Lydia Howe's Blog, page 4
October 3, 2016
Experiencing God Through His Names By Sheryl Giesbrecht: Book Review
Experiencing God Through His Names By Sheryl Giesbrecht
Find it on: Amazon First Person Non-Fiction106 Pages
About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
What's in a name? Names are more than groups of letters that represent a person or identify objects. Names are powerful. A person's character and destiny can be influenced by his or her name. God's attributes and personality support His unique and distinct names. If we comprehend the meanings of His titles, we can know God more intimately. In Experiencing God Through His Names, Sheryl Giesbrecht walks with you on an exciting journey to discover and absorb the truth about God's character. In the next 31 days, God wants you to get to know Him. Are you ready?
Why I Choose this Book:
Names have always meant a lot to me. I not only find them intriguing, but also beautiful.
What I Thought About this Book:
I hadn't realized until I started the book that it was a devotional with thirty-one different names, corresponding with thirty-one different days. In the end I decided to read it over the course of two days, and really enjoyed going through it quickly.
Reading through the book while sick was a good way to find encouragement, and it helped me remember and dwell on how powerful, wonderful, and all-knowing God is. The book quotes a lot of Scripture, and talks a good amount about the attributes of God, so that was a big plus.
Unfortunately, I didn't find the formatting to be very appealing. There were also numerous grammatical inconsistencies that left me wanting to cringe. (For example, when talking about God the author sometimes capitalized the "H" in He, and sometimes she didn't, and there didn't seem to be any reasoning behind her choice.) There were also some times when the author sounded redundant, which could have been fixed with just a little bit of editing. Other then that though, I enjoyed the book and am thankful for it.
Conclusion:
I didn't agree with everything in the book, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I picked it up again in a year or two to re-read it. Overall the content was uplifting, biblical, and easy to understand.
Rating:
I'm giving Experiencing God Through His Names 4 stars out of 5, and 7 stars out of 10. I would recommend it to people wanting a easy-to-read book that will help them learn a little bit more about the character of God.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
Find it on: Amazon First Person Non-Fiction106 Pages
About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
What's in a name? Names are more than groups of letters that represent a person or identify objects. Names are powerful. A person's character and destiny can be influenced by his or her name. God's attributes and personality support His unique and distinct names. If we comprehend the meanings of His titles, we can know God more intimately. In Experiencing God Through His Names, Sheryl Giesbrecht walks with you on an exciting journey to discover and absorb the truth about God's character. In the next 31 days, God wants you to get to know Him. Are you ready?
Why I Choose this Book:
Names have always meant a lot to me. I not only find them intriguing, but also beautiful.
What I Thought About this Book:
I hadn't realized until I started the book that it was a devotional with thirty-one different names, corresponding with thirty-one different days. In the end I decided to read it over the course of two days, and really enjoyed going through it quickly.
Reading through the book while sick was a good way to find encouragement, and it helped me remember and dwell on how powerful, wonderful, and all-knowing God is. The book quotes a lot of Scripture, and talks a good amount about the attributes of God, so that was a big plus.
Unfortunately, I didn't find the formatting to be very appealing. There were also numerous grammatical inconsistencies that left me wanting to cringe. (For example, when talking about God the author sometimes capitalized the "H" in He, and sometimes she didn't, and there didn't seem to be any reasoning behind her choice.) There were also some times when the author sounded redundant, which could have been fixed with just a little bit of editing. Other then that though, I enjoyed the book and am thankful for it.
Conclusion:
I didn't agree with everything in the book, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I picked it up again in a year or two to re-read it. Overall the content was uplifting, biblical, and easy to understand.
Rating:
I'm giving Experiencing God Through His Names 4 stars out of 5, and 7 stars out of 10. I would recommend it to people wanting a easy-to-read book that will help them learn a little bit more about the character of God.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
September 30, 2016
Twenty-Four
This morning as I looked through pictures of myself as a kid, I was amazed to realize how very little I've changed in the last twenty years. In many ways I'm still just a barefoot, messy-haired kid running around looking at the world through eyes of wonder, and soaking in the moments.
One-year-old me liked wearing clothes with different textures. Twenty-four-year-old me still does. (Plus, sparkly socks. Because they're the best.)
Two-year-old me's first memory is of flying. Twenty-four-year-old me is still thrilled to bits to travel by airplane.
Three-year-old me liked to make silly faces whenever she passed a mirror or camera came out. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a habit of going-crazy faced whenever I see my reflection.
Four-year-old me loved to cuddle kittens and rats and nearly every other critter. Twenty-four-year-old me has a rabbit, rat, cat, and dog, and dreams of adding more.
Five-year-old me spent endless hours hiking through the woods. Twenty-four-year-old me still finds the woods incredibly enticing and would be quite happy to live out in them, miles away from civilization. (As long as I could still blog, because, well, blogging is up there next to sparkly socks.)
Six-year-old me saved special treats and savored them forever. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a special piece of chocolate in my jewelry box that someone gave me nearly 13 years ago.
Seven-year-old me was ornery and asked strangers to stomp on her oldest sister's feet when I visited her at college. Twenty-four-year-old me is nicer, but still has fun asking strangers random questions.
