Advice for Writing, Editing, Reading, and Life.
New posts on Mondays (for non-fiction) or Fridays (for fiction)
Us Versus Us: 2023 Year-End Review
It’s that time again. I want to talk about what I’ve read, what I’ve done, and what I’ve learned in the Year of Our Lord two-thousand twenty three. That’s enough of an intro, right?
When Good Is Enough: 2022 Year-End Review
The wistful desire to think through the year and the lessons learned and the growing pains afflicts me as well. The nostalgic sense of wonder and reflection—they are not foreign to me. Thus, since I cannot change the calendar, I will submit to its declaration that today is the last day of the year.
Fear Itself
I rarely feel like I can conquer my fears; often the best I can manage is to coexist with them under a tenuous cease-fire. So what do I do?
Through a Glass, Darkly
Reading her thoughts felt like wading into water of unknown depth until my toes were barely scraping the bottom. Part of me knew the essay was deeper than I could comprehend, and that pushing into it risked losing my footing altogether and being swept up in the current.
Finding Success in the Middle Ground — A response to “The Paradox of Platform”
Nurturing any career is a process. It’s not something that happens at a particular point in time. I got the idea to try writing picture books somewhere around five years ago. On any given day since, I am taking steps toward that end. I joined a critique group—Hooray! I studied the business of writing—Go, me! I learned to revise--Something else to celebrate! Seeing just the end goal disregards the growth points and small wins along the way.
The Importance of Rest
I still struggle with the lie that I can’t take time for real rest if I haven’t finished whatever project I’m working on. Thus, I settle for cheap “rest”, which drains me more and leaves me even less motivated and able to get back on track when I need to.
The Paradox of Platform
If you already have a built in fan-base from another venture, such as internet videos or a television show, your book will be a much easier sell than someone with no web presence, regardless of how good or bad either book actually is. As a person with virtually no platform, I know how that sounds—envious and a little bitter. To some extent it probably is, I confess, but it’s also just the reality of producing art for profit.
Why Write? Because I Love Exploration
For better or worse, there’s not a whole lot left on earth that hasn’t been explored. You have the depths of the ocean and the farthest reaching recesses of cave systems. Everything else has pretty much been found and mapped.
Writing opens a loophole.
Why Write? An Overview of Motivation
Why write? Why bother with this blog? Why post anything at all?
The short answer is because I can.
The Gift that Keeps on Taking: 2021 Year-End Review
This post was originally planned to be a simple recap of the books I’ve read this year and some brief spoiler-free reviews… well, it’s morphed into something more comprehensive; it exposes more of me than this blog was ever intended to, but my hope is that you, dear reader, will find it more worthwhile and helpful as a result.
Christmas with the Cross: A Modern Take on an Ancient Tradition
All over the world, for hundreds of years, Christians have celebrated the weeks leading up to Christmas, a season known as Advent. Christmas with the Cross is a new, free Advent family worship guide to help you and yours prepare for Christmas.
How to Receive Feedback Well
Writing with the intent to distribute is a beautiful paradox; it’s at once intensely personal and intimate, and highly collaborative and public. Asking for feedback can be terrifying, but it’s also very often thrilling and always necessary.
How to Give Feedback Well
Every bit of feedback you provide should be helpful above all else. When you work with another writer, you’re a collaborator, not a competitor. The more good writing that makes it into the world, the better off we all are.
Five Qualities Writers Should Strive to Exhibit
Some traits are pretty universally useful in basically any career context. However, every career path will require certain characteristics more than others, or require them to manifest in different ways. Here are five traits that I think are of particular importance for writers.