December 1st. The first day you can officially open your advent calendar!
Enjoy this video from the UK!
Blog
Read It Twice!
I read Gone with the Wind for the first time in the seventh grade. Then I reread it in the eighth grade. Daddy fussed at me for this. “Why are you reading the same book again? You should read something else.” I know he had a point, but I consumed it a second time, all the way to the ambiguous, 1,200-page end. Because. I. Wanted. To. By the way, the unsettling ending is probably one reason why I …
Fix Your Worst Writing Pitfalls
Writers should know how to write. Right? But that is easier said than done. “Monsters. . . lie in ambush for the writer trying to put together a clean English sentence,” says William Zinsser in On Writing Well. Numerous dangers line the road to becoming an accomplished and published (and much-published) writer. As a writer, editor, and agent, I see the same mistakes over and over and over (such as …
Unnecessary Worry
In the third and final installment of my “unnecessary” series of blog posts, today we will explore the issue of unnecessary worry. (Yes, I am going for the “w” theme with the posts, starting with words, then work. I am a sucker for intentionality and the obvious.) For followers of Jesus, you cannot venture very far into the issue of worry without bumping into Scripture, as worry is addressed …
A Writer’s Hope Springs Eternal
Writers can be quietly optimistic amidst their seasons of doubt. It is that hope of success that helps make the daily slog a little easier. I reflected on hope by finding a few inspirational quotes: Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. ― Desmond Tutu Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops …
Fun Fridays – November 24, 2017
The day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. has been tagged as the biggest shopping day of the year. But yesterday was a day to remind ourselves what we should be thankful for. This brilliant video from a church in Charlotte, NC embodies that reminder. Enjoy! You may have already seen this because it went viral a couple weeks ago. I figured you wouldn’t mind watching it again.
My 600-lb Book Life
Recently I spent a few hours visiting a relative in rehab, and the television was tuned to an episode of the television series, My 600-lb Life. This is why I like to control the TV remote at all times. The episode focused on a fairly young mother of two children who weighed nearly six hundred pounds and was hoping to engage a surgeon for weight-reduction surgery. Her first several consultations …
Unnecessary Work
Continuing with my series of “unnecessary” blog posts (last week Unnecessary Words), today we cover unnecessary work, which I define as making something more difficult than it needs to be. So you understand my worldview, I always take the escalator, elevator or moving sidewalk, I know all the shortcuts on my computer keyboard and I love microwaves. Why make something harder than it needs to be? …
The Curse of the Writer
Speaking from an agent's perspective...
I have more conversations with clients about their feelings of anxiety, apprehension or insecurity than almost any other topic. Almost every writer I have ever worked with as an editor or an agent severely doubts themselves at some point in the process.
Doubts occur in the midst of creation.
Doubts occur when the disappointing royalty statement …
Fun Fridays – November 17, 2017
Dance! So many different styles. For any age. For any culture. Sort of like writing isn’t it? The arts are a wonderful thing to behold. Enjoy! Wait. Is that me at the 1:31 mark? Maybe not…