I know what you're thinking. "She's alive? She hasn't been on here in ages!" 

I know, I know. I was wondering where I went to. Well, I'm here to shed a little light on that subject. 

Here's the deal: I went to college. I'd been planning it in my mind for ages. I knew I'd be leaving home and facing a lot of new things. School, friends, social life, being independent, being on my own, etc. The list goes on. I didn't know what my blogging would become, but as I feared, it became nonexistent. 

It wasn't that I didn't want to blog. It wasn't even that I had no time. I was busy, yes, but I've always found a way to make time, and going to college wasn't going to change that for me.

It's that I was creatively drained and, to be honest, I didn't know what to say. Every time I thought about writing a blog post, my mind went blank. Suddenly, I had nothing to write about anymore. I was empty. 

And then, last weekend, I went to the ACFW conference in Nashville.

This conference changed my life. It majorly impacted the way I perceived a lot of things in the writing world. It changed the way I thought about social media. It gave me peace and foundation in my plan to wait for pursuing publication. But the biggest thing I brought back from this conference (aside from the fantastic friendships I made while there) was the information I gleaned about building a platform.

A lot of people have been saying blogging is dying. I don't think that's entirely true. At least, I'd like to believe it's not. And while it's not "where it's at" compared to Instagram and Twitter, it still holds a special place in my heart. 

I realized several things at the conference, and one of them was why blogging mattered to me, personally. Other forms of social media/platform are great, but the blogging community (at least, the one I've found myself part of) mainly consists of artists. More specifically, writers. There are all sorts of people on Instagram (which is FABULOUS!) but with blogging, I have a chance to reach out to people who really get me. People who know, first hand, the blessings and challenges of doing what you love. People like those at the conference.

Being surrounded by writers reminded me of who I am and, more importantly, who I want to be. I want to spend my life writing books and telling stories and reaching out to people through vivid characters and vast storyworlds. That's what I love. And that's why I'm here, typing up this blog post in my college dorm room in the deep hours of the night. I'm here because I love writing, and I want to share that love with anyone who comes along, and offer advice from things I've discovered to my fellow writers.

I'm probably not going to post every week, and that's okay. The point is I'm going to post when I can. And that's the best I can do. 

So. I now have a stronger mission for this little blog than ever. I'm going to become a better writer every day that I'm alive, and this blog is going to be my way of holding to that. I want each and every week of my life to pass with a lesson learned. It doesn't have to be big or earth shattering. It just has to be change. 

And that change starts now. 

Do you blog? Have you ever found yourself in a season where you no longer know what to say? Talk to me in the comments. I've missed you all!

<3

"You're so pretty."

If you keep feeding yourself constructive criticism, you'll keep growing. One problem with just eating sugar is that while it tastes good, you don't grow. That's why constructive criticism is so valuable. It expands you as a writer, and helps you see both your strengths and your weaknesses.

The best kind of feedback is full of positive comments, and notes on weaker areas in your writing. Even though that doesn't feel like the most awesome feedback at the time, it is the healthiest for you. Everyone needs protein, even if they don't really like eating chicken or kale.

Everyone needs their veggies. In writing life, you've got to write for more than just your readers. You've got to write for yourself. Because at the end of the day, it's you that has to do all the work. It's you that's left with your characters, it's you that has the stack of paper filled with your messy words, red pen waiting. You're the one that has to spend hours in front of a screen trying to find the right words.

At the end of the day, you're the one that writes the book. While sugar is a great treat--word wars and sharing snippets--sometimes you're not going to have access to those sweets. You won't be able to find a good snippet to share, and so you won't be able to flail much with your writer friends. You don't really have a good way to explain your book, so you just have to tell them theirs sounds amazing, and you'll tell them about yours someday.

At the end of the day, it's up to you.


Shove down the rice. You've got a book to write.

Determination is your fuel. Just like carbs give you energy to run that mile, determination will see you through those countless hours of work that your book requires of you.

