Hello fall. I’m looking forward to the changing of the season although in Oklahoma, it doesn’t get into full force until October. I’m looking forward to white pumpkins, warm apple cider, and pumpkin smoothies. It’s been over a month since I last reached out. While I use the freed time to work on my novels, I miss blogging on a …
How the Olympics Has Reinforced My Commitment to Writing
Anyone watching the Olympics? I’m catching highlights of my favorite events- gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, track and field-checking the USA medal count, and listening to athletes’ stories. I’m inspired by how they overcame insurmountable obstacles, like Italian Gianmarco Tamberi who couldn’t compete in Rio Olympics because of a near career-ending injury, but how he roared back and shared a gold metal …
Oh the Places You Will Go When You Overcome Rejection
“Oh, the Places You’ll Go. You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! Join the high fliers who soar to high heights!” Do you recognize these lines? (Hint: They’re from a famous children’s book.) Did you say, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss? If you did, you’re correct. This story is a great summary of …
We are All Storytellers!
This past weekend, I attended an online literary festival held by 1455 Literary Arts. (1455 is a literary community that seeks to promote storytelling and creativity.) I’ve attended a few of their craft workshops and enjoyed it, so I was game for the festival, especially since the theme was Celebrating the Art of Storytelling. Buckle my seatbelt! They had three …
Don’t Worry About It!
“Don’t Worry About It!” This is a phrase I heard continuously in Costa Rica. My husband and I just spent ten days there for our delayed honeymoon. A delightful country especially for nature lovers like us. They have such varied landscape from dry forest, cloud forest, rain forest, the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and 212 volcanos (only 11 are …
What I Discovered About Characters in The Chosen TV series.
Last year, many of us were happily surprised by The Chosen, a TV series about the life of Jesus and his disciples. The show does an excellent job of showing us the humanity of each disciple and drawing us into their lives. One particular disciple I enjoy watching is Matthew. They wrote him as someone on the autism spectrum. So, …
How to Make Your Story Come Alive
Ever read a book that becomes so palatable, you feel as though the writer has transported you? Almost as if you’re breathing the same air as the characters? I enjoy when a story’s world is so plausible and tangible, I don’t want the story to end. It lingers in my mind long after the last chapter. Books such as: Jane …
Q & A for June Wood Agamah, author of Caryl’s Closet
Note: I met June last year through my sister Laurie. June contacted me since she discovered I’m an editor. While I didn’t edit her book, I gave her some writing and publishing tips. And I enjoyed hearing about the premise of her work-in-progress, Caryl’s Closet. As you’ll notice in the Q & A, June is a go-getter and within a …
Update on Love At the Mayo manuscript
This week is an update blog on my manuscript, Love At the Mayo. While I’m on schedule with editing a chapter a day, three on Mondays, I’m still slightly behind. What?!? Yep. I split up a chapter and added two new chapters. But good news, I might be deleting at least one chapter toward the end. And I’m going to …
One of My Most Inspiring Editing Projects
Sometimes a project falls into your lap just when you need it to. This happened recently. Back in October 2020, I was struggling with the upcoming election and all of the political rhetoric, bickering on social media about which candidate to vote for, the politicization of the pandemic, and increasing racial tensions. Then my friend, Kristi Bridges, referred me to …