Incandescence

The past few months have been challenging, growing, discouraging, fruitful, and the list goes on. I keep saying that I have had to learn to trust God more through this time, but sometimes that is easier to say than do when I am not seeing results. A quick Google search for verses on trusting the Lord humbled me and reminded me that this time is fruitful in ways I might not even understand. I might not have found my dream job yet, at least, one that pays, but I should not let that discourage me. Proverbs 3:5-6 was especially encouraging, "Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." It seems easier to rely on my own strength, but in the end, I end up discouraged and trying to figure out where I went wrong (the answer is, of course, staring me in the face I just don't want to look at it). I wish this was an easier lesson to learn, I wish that my sinful human nature did not continually exe...

Today I decided to go for a drive and I ended up in Portage Valley. I just needed to get out of town for awhile and unwind after a busy week. For some that would mean going for a hike, for me, it means going for a drive and finding somewhere quiet to read, write, and have some much needed quiet. I couldn't have found a better place. There is a little observation deck over this lake, and I did not see another person the whole time I was there. It is beginning to feel like fall here, the air is cooler, and in some areas, the leaves are beginning to turn. This time of year is bittersweet, beautiful, but also a little sad because we are saying farewell to summer and hello to months of winter. I never cease to be amazed at the beauty that surrounds us here. The mountains were shrouded in clouds and dappled with sunlight, and I watched a rainstorm come up the valley, which then precipitated my hasty departure :) . I also discovered a new favorite soundtrack: The Fault In Our Stars,...

Virgin Falls...'cause no post is complete without a picture :) I have several writing playlists, but my current favorite features some of the following songs/artists: (in case you are interested, if not, that's ok too) Andrew Belle - Pieces (Hushed) James Bay - Let It Go Twenty one pilots - Stressed Out .... (cause I'm a stressed-out, unemployed novelist, lol) Parson James - Waiting Game X Ambassadors - Unsteady Feist - Cicadas and Gulls Ben Sollee - A Few Honest Words Live - Lightening Crashes Citizen Cope - Sideways Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey Jon McLaughlin - We All Need Saving Dan Croll - Home Duffy - I'm Scared Brandi Carlile - Heart's Content Charlotte Day Wilson - Work Ben Lee - Float On Radical Face - Wrapped in Piano Strings It amuses me how many of the song titles fit the current stage of my life--Stressed Out, Unsteady, feeling Sideways, Scared and Waiting. Haha. I didn't plan it, it just sort of...happened.

I have come to realize that nothing is set when it comes to my story. As soon as I have the plot in place and have begun to make progress, along comes another idea that improves upon the original, and suddenly a 'small but significant change' is necessary, and that 'small change' ripples through the entire story and mass revisions are suddenly necessary. Sometimes this is disheartening, but overall, when I see how much better my draft is for the change, its exhilarating. I'm almost halfway through re-writes for the second draft. Sadly, this still does not mean I will be done. If anything, I will probably conceive more ways to change and re-work it, making a third draft necessary, but I do feel like this second draft is, in general, 100% better than my first draft. I'm not sure if it is ever going to be publishable, I'm trying not to even think about that process yet. It's daunting, even thinking about the possibility. If nothing else, I know for su...