So Far, and Yet So Close

My dream since I was 11 years old has been to write novels. My first short story was about the furniture coming to life in a house whenever the humans were fast asleep. I don't recall what the furniture did, but they had some great conversations. I remember during my high school years sitting in my back yard by our pine trees penning my first "novel." It turned out to be 120 handwritten pages all about teenage angst. Ah, the good old days!

But then I went to college and, even though I majored in journalism, I never got around to writing a novel. One day when I was 33 years old, I realized a LOT of time had gone by. I could almost feel the creativity leaking out of my body and leaving me quite empty. I recognized that if I didn't do something soon, I might never write that novel. So, I got started.

A year later, I started submitting my first novel, to no avail. To make a very long story short, I self-published my novel, entitled Out of Grace. (You can still find used copies of it on Amazon or, if you'd like, respond to this blog and I can send you one.) I sold over 700 copies. Good news, right? But, since I didn't get published by a royalty publisher, I never felt like a "real" writer.

I completed two more novels but still hadn't had any luck getting them accepted by a royalty publisher. Then a funny thing happened. I started publishing in magazines. I never really sought it out, but suddenly, there I was with magazine credits.

And so I realize that even though my dream of having a royalty publisher accept one of my novels may seem far away, I am indeed a real writer. And I'm getting closer to my goal. 

What about you? Do you have an ultimate dream? Does it seem too far away? I encourage you to rethink that. In what ways are you closer to your dream? Look at your life. Have you made progress toward your dream, even if your progress only involves baby steps? Then consider yourself a real writer, singer, baseball player, artist, or whatever it is that makes your heart swell with joy. Keep on taking those baby steps. Someday, you may be able to run.

A New Start

Obviously, I've been away from my blog for quite some time. Two years! And I've learned a lot in the last two years. I will attempt to share some of my insights with you.

I started this blog while recuperating from surgery in the fall of 2009. Since that time, I've had other small medical problems, but nothing like 2009. I shouldn't have let the blog go by the wayside.

It's a new year, so let's get started. I'm starting the year with hope because I just had an article published in Christian Communicator magazine. I've also just completed the Christian Writers Guild Journeyman course.

What are your resolutions for the new year? Are they already broken? Maybe we should eliminate that word from our lives, along with the word "failure." Let's fix what's broken in our lives. Let's learn so much from our "failures" that we think of them only as extra steps on our journey. And, most importantly, let's divorce our mistakes from who we are as people. When we make a mistake, it's just that-- an error we can correct next time. Our failures are NOT representative of who we are. Our value is not a result of whether we succeed at school or work or in our favorite sport; rather, it comes from what Jesus did for us on the cross. Would He really die for you if you weren't worth every drop of blood He spilled?

Now there's a reason to begin the year with hope. Until next time . . . .

Blah. Don't Let Your Writing Become This!

I thought I was finished editing my latest book. That was, until I remembered my writing mentor's advice: Don't repeat words and phrases and don't write BLAH. (Okay, he didn't say "blah," but that's the easiest way I can remember it!)

So, I read my draft with fresh eyes. What did I see? Something like this: "She turned around and looked up at him with questioning eyes. Then she turned and walked away." Talk about your BLAH! I used "turn" twice in the same paragraph. Did she swivel, rotate, circle? Did she look up, or did she glance, gaze, or stare? Did she walk away, or did she stomp, trudge, saunter, or wander? See what I mean?

Then I noticed everyone rubbed their temples. Didn't anyone have pain anywhere else?

Everyone chuckled. Didn't anyone snicker, chortle, guffaw?

Everyone cleared their throats. Surely, there are other nervous habits, say, biting one's fingernails, cracking one's knuckles, twirling one's hair (if you're a girl).

You probably understand it now. Learn from my mistakes, folks. Find the exact word. Mix it up. Add a little spice to your prose. Go ahead, you can do it! (accomplish, achieve, etc.....)