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Archive for Writing From Home
Writing with Hats
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What is the difference between a good writer and a great one? We could hold lengthy discussions on that topic, coming up with a variety of differences. I think one would have to include editing. A great writer edits her work many times over. And over. A great writer constantly strives to improve her craft.
Just the word edit can cause for groans. But seldom is a piece so brilliant that it needs no polish to make it shine. When a novel of 80,000 words or more is complete and you type The End, the last thing you may feel like doing is fiddling with it again to check that it is the best it can be. It’s finished, it already is the best, right? Read More→
Rejected: How to decipher those letters and still stand tall
Posted by: | CommentsYou spent hours—no—days, working on an article for a particular magazine. Crossing your fingers, you submit it to the editor. It’s perfect. You read the guidelines, were inspired as you constructed it, and think it glows.
Five minutes later the editor responds. “No, thank you.”
What?
What?
Perhaps you write novels and have honed one to perfection, sent it in and received a rejection letter that says it is too sad or too juvenile or just too, too much.
Discouragement sets in. You eat your weight in your favorite flavor of ice cream.
Rejections are not something most writers thrive talking about. Rejections cause us to sink into a vile mood and pound our heads against the wall, asking, “What is wrong with me?” Read More→
Freelance Your Way with A How-To Article
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You’re an expert. You have knowledge worth sharing. Your kids might not agree all the time with this (especially not after you’ve given them a time-out or denied them a fistful of peanut M&Ms), but the truth is, you are. Due to your interests, experiences, and passions, you know things. You even know about things that not everyone knows about, things you can teach others how to do. That’s right; others want to learn how you accomplish something!
Using five simple tips, I’m going to teach you the steps for writing a how-to article that you can sell to a publication for money. Read More→
Staying Inspired!
Posted by: | CommentsInspiration hits you and you know what we’re going to do. You push aside the urge to make Grandma’s Grits Casserole, decline an invitation to the local high school play, forgo coffee with a friend, and set out to fulfill your heart’s calling. Filled with ideas that are brimming with brilliance, you can hardly wait to have that time for yourself to begin. The task? You’re going to write a novel!
You’re so inspired, it’s crazy. Wow, if only your ninth-grade literature teacher could see you now. You open a Word document, the empty file beckoning you to fill it with drama, adventure, romance, and hey, you’re good, let’s add some witty dialogue. Read More→
Teaching the World: Advice from a Thrivor
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I teach a five-week online writing course called Writing the Heartache. People from all walks of life have taken the class and written some beautiful pieces from their pain.
The last week is when we discuss publication. Some of my attendees have no interest in going through the roadblocks of getting published, but others are adamant. And I feel they should be. Survivors, or Thrivors, as my friend Tabitha coins us, have a lot to teach the world. We’ve been through heartache, vast sorrow, anguish, and because of our experiences, we’ve changed. Perhaps we once had no interest in advocacy, now we have a firm cause. Read More→
YouTube: Jump in With the Crowd!
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I know your mama probably told you not to follow the crowd. I can hear her response to your, “But everybody does it!” ”Well,” she’d say, with her hands raised in disbelief, “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you, too?”
The other day I decided to go along with the popular practice of posting a video on YouTube. Prior to my light-bulb-moment, I’d created a video for a writing workshop using Windows Movie Maker. The video served as a how-to for those who want to discover the value of writing from pain. Read More→
What Do I Write?
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What do I write?
I want to write, but what do I write about?
My mind is full of so many thoughts and conversations, how do I choose one thing to focus on?
Ever felt this way? Read More→
Getting Ideas and Cultivating Them
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I like to read about new book deals. Publishers Lunch, a freebie that I get in my in-box each day, has blurbs about which story sold to which publisher as well as the literary agency that represents it. As I read about what will be published within the next year, I think of my own novel ideas. Some are whimsical, others more serious, and many of them don’t last long. I like it when I’m inspired by another book’s premise to launch my own. However, there are other ways to obtain fodder for your novels and articles. So grab your pen and pad. Let’s see where we can find some inspiration for upcoming factual or fiction creations. Read More→
Characters in Grief
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An elderly missionary was asked to sum up his life, which had been filled with sorrow and anguish. His words shocked many, especially those who were expecting something more profound. “Jesus loves me, this I know,” he said. Then he sat down.
Once upon a time, I wrote happy. As a little girl of ten, I wanted everything to turn out well. I thought that if you ate your vegetables and said your prayers life would be grand. I conveyed this in my writing. I also planned to save the world, although that was a bit later in life. Read More→
Being Real
Posted by: | CommentsI read an article in Writer’s Digest that said the best writing is that which is real, honest and true. As I thought of some of my favorite authors, I realized that this is how I feel. I want to read those who bare their soul even if it might not be pretty or tied neatly with a bow. One author who tells it true is Anne Lamott. Her book, Bird by Bird, sugarcoats nothing about the writing life.
CWAHM.com is a dream that God has truly brought to life. I began CWAHM.com in 2000 while learning HTML. I thought it would be a fun hobby and a way to compile all the information I was seeking on working at home. I am a mom of 2 (1 boy, 1 girl), a wife and I do work from home. I accepted Christ as my savior at the age of seven as a Sparky in my church’s AWANA club. I have a Bachelor’s degree from Grace University in Human Development and Family Studies/Bible. I love working from home and I pray that CWAHM will be a blessing in your life as it has been in mine.