Willfulness...

Looked at carefully, willfulness is more against something than for something. My willful self refuses to quit as I seek to push through my writing block or finish lecture preparation even when my spirit is dry and my body is telling me to take a break. A spirit of willingness invites me to pause and turn to God, simply opening to God for a moment, letting God bring perspective and clarity about my need to stop writing for the night or throwing out what I’ve started and wait for the gift of a fresh idea. Willfulness, in either circumstance, is my fight against quitting, against attending to my body, against attending to God’s Spirit. The act of willing surrender is a choice of openness, a choice of abandonment of self-determination, a choice of cooperation with God.

~David G. Benner, Desiring God’s Will, p. 24

On Paper...

“Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do about it.”

--Maxwell Perkins

On Writing...

“Writing is turning one’s worst moments into money.”

~J. P. Donleavy

People, not plots...

Stories come from people. Not from ideas, not from plots. Faulkner gave us the key to our material: “the human heart in conflict with itself”

Meg Files, Write From Life, p. 13

Hot Iron...

This quote was sent in my Elizabeth Mills. Thank you Elizabeth!

“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience.”
–Henry David Thoreau

Tricia’s Thoughts:

There was a time when I wrote my novels, beginning to end. And if I happened to get an idea concerning a later part the book, I simply jotted down notes, hoping they would be sufficient for the future scene. Not any more. Encouraged by my writer-friend, Cindy Martiunsen—and following the advice of Mr. Thoreau—now I don’t wait, don’t jot down future notes, but rather write the scenes that are currently burning in my mind. Of course, it helps to have a basic outline of where my book is going. But once I do, I feel free to move within those boundaries and write the scene that I have the most passion for at the moment. If I’m inflamed about that part of the story . . . usually my future reader will be too.

Composing...

“The novelist is like the conductor of an orchestra, his back to the audience, his face invisible, summoning the experience of music for the people he cannot see. The writer as conductor also gets to compose the music and play all of the instruments, a task less formidable that it seems. What it requires is the conscious practice of providing an extraordinary experience for the reader, who should be oblivious to the fact that he is seeing words on paper.”
Sol Stein, On Writing, p. 8

Tricia’s Thoughts:

Reading this makes a lot of sense to me, “The writer as conductor also gets to compose the music and play all of the instruments.” And how are we trained to play these instruments well? We keep our ears open to the cadence of dialogue. Our eyes alert to seeing the world in beautiful and unique ways. We read the prose of others and study what they do best. And we continue to be a student of those willing to teach us their craft—whether it’s through articles, books, or even blog spots on writing. We also practice. Like a violinist who practices hours each day, should we do any less?

Health and the Writer By Camy Tang

Whether you’re a writer who also works a full-time job or are a busy stay-at-home-mom, it’s hard to stay healthy. I researched and figured out a bunch of tips and tricks to help me stay in shape without carving out of my precious writing time. I also found some tips to help me have just general better health. Pick and choose which of these will work for you.

Fit in fitness wherever you can.

Walk or bike to and from the grocery store.

Park farther away from the building at work or the shopping mall so you have to walk (although be careful about parking in dangerous, isolated areas).

Take a break every hour to walk for 10 minutes. This is also great for people who suffer from lower back problems.

While you’re at your desk, stretch your arms every hour, flex your leg muscles, do a few whole body stretches. You can also do leg lifts or straight leg raises while seated.

Waiting for the coffee? Do a few squats or lunges. Or instead of walking down the hallway, do a lunge with each step.

While sitting, perform the zipper exercise—sit up straight, draw your butt muscles and your front pelvic muscles up toward your belly button. Hold for 5 seconds and release. Repeat another 4 times. Do sets of these 5 times a day, wherever you happen to be sitting.

Sit on the floor with your laptop and do leg stretches.

Before entering a room, put your forearms on either side of the doorframe and then lean into the room, stretching your pectoral muscles. This is also good for people who have upper back problems.

Enrichment...

“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”

--C.S. Lewis

On the road with God...

This quote was sent to me from my writing friend DiAnn Mills. You can learn more about DiAnn at: www.diannmills.com

"A new road with God is a highway of blessings."

