As you know, if you’ve been reading my blog very long, I have no theme. I don’t stick to writing about words and nature, as does my friend Kenda Turner. I don’t write about travel, as does my daughter-in-law, Gina Boyd. I don’t have the deep spiritual insights of my friend Connie Huddleston. I don’t … [Read more…]
When I tell people I’m going to a Christian writers’ conference, they often ask, “What on earth is that?” Of course I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, but I explain about meeting with editors, agents, and other writers, having sessions on improving our writing, and actively learning from people who write or hire writers. But the … [Read more…]
My 400th post on this blog! It seems that I should write something special to commemorate such a milestone. So I will. Ten years ago last June, Kenda Turner, Connie Huddleston, Catherine Hershberger, and I met in Wheaton, Illinois, at “Write to Publish,” a Christian writers’ conference. All we knew about each other was that … [Read more…]
So what is a writer? A person who meets monthly with a Writers’ Group? Then I’m a writer. A person who gets money for pieces written? Then I’m a writer. A person who has published in national magazines? Then I’m a writer. A person who writes regularly, even though not every day? Then I’m a … [Read more…]
“Rick Bragg? Who is he?” my husband Steve asked, as though I were inviting him to a séance with Dracula. Even my assurance that he was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist that we read monthly in Southern Living didn’t really impress him. But he agreed to go, primarily to humor me. Rick Bragg is a pretty … [Read more…]
So now I move from grammar errors to punctuation errors. Surely the most common error is apostrophe use! Apostrophes are not difficult to manage. Apostrophes are used for ONLY two things: contractions (shortening two words into one) and possessives (showing ownership in some way.) Contractions are easy; most contraction errors are typos. One of my … [Read more…]
My writing day. The day just for me. For me to meditate, to write, to revise, to post or submit. I look forward to Tuesdays. I schedule as little as possible on Tuesdays. Until today. People are everywhere in my house. The painter in the living room reminds me of the old “Murphy Brown” TV … [Read more…]
Yesterday my friend Connie had a mastectomy—not a welcome Christmas experience! But last week she wrote this, and I am eager to share it with you. She and her husband Harry were missionaries in Panama for twelve years but have been back in the States longer than that. Connie and I are in the same … [Read more…]
This is my Writing Day. For years I have tried to eliminate anything but writing from this day, at least from 9-5. If I went to Zumba, as I did this morning, I’d start earlier so I’d get in my full day of writing. Steve would be in classes at NKU and I’d apply myself … [Read more…]
My week at Maranatha was inspiring and helpful, both to my Christian goals and my writing goals. The main speakers—Jerry Jenkins, Lynn Austin, and Crystal Bowman, among others—were so focused on presenting Jesus in all their work that I was quite humbled. I’d say a main point I got was that I don’t pray enough … [Read more…]