Eight-year-old me spent endless hours creating villages and worlds in the sandbox. Twenty-four-year-old me spends endless hours creating villages and worlds on paper.
Nine-year-old me began spending whole afternoons reading when possible. Twenty-four-year-old me still spends whole afternoons reading when possible.
Ten-year-old me would braid her hair in two braids and walk around acting like the characters from her favorite books. Twenty-four-year-old me now acts out my favorite characters from my own books.
Eleven-year-old me camped out every chance she got, and couldn't stand shoes. Twenty-four-year-old me still camps out every chance I get, and shoes? Only when necessary.
Twelve-year-old me longed more than anything to go back to the days of Laura Ingalls and live in her world. Twenty-four-year-old me would still like to spend a year in a shanty on the prairie, cooking salt pork on a cookstove.
Thirteen-year-old me loved getting to babysit her nieces. Twenty-four-year-old me still loves spending time with my nieces and nephews.
Fourteen-year-old me began to really cherish quiet-alone time. Twenty-four-year-old me now enjoys quiet-alone time more than ever.
Fifteen-year-old me turned into a night owl who enjoyed staying up late writing. Twenty-four-year-old me's favorite time to write, or read, or anything is late at night.
Sixteen-year-old me learned how to handle a garden and canning on her own. Twenty-four-year-old me doesn't allot time to gardening or canning, but still enjoys the process.
Seventeen-year-old me would go out and swing every night for an hour or two under the glow of the brilliant moon and bright stars. Twenty-four-year-old me would still swing every night if possible, and does so as often as I can.
Eighteen-year-old me wanted desperately to prove to herself that she could do certain things. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a longing to prove stuff to myself.
Nineteen-year-old me dreamed of starting a blog. Twenty-four-year-old me is thrilled to be a consistent blogger.
Twenty-year-old me dreamed of having her books published. Twenty-four-year-old me now has three books published and dreams of even more books joining the ranks.
Twenty-one-year-old me dreamed of having her best friend live close by. Twenty-four-year-old me is constantly amazed at how all of her best-friend-dreams have come true.
Twenty-two-year-old me thought it was incredibly fun to track pretty much everything in life. Twenty-four-year-old me now has a good tracking system that I thoroughly enjoy.
Twenty-three-year-old me was bid farewell at midnight. As I enter my twenty-fourth year, sparkly socks in place, I look forward to having 365 days to fill and categorize, and change.
This last year was full of adventures, living, unexpectedness, editing, reaching, learning, growing. With 366 days to fill up, life sometimes felt like a puzzle as I tried to fit all the pieces together an organize them in such a way to make the most of my time. I'm so thankful for what God bought me through, how He worked in my life, and the comfort He gave. There were some really difficult times (like when my adopted dad was in the hospital), and there were some extremely rewarding times (like each time I finished a draft of WLHYL).
Overall, I was gone 19 weeks, or 133 nights, and read 97 books. I was so excited when I figured that up this morning, because when I was twenty-two I was gone for 128 nights, and read 180 books. The fact that I read just over half the amount of books I read last year is a huge blessing to me, because that meant this year I felt well enough to really live life. Of the books I read this year 57 of them were fiction, and 40 were nonfiction. That's by far the most nonfiction I've ever read in a year, so yay! For the writing side of the year, I wrote 282 posts on Noveltea, completed the first drafts of two books, and completed fourteen drafts of When Life Hands You Lymes.
As I gaze into this next year, I literally have no clue what it will hold. I'm anticipating the need to hold on tight, open my eyes wide, and fling myself whole-heartedly into some grand adventures.
(Twenty-one, Twenty-two, and Twenty-three.)
One-year-old me liked wearing clothes with different textures. Twenty-four-year-old me still does. (Plus, sparkly socks. Because they're the best.)
Two-year-old me's first memory is of flying. Twenty-four-year-old me is still thrilled to bits to travel by airplane.
Three-year-old me liked to make silly faces whenever she passed a mirror or camera came out. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a habit of going-crazy faced whenever I see my reflection.
Four-year-old me loved to cuddle kittens and rats and nearly every other critter. Twenty-four-year-old me has a rabbit, rat, cat, and dog, and dreams of adding more.
Five-year-old me spent endless hours hiking through the woods. Twenty-four-year-old me still finds the woods incredibly enticing and would be quite happy to live out in them, miles away from civilization. (As long as I could still blog, because, well, blogging is up there next to sparkly socks.)
Six-year-old me saved special treats and savored them forever. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a special piece of chocolate in my jewelry box that someone gave me nearly 13 years ago.
Seven-year-old me was ornery and asked strangers to stomp on her oldest sister's feet when I visited her at college. Twenty-four-year-old me is nicer, but still has fun asking strangers random questions.
Eight-year-old me spent endless hours creating villages and worlds in the sandbox. Twenty-four-year-old me spends endless hours creating villages and worlds on paper.
Nine-year-old me began spending whole afternoons reading when possible. Twenty-four-year-old me still spends whole afternoons reading when possible.
