout the crowd. Among the many messages in her address, the one that stuck with me most was her advice on following God’s urgings and not sticking to the plan you may have had in mind. As a meticulous note taker and organization guru, I am stubbornly set in my ways and I like sticking to my “plan.”...
The Balancing Act
At any given point in time, I’ve got at least a dozen story ideas running through my head. I so desperately wish I could get everything down on paper, but it is only a dream. Once I get rolling on a project, I go for it with everything I’ve got. The problem is that I usually “roll” with several projects all at one time. I’ve always taken heed to the saying that you should do one thing and do it well. I just believe I can just as easily do twelve things and do them all well. So I end up with a balancing act: family, work, writing, researching, editing,...
What a week
There’s a reason for the saying, “When it rains, it pours.” The past two weeks, it has poured. My life has been a blur of friends, family, work, writing and beyond. It’s been hectic, emotional and trying time, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. I have had some of the most meaningful conversation and also the most mindless tasks. What a week. I work as an events coordinator during the day and my most recent event has been an exercise of persistence and resilience. I’ve been criticized, blamed, accosted and usually it was because people didn’t read prior instructions. I’ve reached the point where my skin is so...