Lately I have been learning so many confusing things about social media and your business. One site says that you need to keep it strictly professional and don't ever mention anything about your personal life while another site that you should share posts about things you would like to read while still keeping a somewhat professional front (in other words, don't be posting about what you had for lunch, but post about other activities besides your business), while another site says something entirely different.
WAH!!
It's so confusing! However, have no fear. I'm determined to get over this hurdle and make it across the finish line.... yeah, you can tell I've been watching Olympic re-runs. ;-)
In all seriousness, though, I would deeply appreciate your opinion on this matter. As my faithful readers/followers, I want to know what you think. What do you like seeing most from your favorite authors (not just me in particular). Should we do pictures or posts about our personal life or should we keep it strictly professional and only post about updates on our writing, what books are coming out, and the newest discounts?
You can either drop a line, or vote on the poll on the sidebar!!! Thanks!!!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
When God's Plans are Bigger than Yours
I have learned that I will never quit learning how much bigger God's plans are than my own. Unfortunately I feel as if it will be my 'constant companion' throughout the years. It is so easy to get caught up in what you want to do, your own personal interests, that you forget to consult the Ultimate Planner.
I often times pray, when a big decision needs to be made, for God to show me what to do. However, I sometimes forget that God has a plan for ALL of my life, not just parts of it. He not only cares about what I do tomorrow, but He also cares about what I do for the rest of the week. He cares about everything that involves me, and yet I treat Him as an outsider, forgetting to ask Him what His grand plans are.
I like the plans I make, sometimes. Yet I also get tired of trying to run my own life, sometimes. It seems to be a constant battle between flesh and Godly desires.
I am reminded rather often of how much I forget to include God in my planning. I was reminded yet again at church and Bible study this past Sunday.
But, right there is my problem. See, in my above sentence I said that I forget get to 'include' God, as if He is the one that needs to be included. Instead, I should be asking myself, How can I be included in HIS plans? How can I seek His counsel at every waking moment so that I know what it is HE wants of ME, instead of asking what I want from Him.
The other day I learned that lesson once again (which, maybe I should say I 'experienced' that lesson, because I obviously didn't learn it the first time if I had to be taught again!).
As some of you may know, I was really looking forward to possibly publishing my first young adult novel. It was the story I did for the month of November (NaNoWriMo) and I thought for sure, because of some different things which I won't list here, that I was going to publish it. That God wanted me too. Yet, somehow, deep inside, I knew that wasn't so. Yet I kept pushing onward, continually working on it and ignoring something I knew that I needed to be working on. I continued like this all through December, trying to deceive myself and others that I was truly getting this book published.
Thank the Lord for His goodness and Mercy, though. One night, as I was working on my book, I suddenly hit a wall. Literally. I felt as if I was bumping into an invisible bubble of sorts. I couldn't go anywhere with my book. My writing started sounding cheesy. The storyline was changing into something I didn't like. My fingers froze over the keyboard as the thought suddenly struck me full force. Stop. Just stop and listen.
I tried to ignore it. I knew what was coming and I really didn't want to listen to this. Not right now. Yet it still urged me, the voice getting louder and stronger. I stopped. I couldn't resist any longer. It hurt too much, really. Whenever we fall out of God's will, I think it hurts. A lot. Because we know that what we might be doing is wrong. So, I did stop. I listened. I cried. I begged. I finally, with much reluctance, accepted.
I felt peace.
Sweet peace. There really is something to be said for it. It was such a stark contrast to what I had been feeling before. The turmoil was gone, only peace flooded my senses and flowed into my heart. It may sound somewhat melodramatic or something, but it is extremely true. God was clearly telling me that I wasn't supposed to publish my young adult novel. The prize of my writing. It wasn't to be done. I didn't like hearing it, but so be it.
I relinquished that book to God and basically said, "Your will be done,". I felt sad at first. Yet, even now, having been several days since that night, I have still felt such peace. I will continue on with my young reader books. I don't know how many I'll do. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to do the next one yet. I'm still waiting. For what? I'm not really sure. Yet God has given me the peace to wait. Just wait.
It is probably one of the hardest things to do, but there ya have it. I would greatly covet your prayers that God would show me what I need to do and where I need to go.
This may seem like an odd post for a writing/author blog, but it's something very important to me, and I wanted to share because 1.) I didn't want to be deceiving all of you, and 2.) I wanted to ask for prayers.
So, there ya have it, folks. And update for y'all that I hope makes some semblance of sense. ;-)
I often times pray, when a big decision needs to be made, for God to show me what to do. However, I sometimes forget that God has a plan for ALL of my life, not just parts of it. He not only cares about what I do tomorrow, but He also cares about what I do for the rest of the week. He cares about everything that involves me, and yet I treat Him as an outsider, forgetting to ask Him what His grand plans are.