Ten-year-old me would braid her hair in two braids and walk around acting like the characters from her favorite books. Twenty-four-year-old me now acts out my favorite characters from my own books.
Eleven-year-old me camped out every chance she got, and couldn't stand shoes. Twenty-four-year-old me still camps out every chance I get, and shoes? Only when necessary.
Twelve-year-old me longed more than anything to go back to the days of Laura Ingalls and live in her world. Twenty-four-year-old me would still like to spend a year in a shanty on the prairie, cooking salt pork on a cookstove.
Thirteen-year-old me loved getting to babysit her nieces. Twenty-four-year-old me still loves spending time with my nieces and nephews.
Fourteen-year-old me began to really cherish quiet-alone time. Twenty-four-year-old me now enjoys quiet-alone time more than ever.
Fifteen-year-old me turned into a night owl who enjoyed staying up late writing. Twenty-four-year-old me's favorite time to write, or read, or anything is late at night.
Sixteen-year-old me learned how to handle a garden and canning on her own. Twenty-four-year-old me doesn't allot time to gardening or canning, but still enjoys the process.
Seventeen-year-old me would go out and swing every night for an hour or two under the glow of the brilliant moon and bright stars. Twenty-four-year-old me would still swing every night if possible, and does so as often as I can.
Eighteen-year-old me wanted desperately to prove to herself that she could do certain things. Twenty-four-year-old me still has a longing to prove stuff to myself.
Nineteen-year-old me dreamed of starting a blog. Twenty-four-year-old me is thrilled to be a consistent blogger.
Twenty-year-old me dreamed of having her books published. Twenty-four-year-old me now has three books published and dreams of even more books joining the ranks.
Twenty-one-year-old me dreamed of having her best friend live close by. Twenty-four-year-old me is constantly amazed at how all of her best-friend-dreams have come true.
Twenty-two-year-old me thought it was incredibly fun to track pretty much everything in life. Twenty-four-year-old me now has a good tracking system that I thoroughly enjoy.
Twenty-three-year-old me was bid farewell at midnight. As I enter my twenty-fourth year, sparkly socks in place, I look forward to having 365 days to fill and categorize, and change.
This last year was full of adventures, living, unexpectedness, editing, reaching, learning, growing. With 366 days to fill up, life sometimes felt like a puzzle as I tried to fit all the pieces together an organize them in such a way to make the most of my time. I'm so thankful for what God bought me through, how He worked in my life, and the comfort He gave. There were some really difficult times (like when my adopted dad was in the hospital), and there were some extremely rewarding times (like each time I finished a draft of WLHYL).
Overall, I was gone 19 weeks, or 133 nights, and read 97 books. I was so excited when I figured that up this morning, because when I was twenty-two I was gone for 128 nights, and read 180 books. The fact that I read just over half the amount of books I read last year is a huge blessing to me, because that meant this year I felt well enough to really live life. Of the books I read this year 57 of them were fiction, and 40 were nonfiction. That's by far the most nonfiction I've ever read in a year, so yay! For the writing side of the year, I wrote 282 posts on Noveltea, completed the first drafts of two books, and completed fourteen drafts of When Life Hands You Lymes.
As I gaze into this next year, I literally have no clue what it will hold. I'm anticipating the need to hold on tight, open my eyes wide, and fling myself whole-heartedly into some grand adventures.
(Twenty-one, Twenty-two, and Twenty-three.)
September 28, 2016
Autumn Music
Y'all, I have a problem. See, it's still the last week of September and I've already begun listening to Christmas music. Yeah, I know it's bad. Autumn is such a deliriously-wondeful time of year though, and listening to special music as the season blossoms makes me happy and cements the joy and happiness of this time of year into my brain.
I've decided what I need, though, is to find some special music that I can turn into my Autumn playlist. Then I'll begin listening to it each September and October, and might possibly delay the dive into Christmas music. So, my question for y'all is: Do you have any good suggestions for Autumn-ish songs to start this new tradition with?
I've decided what I need, though, is to find some special music that I can turn into my Autumn playlist. Then I'll begin listening to it each September and October, and might possibly delay the dive into Christmas music. So, my question for y'all is: Do you have any good suggestions for Autumn-ish songs to start this new tradition with?
September 26, 2016
Take 40 - A Vlog About How and Why I Wrote "When Life Hands You Lymes"
Happy Monday, y'all!
Today seemed like the perfect day to do my second vlog, especially because I had my wonderful friend Hosanna here to act as my videographer. Unfortunately, I didn't factor into the equation that we'd both spontaneously burst into laughter every few seconds. Forty takes later though, we finally had a video that worked, although it might have varied slightly (aka, a lot) from the original intent of this particular vlog.
See, originally I wanted to read a snippet of When Life Hands You Lymes to y'all. I even went through the book and found three snippets that seemed to work, and then practiced reading them. The problem is I haven't mastered the art of reading for a camera yet. While trying to focus on reading and the camera I found myself adding words, omitting sentences, and paraphrasing dialog. Oops.
In the end I decided to go with my second idea, which was to give a brief history of how and why I started WLHYL. It's not new information to anyone who's hung out on Noveltea, but I've wanted to have it in video form for documentation purposes.
