I Did It!!!

It's been a rough month, trying to find time to work on my writing, and being disciplined to actually do it. It has been a real stretching time for me. But I'm pleased to announce that I actually did it. I met my goal of 10,000 words and even was a little bit over that amount. I now have four chapters completed on my WIP - work in progress. That means I'm 1/8th of the way through writing my book. Only 70,000 more words to go! :)

God's Strength

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10

I admit it. I have felt weak and overwhelmed as of late. My deadlines which are quickly approaching, are looming on the horizon. I still need to write a homeschool article and a chapter before the end of this week. I came home hoping to work on these, to discover our power is out. I had been clicking along well with keeping up with all of my writing assignments, but now I'm feeling a bit dry and not much creative spark.

I pray that I am reminded through the dry times that I need to rely on the Lord for His strength. He is the one that grants me creativity. May my eyes be focused on Him and not on me. Help me Lord to meet each deadline and give you the praise in the process.

I had planned to post this yesterday, but we were without power for over three hours and it affected our internet service. That wasn't restored until 11PM last night. But in the process of being without these abilities, I wrote by hand, this blog post as well as another one. Then later in the evening, I started working on my homeschool article, and actually completed it.

Continuing to Be Blessed!

It's been a busy week. I have managed to complete another chapter in the book I'm writing. I get so excited when I receive more information in regards to the lighthouse where my story is set, as well as the town of Camden, Maine. God has blessed me with two incredible people who have assisted in my research. I also have been blessed to be a part of the 19th Century Writers. They are able to help with finding out things about corsets, and other articles of clothing from that time period.

The next week and a half will find me busily working on completing my writing lesson - only one more section to complete, writing my homeschool article, and writing another chapter in my book - around 2500 words. I know as I seek the Lord's wisdom and guidance, He will help me to get everything accomplished in His time.

Deadlines! Deadlines!

It was a busy weekend with my mother visiting so we could celebrate her 71st birthday. The emails piled up in my inbox and it has taken most of the morning to get caught up with things. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment with the next course assignment due by next Friday, and a homeschool article needed to be written and submitted by August 1st. Yikes! No pressure! Then I also hope to write 5,000 more words on my novel before the end of this month. I set a goal of 10,000 and I really want to be able to reach it.

Each time I get feeling overwhelmed, I have to make a choice to draw into my Heavenly Father's presence and ask for His wisdom and help as I work towards each deadline. Sometimes I forget and feel like I won't possibly get everything done that needs to be accomplished. But, eventually, I usually remember to focus my eyes on the Lord and surprisingly things and words fall into place. Are you feeling overwhelmed today? Is it time to crawl into your Daddy's lap and ask for His help?

Plugging Along - Progress Report

Well I am 4,443 words closer to my goal of 10,000 words for this month, which means I'm almost half way there! I've had some slight delays the past few days as I have gone back over my first chapter repeatedly editing, polishing and perfecting. I know it usually is recommended to just keep writing, which I also am trying to do. I find that I do better if I keep going over things for now, as it helps me to obtain clearer thoughts of how my characters are portrayed. Taking a few days away from writing allows me to look at things a little differently as I read over things again.

I have moved on to my second chapter and almost have it completed. It was a good writing day with being able to write six pages. I'll keep this short today since I have been sitting at the computer most of the day, and my legs could use some good stretching!

Just When I Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better

Just as I was basking in the love and fellowship of ACFW, I was surprised by yet another joy in my life and writing career. God answered a specific prayer and desire that I had. It wasn't something I was actively seeking, but still was heavy on my heart. God knew and saw that request. He fulfilled it when I least expected it. I am overwhelmed by God's love and care for me!

Isn't that just like God to shower us with blessings when we don't anticipate it or see it coming?

Blessings Upon Blessings

It only has been about a month since I joined American Christian Fiction Writers. I have been extremely blessed by this decision. I have found a group of people who think like I do, they understand, relate to, and experience the same passion that I do with serving God through my writing. It has been an incredible journey and blessing. Each time I think it can't get any better, God showers me with blessings upon blessings. I have been amazed to see how they come alongside each other to encourage and inspire others.

Their fellowship reminds me of these verses from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

How are you doing with being a part of God's body?

Be Imitators

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

I came across these words in my Bible reading this morning. For me they are a reminder of how I want to live my life. It also is how I want my writing to be - bathed in prayer, but also very evident of my faith and who my hope and joy come from. I pray that through my writing and my daily life it will be very evident that I imitate God. My heart's desire is to serve and follow Him.

Not Too Much

I am back in the swing of writing again. I had a few days off this past weekend while my guys were home. We had some relaxing time together, but most of it was spent working on things that needed to be taken care of around the house. I only had an hour to work on my writing this morning, but I was able to crank out 634 words, so I was pleased.

I read Cecil Murphey's writing blog this afternoon entitled 'Writer to Writer'. He was talking about beginnings and not giving too much away. I have been pondering this and wondering how you know that it's not too much? Can you allude to the conflict without giving too much away at the start? I guess these are questions I need to address as I work my way through the writing process. So much to learn!

Quick Update

Yesterday began the quest to write 10,000 words in the month of July for my manuscript. I figured I needed to have 20 days this month of writing 500 words. I realize this is a low goal, but I wanted to pick something I knew I could achieve. I didn't want to set my goal so high that I got frustrated, so I opted for low to start.

July 1st I chimed in with writing 538 words. Whoo! Hoo! I'll keep this entry short as I'm off to do some more writing!

10,000 Words in a Month

Today begins a journey that I am taking with a bunch of Christian authors from American Christian Fiction Writers. We are each choosing to work on our writing projects this month. Goals have been set and today is the first day. It was suggested to write at least 10,000 words, so that is what I chose to do. That averages out to twenty days of writing two pages each, for a total of about 40 pages. It will be a stretch for me, since I haven't written that much for many years.

So where am I in this writing process? This week I have been continuing work with my four main characters. I have been filling out six-page forms in order to get to know their quirks and idiosyncrasies. Three out of four are completed. I hope to finish the fourth one today. As for actual writing, I have written a half page a couple days ago. By the end of today I will have at least three pages completed. I'm excited to once again begin this journey. I'll keep you updated as I proceed.