I like the plans I make, sometimes. Yet I also get tired of trying to run my own life, sometimes. It seems to be a constant battle between flesh and Godly desires.
I am reminded rather often of how much I forget to include God in my planning. I was reminded yet again at church and Bible study this past Sunday.
But, right there is my problem. See, in my above sentence I said that I forget get to 'include' God, as if He is the one that needs to be included. Instead, I should be asking myself, How can I be included in HIS plans? How can I seek His counsel at every waking moment so that I know what it is HE wants of ME, instead of asking what I want from Him.
The other day I learned that lesson once again (which, maybe I should say I 'experienced' that lesson, because I obviously didn't learn it the first time if I had to be taught again!).
As some of you may know, I was really looking forward to possibly publishing my first young adult novel. It was the story I did for the month of November (NaNoWriMo) and I thought for sure, because of some different things which I won't list here, that I was going to publish it. That God wanted me too. Yet, somehow, deep inside, I knew that wasn't so. Yet I kept pushing onward, continually working on it and ignoring something I knew that I needed to be working on. I continued like this all through December, trying to deceive myself and others that I was truly getting this book published.
Thank the Lord for His goodness and Mercy, though. One night, as I was working on my book, I suddenly hit a wall. Literally. I felt as if I was bumping into an invisible bubble of sorts. I couldn't go anywhere with my book. My writing started sounding cheesy. The storyline was changing into something I didn't like. My fingers froze over the keyboard as the thought suddenly struck me full force. Stop. Just stop and listen.
I tried to ignore it. I knew what was coming and I really didn't want to listen to this. Not right now. Yet it still urged me, the voice getting louder and stronger. I stopped. I couldn't resist any longer. It hurt too much, really. Whenever we fall out of God's will, I think it hurts. A lot. Because we know that what we might be doing is wrong. So, I did stop. I listened. I cried. I begged. I finally, with much reluctance, accepted.
I felt peace.
Sweet peace. There really is something to be said for it. It was such a stark contrast to what I had been feeling before. The turmoil was gone, only peace flooded my senses and flowed into my heart. It may sound somewhat melodramatic or something, but it is extremely true. God was clearly telling me that I wasn't supposed to publish my young adult novel. The prize of my writing. It wasn't to be done. I didn't like hearing it, but so be it.
I relinquished that book to God and basically said, "Your will be done,". I felt sad at first. Yet, even now, having been several days since that night, I have still felt such peace. I will continue on with my young reader books. I don't know how many I'll do. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to do the next one yet. I'm still waiting. For what? I'm not really sure. Yet God has given me the peace to wait. Just wait.
It is probably one of the hardest things to do, but there ya have it. I would greatly covet your prayers that God would show me what I need to do and where I need to go.
This may seem like an odd post for a writing/author blog, but it's something very important to me, and I wanted to share because 1.) I didn't want to be deceiving all of you, and 2.) I wanted to ask for prayers.
So, there ya have it, folks. And update for y'all that I hope makes some semblance of sense. ;-)
Monday, January 6, 2014
Social Media
I have finally decided that I needed to get out in social media. Well, I should actually say that I have thought a lot about it and knew I needed to, but time just never seemed to work or else I kept forgetting. Not to mention that there was never a chance to sit down with my parents and discuss which sites were ok and whatnot.
So after talking it over and deciding, I have set up a page on FaceBook. Woohoo. ;-) Actually it is quite exciting, having already reached quite a few likes.
I'm also on Amazon as an Author, which means that you can check out and follow my 'author page', in a sense. And, as most of you know, I'm also on Google+. G+ is more of my interaction social site, whereas FB and Amazon are strictly business and not personal.
So, links to these sites:
FaceBook Page
Google+ Profile
Amazon Author Profile
Please feel free to 'like', '+1', or follow!
So after talking it over and deciding, I have set up a page on FaceBook. Woohoo. ;-) Actually it is quite exciting, having already reached quite a few likes.
I'm also on Amazon as an Author, which means that you can check out and follow my 'author page', in a sense. And, as most of you know, I'm also on Google+. G+ is more of my interaction social site, whereas FB and Amazon are strictly business and not personal.
So, links to these sites:
FaceBook Page
Google+ Profile
Amazon Author Profile
Please feel free to 'like', '+1', or follow!
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Shame on Me
This is a confession post. I said I was going to finish my NaNo book by December 31st, but, quite honestly, I think I was setting somewhat unrealistic goals. Sure I could have written much more than I have these last couple of days, but unfortunately I didn't.
So, new plan. I will definitely hold to this one and keep you updated so I can be held accountable. :-) I'll be finished with it by the end of January. I have looked at the calendar and we don't seem to be too busy (hah, famous last words) so I plan to get a lot more writing in. Not to mention that I'll kind of have to if I'm going to get my 2nd children's book done by April!
