I prefer to think of Monday as a blank slate to a new week with new opportunities. This morning, my opportunities were very limited. Our power went out. No explanation, no fanfare....but no power. Then our water began to be very slow until.....oops! No water! No power, no water. Ok, then. What is a girl to do? My kids, one by one, came downstairs asking about the lack of power. "The power went out..." was all I could say. Fortunately, my laptop's battery was fully charged so I wasn't completely without access to the great Google machine. Upon "Googling" outages for our area, I discovered that our great electricians were already aware of our plight and were sending a crew. Only 10 houses were affected, but it grew to 14 in the next hour. My blank-slate Monday turned out to have a slow start due to the lack of power and water. But, I must say, I'm back on track now and busy updating my website , making notes on new e-book projects and back in my writin...

FACT: Reading improves our writing. What are you reading this summer? I'll give you my list: * The Heart of the Matter by Frank Hamrick is an older book, but deals with targeting people's hearts instead of their behavior. Aimed at Christian school, it's a great read for anyone in Christian leadership. * Alaska Bound, One man's dream....One woman's nightmare by Tammy Jones is a true-life account of an Alaskan adventure as told by a woman who lived it. I have not yet read this book, so it's risky to put it on my list here, but the title and description so intrigued me that I had to do a Kindle download asap. I'm looking forward to starting this one! * Baby Dust, A Novel about Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss by Deanna Roy is just what the title suggests. I chose this book because I, too, suffered the loss of a pregnancy through miscarriage. I totally love the title, Baby Dust, since it sums up the magnitude of this type of loss for those of us who hav...

I get inspired to write no matter where I am. I can have a conversation with someone at the grocery store and get inspired to write an article, title or even an entire book. A wait in the doctor's office often inspires an idea. I can get motivated to write while listening to a good sermon - and while listening to a bad sermon. Many of these writings never see publication, but that doesn't dissuade me from writing. I write volumes, making notes and writing down ideas every day. Get inspired. Look around you and make mental notes on what's happening. Stay inspired. Write. ~Tricia

Did you know that even established authors are e-publishing? They blog. They publish e-books. They vlog. They are smart to do so. I wanted to share a few observations about e-publishing and how it can impact your writing. * E-Publishing puts the decision to read what you write into the hands of the public.  No longer do writers have to depend on a publisher to get their writing out there. The public gets to decide. Famed author Amanda Hocking is a good example of this. She sat in my writing class and showed us her countless rejection letters. No one would publish her writings. So, she took to e-publishing and more than 2 million people said yes to her writings by downloading her e-books! THEN the publishing houses started paying attention to Amanda Hocking and now she has both book and movie deals. The public decided. * E-Publishing lets an author earn credibility while giving their name more exposure. Ree Drummand, The Pioneer Woman , started her blog to share a dr...

I write. I am a writer. I write all the time, daily actually. Most of what I write does not get published, but I write anyway. Sometimes I write and find it therapeutic, as is the case with my book, Victory Over Violence . Sometimes I write because something so deeply touched me that I have to put it down on paper, as with my book, Tears in a Bottle . Other times, I write because I have information that I think others will find helpful, like in my book, How to Not Potty Train Your Kids . I write for many reasons. When stuff happens in my life, I write about it. When stuff happens around me, I write about it. When I feel passionate about something, I write about it. When I feel silly, I write. I've written songs, poems, books, short stories, Bible studies, a memoir, silliness, doctrine and kids' stories. I don't publish all my writings, but I write them just the same. I mostly write non-fiction, but am working on a few fiction projects and finding it interesting to...

Some people say that if you love what you do for a living, you won't work a day in your life. I don't agree with that statement 100%. I love being a mom, but when I had three kids in diapers at once, three different kids on three different sports teams at the same time and another one or two learning to drive, I worked. When all eight kids lived at home, I worked. I loved it, but it was still work. I only have three left at home now and I work and work and work. I love it still, but it's work. Work that I love. Writing is also work that I love. Maria Murnane, CreateSpace blogger hits the nail on the head with this article on the discipline of writing. I love being a writer. The thrill of selling one of my frequent articles or getting tons of hits on my blogs or checking my e-book sales to find them up higher and higher is beyond exciting for me. But, writing those articles and e-books is work, even though I love it. So, work. And write. And love it. ~Tricia

If you take a look at this article by Nina Amir, you might think I'm guilty of plagiarism even by the title of this blog post. In the article, titled Blog an eBook So You'll Get Read As You Write , Nina quotes a speaker from the New Media Expo as saying just that...."Every blogger is a published author." This is not new information to me. I have been telling my writing students this for several years now. Publishing is easier today than ever before. I tell my students that if they've so much as written a Facebook status update, they have published. Their update might be read more than a long article in the New York Times. Smart writers have learned to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging and other social media outlets to advance their writing, their product or service and generate not only business, but a following. If you are not blogging, what are you waiting for? It's easy, quick and can have a huge positive impact on your writing. ~Tricia