I hope y'all have a fantastic Monday, and that this week is full of blessings, memory-making ventures, and happiness cause it's autumn!
Today seemed like the perfect day to do my second vlog, especially because I had my wonderful friend Hosanna here to act as my videographer. Unfortunately, I didn't factor into the equation that we'd both spontaneously burst into laughter every few seconds. Forty takes later though, we finally had a video that worked, although it might have varied slightly (aka, a lot) from the original intent of this particular vlog.
See, originally I wanted to read a snippet of When Life Hands You Lymes to y'all. I even went through the book and found three snippets that seemed to work, and then practiced reading them. The problem is I haven't mastered the art of reading for a camera yet. While trying to focus on reading and the camera I found myself adding words, omitting sentences, and paraphrasing dialog. Oops.
In the end I decided to go with my second idea, which was to give a brief history of how and why I started WLHYL. It's not new information to anyone who's hung out on Noveltea, but I've wanted to have it in video form for documentation purposes.
I hope y'all have a fantastic Monday, and that this week is full of blessings, memory-making ventures, and happiness cause it's autumn!
September 24, 2016
Saturday Morning
This morning I had an early-ish and short shift at work, which meant I was back home by a little after nine. This whole week was rather busy and I only got a little bit of time each day to work on my writing, so I'm excited to see what I will be able to accomplish on my editing today. I also hope to catch up on some reading.
I'm currently reading (part of the time out loud) through When Life Hands You Lymes for the last time before I send it out for the final round of beta reading. It's kinda funny, because I keep thinking each draft will be the second to last draft, and so far that hasn't been the case. Maybe this time it will be true.
In this draft I'm having fun adding some life to one of the sub-plots. I had an enjoyable time brainstorming with a writer friend this last week, and as we brainstormed, it became quite apparent that the sub-plot really wouldn't work unless it made more sense.
Each time I add a sentence now, or sometimes just change a few words around, I'm left shaking my head in wonder. (Alright, not always literally.) The additions are making so much sense that I have no clue why it's taken me this many drafts to figure out that they were needed.
It's so peaceful here today as I sit at my desk, candle burning next to me, and instrumental music on (some of which might be considered Christmas music). Outside the sky is gray, fields are green, and there's a lovely patch of bright yellow golden rod right in front of me. It's obviously a wonderful day to be editing.
What do y'all have on your plate for this delightful Saturday?
I'm currently reading (part of the time out loud) through When Life Hands You Lymes for the last time before I send it out for the final round of beta reading. It's kinda funny, because I keep thinking each draft will be the second to last draft, and so far that hasn't been the case. Maybe this time it will be true.
In this draft I'm having fun adding some life to one of the sub-plots. I had an enjoyable time brainstorming with a writer friend this last week, and as we brainstormed, it became quite apparent that the sub-plot really wouldn't work unless it made more sense.
Each time I add a sentence now, or sometimes just change a few words around, I'm left shaking my head in wonder. (Alright, not always literally.) The additions are making so much sense that I have no clue why it's taken me this many drafts to figure out that they were needed.
It's so peaceful here today as I sit at my desk, candle burning next to me, and instrumental music on (some of which might be considered Christmas music). Outside the sky is gray, fields are green, and there's a lovely patch of bright yellow golden rod right in front of me. It's obviously a wonderful day to be editing.
What do y'all have on your plate for this delightful Saturday?
September 23, 2016
The Storms
Hey y'all! Today I'm going to do something unusual. I'm actually reposting a post I wrote last year. Last night I was looking through old posts, trying to find some autumnish pictures, and this post jumped out at me. I hope y'all enjoy it...
I just finished reading the book of Job and do you know what really stuck out to me? That Job didn't do anything wrong and yet he was still going through a really tough time. Plus his "support group" as in the people closest to him... Yikes. It's scary reading how they responded. Do you know what his wife told him? "Curse God and die!" Um. That, folks is not good advice.
And then his friends, if that's what you call them, do you know what they said? Basically: "Dude! You've obviously committed some secret sin so stop hiding it and denying it. All these trials you are going through are your just punishment so suck it up and bare it."
Do you know what God did then? He spoke to Job out of a whirlwind and told of His mighty power and wisdom and vast creation, then He told one of Job's friends, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has." (42:7) Then God had Job sacrifice a burnt offering for his friends and pray for them so that God would not "do with them according to their folly."
This reminds me of one of my favorite sermons. At the end of Mark four, Jesus says to his friends, "Let us go over to the other side" (talking about the sea). So they pile into a boat and as they were crossing a huge storm blew up and they were about to sink. Meanwhile Jesus was asleep so they woke Him up, terrified that they were about to die.
Do you know how Jesus responds? "He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.'" And the wind obeyed.
What is especially meaningful about this account to me, though, is the fact that the disciples were going through a tough time, a life-storm, you could say, and yet they were obeying. They didn't decide to cross the sea on their own. They didn't climb into the boat for fun. No, Jesus is the one who said they should.
I think far too often when we are going through a storm in life we automatically assume that we are being disciplined for something. We think that God is angry with us. We feel condemned and forgotten.
