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Category: living

write unapologetically

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I’ve not blogged for over 15 days.I didn’t intend not to blog.It just happened. And I’m glad. I needed the space to think and imagine and become. I needed to get a hold of my writing life. I needed some time to listen and sit and quite simply be. I remembered the magic of living. My pen kept moving in an old fashioned journal. I kept writing, putting words down on the page, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I’ve been steeped in scripture and words are swirling.… Read more write unapologetically →

cutting back (soLs)

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As a writer, I often “prune” my words. As Ralph Fletcher taught in one of his early books, it is often by cutting back the extra, wild, or dead parts that a flower flourishes. The same is true for our words. I like to share this idea with students too. Young writers are often consumed with adding words. It’s a big shift to consider cutting back. Yet, writing well is just as much about what you don’t say as what you do say. Revising is just as much about adding… Read more cutting back (soLs) →

i’ve gotta slice (soLs)

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Being a writer is mostly about developing a habit. Talk to any writer and then another and you’ll find those habits are all different. Some write in the morning. Others write through the night. Some write daily. Others take breaks. But all writers have habits. Writing a slice on Tuesdays is one of my writing habits. There are occasional Tuesdays when it doesn’t happen…but those are usually for unpredictable reasons. On a regular Tuesday, I slice. Even if it’s not an official Slice of Life Tuesday. I’m excited to know there are… Read more i’ve gotta slice (soLs) →

what happened to my nice-neat writing process?

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You know, my writing process is a bit of a mess. It didn’t used to be. There was a point in my life when I could be given an assignment, make a plan, crank it out, reread it, make the deadline, and earn an A. The same is true when I started teaching. I wrote alongside my students, cranking out the assignments, jotting in my notebook, churning satisfactory pieces of writing out in time for deadlines. Writing has traditionally been easy for me. In fact, I would even go as… Read more what happened to my nice-neat writing process? →

olw 2012

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Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Matthew 5:13 (MSG) I knew I wanted a noun for my One Little Word this year. I knew I wanted a word that would teach me. I was surprised when SALT found me. LIGHT I could have understood. STORY was what I yearned for (but it’s already so much a part of the… Read more olw 2012 →

mission STORY

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Too many irons in the fire. This is a phrase I’ve heard most of my life. I started hearing it as a child. My mom’s voice has stayed with me and, now, decades later, I still hear her voice. Too many irons in the fire.I hear it when I think about my writing life. I play with many different writing projects. I like to think of it as playing. I don’t have to be serious. Writing isn’t my livelihood. I write for fun. I write for me and for them and for… Read more mission STORY →