Health and the Writer by Camy Tang

Whether you’re a writer who also works a full-time job or are a busy stay-at-home-mom, it’s hard to stay healthy. I researched and figured out a bunch of tips and tricks to help me stay in shape without carving out of my precious writing time. I also found some tips to help me have just general better health. Pick and choose which of these will work for you.

Eating habits:

Rather than a "diet," think about changing your eating habits and your health lifestyle. Choose to eat leaner meats, more vegetables and fruits, and more high-fiber foods. Make small changes at first, then larger ones.

Eat vegetables at every meal. This is an easy tip that helped me improve my eating habits. Fresh or frozen vegetables, raw or cooked, it doesn't matter—just try to include one or more servings of vegetables (and/or fruit) at each meal. Veggies are high in fiber and will help to make you feel full.

Most fitness experts agree that it's better to eat smaller meals every 3 hours than to eat the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This doesn't always fit with everyone's lifestyle, but it's a good goal to aim for if it appeals to you. This method stabilizes blood sugar levels rather than a huge increase and then drop right after a large meal like lunch.

Novel Ideas

What is an idea for a novel? I think we'd agree that the seed for a novel exists in every conversation we overhear and in every stray sight we see. This is true whether we find ourselves in Paris or in Boise, whether the conversation or sight is dramatic or undramatic, whether we encouter it early in the morning on the way to work or late at night in our dreams. We see a taxi driver get out of his cab and he is wearing a certain expression--a novel could get woven around that look. Our friend tells us a story about an insult she received--a novel could get woven around that insult. There are ideas for novels everywhere, since a novel is just the stuff of life organized and punctuated in the writer's idiosyncratic way.

--Eric Maisel, A Writer's Paris, p. 128

Words . . .

A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.

~Charles Peguy

Trial and suffering...

Helen Keller said: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

The Paper Chase...

Feeling a little buried under the mountain of paper encroaching upon your workspace? If so, you are definitely not alone. Research has shown that most people waste an average of 2-4 hours per week shuffling paper. For the next few weeks, I’ll share a system for turning your mountain into a molehill – or less.

All you have to remember are four D’s:
Dump
Delegate
Do
Decide.

Today, let’s cover the basics of DUMPING...

Cut down on the amount of junk mail you receive. Contact the direct marketing association (http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html) to remove your name from mailing lists.

Cut down on the amount of paper that crosses your threshold. You can usually tell before you open a piece of mail if it’s important. My habit is to quickly sort mail over the trashcan in the garage. I end up tossing most of it before I even come into the house.

Keep a shredder near where you open your mail – and immediately shred any credit card offers or personal information you don’t need to keep.

If you see an article in a magazine you’d like to have for future reference, tear it out and file it immediately. Or place it in a file to read later. Then toss the magazine.

Schedule a day once a year (tax time is great) to purge your files of receipts, records, etc. you no longer need to keep.

Be ruthless when you DUMP -- remembering how much happier you’ll be to spend those extra four hours a week putting words on paper – rather than shuffling it.

Love, Love, Love

This quote was sent to me by my writing friend DiAnn Mills. You can learn more about DiAnn at: www.diannmills.com

"You have a three-fold mission on earth: Love Jesus. Love His people. Show that love. Everything else is simply narration in the big scene of life."

You've Got Books!

A good way to keep abreast of the latest releases in Christian books is to subscribe to the free email bookclub from the Christian Authors Network. It's called "You've Got Books."

The service sends you a two minute sample of one book each weekday -- and by the end of the week, you've had a chance to read the first chapter. This is usually enough to tell if you'll like the rest.

This week -- they are previewing Morning Sky by Judith Miller (Bethany House) in the fiction club. And the nonfiction club is reading -- Making Your Home a Haven: Strategies for the Domestically Challenged. Coming up are new books by Kathyrn Mackel, Lauraine Snelling, DiAnn Mills, Allison Bottke, Randy Ingermanson -- and many others . . . including me!

You can sign up at www.christianauthorsnetwork.com. Just click on the heading for Book Club on the menu.

Health and the Writer, By Camy Tang

While working full time and writing, it became hard for me to stay in shape. This wasn't a vain observation--I have genetic health problems that exploded when I started spending all my time with butt glued to computer chair. The work environment also didn't help since I spent some time eating out for lunch with coworkers. My friends who are stay-at-home-moms had similar problems with the stress of kids and the lure of fast food dinners.

