This past year has brought some significant encounters with death in my own life. Up until last year, my experiences with death were somewhat distanced. My maternal grandfather died before I was born, and while the shadow of his loss has affected me in a way, it has lacked the same personal sting that my …
Category: Christian Life
What I’ve Learned From Five Years Of Blogging
Wow, how time flies! This February marks five years since I created this website and embarked on the journey of blogging. Over the past five years, I’ve written more than 100 posts, averaging about 1,000 words per entry, meaning I’ve written at least 100,000 words for this website. That. Is. Crazy. (When I pulled out …
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How To Handle Rejection As Writers
Whether you’re a writer or not, new goals often accompany the New Year. For some, a New Year can bring a bit of disappointment when last year’s goals went unmet. Reflecting back on the previous year may bring up feelings of frustration and shame. Perhaps your writing goals were halted in their tracks by a …
Thanksgiving Post 2022: Gratitude for Singleness
I don’t like talking about my singleness. Part of the reason? It’s a vulnerable topic for me. I never wanted prolonged singleness. Though I’m still young, I feel a strange sense of desperation related to my interrupted plans for my young adult life. I fully expected to graduate college with my Bachelor’s in one hand …
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My Villain Manifesto: Reflections on Antagonists in Fiction
Back in my old theater days, I was typecast as the villain. I played Cinderella’s stepmother (twice), Shere Khan in the Jungle Book, and—one of my favorites—Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. I’ll admit, it feels rather empowering to be the bad guy, gliding across the stage, robed in black, the other actors trembling before you… Me …
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So You’re Thinking About Graduate School?
It’s that time of year when college seniors start to sweat. The barrage of questions comes from all circles of your life and from yourself: What are you doing after graduation? Do you have a job yet? What’s your plan? What the heck are you going to make of your life? I’ve certainly been there. …
The Subcreators: One Year Later
It’s been just over one year since we founded The Subcreators. If that name sounds familiar to you, that means one of two things. One, you know me personally and are a part of the group. Two, you’ve read J. R. R. Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories,” which defines what “subcreator” means. The idea behind the …
Writing with a Day Job: Wise Rest
Greetings yet again! This is part three of four in my series on busy writers. Trying to write a novel but only have an hour (or less) a day to write? Working a job you can’t stand but really want to be a novelist? Or shuffling between parenting your kids, managing a house, and working …
Writing with a Day Job: Find Your People
Welcome back to part two of four on “writing with a day job,” or writing for busy people. Whether you’ve got a non-creative or creative fulltime gig, you’re a freelancer seeking to make a living while working on your novels, or a parent with a novelists’ dream, you’ve come to the right place. Two weeks …
Easter 2022: A Truth of the Trinity
Not too long ago, I wrapped up a bible study by Tara-Leigh Cobble called He’s Where the Joy Is, which I participated in through her organization D-Group (both of which I highly recommend!). The study was on the Trinity, which both daunted and excited me. The Trinity—the theological doctrine that God exists as One God …
