Understanding Why First Drafts Are So Hard

Camp NaNoWriMo started at the beginning of this month and I’m currently headed to a writing retreat trying to complete the first draft of my work in progress. (For once, it’s going splendidly!) As I write every day, I’m reminded how terrible first drafts are. And I’ve been thinking about… Continue reading

Camp NaNoWriMo: Let The Writing Begin! (And May the Words Be Ever In Your Favor)

(The answers to last week’s 10 Truths & 2 Lies have been posted on that blog! Click to go see if you guessed right!) April is one of my favorite months for many reasons. The flowers start coming out, the weather is in that pleasant phase where you can go on… Continue reading

I’m Writing My Next Book by Typewriter

Yes, really. Don’t believe me? Well, let me convince you. The next book was supposed to be by hand. In fact, a lot of people have been asking, “Weren’t you writing your next book by hand?” because I’d made it clear that was my next plan. Let me explain what happened:… Continue reading

Who’s Doing Camp NaNo?

Alert! Writers! Do you know what Camp NaNo is? If you don’t, then I’m afraid to inform you that I’ve just shot you with with an eyeball-super-glue-laser and now you’re not allowed to look away from this blog post until you’ve finished reading. What is this weirdly-titled thing called Camp NaNo?… Continue reading

Can a “Spiritual High” from Christian Fiction be Dangerous?

Christian fiction is powerful. So powerful, even, that it has the potential to become idols of all sorts in our lives. Last week, I shared six books that impacted me. I’m sure we’ve all experienced a book or two (or five hundred) that left us with the post-Bible-camp spiritual high that inspired… Continue reading

12 Questions About Your NaNoWriMo Plans

  [ujicountdown id=”NaNoWriMo” expire=”2013/11/01 00:00″]   I just about spit out my chai latte when someone pointed out that NaNoWriMo is next month. Shouldn’t I have an author radar alerting me? For less than three years, I’ve known about NaNoWriMo and I realized I needed much more than a two-day heads… Continue reading