After I returned from the Northwestern Christian Writers conference in Minnesota, I was inspired and fired up to get back to my book and keep revising. That often happens after a writers conference. I’d taken a bit of a break when summer hit, but the great conversations and knowledgable speakers had me raring to go again. If you’re wondering about
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Dear you, With tons of help and borrowed insight, you’ve been recovering. That’s so good and hopeful. Don’t forget to celebrate! It’s involved relearning compassion for the small things, and it’s been life-changing, as well as a long time coming. Specifically, you now know you started life like so many men, crying. And like too many men, you could die
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Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. – Mary Oliver, “Sometimes” God, save me from the productivity that would sacrifice everything you’re doing in me to chase an image of “supposed to.” So naturally, after step 1 comes step 2. “Step 1: Set Out to Return” posits that submitting to what God is calling you
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“Please turn to page 127,” she said. The word “I” had been circled every time it appeared on the page. “How many circles are there?” she asked. I counted fourteen. The page nearly jumped and jostled with circled I’s. But I was not sure what to make of this. Every time I’d written “I,” I meant “I.” Was it wrong
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Having worked with many writers over the years, I’ve noticed that no matter what most motives us to write–personal, professional, spiritual, or emotional reasons–all writers have difficulty getting free of concerns about how their work will be received. Some of this is justified and positive, of course. It keeps us from publishing work that isn’t up to our high standards.
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