A Work in Progress

Normally, I don't like to toot my own horn. It just doesn't sound right, doesn't ring right, doesn't jab with me or float my boat. Cup of Comfort on Amazon That being said, I'm going to do all of the above. I have to tell you about a little book that published me. Okay, so the book isn't just about me. It's also about 40 other ladies who wrote fantastic words and essays and were chosen to be in the Cup of Comfort line of books, called A Cup of Comfort for Christian Women. This book is seriously inspirational. I had more fun reading through it than writing my own story. It is a wonderfully encouraging book for other women, touches the soul, ministers to the heart, and puts a little more happiness into all of us. The book is great as a gift, great for yourself, and great to have around when you need specific encouragement in a specific area. Okay then, enough said. I am happy to be officially "published" in a "real" book (a nat

ra I'm always forgetting correct grammar rules. I mean, always. And did I mention my punctuation is pathetic? Well, it is. There's a really cool website that I just found, and it's called "Grammar Girl." Well, actually it's really called "Quick and Dirty Tips," and I'm certain I am not italicizing and parathentizing correctly here. But, if I really want to know the right way to write, this lady has the answers. There are a bazillion tips for careers, work, lifetstyle, pets, etc. Hence the name "Quick and Dirty Tips." But, it's the grammar section that really spoke to me. This section is filled with quick tips, written in a way that will make me always remember a particular rule the next time I need to use it. Like, How to Speak English like the Irish , or How to Write Grammatically Correct Photo Captions, or Commas with Adjectives . Useful, funny and insightful ... all at the same time. Way cool! There's always a quick ti

So, I'm sure many of you out there could use a little ego boost with your writing. What if there was a great way to do this, and maybe make a little money ( really little money) from it at the same time? You can. I just recently signed up to be a part of the Yahoo!Contributor Network.  What this means is that I am able write about whatever I want, whenever I want and have it all (almost) published. Some of you may think this is a waste of time, or maybe even beneath you. But, I don't look at it like that. In order to be a better writer, we have to actually write, as often as we can, when we can, and learn, learn, learn the craft -- from content to editing. And to be published during that journey? Wouldn't that be swell? Well, here's an example. I reworked an article I wrote months ago about how just doing a few simple things to your house, can make it look new again. I called it  Live in a New House (... without having to move). It was published almost immediately,

Are you in love with writing? Or just in love with the idea of being a writer? This is a question everyone who writes, or wants to write, needs to keep at the forefront of their mind before they sit down and decide to make a career out of it. I think someone famous said, "If you want to act like a writer, you can ... find a black turtleneck, act depressed all while hanging out at the local cafe." But, I don't know who said it, or the right wording or any of those important things. However, I do remember the meaning behind it. The gist is this: Are you a real writer or a pretend one? Are you an author because you can't live without writing -- because it's in your DNA -- or are you just playing dress up? A friend of mine gave me an article to read about a Belgian author, Amelie Nothumb who spoke of this same perplexity. What it comes down to is this: Writing, or being an author, isn't perplex. We may be perplex people -- and incredibly eccentric -- b

Whenever the writing bug isn't as pesky as it should be -- bugging me until I write something long --sometimes I go for little bits - like short story little bits. Chicken Soup for the Soul If writing novels or long stories is your thing, then writing a short story is going to be difficult. Having to think about dialogue, background, imagery and plot in 1500 words or less, is a challenge that many people have a hard time with -- me included. However, this is where you have a chance to work at your skills. By writing in a few words, what would normally take a paragraph or two, we learn to activate our passive writing, condense our wordiness, and perfect our action scenes to precision. Of course, what I'm talking about mainly has to do with fiction. And going from long fiction to short fiction is tough; it's almost like using a completely different side of our brain. But, let me throw a wrench into this mix: what if you wrote a short piece of non-fiction? If the