Yet that's not necessarily the truth of the matter. There is a whole realm that we can't see. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
For Job God was allowing Satan to test him because God knew Job was righteous and that Job would continue to bring honor and glory to God no matter what he went through.
For the people on the boat with Jesus? I'm not exactly sure why the storm blew up, it was very possibly completely natural. Yet Jesus used that situation to show His power and to give the disciples and generations to come a lesson that can inspire hope all the way to today.
So next time you're going through a storm, a rough patch, instead of freaking out because you think you're being punished for something you didn't do or that God has forgotten you, step back and take a look at the bigger picture. Remember that God sees everything, the past, the present and even the future. He's outside of time. His plans are not our plans. Plus, remember: He loves you with an amazing love.
I just finished reading the book of Job and do you know what really stuck out to me? That Job didn't do anything wrong and yet he was still going through a really tough time. Plus his "support group" as in the people closest to him... Yikes. It's scary reading how they responded. Do you know what his wife told him? "Curse God and die!" Um. That, folks is not good advice.
And then his friends, if that's what you call them, do you know what they said? Basically: "Dude! You've obviously committed some secret sin so stop hiding it and denying it. All these trials you are going through are your just punishment so suck it up and bare it."
Do you know what God did then? He spoke to Job out of a whirlwind and told of His mighty power and wisdom and vast creation, then He told one of Job's friends, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has." (42:7) Then God had Job sacrifice a burnt offering for his friends and pray for them so that God would not "do with them according to their folly."
This reminds me of one of my favorite sermons. At the end of Mark four, Jesus says to his friends, "Let us go over to the other side" (talking about the sea). So they pile into a boat and as they were crossing a huge storm blew up and they were about to sink. Meanwhile Jesus was asleep so they woke Him up, terrified that they were about to die.
Do you know how Jesus responds? "He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.'" And the wind obeyed.
What is especially meaningful about this account to me, though, is the fact that the disciples were going through a tough time, a life-storm, you could say, and yet they were obeying. They didn't decide to cross the sea on their own. They didn't climb into the boat for fun. No, Jesus is the one who said they should.
I think far too often when we are going through a storm in life we automatically assume that we are being disciplined for something. We think that God is angry with us. We feel condemned and forgotten.
Yet that's not necessarily the truth of the matter. There is a whole realm that we can't see. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
For Job God was allowing Satan to test him because God knew Job was righteous and that Job would continue to bring honor and glory to God no matter what he went through.
For the people on the boat with Jesus? I'm not exactly sure why the storm blew up, it was very possibly completely natural. Yet Jesus used that situation to show His power and to give the disciples and generations to come a lesson that can inspire hope all the way to today.
So next time you're going through a storm, a rough patch, instead of freaking out because you think you're being punished for something you didn't do or that God has forgotten you, step back and take a look at the bigger picture. Remember that God sees everything, the past, the present and even the future. He's outside of time. His plans are not our plans. Plus, remember: He loves you with an amazing love.
September 21, 2016
Brainstorming
Brainstorming to problem solve is one of those parts of being an author that I greatly enjoy. I write out plot lines and find them quite helpful and needed, but I'm also not adverse to straying from the original plot when a new idea takes me captive. This translates to my stories often having plot holes and needing help in subsequent drafts.
One of the best parts about brainstorming is that it can be done basically anywhere. Yes, there are times when I sit down and simply focus 100% on the brainstorming, but most often, the activity takes place when I'm going about daily life. Because of this I used to carry a little notebook and pen basically everywhere with me - which really wasn't convenient. Now that I have my phone, I use it to keep track of my ideas, and I also do that "non-advisable-thing" where I simply try and remember the ideas until I get back to my computer.
For fun, I thought I'd share some of the places/things I do that normally produce the best idea-generating thoughts.
*Swinging (like, on a swing set)*Being in a crowd*Admiring changing seasons *Cooking*Mowing the grass (the mower's name is Chadwin, by the way, and we're great friends)*Walking *Being in the car *Listening to amazing music *Talking to other writers *Reading good books *Reading lame books that make me want to do better*Cuddling fluffy animals *Chatting with Hosanna and seeing her enthusiasm for my writing projects *Watching storms*Experiencing new things or places*Folding laundryAnd the list could go on, but those are the top ones.
What about you? How/when/where do you brainstorm the best?
One of the best parts about brainstorming is that it can be done basically anywhere. Yes, there are times when I sit down and simply focus 100% on the brainstorming, but most often, the activity takes place when I'm going about daily life. Because of this I used to carry a little notebook and pen basically everywhere with me - which really wasn't convenient. Now that I have my phone, I use it to keep track of my ideas, and I also do that "non-advisable-thing" where I simply try and remember the ideas until I get back to my computer.
For fun, I thought I'd share some of the places/things I do that normally produce the best idea-generating thoughts.
*Swinging (like, on a swing set)*Being in a crowd*Admiring changing seasons *Cooking*Mowing the grass (the mower's name is Chadwin, by the way, and we're great friends)*Walking *Being in the car *Listening to amazing music *Talking to other writers *Reading good books *Reading lame books that make me want to do better*Cuddling fluffy animals *Chatting with Hosanna and seeing her enthusiasm for my writing projects *Watching storms*Experiencing new things or places*Folding laundryAnd the list could go on, but those are the top ones.
