Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Weekend Worship—A Holiday Blessing
Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith . . . Hebrews 10:22
Our son’s first deployment was the first time our family was
apart during Christmas. I found myself dreading the holidays and consequently postponed decorating
the house. This was way out of character for me. I’d always delighted in
filling the house with multiple trees, twinkling lights and all the trimmings
of Christmas. But somehow it didn’t seem right to celebrate so abundantly when
my son was halfway around the world in the middle of a war.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thursday Review—Some of My Favorite Writing Conferences for 2013
BRMCWC Awards Banquet, Photo Courtesy of Mary Denman |
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Evaluating the Writers Path
The writing path is a journey of a lifetime |
I’ve
found the writing path to be the journey of a lifetime. At times it’s fraught
with discovery and at others, discouragement. I’ve learned how to avoid some of
its pitfalls by spending some time each year gazing back at the way I’ve come.
This
time of year, with Christmas and New Year's close at hand, my thoughts turn
backward as I evaluate the past year and prepare for the next one. I've given
up New Year's Resolutions completely and find the freedom from those
expectations a major relief.
Monday, December 17, 2012
My 13 Social Media Predictions for 2013
We’ve seen a lot of changes
over the last twelve months. Some were easy to predict, others, well…not so
much. I’ve spent a lot of time researching what the experts have to say, and
I’ve decided to weigh in with my thoughts. So here’s my personal list of Social
Media Predictions for 2013.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Weekend Worship—Where was God?
Its times like these when we want to know, "Where is God?" |
Have you ever wished you understood
God completely—understood why He allows things to happen? This week we’re all
reeling from the children who were killed in Newtown, Connecticut. To be
perfectly honest, I don’t believe there are words that can bring comfort to
those families involved. The hurt is too senseless, too cruel, to horrific to
ever be bandaged with words.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Thursday Review—Take an Unbiased Look at Your Site
This
time of year I’m already looking ahead to what’s to come. I enjoy the holidays,
but sometimes it feels like life is on hold and I’m ready to get back into a
routine. One of the things I can do, is get everything ready to go when the New
Year blossoms. Part of that involves taking an unbiased look at my site.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Next Big Thing Blog Hop!
The Next Big Thing…we’d
all like to hear our book spoken of in those terms. Not likely, but who knows, I might help you find it!
I’m participating in a blog hop, exposing my
readers to some new authors. For those of you who aren’t familiar with a blog
hop, it’s a series of posts linked to each other across the web. I’d like to
thank Staci Stallings for tagging me to participate!
In this particular hop, I’m answering
ten questions about my latest WIP (Work in Progress). Feel free to post
questions and comments!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
My Top 10 Gifts for Writers!
All I want for Christmas…
‘Tis the season of gift-giving and, with Black Friday just around the corner, I’d like to propose a few. Most of us are members of critique groups or have a special friend who’s a writer. Here is my top ten list. Consider these a jumping off point, use them for your own Christmas list or as a way to bless another writer this season.
10. A Christmas ornament. This could be something that pertains directly to a WIP (work in progress) or be more generic in nature. Through the years, my critique partners have gifted me with some amazing Christmas ornaments and I look forward to adding them to my tree.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Social Media Monday—How to Verify Your Website for Pinterest
Pinterest is a social
network that’s becoming more and more popular as a social network. If you’re
not sure how to utilize this versatile platform visit my post on How to PersonalizePinterest.
But you may be missing out
on part of this valuable resource if your website or blog isn’t verified. When
you filled out the profile section of your Pinterest account there was a place
to list your blog/site address. That’s great, but to make that a clickable link
you must verify your site.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Weekend Worship— Don’t be Afraid of Red on White
“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what
will it be seasoned?” Luke 14:34
This weekend I’ve been
privileged to be on staff at the first annual Lightning Bug Literary Festival
in Canton, Mississippi. This has been an amazing experience in many ways, but
one of the highlights has been the faculty I’ve gotten to serve with. I’ve
known several of them for years, but others are now new friends. I had time to
sneak into a few of their workshops and have come away refreshed and
reenergized by what I’ve heard. I was particularly impacted by the insights of
filmmaker Brian Bird.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Life Lessons—It's Never too Late
by Reba J Hoffman, Ph.D.
It's never too Late to follow your dream |
I hear individuals all the time saying they wish they would have done
something earlier in life, because now it’s too late. I can understand that if
you wanted to be a child idol and you’re 35. I’d say that dream is gone. If you
want to be a wide receiver for the NFL and you’re 62 AND female, chances are
that ain’t gonna happen.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Thursday Review—Christmas Writing
by Lynn Huggins Blackburn
With all the things we have to do during the holidays, it’s easy to set our writing aside. But what if we could incorporate our writing into some of our favorite holiday traditions? Here are a few suggestions that will help you “keep calm and write on” during this busy time of year.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Make Your Settings Sing—Using Narrative as a Tool
The
writing world is cyclic, just like everything else. Right now, the cautionary
phrase on the tip of every critique partner’s tongue is show don’t tell. They’re
right, of course. Showing draws the reader deeper into the story, and adds an
immediacy to the reading experience. But many well-meaning crit partners often
label narrative or exposition as telling.
Narrative
is an integral tool that a writer uses to make the scenes come alive. Without
good narrative the story isn’t grounded. So how do we make our settings come
alive? We let the reader view the story’s settings through the filter of the
POV character’s emotions, experiences and beliefs. Look at the examples below
to see what I’m talking about.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Social Media Monday—Resize an Image with Your PC or Mac
In this age of social networking it seems that every
platform has a different size requirement to post images. Because of that, it’s
imperative for you to be able to resize an image with your PC or Mac. It’s not
hard…once you know how to do it. So today I’ll take you step-by-step through
the process for Mac and PC.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Weekend Worship—Second-Mile Living
And whoever compels you
to go one mile, go with him two. Matthew 5:41
The Patriot Guard stands at attention at the funeral of a fallen soldier. |
This
past week I found myself at yet another military funeral. I’ve lost track of
the number I’ve attended in our community this year—a sad commentary on the
world where we live. Every one I’ve attended has been incredibly moving, but
the passage the chaplain chose for the funeral sermon this time has stayed with
me all week.
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