Do All Writers Procrastinate? June 26, 2007

I am supposed to have my Guild lesson at least half-finished today, and completed tomorrow.

I have been at the computer for hours and not written a single word on it. Why? Well, it’s supposed to be the start of an inspirational article. Quite frankly, I do not feel the least bit inspirational. Irrational and emotional, maybe. But inspirational I am not, today. I doubt I ever am – I tend to be too cynical. I always read Guideposts/Angels on Earth/Chicken Soup type stories with an arched eyebrow. So to write such things…ergh.

However, I have not been lax in writing today. Counting a writing prompt and a short story, I’ve written 2,085 words. Not a bad day, except that my lesson isn’t done. Heh.

Comments on the post below still welcome – my thoughts are forthcoming.

Debating the Details June 22, 2007

A question that often arises among booklovers (readers and writers included) is: how much detail is too much detail when it comes to sexual content? While perhaps not of such importance to many, among Christians it is a subject of much debate. Some say there should be no mention or perhaps only an ambiguous hint (think Jane Austen style) while others allow much more freedom. I will address this in a post to come soon, but I would like some input. Where do you personally draw the line, both in what you read and what you write, and why do you put the line where you do?

Rejection Letters June 18, 2007

I wonder if I will ever get used to receiving rejection letters. Yes, yes, I know it’s part of a writer’s life (though I have to wonder if my Guild mentor ever receives them with 60 books and hundreds of articles to her name…), but it still stings. Somehow, I hate the form ones worse than the personal ones. As if I’m not even worthy of a signed letter. Grr.

So. Grow a thick skin, I know. But does that little sting, that little discouragement, ever go completely away? I wonder.

I wonder how many things you can do with rejection letters. I’m accumulating a stack. Maybe make a collage to hang on my wall? Or better yet, use them as wallpaper. Actually, I used the last one to write down other article ideas on. Hah, so there, take that.

But there really are days I wonder why I do this. Why bother? Why go to all the trouble of learning to do it right? Why keep trying, only to be rejected time after time?

Because I can’t not. It’s inside me and won’t be ignored. I go crazy when I don’t. And most importantly, because my Lord has shown that this is what I am to do. Even if I never have much to show for it, He has put this in my heart. To deny it would be to deny Him, in a way…and that I cannot, will not do. He will never reject me – I will not reject Him.

Awesome Website for Bibliophiles June 16, 2007

LibraryThing is a way to catalogue and categorize your books. It’s almost addicting. I only have a small library right now (just over 100 books), but I am so glad I found this. It’ll be awesome as my library grows. You can see my profile here and my library here…obviously I love children’s books, and have retained quite a few from those I read as a youngster (not so long ago). ‘Tis almost embarrassing. Almost.

Some New Quotes June 13, 2007

“Writers are vacuum cleaners who suck up other people’s lives and weave them into stories like a sparrow builds a nest from scraps.” ~Garrison Heillor

“The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that.” ~ Harper Lee

“The heart has its reasons that reason knows not of.” ~ Blaine Pascal

“Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Bestselling Title? June 12, 2007

I was reading through the Nov/Dec ‘06 Writer’s Digest today, and found an interesting little link. The Lulu Titlescorer was created by staticians using bestselling titles of the last 50 years to analyze what titles have the most chance of being a bestseller. The highest possible score is an 83% chance; the lowest is 9%. The results are interesting. To Kill a Mockingbird pulls in a 79.6% and Animal Farm 63.7%, while The Da Vinci Code only received 35.9%. So apparently it’s not totally accurate.  

I plugged in the title for my book idea, and I liked the results. So I suppose if nothing else, it might be good for the ego. Hehe.

After a Very Long Time… June 7, 2007

…I return. Having had several months of illness (which included surgery), I hope to post here more frequently. At what rate, I do not know. We shall see.

I am slowing working on that reading list in the last post. Some other books have attracted my attention and been read first….ah well. The Woman in White was very good. Now I want my own copy. After checking out Best Man from the library, I discovered I’d already read it but forgotten. Hehe. I am currently about a quarter of the way through Taliesin, the first book in the Pendragon Cycle. Very intriguing book thus far. Also been reading (and buying) some of Agatha Christie’s mysteries. I love the new Black Dog & Levanthal editions, and hope to add all planned 24 to my library.

I’ve started a sort of study of some of the more popular “Christian” authors today. Reading a few of their bestsellers, etc., to see just why they are so widely read by the general populace and if their books have classic quality. Along the same line, I’ve been reading through books that have won Christy Awards in the past few years. Hopefully I can do some posts on various authors over the next weeks. Definitely at some point going to do Liz Curtis Higgs, Karen Kingsbury, Ted Dekker, and Karen Hancock.

On the dark side of writing, I am far behind in my Guild lessons. Ack. But on the bright side, I’m having an article published soon. Yippee!! Not a paying market, but one with a respectably sized readership. Also, my best friend and I are writing a story together…which we will probably keep to ourselves, but are having lots of fun doing.

 Hope to be back soon!

~Lita

P.S. The Quote Book page has been updated as well – new quotes on the bottom.