Posts
The Greatest Story
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (NIV) When the first characters appear on a blank page, as writers, we fall in love with these two-dimensional people. Under our penmanship, they grow, taking on personalities of their own and making the story come alive.…
How Do You Write When a Medical Crisis Hits?
“My mother? A stroke? How can this be?” These thoughts flew through the mind of my friend after her mom’s collapse and hospitalization. But they were only the beginning of the worries. “Will she recover? Can she ever go home? How can I help her? How can I keep working?” As pragmatic as that last…
The Sweet Rewards of Back to School!
This is my favorite time of year! The winds of fall bring fresh challenges, a renewal of perspectives and clean slates. Unexplored schoolbooks, sharpened pencils, excited children, motivated mama! I’ve found over the years, that *building up* the back-to-school plunge does wonders in terms of the ripple effect response in my kiddos. So every year…
Proof It
Raise your hand if you’d rather proofread someone else’s work than your own. Count my hand raised. When it comes to others’ work, grammatical mistakes leap out, waving their arms and begging for a red-pen rescue. For all the delicate etiquette of criticism, it’s easy and oddly satisfying to search out and correct someone else’s…
Making a Conference Notebook
There’s nothing worse than waiting in line for your editor or agent appoint wondering about the unknown…nothing worse EXCEPT walking into that meeting unprepared when the editor or agent asks to see your One Sheet OR your first chapter, and you fumble through your papers to find it OR don’t have anything to offer. That’s…
A Stand-Up Guy by Michael Snyder
Once again, I’ve fallen for the cast of characters created by Michael Snyder: a lovable, quirky, and most definitely messed-up cast. First, there’s Oliver Miles, a comedian who starts to get some notice when he decides to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in his acts. The thing is, this…
Unveiling Ancient Biblical Secrets by Larry Huch
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason…
Why We Should Listen
In July, I wrote about how fear keeps us from writing. To illustrate my point, I shared how in 2006 I prayed for more time to write. I told you how God promptly answered my prayer, as I was laid off the next day and given nine months’ severance pay. Rather than trusting God and…
Team Hope
“God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who…