Writing stamina is something that grows over time. But it's also something you can't get from anyone else. People can encourage you and help you along the way. They can give you boosts and spikes of energy, but the long endurance of the writing journey is up to you and you alone. If a certain writing friend were to stop messaging you, would you still write your book? If a dear friend you met through writing were to grow apart, would you drift from your novel also?

Grains are important. And grains are a lot of small things that pile into a big one.

Sugar is not a meal. It's a reward for having eaten (as we say in my family) a "happy plate". Once all the veggies and meats and grains are gone, you get to reward yourself by downing that delicious bowl of ice cream.

Struggling to edit your next chapter? Tell yourself that when you finish, you can look at the comments your critique partner sent over. Having trouble editing during the war? Tell yourself that if you meet your goal, you can tell your friend about that book idea you had the other day and can't stop thinking about.

Others can help you (we need their help!), but they cannot do the work for you. Writing can be encouraged and supported, but being a writer is up to you.


What are your small grains? What keeps you writing? What do you think of feedback?

Even if it isn't much, show up and give your best.

These words have just come to my heart and I really felt the need to share them with you. I'm not going to lie to you guys. All-things-writing have been really difficult all this year. I'm not sure why, but I'm struggling to get much done.

With my edits, I feel like I'm slogging through mud. I'm only 25k in, and I've been working hard since January. That's six months. It's hard not to feel really lame.

And here, on my blog, I feel like my well has finally gone dry. I stood at the top for two years and lowered the bucket each week, but a few months ago, my bucket scraped a bone-dry bottom. I've been running all over the desert of my mind, searching for a new well or some kind of miracle oasis, but so far my search has been fruitless. I'm empty, and my ideas just aren't coming.

I think my blogging is suffering because my writing is suffering. My creativity has been ground to a halt, and so when it comes time to actually talk about creativity and doing better and improving, I don't have much to say.

Because I haven't done much this year. I haven't improved. At least, I feel like I haven't. Then again, sometimes it's really hard to be sure about these things when it's concerning your own mind. 

One thing I'm having to remind myself with Camp this month is that you just have to write. I've written six complete novels now, and I thought I was past the "wanting to write a perfect first draft" stage of my writing journey. But I'm totally not. I want this book to be pretty and perfect. I want it to be awesome. 

But it has to get written before I can do anything with it, now doesn't it?

And the other day it occurred to me that maybe I should give myself a little more grace here on the blog, too. Every post doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Everything I say doesn't have to be a brilliant, well-worded speech. And that's okay. Giving your best isn't about being the best, but about doing what you can. And if that's a mound of barely coherent words, or a puked up chunk of cringe-worthy dialogue, at least it's not a blank page. 

This post is a little short and a lot ramble-y, but I just want to say that everything you do doesn't have to be perfect. There's a whole lot of stuff we wouldn't get done if we waited for perfection. There are quite a few blog posts I've skipped, quite a few days I didn't edit, because I was waiting for that great feeling to come, that inner strength that makes me feel like I can write, I can do this. But if we wait for perfection, we'll never get anywhere. Sometimes, we have to settle for a little bit of mediocrity. 

What helps me is to remember, I'm doing this for more than just looking good. It's not about how people will fawn over my books someday (which would be super cool). It's not about how someone will sit back and think, man, that was a really enlightening post. It's not about how we look, but what we do. What matters is the effort you put forward, and if it isn't great, then at least you tried, and there's always tomorrow. And you can try again and again, and the more you try, the stronger you get. 

Edit because you love your story. Blog because you love your readers, and want to share your heart with them. Don't worry about who will like and dislike your content. Just create, and let go. Show up, and give your best, whatever that may be. 

How is nano going for you? Are you struggling with perfectionism? If you blog, how has your blogging been treating you? Are you still plowing on, full of energy, or are you struggling to come up with content? Give me your thoughts! 

<3