Prayers, please, that God gives me inspiration with my stories! Thank you everyone!
Now, off to write!
So, new plan. I will definitely hold to this one and keep you updated so I can be held accountable. :-) I'll be finished with it by the end of January. I have looked at the calendar and we don't seem to be too busy (hah, famous last words) so I plan to get a lot more writing in. Not to mention that I'll kind of have to if I'm going to get my 2nd children's book done by April!
Prayers, please, that God gives me inspiration with my stories! Thank you everyone!
Now, off to write!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Getting the Perfect Gift
It is sometimes hard to find a gift that is just 'perfect' for your writer. So, here are just a few ideas.
(Post by me, over at Word Painters!)
Monday, December 2, 2013
November is Finished, but the Writing is Not!
Hello fellow Writers!
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm slightly relieved November is over. It was a grueling month of sitting at a computer for so many hours a week. Not really fun (for me, anyway!). I enjoy writing, but I just don't care for the process- the sitting, the thinking, the brain blocks, etc.
However, I am very excited to say that I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!
I seriously could not have done it without my family. They are really great. My mom made sure I had plenty of time to write during the day so I was staying up super late at night (which basically means that she either took over some of my chores, or helped out to make it go faster). Then my siblings were great, too, in that aspect of taking over chores or just being an encourager to me. My younger brother often came to see how my word count was doing, give me a high five, give me chocolate, etc. Yeah, he's great. :-)
My dad helped me keep on track with his words of wisdom: "It's not how many words you write, but what you write that counts." It helped me realize that even if I didn't win NaNo this year, so long as I was satisfied with my writing and felt that I did my best, then that's all that mattered.
One of the biggest challenges for me (and hopefully others, so I'm not alone here!) was making sure I didn't write tons of words, but a story. See, it's easy to get caught up in just writing whatever so that you get as many words in as possible. It really doesn't matter. Honestly, if you're a good writer, you can tell a story in 20, 000 words as opposed to 50, 000 and still do a good job. It's easy to write up a LONG description of a flower on the hillside of some obscure mountain when it really has nothing to do with your story. Its easy to keep repeating the same thing over and over, just in a different way, so you can get your word count up. Yet the hidden point to NaNo, I think, isn't really about hitting that 50, 000 word mark, but it's about making yourself write to reach a goal. However, it is a public goal, therefore you have accountability. If you don't reach that 50, 000 words or don't even write much at all, folks are going to see it. I don't know about you, but that tends to really kick it for me. I don't like failing. I really don't- especially when it comes to writing. I want to be able to accomplish what I've set out to do. Yet there were several times last month that I thought for sure I wouldn't make the goal. Determination set in, however (or perhaps it's just pure stubborness), and, Praise the Lord, I was able to make it.
Now that the month of November is over, I start thinking that I can take it easy... but the reality is, I can't. Not if I want to succeed with my writing, if I want to get my book published.
I'd love to take a break, and yesterday and today I have. However, I am now making a public goal. To finish the novel I started in November by December 31st. Sounds like a tough goal at first, but hey, I just wrote over 50,000 words in one month! I'm already a little more than halfway through my story (the actual story, not word count).
So here is my public announcement that I am setting out to do this. This means that I need you, my fellow writers, to hold me accountable. Sure, I don't have a fancy word counter so that you can see where I'm at, but I do have this blog. I can come and post every so often (can't promise a certain schedule) so that I can be held accountable. If I know I have to come here every week or so to post about how I'm doing, I'm going to be getting in a lot of writing.
However, there is a second goal here... and that is to post more regularly on here. I'm not exactly sure what I'll post about, but I've got a few ideas churning around in my head. So we shall see what we shall see. In any case, I'm glad to be able to pop my head up for a bit of 'blogging air', and now I get to burrow it again in the 'writing sand'... only, now I'll hopefully have more "air" breaks. ;-)
Happy Writing!
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm slightly relieved November is over. It was a grueling month of sitting at a computer for so many hours a week. Not really fun (for me, anyway!). I enjoy writing, but I just don't care for the process- the sitting, the thinking, the brain blocks, etc.
However, I am very excited to say that I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!
I seriously could not have done it without my family. They are really great. My mom made sure I had plenty of time to write during the day so I was staying up super late at night (which basically means that she either took over some of my chores, or helped out to make it go faster). Then my siblings were great, too, in that aspect of taking over chores or just being an encourager to me. My younger brother often came to see how my word count was doing, give me a high five, give me chocolate, etc. Yeah, he's great. :-)
My dad helped me keep on track with his words of wisdom: "It's not how many words you write, but what you write that counts." It helped me realize that even if I didn't win NaNo this year, so long as I was satisfied with my writing and felt that I did my best, then that's all that mattered.
