Touching Them: Zimbabwe

Dusty gravel crunched beneath my sandaled feet when I stepped out of the truck at the Rukweza orphan feeding station in the heart of Zimbabwe, but I hardly noticed for the pounding of my heart. Joy and deep compassion crowded around me along with 117 children who, one-by-one, offered their hands in greeting. It was my first visit to a feeding center.

And it took my breath away ...

ACTION! newsletter published an excerpt of my article--Touching Them: Zimbabwe--in their September issue. To read the full story, visit http://caronguillo.blogspot.com/

Style Manuals

As a novelist, I've learned to consult my thick copy of Chicago Manual of Style, but now that I'm writing for New Christian Voices--and doing a bit of editing online as well--I'm diving into AP style.

Wow! There are a lot of minute differences between the two, so I'm having to stay alert.

But that's okay, because I'm committed to being a professional. And professionals aren't stubborn or sloppy.

What are you doing to pursue professionalism in your writing? (And can you tell which style I'm using in this blog?)

Back to It

Well, it's been a brutal summer--in fact, it seemed like no summer at all--but God faithfully saw me through, and now I'm hitting my stride again.

A middle school math teacher by day, I'm back at it with some 120 students and three different preps.

But on the writing side, I'm continuing with my weekly BAD MOM column, with a plan to mix in a little editing work from time to time. I also have a new essay on NCV, so hop over and take a look.

Last week I joined a new critique group, which will help discipline me to keep working on that novel I'm 80+ pages into. During the regular school year, I try to be at my computer by 5:30 am for an hour of writing before work.

I'd love to hear from you. What kinds of dreams are you pursuing in the midst of your everyday life?

The Glamorous Life of Writing

I've always been a bit puzzled by authors who prefer to write in the middle of a busy cafe, or some such nonsense. Not me. I need alone time, and lots of it.

Which is kind of funny when you consider that my life offers very little in the way of solitude. The best I can do is get up early, though I really don't like to do that either. Nevertheless, at least during the school year, I can wedge in an hour in the a.m., but at sixty minutes, I'm only getting started.

Lately, however, it doesn't seem to matter when or where I try to write. There have been so many serious and real-life thoughts occupying my mind that there's not much room for creativity.

I did have an interesting insight today, though. Sometimes I can find solitude at unexpected times--say, when I'm grilling chicken for dinner. And when it's difficult to still my mind for some focused writing, maybe I just need to do something else for a little while instead of staring at the computer screen. Something that lets my mind wander, but keeps my body active--like vacuuming.

Rats. Sounds like I should be doing more chores. That is not the glamorous writer's lifestyle I meant to sign up for. ;-)

Never, Never, Never Give Up

I don't know what it is about writing that makes us want to give up on it so easily.

I guess for me it's that life is busy and full, but writing takes time and solitude.

And then there's always the critique, the rejections, the subjective judgments of my work. Leanna Ellis once told me, "It occurred to me the other day that I don't go to my friends' or families' work places to see what they're doing and what kind of work they've produced. But when they read my books, that's what they're doing."

Yep, we writers have to have the guts of a Spartan warrior, the heart of a Greek poet, and the determination of a little bulldog of a man like Winston Churchill.

My friend, novelist Jodi Thomas, is an inspiration to me. She's published nearly thirty books and been on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists multiple times. She's won three RITA awards and been inducted into the Romance Writer's Hall of Fame. On her website she writes,

It surprises me sometimes when people come to visit and say, “Oh, you’re so lucky to be gifted. I wish I had such a talent.”

They have no idea. I’m not gifted at all, or lucky. I stumbled hundreds of times. For every award there are a dozen contests where I didn’t place. For every book that sees daylight, there are at least four drafts still hiding in the dark.

Like Jodi, for whatever reason, I can't give up. Sometimes I wish I could.

But not really.

So, what keeps you writing?

BAD MOM Column Debut

My new humorous BAD MOM column has gone live at New Christian Voices! NCV is a non-denominational Christian humor and lifestyle website. It's not your typical conservative Christian website. Yes, we're clean. Yes, we're Christian. But our goal is to help our readers to both laugh and stretch outside their comfort zone as they learn more about themselves and their faith.

The site is still being tweaked in advance of an official launch, but my friend and editor Joanne Brokaw said I could send readers that way.

Look for BAD MOM on the columns sidebar. Right now my columns are being published on Mondays. I'm also writing the occasional feature article. "Pregnant Man Confuses the Issue" can be found under "Features" then "Society."

I'd love to see a comment from you at NCV! http://www.newchristianvoices.com (or click on the title of this post to go directly to the site)

The First Line I Wrote Today

"Put me in the sunshine and I’ll burn, blister, and peel, but the only lasting result I get is a crop of freckles on a field of pure-white snow."

It's part of the editing I'm doing on a humorous article about learning to trust that God made us exactly the way he wants us--and that he calls us to do exactly what he wants us to do.

More info on where you can find this article later.

Now, back to work. I have a column to write. I love saying that. :)