At the Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference, an agent I spoke with commented journalism is a great place for novelists – fiction writers – to start. I agree in many ways. In journalism, you learn to write concisely, use vivid, moving quotes, hook your reader from the very start, and follow the stylebook to the letter. One problem, however, is the differences in writing style. For instance, journalists use the AP Stylebook while CBA publishers use the Chicago Manual of Style. There are many key differences that after four or five years as a journalist, I find difficult to switch to. Spelling out all numbers, among other things, are habits...
Beyond the hairspray…
This week, the 141st Clark County Fair takes over the small town of Ridgefield, Wash., and erupts into a 10-day flurry of wild rides, cotton candy, elephant ears, dozens of vendors, animals of all shapes and sizes, demolition derby and monster trucks. All the good, traditional fair activities aside, the Clark County Fair lands near to my heart. Apart from having shown horses at the fairgrounds for most of my life, I represented the fair across the Pacific Northwest in 2004. I was a Clark County Fair Court Princess. Yes, I know what you are thinking. Oh. One of those girls. Well, I was. However, the world of rodeo queens...
My first interview…
Not job interview, not a radio interview. No, the first time I interviewed someone else. I was thirteen. My family and I journeyed to La Pine, Oregon, to visit my grandparents. I already took up my insatiable habit of writing all the time, so I carried a little notebook with me and worked on my stories, drafting new ideas for novels and reworking the novel I had already completed. My grandparents took us down the road to a little house and a huge garage. A garage bigger than my horse’s barn twice over. Inside there was a collection of old cars and World War II memorabilia. The owner, a World...
New Pictures!
My wonderful friends, Ashlee and Chris Murr, did a photo shoot with my horse, Grunnion, and several models this past Sunday. I was able to get some beautiful pictures out of the deal! Thank you to Ashlee and Chris! Visit http://www.murrphoto.com to see their work!
The start of a dream…and countless hours at the computer
Every author knows the exact moment they decided to be a writer – whether it was a dawning realization or a slow, steady development throughout the years. I was 12. Aside from the normal life hurdles presented in the sixth grade, I got my first horse and started showing in local 4-H shows. I spent all my spare time with my horse, a chestnut Arabian mare with an attitude. But I didn’t care – she was all mine. Meanwhile, my sixth grade teacher spent her time and energy in sharing her love for the written word. She encouraged us to read and read some more. So I did. That’s when...