What about you? How/when/where do you brainstorm the best?
September 20, 2016
God Bless Us Every One Eva Marie Everson: Book Review
God Bless Us Every One Eva Marie Everson
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third Person Fiction200 Pages
About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
Charlene Dixon—called Charlie by family and friends—is devastated at the recent loss of her job. For the last five years, the twenty-seven-year-old has blossomed as the activities director of an exclusive all-girls school. But when a misunderstanding with the headmistress leads to a pink slip right before the holidays, Charlie packs up her dreams and returns to her grandmother, Sis, who raised Charlie as her own in the mountains of North Carolina.When Charlie arrives—broken and confused—Sis immediately puts her granddaughter to work behind the scenes of the local school’s Christmas play, A Christmas Carol. Charlie doesn’t always like working with Dustin Kennedy, the drama teacher, but Sis encourages her to take a deeper look at why the book by Charles Dickens had been written in the first place and what it could teach Charlie about the needs of people in their own community.
Why I Choose this Book:
I thought this book was a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, and that sounded intriguing to me.
What I Thought About this Book:
First off, this might contain slight spoilers, so read at your own risk.
The concept was really promising. The execution? Well, it didn't exactly thrill me. It felt like a trite, cliché, redundant story. My favorite part was probably the main character's relationship with her grandmother who raised her. Sweet parental-type relationships always make me happy. It was also cute that she called her grandmother "Sis" because that was different and I enjoyed it.
I also liked the idea of the plot line that had to do with the main character and her father, an ex-convict. The whole thought of redemption and trying to make right past wrongs is a story line that I find intriguing. The main character's actions at the beginning of the story were totally relatable and easy to imagine. Eventually though, even that sorta fell flat for me, because I wasn't convinced. As time went on though, the main character sounded like a over imaginative, high-strung, illogical female, who really needed to stop making a big deal out of nothing. My problem wasn't with the character though, but more that the story was using weak plot points that didn't endear me to the book.
The romance also was rather ugh-ish and unexpected, although it wasn't "wrong" per se. The main character had a crush on a kid in Middle School, didn't seen him for like ten years, and then fell in love with him within weeks after meeting up with him again. Besides, I didn't feel like it added much to the story. Thankfully it wasn't a huge part of the book, so that was nice.
Conclusion:
This just wasn't my book. It was a "cute" Christmas read, I guess, and I suppose a lot of people would really enjoy it. It did have a few good Biblical concepts like forgiveness, but that didn't play a huge part in the story. Rating:
I'm giving God Bless Us Every One 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third Person Fiction200 Pages
About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
Charlene Dixon—called Charlie by family and friends—is devastated at the recent loss of her job. For the last five years, the twenty-seven-year-old has blossomed as the activities director of an exclusive all-girls school. But when a misunderstanding with the headmistress leads to a pink slip right before the holidays, Charlie packs up her dreams and returns to her grandmother, Sis, who raised Charlie as her own in the mountains of North Carolina.When Charlie arrives—broken and confused—Sis immediately puts her granddaughter to work behind the scenes of the local school’s Christmas play, A Christmas Carol. Charlie doesn’t always like working with Dustin Kennedy, the drama teacher, but Sis encourages her to take a deeper look at why the book by Charles Dickens had been written in the first place and what it could teach Charlie about the needs of people in their own community.
Why I Choose this Book:
I thought this book was a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, and that sounded intriguing to me.
What I Thought About this Book:
First off, this might contain slight spoilers, so read at your own risk.
The concept was really promising. The execution? Well, it didn't exactly thrill me. It felt like a trite, cliché, redundant story. My favorite part was probably the main character's relationship with her grandmother who raised her. Sweet parental-type relationships always make me happy. It was also cute that she called her grandmother "Sis" because that was different and I enjoyed it.
I also liked the idea of the plot line that had to do with the main character and her father, an ex-convict. The whole thought of redemption and trying to make right past wrongs is a story line that I find intriguing. The main character's actions at the beginning of the story were totally relatable and easy to imagine. Eventually though, even that sorta fell flat for me, because I wasn't convinced. As time went on though, the main character sounded like a over imaginative, high-strung, illogical female, who really needed to stop making a big deal out of nothing. My problem wasn't with the character though, but more that the story was using weak plot points that didn't endear me to the book.
The romance also was rather ugh-ish and unexpected, although it wasn't "wrong" per se. The main character had a crush on a kid in Middle School, didn't seen him for like ten years, and then fell in love with him within weeks after meeting up with him again. Besides, I didn't feel like it added much to the story. Thankfully it wasn't a huge part of the book, so that was nice.
Conclusion:
This just wasn't my book. It was a "cute" Christmas read, I guess, and I suppose a lot of people would really enjoy it. It did have a few good Biblical concepts like forgiveness, but that didn't play a huge part in the story. Rating:
I'm giving God Bless Us Every One 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
September 19, 2016
A Writerly Existence
The work I do as a writer doesn't always occur in front of a computer or notebook. If you've been around Noveltea for any length of time, you've probably heard me talking about taking long, rambling walks whenever I have a deadline. This always puts my brain into gear to work fast and get a lot accomplished. There are other times and places though where writerly thoughts push through and brainstorming commences.
