writer cocoon

250 Words a Day Challenge

2010-05-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Today I am being intentional about taking writing to the next level. I have spent the last 6 months reading about writing technique and now I have to begin the application. I have set myself the challenge of writing 250 words per day for the next 6 weeks. Hopefully publishing this journey will give me some accountability and an outlet for sharing the journey.

One of the greatest obstacles will be how to start. Do I play it safe and create an outline that maps perfectly into a book or do I take the road less travelled, the organic adventure of dreaming up the story as I go.

I just watched Avatar produced and directed by James Cameron, the place that movie takes you too in terms of imagination and the possibilities is out of this world. Floating mountains, blue skinned people with tails that connect to nature and imagined animals. It pushes you into the world of make belief so much so that you are wrapped up in the Navi people and caught in the land of Pandora. Kudos to the mile long cast for an excellent movie set in a land of enchantment. I think based on this I am going to go the road less travelled and write as I go and then cut away and edit again and again.

There is a compulsion to tell inside of me. I am not sure yet on the content but if I sit at the keys and at the feet of my heavenly Father long enough, I know it will come. Not that the 250 words a day badge on this blog is that important to me however for the sake of integrity, it will have to come hurtling off this blog if I am unable to maintain the word count.

This post meets my quota and less is more. Thank you to Inkygirl.com for the resource and challenge.

Words

2010-04-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

I came across thing incredible poem by Sue Cameron

Words

Is there anything more powerful?
To heal, to hurt,
to destroy?
Words in my mind-accusing me,
dragging me down
into guilt and helplessness.
Words from outside-attacking me,
tearing at the fragile image of whi I am and hope to be.
I struggle under their heavy weight
and fear I'll suffocate.
Not all words are true, but they feel true.
Some are lies, wrought in the basement of hell,
Sent to defeat those who march in the army of God.
My Leader warned me of such warfare,
so subtle and hard to detect.
A sudden attack strips my defenses.
Wounded, bleeding,
I am left to die.
Now my fate depends on
to whom I chose to listen.
To the liar,
or my Leader.
His word consoles and strengthens me,
Binding up my pain and wrapping me in acceptance.
He does not condemn me in my weakness,
or require me to run on broken legs.
He asks only that I listen to him
and believe what he says.
His truth banishes falsehoods
and sets me free.
Living on the battlefield isn't kind and gentle;
it is demanding and stretching.
I must often pause to ask myself,
To whose voice do I listen?
And in whose voice to I speak?

Scattered Start

2010-03-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have given every excuse not to write in the past. The overwhelming feeling of the task. Now that my creative juices are flowing and my passion is ignited it's about when. I feel guilty now like I should be cleaning the house or finishing that work project that I am half way through. I am amongst the 2% on America without TV so I can trade my TV time for writing time?

It is a fine line trying to balance it all out. Fighting your thoughts, chores and everything in between. Gal 3:10 strikes me between the eyes, I cannot do this task alone. Proverbs 16:3...I commit my work to the Lord.

Here I begin, grabbing every book I can on writing in every free moment I have. Blogging is my trial space, technology is my friend.

Cocoon

2010-03-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

I love writing, always have but now I feel the call to write in a more serious way. It is scary putting your work out there. It would be far easier to write in a cocoon where no one gets to judge your work or send you a plethora of rejection slips.

This blog is a safe place where people that are growing in their writing skills can get writing tips and answers to questions about writing, grammar and the industry. So today is the start of a journey that can take years. Come along for the story of your life, you may turn into a butterfly.