In a time when we are all encouraged to practice self-care, whether as mothers, fathers, single, married, older, or younger, we are simultaneously pressured to find that nebulous ‘thing’ that helps each of us capture what will restore our weary souls. Then, if we do discover it, we must find a way to incorporate it into our lives. This task becomes all the more difficult when what feeds us is an allusive concept as easy to grasp as the fog on a rainy day.
This week is Banned Book Week. The American Library Association (ALA) keeps a record of books that have been banned, burned, or otherwise discriminated against. Most of the time, it seems these books challenge the current culture, have strong religious undertones, or are explicit sexually, violently, or in language, especially racially.
Getting a teenager to read can be as monumental a task as climbing a mountain. Conversely, for those teens who enjoy reading, getting them to put down their book can be an equally challenging task.
Whether a teen enjoys reading or not, writing can be another story. Some love putting words on paper, but put so many down that it is difficult to wade through them all. Others scratch out a few grammatically incorrect sentences that more than likely resemble text-speak than prose. So, how can we encourage our teens to find the middle road of well-crafted writing?
In the Shadow of Denali by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse is an historical, inspirational novel set in Alaska during the early 1900s. It follows Allan Brennan on his quest to find the truth about what happened to his father on Denali. Believing the expert guide, John Ivanoff, to be at fault for his father’s death, Allen takes a job in Curry, Alaska where he meets Ivanoff and the man’s beautiful daughter Cassidy.
It’s that most wonderful time of the year. But even with lights, family, presents, holiday movies, and great food, one emotion often eludes us: Peace. We can have everything on our wish list, but that settled calm seems to slip through our fingers.
Joy, an emotion that lights up the eyes of a child when they open a gift to find their dreams come true. It fills the soul like a warm cup of soup on a winter’s night. It switches out wrinkles for smile lines on the eldest person’s face. No time is joy more easily come by, nor taken away, as at Christmas.
Love. What better topic to cover during this Christmas Season? As writers, we cover the topic of love from many different angles. It’s a desire that drives a character to good or evil. The reason behind a character’s action. Of course, there’s romantic love. So what makes Christmas Love even more special?
I love the Christmas season. It is a time when a child’s wonder is most allowed in adults. Lights sparkle on every street corner. Cheer is in the air. Snow is even more welcome. It is at this time of year, amid all the trials and tribulations of adulthood, that we can take a few weeks to remember the innocence and joy of childhood.
As a writer, it can be easy to lose sight of what we are thankful for amid rejection letters, failed technology, and endless revisions. Today, the people of the United States take a day out of our lives to remember all the things for which we can be thankful (while eating amazing food and watching American football, of course). So, for this post, I came up with a few things for which a writer can be thankful….
Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page, a deadline screaming in your ear? Or been in the middle of a story, essay, or assignment and wondered how to get out of the dead spot in the middle? Here are a few tips that can help keep you writing.