Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Writing”
Once upon a time … there was a writer on deadline. Me. My deadline is five days away. And so, certain things are getting ignored. Like laundry. And cleaning the house. And yes, this blog. Thank you for understanding. I’ll see you all next week, after I push SEND on my latest novel. [ctt template=”8″ link=”895ej” via=”yes” ]In Other\’s Words: Once Upon …
I started keeping a journal because Miss Gooley, my freshman English teacher, required it. Besides our regular assignments — reading, writing papers, taking quizzes and tests — students in Miss Gooley’s class had to keep a journal. Miss Gooley would read our entries, make comments, return our journals, and we’d repeat the process, all year long. Decades later, I’m still …
It’s been a week of story. Depending on the hour of the day, I’ve either been mulling over a story idea or talking about a story idea with my writing friend and mentor, Rachel Hauck, or writing out a story idea, a.k.a a synopsis … and repeat, repeat, repeat. The sentence in the quote, “I must write it all out, …
You know how someone says something and their words just reverberate in your mind and heart for days afterward? That’s what happened to me this past Saturday when I attended a local writer’s group. Author (and friend) Cara Putman spoke to the group via Skype and early on she said, “Let go of the fear of being wrong.” Cara said …
So yesterday … yesterday was about a dream coming true. I sat in my office with my daughter, CJ, and watched the 2016 Christy Awards, which were presented online this year, and my novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, won for the Contemporary Series category. I’m still grinning about that moment … and still not believing it. And what’s even …
I love the quotes that set me back on my heels and make me go, “Huh.” That’s exactly how I reacted to what Duke Ellington said — only I smiled when I said, “Huh,” and then I told my husband he had to read the quote, too. Let’s just all admit we pout. The question isn’t really what do we do …
I am living my writing dream — and for that, I am so, so thankful. But I also know “living the dream” means “doing the work.” Fast drafts. Rewrites. Deadlines. Copyedits. And repeat, repeat, repeat until I’m holding a “real book” in my hands. There are days I’m just treading water, trying to keep my head above the waves as I try to …
Isn’t it funny how pursuing success can end up teaching us a lot about failure? I dreamed about being a writer for a long time. Postponed it for years while I focused on being a wife and a mom — and facing my failures there. And my successes. There were those, too. And then one day I stopped dreaming about …
I always wanted to be a writer. But for years, my focus was on nonfiction: writing for newspapers and magazines and eventually a nonfiction book. And I was happy with that dream. And then a season of burnout became a bend in the writing road. I wrote a “just for fun” novel. And I eventually showed it to my agent. …
Last night, I held a dream come true in my hands. My son Josh received the first copies of his debut fantasy novel, Forge of Ashes — a long-awaited dream, now a reality. Holding his book in my hands was every bit as wonderful as the moment I held my debut novel in my hands — possibly even more exciting. …
