Call of the Creator: Fantasy Writing from a Christian Worldview

I think it's going to become standard practice that Sundays around these parts are going to point to the New Authors Fellowship, since I'm blogging over there once a week. S here it is, this week's link to my post: Of Easter and Ebooks Seems unconnected? You're right. I didn't try to connect them over there, but I'd still be gratified if you read the two "miniposts" over there. I think next week is going to be "Beauty in the Weeds," inspired by a dandelion bouquet my 6 year old strenuously worked to pick as a surprise. I hope you all had a Easter full of rejoicing. Now get thee over to NAF and comment. ;)

Here it is Saturday, and I'm writing this post from the business center of the LaQuinta Inn and Suites I spent the night in, (which, by the way, was unexpectedly nice) since my laptop and the internet access here had a tenuous truce between them, as best I could tell. I decided not to wake up the old laptop this morning, since who knows what surly early morning maneuvers it might have pulled. I failed on my promise to blog daily about this trip, but well, I got too busy writing. Which is a good thing. I hit my stride on Wednesday morning, and since then have cranked out a handful of new scenes and nuanced countless existing areas of The Sword of the Patron . So, in reflection, what am I coming away from this trip having gained? This won't be an exhaustive list, I'm sure. Traveling alone is much easier than traveling with small children, but the wonder they have when they see things for the first time is well worth all the juggling at airport security as you wrestle 3 ...

Writing Adventure, Day 3 I've officially hit the moment where I can't go on without some caffiene, I'm am sorry to report. In an effort to avoid the other less than desirable effects of the mini-drug, I decided I was going to try to do without as much as possible while I'm out here. Well, when I woke up this morning and felt like my head weighed about 250 pounds and I couldn't have strung a conherent sentence together had anyone actually spoken to me, I gave up the fight. Now, mind you, that's not straight coffee in that cup. I'm not a coffee drinker, unless it clearly tastes like something else. I poured a packet of hot chocolate mix into that cup first, then added coffee instead of water. The result was reasonably palatable, to my taste. Though I'm wondering what would happen if I threw one of the Werther's Originals hard candies that are sitting on the microwave cart in my room in there. But anyway, since I am in a state where I need pseudo-co...

You know what's cool about hanging around with a whole bunch of writers? They all have really big vocabularies. And nobody looks at you strange if you choose a word from your working lexicon that is a little, well, off-beat. You know what's not so cool about hanging around with a lot of writers? The creeping sense of mediocrity that can set in...a feeling of being mediocre in a world where mediocrity is a death sentence. So, that's where I am today: enjoying the conversations between people who "get" the writer thing, because let's face it, few do, and yet floundering in a thick mire of inadequacy. Certainly, the critiques I got back didn't say "I'm sorry, but this really stinks." But neither did they say, "Holy frijoles, you are so awesome I can't see how you will be able to avoid selling 8 million books the first day you release." It reminds me of the bible verse that tells us that we should either be hot or cold, for th...

so now there's proof. i am indeed in st. george. technical difficulties are preventing me from even capitalizing letters in this post! but all things considered, the trip so far has been pretty smooth.  my object lesson for the first couple days has to do with mountains. on the way here, i had a layover in denver, and yes, i had a view of the snowcapped rockies from the airport, in addition to having seen much of the various types of terrain this great country has to offer, albeit through an airplane window.  seeing mountains from a distance can never compare, though, to getting right up close, to finding youself enfolded in their towering presence, in places where only the noonday sun can chase their shadows off. i drove through a littke canyon in northwest arizona that showed me this. it made me think of how we can appreciate god's greatness from afar, but we really need to step close enough to him to have his shadow envelop us to really understand his majesty. i'm t...

I'm hoping some of you have been missing my weekly (ish) ruminations on life, writing, and whatever else. If you have, I invite you to drop by my new home for all things article-like at The New Authors Fellowship . My next bunch of thoughts goes live on Sunday morning, April 10th, and I'd be gratified if you dropped in. Now, bear in mind, being a group blog, new content goes up all the time, so if you dink around, you might have to hunt a little bit for my article. Of course, even if you don't find me, you're bound to read something good, since the folks over there all provide a great read. Tomorrow's article expounds upon one of the goals we as writers ought to have, as I learned from the wise words of the great Chip MacGregor. Hope to see you there! More Windrider coming to this venue on April 15th. (That's something better to think about than taxes on that day, I hope.)