One of the biggest challenges for me (and hopefully others, so I'm not alone here!) was making sure I didn't write tons of words, but a story. See, it's easy to get caught up in just writing whatever so that you get as many words in as possible. It really doesn't matter. Honestly, if you're a good writer, you can tell a story in 20, 000 words as opposed to 50, 000 and still do a good job. It's easy to write up a LONG description of a flower on the hillside of some obscure mountain when it really has nothing to do with your story. Its easy to keep repeating the same thing over and over, just in a different way, so you can get your word count up. Yet the hidden point to NaNo, I think, isn't really about hitting that 50, 000 word mark, but it's about making yourself write to reach a goal. However, it is a public goal, therefore you have accountability. If you don't reach that 50, 000 words or don't even write much at all, folks are going to see it. I don't know about you, but that tends to really kick it for me. I don't like failing. I really don't- especially when it comes to writing. I want to be able to accomplish what I've set out to do. Yet there were several times last month that I thought for sure I wouldn't make the goal. Determination set in, however (or perhaps it's just pure stubborness), and, Praise the Lord, I was able to make it.
Now that the month of November is over, I start thinking that I can take it easy... but the reality is, I can't. Not if I want to succeed with my writing, if I want to get my book published.
I'd love to take a break, and yesterday and today I have. However, I am now making a public goal. To finish the novel I started in November by December 31st. Sounds like a tough goal at first, but hey, I just wrote over 50,000 words in one month! I'm already a little more than halfway through my story (the actual story, not word count).
So here is my public announcement that I am setting out to do this. This means that I need you, my fellow writers, to hold me accountable. Sure, I don't have a fancy word counter so that you can see where I'm at, but I do have this blog. I can come and post every so often (can't promise a certain schedule) so that I can be held accountable. If I know I have to come here every week or so to post about how I'm doing, I'm going to be getting in a lot of writing.
However, there is a second goal here... and that is to post more regularly on here. I'm not exactly sure what I'll post about, but I've got a few ideas churning around in my head. So we shall see what we shall see. In any case, I'm glad to be able to pop my head up for a bit of 'blogging air', and now I get to burrow it again in the 'writing sand'... only, now I'll hopefully have more "air" breaks. ;-)
Happy Writing!
Friday, November 1, 2013
NaNoWriMo Begins!
It's amazing how a few words can make a person ecstatic. I am completely stoked about the month of November. Of course, there are a bunch of things going on (including seeing some dear friends who live in another state!), but the main thing is NaNo. I've never done this, as I mentioned before, so perhaps that's why I'm so excited- I don't know yet how hard it will be! ;-)
50,000 words is a lot. Especially when you average it out 1,667 words a day (or something close to that!) What will be interesting to see is how much I'll actually get done in a day. Can I actually write that many words in ONE day?? Or do I usually write more on a regular basis? It will also be interesting to see if I can keep my procrastinating nature in check. I will be extremely busy this month (aside from NaNo), so that means I'll have to work extra hard and keep focused. However, I know that no matter how it goes-whether I fail or win- so long as I keep my writing glorifying to God and never give up, then I have already won. It doesn't matter what the word count is, or if I actually finish the novel. It just matters that I keep my mind and heart focused on Christ, no matter what.
Now, to my fellow NaNoWriMo-ers, lets get to it and keep at it! :-) To those who maybe want to join and haven't yet- it still isn't too late! It's just the first day, so you have time! Jump on in and give it a go! The cool thing, too, is that if you are under the age of 16, there is a youth division where you get to set your own goals. Sounds really neat! And you'll get to meet a bunch of other writers, too!
Well, off to write! Be sure to check for updates and possibly a few snippets from the book I'll be writing!
Happy NaNoWriMo-ing!
50,000 words is a lot. Especially when you average it out 1,667 words a day (or something close to that!) What will be interesting to see is how much I'll actually get done in a day. Can I actually write that many words in ONE day?? Or do I usually write more on a regular basis? It will also be interesting to see if I can keep my procrastinating nature in check. I will be extremely busy this month (aside from NaNo), so that means I'll have to work extra hard and keep focused. However, I know that no matter how it goes-whether I fail or win- so long as I keep my writing glorifying to God and never give up, then I have already won. It doesn't matter what the word count is, or if I actually finish the novel. It just matters that I keep my mind and heart focused on Christ, no matter what.
Now, to my fellow NaNoWriMo-ers, lets get to it and keep at it! :-) To those who maybe want to join and haven't yet- it still isn't too late! It's just the first day, so you have time! Jump on in and give it a go! The cool thing, too, is that if you are under the age of 16, there is a youth division where you get to set your own goals. Sounds really neat! And you'll get to meet a bunch of other writers, too!
Well, off to write! Be sure to check for updates and possibly a few snippets from the book I'll be writing!
Happy NaNoWriMo-ing!
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