Word Count and Christmas Cookies

50,000 Words or Bust

In my last email I shared how I was mentally preparing for the global National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I’ve accomplished this challenge in the past, but it’s no easy task. NaNoWriMo encourages writers to draft nearly 2,000 words each day means no extra-curricular activities, no TV, no distractions. Period. I have been working on my 19-chapter outline for almost a year now so I was ready; fingers poised at the keyboard to fire away my best words…

…but best laid plans often go awry. In a delightful turn of events, some of my kids visited me. My kids are grown and flown and living their own lives in other states. It is a delight to my heart that they are thriving on their own. Of course I want them to move closer to me, but in the meantime I will gladly cheer them on as they live their own adventures. My oldest son and our new daughter-in-law came to visit for a week, and then my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter came the week of Thanksgiving. There’s nothing sweeter than waking up to the sweet toddler giggles saying “Hi, Honey!”

By the end of November I didn’t cross the finish line with 50,000 words, but I logged just over 20,000 words which is far more than I had in October! I don’t have much to share with my newly crafted story other than I’m still plugging away at adding to my word count. I’ll share my progress in the next email, but here’s a small taste; the first line:

Bryn never signed up to be a pastor’s wife, but here she was at nineteen once again stepping into the role of her dead mother’s shoes.

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When the holidays come around I love to bake our family’s favorite treats: Lemon Loaf, Pumpkin Pie Roll, and Rosemary Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies. I found the cookie recipe a few years ago and it’s very Christmasey to me. The orange and rosemary combo is fragrant and is just different enough spin off a regular chocolate chip cookie. Plus I have an abundance of rosemary in my herb bucket so I’m always looking for ways to use it up. If you’re local, and want to try the recipe below, please stop by for a sprig or two!

Rosemary Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

1c. Butter

¾ c. Brown sugar

¾ c. White sugar

2 eggs

3 1/2c. flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 sprigs Rosemary - chopped

Grated rind from 1 orange

1 ½ c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In medium size bowl, beat butter and sugars together. Add in eggs and beat well. Sift in flour, soda, and salt. Stir until mixed together. Fold in chocolate chips, orange rind, and rosemary. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. 

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Sending you my warmest wishes for the holiday season. I’m ever so grateful for your continued love and support. Merry Christmas, dear ones. 

The Hindsight of 2020

No one could have predicted the dumpster fire that is 2020. It's ironic thinking back to the discussion going into the new year that it would be a year of perspective, of clearer vision, and a way of seeing life differently. Certainly, this year has been a challenge for all, and I think in many ways we all have a new perspective on life; gratitude for family gatherings, humble thanks for meeting friends for coffee, and joy in being able to hug another human being. They say hindsight is 2020 and that couldn’t be more accurate as we stand on the precipice of another new year. 

As I’m sitting down to write my goals for 2021 I realized how silent I’ve been on this blog. Last December when I planned out my writing goals, I had decided to shift my time from blog posts and social media to more purposeful manuscript writing. After a few years of multiple rejections and polite “nos” from publishing houses and agents, I licked my wounds and lovingly put my steampunk manuscripts aside. And then pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began diving into a new work that has helped me remember why I love writing. 

As a kid, I read lots of historical fiction. I took advanced history classes in high school and have an affinity for genealogy. There’s something to be learned from the stories of those who have lived lifetimes before us. In returning to my roots of reading, I’ve begun a new adventure in writing. The working title for my manuscript is “The Two Harriets” and is centered around the lives of Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe. These two women never met, but through their actions and words, they changed the face of a nation. To my surprise, very little in historical fiction has been written about either woman. I have researched, and read, and breathed in the amazing lives of these women and can’t wait to share their story with you. 

I appreciate your grace as I navigate the writer’s life. Working full time and having the mental space to write during a pandemic year has been interesting, to say the least. But as we’ve learned this year, we’re stronger than we think and braver than we know. I’m grateful for you, dear reader, and sending the best hopes and wishes into the new year for you and your loved ones.

Can You Keep a Secret?

This is a big deal, ya’ll. I’m not gonna lie.

I wrote a thing…and it will be released online tomorrow on The Mudroom Blog. This is a vulnerable piece. It was painful to write. But my hope is to bring glory to Jesus and point to him as the healer of hurts.

Be on the lookout tomorrow and thanks for reading.

Our stories matter.

What's Your Story?

This month, the writing community is sharing their #WIP (Work in Progress). I’ve been working on a manuscript for several years now with the working title, Dreams that Awaken. I love this work because it tells the story of a young abandoned woman who is longing for something bigger than herself, something deeper than her trivial life. She’s searching for Jesus, but she doesn’t realize it and doesn’t know how to reach Him.

I’m not a storyteller by nature, it’s something I’ve had to work at and develop. I’ve always found comfort and solace in writing and enjoy the challenge of developing characters and instilling in them heroic qualities, flaws, and deep needs that are hidden in plain sight.

My main character, Anna, is an orphaned teen, who is being raised by her sisters in Steampunk California in the late 1800s. This was a time where claim-jumpers were hung over nuggets of gold because the noose is long and grace is short. Anna survives by working hard and standing up for herself, but her recurring dream of walking on a tightrope between the hotel and the hangman’s noose is unsettling.

Anna’s dreams reveal the inner turmoil of her heart, things she can’t articulate in the daytime make themselves known in the evening hours. Anna’s journey parallels our own struggle to find peace in our tumultuous life? Where can we go to find significance when everyone around us is hustling to get their basic needs met?

“But if you find yourself experiencing a desire to seek God, we have great news for you; God is already at work in you.” Henry Blackaby

What’s your story?