I researched and figured out a bunch of tips and tricks to help me stay in shape without carving out of my precious writing time. I also found some tips to help me have just general better health. Pick and choose which of these will work for you.

Drink more water.

At least 64 ounces a day, more if you drink caffeinated beverages (which dry you out). This will increase your body's resting metabolism, meaning your body will be burning calories and have better circulation even when you’re sitting or sleeping. Drinking more water will also prevent urinary tract infections—yuckos! Who likes those?—and enable your body to more easily flush toxins away.

It will cause you to go to the restroom more often. However, being dehydrated has disastrous effects not only on your health—think urinary tract infections—but it will also decrease your brain activity. You might be having problems focusing or being creative in your writing because you’re dehydrated.

If you work outside the home: Drink a bottle of water on the drive to and from work. Take a bottle of water into those meetings instead of a cup of coffee. Drink water at your desk in-between cups of java or tea.

If you’re at home: Get a large water bottle and keep it on your writing desk so you can drink from it while you’re writing. Get used to carrying a small water bottle in your purse. Stash water bottles at various places in the house, especially the TV room and beside your bed.

Check out Camy’s website
And Camy’s blog

Preaching: Great Preachers

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty.
--1 Corinthians 1:26-27

I'm against the idea of putting the "big preachers" on tape and
playing them back to the congregations that feel they are being
starved by listening to "little preachers."

Fallacy, brethren--a thousand times, fallacy!

If we could have the Apostle Paul on tape recordings and let him
stand here and preach, he could do no more for you than the Holy
Ghost can do, with The Book and the human conscience....

Oh, brethren, I would not detract from God's great men, but I can
safely say that that's not what the church needs.

The church needs to listen to the inner voice and do something
about it! The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 1, 108-109.

"Lord, we're inundated today with 'big preachers.' And while we
appreciate their gifts and ministries, I pray today for all of
my brothers who are 'little preachers.' Help them not to be
discouraged by their seeming smallness but to be faithful
servants of Yours, declaring with great passion the message of
the Book, in the power of the Holy Spirit. That's what the
church needs! Amen."

Tricia's comments:
I think that can be said about "little writers" too...

For more information about or to subscribe LMI:

Be Willing...

"Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open."

--Natalie Goldberg

No tears...No surprises...

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader."

--Robert Frost

Object Lesson...

This quote was sent to me by my writing friend DiAnn Mills. You can learn more about DiAnn at: www.diannmills.com.

"Some days I think God uses me as an object lesson. Some days I'm glad he does; this is not one of them."

Winner!

The winner of this week's free book is Vicki!

Vicki, email your address to me at fromdustandashes@hotmail.com and tell me which one of my books you'd like to receive.

The next drawing will be Friday!

You get one entry for every comment you post!

Tricia

Health and the Writer, By Camy Tang

While working full time and writing, it became hard for me to stay in shape. This wasn't a vain observation--I have genetic health problems that exploded when I started spending all my time with butt glued to computer chair. The work environment also didn't help since I spent some time eating out for lunch with coworkers. My friends who are stay-at-home-moms had similar problems with the stress of kids and the lure of fast food dinners.

I researched and figured out a bunch of tips and tricks to help me stay in shape without carving out of my precious writing time. I also found some tips to help me have just general better health. Pick and choose which of these will work for you.

Use exercise as brainstorming time.

If your health permits, walking regularly can be a good way to stay healthy, ward off osteoporosis, and—most importantly—to brainstorm. Take with you a pad and pen or a small voice recorder. Or bring along your CD or MP3 player and listen to a recorded writing workshop. Just 30 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your health and your creativity output.

Exercise bike or elliptical machine--a great place to brainstorm, read (either a writing-related book, market research, or just for fun), listen to a recorded writing workshop, or even watch TV if you have one in your living room.

Efficiency Alert: Multi-tasking and doing these things, even reading and watching TV for leisure, can free up time for writing later. For example, you watch that taped episode of "Desperate Housewives" while on your exercise bike in the afternoon instead of later that evening, enabling you to write during that time.

Check out Camy’s website
And Camy’s blog