Carrie | August 30, 2010
Proverbs 19.21 says: You can make many plans but the LORD’s purpose will prevail. New Living Translation Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. NIV In other words, I can set goals, design stories and paintings and do all sorts of scheduling, calendaring, and other things, [...]
Carrie | August 28, 2010
Last week I talked about taking the time to get to know and understand the character I thought was supposed to be the male lead in the story, Saving Grace. I spent a lot of time and words on Anderson and followed that up with more time and words this past week before finally writing [...]
Carrie | August 21, 2010
Writing can be very frustrating work (and, yes, I did chose the word “work” deliberately!). Last week’s weekly update post was all about finding the right story. You’ll recall I had several potential plots vying for my attention. All of them wanted to participate in Saving Grace. Most of them were strong enough to be [...]
Carrie | August 18, 2010
Many factors go into writing a powerful, successful story. Strong and interesting characters. A compelling plot. Conflict, obstacles and a strong, believable resolution. What is the most important factor? There are as many answers to that question as there are authors and writers. I can sum up the most important thing to my stories in [...]
Carrie | August 16, 2010
A couple of days ago, I read a post that really got me thinking. The post was on the subject of information and asked the question: Is there too much information available these days? The combination of the original post and my response prompted a train of thought that continued all day and led down [...]
Carrie | August 14, 2010
My current story went through quite a few contortions this week. Come to think of it, I did, too. I continued to combine work on the story with coursework and reading through Plot & Structure (James Scott Bell), but it didn’t take long to realize the reading was getting way ahead of where the story [...]
Carrie | August 7, 2010
Last week, I began the serious business of plotting a course for the second draft of my 2009 National Novel Writing Month manuscript. After sitting idle since sometime this spring, it’s time to put the manuscript to work again. I’m coupling story work with a second reading of James Scott Bell‘s excellent book, Plot & [...]
Carrie | August 1, 2010
With this article, I begin discussing something it took me a long time to get a firm grasp of. Sometimes, I still despair of ever fully understanding the process of finding the message for a new novel. Let me begin by saying one of my favorite authors is the Scottish writer, George MacDonald. I first [...]
I've been an avid looker-at of books since I was old enough to sit on her lap and listen to the stories she read.
The oldest complete manuscript I have was written when I was in the eighth grade.
Throughout grade school and high school, I read every horse story I could get my hands on. Walter Farley was a huge favorite and I still enjoy reading the adventures of the Black Stallion and Flame and all the rest. But Marguerite Henry, C. W. Anderson, Thomas Hinkle and anyone else who wrote a story about a horse was on my to-read list. I couldn't get enough of them.
Then I found Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and discovered another world; the world of mysteries!
More recently Dick Francis has combined my love of horse stories with my love of mysteries with his series of books.
In the early part of this century, I was introduced to the world of Christian fiction and in July of 2008, I took my first ever writing workshop. The workshop covered several aspects of writing from a Christian worldview and an entirely new vista opened before me.
I am, as yet, unpublished. I write every day, maintain painting and writing blogs, painting journals, writing journals and a number of other writing endeavors. Along with other members of my church family, I've written devotions for Advent and Lenten devotional booklets. For a time, I wrote a monthly column for the Newton Kansan newspaper.
I still enjoy a good horse story but I also enjoy a good mystery or cozy mystery, suspense and a little bit of action here and there, as well as literary works. I hope, Lord willing, to try my hand at each of those genres.
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