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Watercolor Patches Nemesis
Our dog Patches is not a fan of cats in any form.
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Writing Daily
Some people are wonderful at journaling, it may or may not surprise you that I am not. If it’s a writing project, fact or fiction, that comes easier to me. Daily writing about my life does not. I’m sure one factor for this is the practice that journalists have cultivated, which ironically is the same practice that writers attempt in their books, writing daily. Writing daily though, when it comes to your writing project, can help you complete your book in a way other things can’t. Even if you feel that day’s attempts are not as good as others, it will give you a road to pave later. Roads don’t…
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Writing, Build
Great writers build. Some of the best writers I have ever read, praise others in their books. Whether it’s sharing another author, a quote, or a lesson taught them by someone else, they lift up others. Writing should not be all about us, it should be about others. The first other is the reader. Fact or fiction, the story you tell should enrich others. Giving them something that either empowers, encourages, or entertains them serves the reader. While this will in turn bless the writer, it should be done for the good of the reader. Focusing on others will always produce greater results. The second other are those who have…
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Hope in 2020
Everyone agrees this year has seen enormous trials, what may be missed are the triumphs. Somewhere the hungry were fed in 2020. There are stories of rescued lives, and even fortunes made. Just as did the depression, this year will produce success stories. At other times in history, symphonies played in concentration camps, lives were rescued in war zones. People who had no hope of recovery, lived to see their grandchildren. Heartache shouted in every year prior to 2020, but hope whispered it is possible. We may not be to that chapter yet, but we will get there. Wherever you are in 2020, I want to encourage you. Your struggle…
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iPainting Fall In The Park
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Writing, Keep Going
Some began writing at the start of November for the novel writing challenge that is Nanowrimo. Others have been writing in some form for years. If you’ve been able to write everyday this month then that is wonderful, if you’ve missed some time, it happens to us all. The most important thing, is to keep writing. Those days you missed may have been days to our mind needed a break, or they may have just been life stuff. Either way, today is a new day. Writing can be as simple as putting words together until you make a sentence, matching them up to fill up a paragraph, and adding them…
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Writing, Thanksgiving
Whether you’re writing a Thanksgiving story, or writing about gratitude, there’s a few things to keep in mind. First, take care the tone of the piece. While helping your readers to find the joy, and be thankful, be careful not to sound critical. They’re already reading your piece because they want to view their lives positively, so avoid the danger of a condescending tone. Second, whether a story or a inspirational piece, I would encourage you to not take the obvious path. It’s alright to be sentimental, but try and do so in a unique way. You can include all the traditional elements. It can be nostalgic, or even a…
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Writing, Tasks
Some of the most important writing, is sharing steps with someone. Whether they leadership steps, instructions to construct something, or time management steps, how they’re written is very important. Dry steps, overly dramatic steps, or worst of all, unclear directions, can cause a reader to abandon both the project, and your advice. First, if you are writing anything, I believe in keeping it from being boring, but it shouldn’t be a trilogy either. I would encourage you to be interesting, yet concise. Second, make the application clear. My Pastor taught me, no matter how amazing the idea, if you don’t provide application for the listener, you’ve let them down. Give…
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Writing, Small
One of my favorite stories I’ve ever written consists of 80 words, including the title. It was written for a site that I don’t believe is still in existence, but the challenge was could you write a story under a specific word count. I’ll post it at the end for example purposes, but it was exciting because of the limitations it presented. This is a great exercise to jump start a slow writing day, or deal with writer’s block. It’s also one of those tools to keep in your toolbox in the future. I would encourage you to try today to tell a story in 80 words. It will be…
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iPainting Autumn Trees
