Candee Fick's Blog, page 27
March 16, 2015
Swinging At Curveballs
With the high school basketball season and State Tournament officially behind us (lost in overtime for the championship), it’s now time for baseball to begin. Sunflower seeds. The thump of a ball into a leather glove. Dugout chatter. The crack of a bat. A multitude of signals from coaches to base runners and from the catcher to the pitcher.
And the mental battle between a pitcher and the batter hovered over the plate.
I don’t pretend to understand all that goes into deciding what type of pitc...
March 9, 2015
Excuses Are Useless
What is it about setting a specific goal that brings out the obstacles?
One of my goals in January was to start working on a new book. But before I dove into a mind-consuming story world, there were a few things I needed to do firstincludinginitial revisions for my contracted novel anddeveloping a marketing plan including list of influencers. Since I was on a roll, I scheduled a series of guest blogs to coincide with the book launch in December. With a date circled on my calendar for a future...
March 2, 2015
Sharing The Gift
Awhile back, I scrounged the Walmart $5 DVD bin as a reward to myself for meeting a writing goal. The twomovie set I found near the bottom featuredthe 1992 classic Pure Countrywith George Strait along with a 2010 unexpected treasure Pure Country 2: The Gift. To be honest, neither would win awards for acting. But the singing? I found myself humming several of the songs for days and even weeks.
And months later, the message of The Gift still resonates.
The premise? Three angels bestow a gift on a...
February 23, 2015
A Day in the Life Of an Author
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to a class of fifth graders about my writing process. They are in the middle of their first research paper project and were full of questions. Tons of questions! While I tried to make sure to draw parallels to their project in brainstorming, research, outlining, drafting,editing, and polishing the final product to turn in to their teacher, I couldn’t let them believe that the not-so-simple act of writing was all that I did. So, I’m offering you what I gave them,...
February 16, 2015
True Followers Love Their Enemies
Something has been bugging me over the last couple of weeks.I certainly don’t want to get political or start a heated discussion or anything of the sort, but as I wrestled through a tough topic I eventually found peace in knowing the truth of the matter, even if it’s not easy to put into practice. So in keeping with my goal to offer my readers encouragement for life’s journey, I’ve also found a balance of faith, hope, and love in the midst of the headlines.
What triggered my musings? First, th...
February 9, 2015
What’s In a Name?
One of the most time-consuming tasks as a soon-to-be-parent was picking just the right name for the coming baby. While the last name was a given and the gender still had to be confirmed at birth, what did I know about this child? What would their personality be like? What career would they pursue? Would they like to use a nickname or prefer a name that couldn’t be shortened?I knew nothing! So, my name-picking process came down to making sure thechoice sounded good with our last name and didn’...
February 2, 2015
The Seed of a Story Idea
I often wonder where authors get their ideas from. Where did that first seed originate and how long did it grow before taking shape as a novella, full-length novel, or even a series?
My first attempt at writing a novel actually started as a short story that was sparked while riding home from a family dinner. It was dark outside and as we drove through town, I spotted a small diner and through the front windows saw a waitress wiping off a table. She didn’t look young enough to be in high school...
January 26, 2015
Honest Expectations
In the interest of filling my storytelling tank of creativity, I’ve been splurging on the collection of Hallmark movies I recorded leading up to Christmas and now on toward Valentine’s Day. I’ll be the first to admit that a few of the cheesy scenes and contrived plot points of some stories get on my nerves (and compel me to be a better writer so my future readers don’t roll their eyes or throw my book across the room.)
However, I’ve mostly found what I expected to see. A clean romance with a h...
January 19, 2015
Loving The Cold Weather
As I write this, Colorado is finally warming up again after our share of frigid, Arctic air. And to be perfectly honest, I hate being cold. But being the optimist that I am, I tried to focus on the things I love about cold weather.
An excuse to wear those fuzzy, soft sweaters on my shelf. To tuck my chin down intothe collar and tug the sleeves down over my hands. To snuggle up under a blanket and sip hot chocolate with floating marshmallows. To gather with the family for a pot of chili followe...
January 12, 2015
Making It Better One Word At a Time
Other than several years’ worth of critique partner comments, I have experienced editorial notes for thefirst time in my writing career.And over the pastweek I’ve been making the story better one word at a time … as well as learned anew the power of gaining perspective.
In both my personal life and my contracted book, Ican betoo close to the story to see the flaws outside observers notice so easily. So when the managing editor of the publishing house sent a three page letter of initial notes t...
