Yes, that is not gibberish and is a correct title. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers from around the world start pecking away at keyboards everywhere at a pace of exactly 1,667 words a day. The goal is just to write. The organizers of this challenge do not worry about…
All posts in Writing
My Lenten Addition
Lent. A season of deprivation and anticipation for 40 days prior to Easter. Lent is a time of focus and expectancy. It is a tradition in Christianity to mark seasons and adjust our routines based on the calendar. I tend to have a long period of anticipation prior to Christmas as outside factors help remind…
The Story of Life
How many people would want to read a book that started like this? “Once upon a time there was a princess. She was beautiful and everyone loved her and life always went her way all the time…” Where’s the conflict? Where’s the reason for the story? Where’s the character development? Plus, if this princess had no…
Legacy
“Kelly, what will your legacy be?” That question as posed to me recently at work. We had a department-wide meeting during which we made a “legacy quilt”. We were each charged to write a sentence on a square of decorative paper which would be knit together to form a paper quilt of quotes and desires.…
Seeking Rest for my Soul
I hear voices. Well, one in particular. It whispers to me that it is unsatisfied with my work, my efforts, my productivity, and my choices. It tells me lies. It tells me that I have to do more and be more. That I have to earn rest and that work is always more important than…
Seeing the Story
I’m a writer. I learn this about myself more every day. I compose prose in the car on my way to work and think about more powerful synonyms for common words when I’m running. Words are my friends and continual companions. But even more important than my thesaurus, are my eyes. I long to notice…
Words are Powerful
I think on paper. That’s not just a website; it’s a statement. Writing is how I process life the best. Sometimes that makes me feel like an alien creature, exploring a new planet with my ever-present Moleskine. I don’t know what I really think about something until I write it down. But recently, I found…
Action and Non-Action
Because time is a finite resource, every action involves an infinite amount of non-actions. Every choice I make. What book to read, what movie to watch, what food to eat, what topic to write about, necessarily involves not reading other books, watching other movies, eating other foods or writing about other topics concurrently. I can only…
How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read
Every action involves an infinite amount of non-actions. That’s deep. I learned that while reading, somewhat distractedly on a plane and had to turn back and re-read it. A professor wrote a delightful book entitled How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. In it he began by bemoaning his lot in life as…
Abundant
I’ve chosen a word. One word to define 2014. Abby’s explosive prayer greatly influenced my thoughts. The phrase holy imbalance has consumed my thought life. Abundant will direct my holy imbalance in 2014. Here is my journal entry: Abundant. There are an abundant of choices for me every day. Choices that are good and choices…