@bethvogt I accepted a challenge this week. Not a physical challenge involving upping my exercise. Not a health challenge to decrease my calories or carbs. Not a decluttering challenge to attack my closets or my garage. What did I say yes to? I accepted an invitation to a Five-Day Card and Note Writing Challenge, thanks to my writer …
Here’s Your Chance to Win Some Novels: the Thatcher Sisters Series and Unpacking Christmas: A Thatcher Sisters Christmas Novella
@bethvogt I’m experiencing the joy of writing fiction again this year, after my writing life was disrupted in 2020 by, well, lots of different circumstances. Writing a book is hard work. I have to sit down, ignore the interruptions, and tell the story, one word at a time. And yes, as H. L. Mencken said, along the way there are …
Why We Need to be Encouraged by Honest, Trusted Friendships
@bethvogt I just spent three days in Florida with a group of writing friends and I’m once again reminded how friendship strengthens our hearts. Our time was bookended on both sides with hugs, mixed with liberal doses of encouragement and insight and lots of laughter. Getting together took planning and effort and yes, it cost us financially, too. But we …
Choosing to Embrace Plan B
@bethvogt Sometimes our well-thought-out plans don’t work. Frustrating, isn’t it? Last year wasn’t a great writing year for me. Too many disruptions meant very little creative writing. I spent some time evaluating what I needed to ensure I had a more productive year in 2021. Solid blocks of time. Dedicated space. No interruptions. Then I made my plan. It wasn’t …
Choosing to Return to the Beginnings of Your Dream
@bethvogt My goal was simple: Sort through a stack of papers that needed to be filed. I never expected to return to the beginnings of a dream. A white restaurant napkin scribbled on both sides with words written in black ink and protected by a plastic page protector was slipped among the workshop notes and conference brochures and book contracts …
How Do We Navigate Between Winning and Losing?
How Do You Use Awards to Define Yourself? @bethvogt The first award I ever won was for an elementary school spelling bee. I remember standing in a line with my classmates against the chalkboard. Waiting my turn as the teacher called out different words. Silently spelling my classmates words. Concentrating, letter by letter, as I spelled the word I was …
Success is not Who We Are
Know Your Values to Succeed by @bethvogt Success is serious business to a lot of people – to just about everyone. People spend a lot of time defining success. Redefining it. Pursuing it. Achieving it. Set your sights on any sort of goal – academic, athletic, creative – and the question pops up in some form or another: Are …
In Others’ Words: Gone Fishing … Sort of
I haven’t gone fishing … I’m on deadline. I send copyedits for Moments We Forget, book 2 in the Thatcher Sisters Series, to my editor on Wednesday. Right now it’s all about the edits. I’ll be back blogging on Thursday. See y’all then!
In Others’ Words: Start Writing, No Matter What
I’m in a “not writing” phase at the moment. Except the moment has stretched over a number of days. And, while I’m not on a hard deadline, I do have things to write. I have written blog posts … my In Others’ Words posts and other blog commitments. But that’s one type of writing, as opposed to working on fiction …
In Others’ Words: The Multiplication of Applause
It’s the most natural thing in the world to applaud when someone does something good, isn’t it? Well, yes … and no. I love to attend Broadway shows. I don’t hesitate to start the applause after a moving duet or rousing dance performance. I’ve clapped my way through more school productions than I can count, not to mention sports competitions, and even …