A Work in Progress

Today for Manna Monday , I'm the guest post blogger for Rebecca Ward Design . Hope you enjoy. I have this passion for writing. You know, stories, articles, fiction, poetry. So I’m sure you’re wondering: How can she possibly relate writing to interior design? In all honesty, I was stumped when first presented with the idea of guest blogging for a designer. Some designers have the ability to write, but not all writers can design. Then I realized, after thinking about it, that a well-designed room has a story to tell. And that these stories, the rooms or buildings, set the background information for most books. The design ends up being critical to specific scenes or dialogue because it sets the mood and temperament, and reveals detail necessary for a quality story. This is accomplished through any and every thing: the color of the walls, the style of the protagonist’s favorite chair, texture of a bedroom duvet or even the run-down fifties-era kitchen. These descriptions al

I had a great conversation with a writer-friend of mine this week. She and I have been in a similar predicament for the past few years, in that most of our energy and time has gone into raising our children, and not into the world we so longingly want to delve into: writing. Our kids, of course, and the time we give them is valuable time dedicated. We understand that. We chose to forego our passion of writing for them instead. But, we also discussed why some writers -- as busy as us --were still able to write while raising a family. Did they have extra help? Was their writing so miraculous that their brains just downloaded the stuff onto their computer in mere minutes? What did they do differently? Obviously, many women and men raise their children and manage to write; perhaps even write bestsellers (ahem ... Mrs. Meyers). So what’s the difference between them and us? What was it that made them more productive? It comes down to something very simple: these authors wanted to write

It's not Manna Monday , but I have a great guest post by writer Alisa Hope Wagner  for which I couldn't wait. Enjoy. I have been anxiously striving to finish edits on my first book. My mind has been consumed with writing, and I’m constantly telling myself to get to work. I feel the pressure of a deadline, and I told God one afternoon, “I can’t wait until I’m done.” I could sense God smile and say, “Then you’ll start your second book.” I stopped in my tracks. I realized that I will never be finished. When I’m done climbing this mountain, God will have another one for me in the distance. While I’m alive on this earth, God will always place promises for my life in the horizon. God places promises beyond each of us; and as we move closer to them, God is able to mold us into the likeness of His son. Promises are in the core of Jesus; they pull us toward Him like gravity and slowly perfect us into our original design. At that moment, I had a reality check. Obviously my per

Today is Manna Monday , which means a guest post from  Rebecca Ward  as your literary food. Enjoy! As a professional interior designer, my job is to magically create perfect interior spaces for my clients. I take their dreams and turn it into a reality. But design is more to me than just a job. It is my passion. And because of my love for it, I have to share it with others. One of my outlets for doing this is through my design blog, Design R . Over time, I have discovered that I am no longer just an interior designer, but an author. I publish my writings about my passion in a public format so others want to read it. But, I didn’t fully come to this “writer” realization by myself. I thank Holly Becker of the blog Decor8 and the blogging class I took called Blogging Your Way (a wonderful course for bloggers from any genre). She is a perfect example of a blogger-turned-published-writer. Through this combination of her extremely popular design blog and writing, she writes for many

Right about the time when I think things will stay the same, they change. Which is a good notion, I suppose. Without change, where's the progress? This was essentially Walt Disney's Motto "... keep moving forward ...," and look at the empire he created? Sometimes, in order for great things to happen, change is necessary. But we have to keep looking ahead, and actually  implement change, if we expect an empire of our own (figuratively speaking, of course). So here's the deal: I'm changing the name of my blog to the title I should've had months ago, Writer's Manna. I woke up to this title, one moring, after having written something with those words, and am being forced by my one-tracked and often stubborn mind to make it my blog's name. And I hope, this is a better change. There you go. A new title, for a new day. And I'm hoping to keep this one for a good, long time. Is there a lesson in it for all of us? Embrace change -- good change -- 

Hey, writers out there, I have a question for you: Have you ever been a guest blogger? This is where you write an article or essay for someone else's blog, so the focus is off of your own site and onto someone's else. The article can be anything, or everything. But the point is that the writing is to benefit not just your writing platform, but theirs while simultaneously expanding your experience. I'm sure you're asking: How is this beneficial? Well, not only is it a chance for you to write, but it allows your writing to extend to more circles, ones most likely directly related to your line of work. This means potentially new contacts, resources, friends and knowledge for you and your host. It's a win for you (since more people will see your writing), and it's a win for the host because they gain an educational or insightful article/ blog with a unique voice ... one other than their own. I also hear you asking: Can you give me an example? I have a frie

I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned at Writeoncon.com What is Writeoncon? Just the best three days of interviews of agents, authors and editors from all over the country for those who live, eat and breathe reading or writing children's, middle-grade, or young adult literature. Writeoncon was the conglomeration of the some of the best knowledge, from some of the best people in the industry and all within the touch of the keyboard. Though my head is overloaded, swirling from all the information I tried to cram in there, I'm happy to tell you that I took notes. This way, I have access to what I learned right in front of me. And if that's not good enough, hey, it's online! I can go back, listen or read again, and get even more fuel for my fire.  What did I learn , you ask? What didn't I learn, is a more likely question. Writing is really an art form. And the more you study it, the better you become. Well, that is the supposed theory anyway. I th

This picture was the most randomly, funny picture I've ever taken ... and Hallmark kinda liked it too! Check out Hallmark's website to not only view the card, but buy one! Feeling a little down? Ha, ha well I think this picture will help. My winning card! *Big thank you to my sister's legs, my cousin's laugh, and my aunt's perfect body-language.*

So, I remember writing a blog not that long ago, about how I was stressing over what to do this summer. And how I absolutely needed to get a list going to make sure I kept busy with the boys. Well, proof that I can't live without lists (Jen, I know, I know) and that lists work , I've been busier than I ever intended. Minus the hiking trip to Tahoe (happening next weekend) and the "Forest Buffet" at Harrah's (also next weekend), the list is finished! Check marked, over with and done. Did I mention that both of them grew about an inch or more these past three months? And that wasn't even on the list. You see how busy we have been? In ten days, my boys --both of them-- go back to school -my youngest starting preschool for the first time. (FYI: there may be forthcoming a huge blog --with copious amounts of tears shed over my keyboard-- with that one.) Summer may not be officially over, but I'm at a loss for words at how quickly it went by. Guess that was