Blog
My great-grandchildren are great grandchildren OR Compounding the hyphen problem
Is the writer well known or is she a well-known writer? Both. Which explains why compound and hyphenated words can cause a headache when your head aches. The information here comes from Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay by Richards Lederer and Dowis. In addition, this link from Writing for Business and Pleasure by Stephen Wilbers is…
Donkey Trails
Our stray donkey, Flash, has a pretty good life here at our Barn House. No, he doesn’t get to come inside! But he does have free roam of the pastures and woods on the property. He has plenty to eat and plenty of time to contemplate. You could say he’s a Contemplative Donkey, but that…
Midweek Motivation
Start Your Day out Right! Scripture, Short Devotion If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. – 2 Tim. 2:13 If you’re like me, you might be an overachiever. Some of the time. It’s so easy to set high goals, then give up on them when they turn out not…
Guest Blogger: Brandilyn Collins on Prologues
Hearing that there are those who don’t read prologues makes me sad. Can’t blame these non-readers, though. I blame the writers who’ve so misused prologues that these readers have given up on the things. However, if you’re in the “non-read” group and you pick up a book by an author who knows how to use…
How to Have a Great Conference
Are you going to a writing conference this year? I hope you’ll be able to. Writing conferences can be expensive, humiliating, and discouraging, but they can also change your life. My career began to blossom when I committed to going to at least one major writing conference every year. I know many writers who can…
Writers and Parents
As Christian writers, many of the principles we apply to strengthen our writing can also sharpen our quality of life. And as busy, oft-interrupted writers, sometimes it helps to be reminded of our priorities, our greatest “works in progress”. Our children. If our children were books, how best would we fill them? Inspiration What inspires…
Mid-Week Motivation
Starting Your Day out Right Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt … you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” Matthew 21:21 With summer around the corner, are any of you starting to feel a tad uncomfortable…
The Possibilities
This article appeared in the April 07 issue of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter In my twenties, I had a framed quote from Emily Dickinson that said, “I Dwell in Possibility…” and I lived by that. I had the whole wide world of writing before me and while I had no idea where it…
The Challenge
The Easter holiday has passed. If you’re like me, you may find this holiday doesn’t hold the meaning you feel it should. So often is the case for many holidays and events in the unequally yoked marriage. I recall a time when my youngest daughter was five years old. I’d picked her up from her…
These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking by Melody Carlson
Review by Michelle Sutton Book Description: Willing to make the necessary sacrifices—even skipping the occasional latte—to ensure career success, 31-year-old Cassidy Cantrell “invests” in a chic pair of boots, certain they’ll make a spectacular impression and help seal the deal on a long-anticipated promotion from her Seattle employer. But reality tromps all over her expectations.…