In fact, there are probably only two times when I actively try not to think about writerly things and that's when 1) Someone is talking with me and 2) I'm in church. And even during those two instances, I still welcome writerly thoughts when they've been inspired by what I'm hearing. Only, in those cases I have to file the thoughts away to pull out and ponder later, instead of dwelling on them then.
Being an author isn't a 9-5 job. It's not something that can be shut off on the weekends. See, it's not only a job, it's also a lifestyle. Everything I say, do, and think colors my writing in some way or another. Most of the time that's fun, and other times, well...I just have to learn to deal with it.
One of the things I greatly enjoy about life is seeing the world from a different perspective. Of course each one of us sees the world differently from everyone else, but we also have the ability to see the world in a different way than we're used to seeing it.
For instance, I'm a really touch-feely person. I enjoy textures and sometimes catch myself absentmindedly rub my hands along surfaces (as a child my mom often reminded me that touching walls and such in public spread germs). On the other hand, I generally take note every time I smell something, because the sense of smell isn't something I do as naturally.
It hit me recently that in my Echoes series, which is told by two point of views, I could make the characters more distinct by having one of them always notice the senses that have to do with seeing and hearing, and the other notice stuff that has to do with tasting, smelling, and touching. Now that I've decided that, whenever I'm working on that series (currently it's set aside so I can focus on editing), my brain will be like "Hey! Did you notice that taste? Nicolette would probably describe it this way." and so on and so forth.
This weekend that my brain kept pulling up solutions for a slight problem I've run into with When Life Hands You Lymes. By the time this morning came around, I was ready to sit down and fix the issue, even though I hadn't been "working on writing" at all over the weekend. It's delightful when problems solve themselves like this...
* * *
What about y'all? Which one of the five senses are you most likely to notice the most?
In fact, there are probably only two times when I actively try not to think about writerly things and that's when 1) Someone is talking with me and 2) I'm in church. And even during those two instances, I still welcome writerly thoughts when they've been inspired by what I'm hearing. Only, in those cases I have to file the thoughts away to pull out and ponder later, instead of dwelling on them then.
Being an author isn't a 9-5 job. It's not something that can be shut off on the weekends. See, it's not only a job, it's also a lifestyle. Everything I say, do, and think colors my writing in some way or another. Most of the time that's fun, and other times, well...I just have to learn to deal with it.
One of the things I greatly enjoy about life is seeing the world from a different perspective. Of course each one of us sees the world differently from everyone else, but we also have the ability to see the world in a different way than we're used to seeing it.
For instance, I'm a really touch-feely person. I enjoy textures and sometimes catch myself absentmindedly rub my hands along surfaces (as a child my mom often reminded me that touching walls and such in public spread germs). On the other hand, I generally take note every time I smell something, because the sense of smell isn't something I do as naturally.
It hit me recently that in my Echoes series, which is told by two point of views, I could make the characters more distinct by having one of them always notice the senses that have to do with seeing and hearing, and the other notice stuff that has to do with tasting, smelling, and touching. Now that I've decided that, whenever I'm working on that series (currently it's set aside so I can focus on editing), my brain will be like "Hey! Did you notice that taste? Nicolette would probably describe it this way." and so on and so forth.
This weekend that my brain kept pulling up solutions for a slight problem I've run into with When Life Hands You Lymes. By the time this morning came around, I was ready to sit down and fix the issue, even though I hadn't been "working on writing" at all over the weekend. It's delightful when problems solve themselves like this...
* * *
What about y'all? Which one of the five senses are you most likely to notice the most?
September 16, 2016
Thoughts About Fiction Vs. Nonfiction
It's one of those amusingly paradoxical elements about myself that I haven't yet been able to reconcile completely. See, my logic and my ideals don't quite match up, leaving me to shake my head and laugh at myself.
The reality is I learn a lot from reading fiction. I soak in the subtle lessons. I'm inspired. I see the cause and effect. The story sticks with me, and comes to mind when similar situations arise in my own life. Fiction helps me grow.
I write fiction because it's not only entertaining, but it's also a good way to get a point across. It's a tool, a passageway to new thoughts, an invitation to life being more. Even Jesus used fiction to teach when He told parables.
And yet...Well, somewhere deep inside of me, I have this little voice that yells out that reading nonfiction is more mature. More spiritual. More achieving. More...just more. Having a list of nonfiction books on my "just read" stack makes me want to do a little victory dance and feel satisfied. I've been somewhat confused about the benefits of fiction vs. nonfiction, so I've paid attention to my reactions during this last year.
At the very end of last year, I actually went on a nonfiction-only reading spree for two months. There were several reasons for this, and the insight I learned from my "fiction fast" was quite interesting to me.
