When they die in the end
I thought about posting this question on Facebook, but realized it's a little more involved than that format allows. Here's the thing; today I'm finishing up a novel (reading) in which the main character dies in the end. I didn't know this was how the book ended when...
Flightless Bird
Flightless, because they are no more. Today I just wanted to give a shout out to a bird that used to grace our eastern forests, the Carolina Parakeet. These bright, beautiful birds were driven to extinction by the early 1900s, but in 1787 they would still have...
Filling the Well
Lately I've been blessed with good fiction, novels I've either hunted down or had recommended or merely stumbled across in the comment thread of one of the many blogs I visit during the week. Good fiction is subjective, of course, but I know it when I read it. I know...
Review: Love Amid The Ashes
Love Amid The Ashes Mesu Andrews Baker/Revell 2011 An epic story of love and forgiveness, suffering and restoration When her beloved grandfather Isaac dies, Dinah must follow his final command: travel to Job’s household to marry his son. After Job’s world comes...
Writing pace and plotting
This week I'm taking a break from writing Jesse (working title of my novel-in-progress) to do some brainstorming, scene-scaping, and plotting out in more detail of the last two-thirds of the story. I've never taken a novel that was only one-third written and plotted...
A Walk in the Woods
Having plotted stories on trails from the east coast to the west coast, over a span of twenty years, I've learned to never underestimate the power of a good walk in the woods to get the plot ideas flowing. It probably helps that most of the stories I write have at...
A Cabin In The Wood
In lieu of blog silence in the latter half of the week, thanks to one too many migraines, I'm going to share some photos of settler cabins I took several years ago during a trip to Cades Cove, TN, never knowing how near that area I'd one day set a novel. How I'd love...
Ever struggle with self-doubt?
Boy howdy, have I struggled with it this week. It sort of hit out of nowhere, when my novel in progress was going quite well, I thought. But when the self-doubt hit, it hit hard. Is there really some purpose God has for me in writing? Will it be of any eternal benefit...
Did You See This?
Recently I read this post from author Mary DeMuth, over at Novel Journey, and it won't let go of my heart. So just in case you missed it.... Why You Shouldn't Give Up As A Novelist. Really. I hope it will encourage your heart, if you are in a place of working and...
Review: The Dawn of a Dream
The Dawn of a Dream Ann Shorey Revell, 2011 From the back cover: Luellen O'Connell is stunned when her husband of just one month tells her he is leaving--and his reason devastates her. Deeply wounded by his betrayal, Luellen decides to follow her dream to become a...
