In the fall of 2021, I posted a blog with the title “Be a Giver.” As I pondered a blog for this week, this blog came to mind. I believe God is telling me to refresh it and repost it. We are entering the time of year when giving seems …
Be a Giver
Recent Blog Posts
Common Writing Obstacles: Building Believable Characters
This is the latest in a periodic series about the common obstacles writers face. Both experienced and newbie authors deal with building characters who are believable and real enough for the reader to want to follow for several hundred pages. For some writers, this can be the most challenging obstacle …
Life Has a Way…
While I was waiting for direction, life interrupted.
Spiffing Up Our Words
This week, I want to discuss ways we can improve our stories. One instructor called it “Spiffing up our writing,” and it works for me. One definition of spiffing up means composing and revising stories that draw the reader into the world we’re creating. How do we do that? We …
What Inspires My Stories?
I’ve shared in other posts how I receive inspiration for a story. The most common way is from an image that pops into my mind. Many times, I can’t remember what I was doing, reading, thinking when the idea came to me. I gave up asking myself, “Where did that …
A First Page Critique
Today, I’m sharing the first page of a story from another brave author, who shall remain anonymous. Thank you, bold author for taking a risk to seek feedback on your story. The story is set in 1970 and describes a soldier returning from Vietnam. What follows is the original as …
The Best Things About Being a Writer
In my last blog, I wrote about reassessing where we are in our life journey. Click here. When we consider our writing life, it’s easy to focus on the negative things, the hard things. As I reassessed, I also thought of the good things about being a writer. Thus, the …
Contemplation
I’ve been doing a lot of contemplating and pondering lately. About my writing. About life. About God. About making changes. Not really at a crossroads, but definitely a time of reassessment. Why? What’s the point? For me, it’s about getting priorities straight and getting myself right with God. I’m learning …
A Sunlit Weapon
This week, I’m posting a book review, something I haven’t done in a while. The book is A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear. I give this novel five stars. It is the 17th in the Maisie Dobbs series. Once again, Ms. Winspear does not disappoint us. The story opens with …
Books on My Nightstand
I love to read. Always have. And I’ve long been curious about what my favorite authors read. So I thought I’d share what’s on my nightstand right now. I could share what’s on my Goodreads want to read list, but it’s at nearly 240 and dates to 2012. So many …