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Rachel Hauck, Princess Ever After

Learning By Reading

By on September 25, 2014 in Writing Life Coaching

I found a book that looked interesting to me on Barnes & Noble’s site.

A story set in the ’30s and had some element of football in it. So I downloaded it.

Devoured it. The story captured me. The writing… I didn’t spend half my time rewriting the sentences in my head or pondering why the character was acting without proper motivation.

I told Susie, “You have to read this book!”

And, as it was set in the ’30s and had football element to it, she was keen to give it a go.

Two days later she emails. “I’m mad at you! I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. reading that book.”

By now, I’m dying to talk to her about it because it had some fascinating elements. But she halted me from gushing on and on until she finished.

THEN, we had a long talk, breaking it down, decided what worked, what didn’t, why we liked it, how we could learn from this author.

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ACFW – Are you ready?

By on September 24, 2014 in Encourage Me!, Writing Life

I’m at American Christian Fictions Writers Conference in St. Louis, Missouri this week. The place where writers and authors are gathering to learn craft and pitch their stories. For those that are yet unpublished, the anxiety before pitching can be crushing and the stress intense.

I remember my first time walking into a room of writers waiting to pitch. While most were friendly I couldn’t escape just how anxious many of them were. But then again, that year I didn’t pitch a story.

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Finding Balance in Writing & Life: Strength to Overcome Anxieties

By on September 3, 2014 in Encourage Me!, Writing Life

When I was younger, I used to bite my nails because of fear or anxiety. They’d bleed, become infected and generally look terrible. My grandma, a farmer’s wife, used to put black salve on them to help with the infection. As I grew older, I learned better coping mechanisms for dealing with fear and anxiety such as prayer, talking with others, and refocusing my perspective. And my nails grew. Because of my profession, I need to keep my nails short, but they’re still trimmed, neat, and polished when the mood strikes. However, yesterday, I found myself picking at a nail fragment on my ring finger. I kept tugging on it until it pulled free. This morning, I have an “owie” (I work with small children, so that’s a normal part […]

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Preparing For The ACFW Conference

By on August 27, 2014 in 4. Writer’s Life, Inspiration and Life Coaching, Editing Basics, Encourage Me!

I follow another My Book Therapy member, Melissa Tagg and she wrote something on her blog that really impacted me. So much so, I printed it and posted it on the shelf above my computer.

Here’s what it says,

“What if we took the time to write on Post-it Notes words to reflect how we want to make people feel?”

“What if we were bouncing off our seats with excitement for the stories we’re living out each day? And what if acting on these what if’s meant the difference between a so-so existence and a focused, productive and a passionate life story?”

“How about you? What wonderful word(s) would you put on a Post-It Note for your novel…or your life?”

It reminded me of the reason I started this journey. I wanted to write stories that led people to a deeper relationship and knowledge of God. Somehow I got my wires crossed and started feeling like I was about to sink with the seemingly impossibility of it all. Instead I needed a reminder to recognize what a great opportunity I have while living this journey of life and writing.

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