Craft
Dream Vanity
What little girl wouldn’t love this precious vanity set? We bought Grace a Target Vanity and “Dress Up” closet a couple of years ago, knowing that she was indeed a girlie, girl, yet all rough and tumble underneath. We didn’t want to invest in something that she would most likely destroy by the time she…
Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture by Mary DeMuth
In one sentence, what is Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture about? It’s about learning how to parent our kids in a winsome, authentic way, so that our kids are well-prepared to face life when they leave home. What does postmodern mean? And why should it matter to parents? Postmodernism is the waiting room between…
Quick Fiction Fixes – Low-tension dialogue
We’re all busy, whether working full-time or chasing/chauffeuring kids around all day. Yet we’re also writers, striving to get our words on paper and then polish it to a sparkle. This column gives quick fixes for fiction manuscripts specifically for busy writers. Pick and choose what works best for you! Make every line of dialogue…
Revision Letters
My friend Colleen Coble tells anyone who will listen that she LOVES revision letters. I used to think she was crazy. Then I got my first revision letter. I’ve been through a couple sets of revision letters with Canteen Dreams (October 2007 – Heartsong Presents) and the first with Deadly Exposure (June 2008 – Love…
GROWING GRAMMAR: Modifiers…do you know where yours are?
Modifiers are like teenagers: they fall in love with whatever they’re next to. Make sure they’re next to something they ought to modify! (from The Guide to Grammar and Writing sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation) Unlike luxury cars, modifiers are not equipped with navigation systems. They get lost, they dangle, they confuse. Hmmm…starting…
But What About ME?
The box in the barn had a few mouse nibbles in the corners, but the contents were surprisingly intact. While sorting through our 25-year pile of stored and forgotten items, I found that most of the things should have been thrown out long ago. But this disintegrating container held a treasure trove. It was a…
Six Elements of Thriller
Here’s a great post by Beth Goddard at Keep Me In Suspense I recently read a book that was labeled as a thriller, but it was anything except a thriller. In fact, I’m not sure I would even call it suspense. Slow reading and back story are words that come to mind for this particular…
Writing til The End
It’s hard to believe when I started my cozy mysery over a year ago that I’d actually reach the end. I’m not really good at finishing WIPs, mainly because I get so caught up in getting it perfect, but this time I was determined to plow a head to the end no matter how awful…
Of Books and Faith
My good blogging buddy, Beck over at Frog and Toad are Still Friends has an interesting discussion going on about Christian fiction, some say a must read for Christian writers. I went over and couldn’t deny the truth to her post, yet it still saddened me to see that Christian fiction is still getting such…
Barbie…Interrupted
An apple-scented breeze provided a second’s relief from the humidity enveloping the pond. Barbara’s waist-length hair hung heavy and damp, she wished she’d had time to braid it, but Ken’s recent cell call had been insistent. He’d be waiting in the orchard, with news too good to spill over the phone. Or so he’d claimed.…