One of the reasons I set aside fiction was because I'd had some health issues that left me easily stressed and feeling like I didn't have enough emotional energy to give to the people around me. I was curious to see I might perhaps be spending emotional energy on fictional characters instead of real life people. Therefore, it was gratifying to come to the conclusion after two months that reading fiction actually helps me feel renewed and able to give out to those around me. I have several theories about why this is, but for the sake of the length of this post, I won't go into them today.
Another reason I set aside fiction was because I thought it would help me read more nonfiction. Haha, that didn't happen, either. In fact, during those two months, I nearly had to force myself to read the nonfiction books that I had on my list, instead of enjoying them like normal. That's when I discovered that the balance of fiction and nonfiction really is important in my life.
In addition to not receiving the beneficial results I had imagined, I also began to notice several negative effects. The longer I went without reading fiction, the more my imagination struggled to keep up with my writerly life. See, I've always had a fantastically wonderful imagination and have gone through life with the wonder comparable to a little kid chasing butterflies. But, when I cut fiction out of my life, I began to feel more like a boring being existing, instead of really living. It took several months of hard, intentional work after I reinstated fiction into my life for me to feel as if I was flowing with creativity again.
That, along with the other discoveries I've made have quite throughly convinced me that fiction is important to me, maybe as much, if not more, than most nonfiction. And yet, yet, yet...I still feel more accomplished when I finish a nonfiction book. This most likely stems from the fact that nonfiction is harder for me to get through, and therefore it generally takes longer and feels like more work than a fiction book.
During this last month I haven't read any fiction books. (Although I have read a few chapters here and there.) This wasn't on purpose, rather it's because I requested a big stack of nonfiction books for review, and when they started pouring in, I was inundated with a to be read pile I had to focus on. In the last month I've read seven nonfiction books, am currently reading three more, and still have four more on my stack.
But do you know what? I might just have to slide a couple of fiction books somewhere into that stack, because fiction, like nonfiction, is very important and beneficial to me.
And that, my friends, is my quandary about how my logic and ideals don't always coincide. Because really, just because reading nonfiction makes me think I should be more productive, that's not always necessarily true.
* * *
What about you? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? And, which one makes you feel more productive?
The reality is I learn a lot from reading fiction. I soak in the subtle lessons. I'm inspired. I see the cause and effect. The story sticks with me, and comes to mind when similar situations arise in my own life. Fiction helps me grow.
I write fiction because it's not only entertaining, but it's also a good way to get a point across. It's a tool, a passageway to new thoughts, an invitation to life being more. Even Jesus used fiction to teach when He told parables.
And yet...Well, somewhere deep inside of me, I have this little voice that yells out that reading nonfiction is more mature. More spiritual. More achieving. More...just more. Having a list of nonfiction books on my "just read" stack makes me want to do a little victory dance and feel satisfied. I've been somewhat confused about the benefits of fiction vs. nonfiction, so I've paid attention to my reactions during this last year.
At the very end of last year, I actually went on a nonfiction-only reading spree for two months. There were several reasons for this, and the insight I learned from my "fiction fast" was quite interesting to me.
One of the reasons I set aside fiction was because I'd had some health issues that left me easily stressed and feeling like I didn't have enough emotional energy to give to the people around me. I was curious to see I might perhaps be spending emotional energy on fictional characters instead of real life people. Therefore, it was gratifying to come to the conclusion after two months that reading fiction actually helps me feel renewed and able to give out to those around me. I have several theories about why this is, but for the sake of the length of this post, I won't go into them today.
Another reason I set aside fiction was because I thought it would help me read more nonfiction. Haha, that didn't happen, either. In fact, during those two months, I nearly had to force myself to read the nonfiction books that I had on my list, instead of enjoying them like normal. That's when I discovered that the balance of fiction and nonfiction really is important in my life.
In addition to not receiving the beneficial results I had imagined, I also began to notice several negative effects. The longer I went without reading fiction, the more my imagination struggled to keep up with my writerly life. See, I've always had a fantastically wonderful imagination and have gone through life with the wonder comparable to a little kid chasing butterflies. But, when I cut fiction out of my life, I began to feel more like a boring being existing, instead of really living. It took several months of hard, intentional work after I reinstated fiction into my life for me to feel as if I was flowing with creativity again.
That, along with the other discoveries I've made have quite throughly convinced me that fiction is important to me, maybe as much, if not more, than most nonfiction. And yet, yet, yet...I still feel more accomplished when I finish a nonfiction book. This most likely stems from the fact that nonfiction is harder for me to get through, and therefore it generally takes longer and feels like more work than a fiction book.
During this last month I haven't read any fiction books. (Although I have read a few chapters here and there.) This wasn't on purpose, rather it's because I requested a big stack of nonfiction books for review, and when they started pouring in, I was inundated with a to be read pile I had to focus on. In the last month I've read seven nonfiction books, am currently reading three more, and still have four more on my stack.
But do you know what? I might just have to slide a couple of fiction books somewhere into that stack, because fiction, like nonfiction, is very important and beneficial to me.
And that, my friends, is my quandary about how my logic and ideals don't always coincide. Because really, just because reading nonfiction makes me think I should be more productive, that's not always necessarily true.
* * *
What about you? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? And, which one makes you feel more productive?
