Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish all my American readers a very happy Thanksgiving weekend!!!

I've been taking a blog break recently and will continue to do so until Monday. I see many others are, too. May we all have a wonderful family time and also be productive in the writing end of things too.



Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

A Little Blog Hop for You with a Giveaway

Writing is calling to me--actually, it's more like proof reading is calling to me, but I got hold of this great character interview and a giveaway opportunity for Deep Cover by Sandra Orchard on Noelle Marshand's blog that I thought I'd pass the link and opportunity on.

I hope you'll head over there and see just how interesting Ginny really is. For those who have read Sandra Orchard's Deep Cover, I'm curious, did you envision Ginny to look like the picture posted on Noelle's blog?

May your day be productive and good luck on any giveaways you've entered as of late!

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Some Needed Muscle

Have you ever worked through something that felt like drudgery?

Like losing those last five unwanted pounds.

Yup, that's me, and I feel like giving up. Why is it that I can force myself through hours, days, months of drudgery working on a wip, but being disciplined in the food intake department is too much of a challenge for this old bird?

But since this is supposed to be a Motivation Monday post, I did some research on how to fix my dilemma.

Since I can't cut calories anymore and continue to eat healthy, I've decided to go the exercise route. Did you know that for every pound of muscle you build it burns 35 to 50 calories a day. So if I can convert just 10 of my fat pounds into muscle, that'll burn an extra 350 to 500 calories per day. With Christmas around the corner, it'd sure be nice to be able to enjoy a few morsels of festive treats without packing on more weight.

Did you also know that there are many health bonuses to creating muscle? All the more reason to gain some of that lean muscle mass.

So who's going to join me in doing a little weight training and toning? I don't want to be alone. If you have some favorite exercises, I'd love to hear about them.

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Remembrance Day

Here in Canada we call Veteran's Day Remembrance Day. On and around November 11th we wear Poppies on our lapels and see memorial wreaths displayed in the foyers of stores and malls to remind us of those who fought and those who gave their lives to secure our freedom in this world.

I struggle with the concept of war, but they even existed in biblical times so I know God is overseeing them somehow. I would like to believe that something good comes out of every war. That God makes sure of that. But in the midst of all the bloodshed and loss, it's not easy to hold fast to that belief. But still, when we look at the bigger picture, I do see that freedom is worth fighting for. I just wish the fighting was of a more peaceful manner.

Do you ever wonder if when we get to heaven if there'll still be differences to fight for? As a fiction writer I'm forced to dream up conflicts and tension because that's what keeps the story interesting. Life would be pretty boring if we all saw things through the same perspective and agreed with each other 24/7. If heaven is full of peace, does that mean we'll be bored out of our skulls? Or will we have finally figured out how to debate and fight for what we believe in a peaceful way? 

I wonder. I really do. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Okay, so on a less perplexing note, if you look closely you'll notice that the previous two pics posted this week are within this grand finale picture of my kitchen bay window. Everything I do is a work in progress and this window took the majority of the week to do. I think I'm finally satisfied with how this display looks. Washing dishes isn't near so boring now. What shall I decorate next? The mantel? The living room? Or perhaps the front porch?

Did you decorate anything this week? And may you take a moment today to lift those who have fought for us in prayer and for us to discover peaceful ways to fight for freedom and justice in this world.

  

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Goals are Depressing

Please forgive me, but for this Writer's Wednesday post I'm going to be a bit of a pessimist.

The only goals I seem to be able to achieve these days are outside of writing. I can start my writing day with my daily devotional from Our Daily Bread, which by the way is a wonderful way to start any day!! And I can even do a bit of decorating each day. But beyond that my goals seem to be geared around writing lately and I never seem to meet those goals.

Weeks ago I thought I'd be done the revisions I felt were necessary on my wip (work in progress). And it's not that I've been procrastinating, or dilly-dallying, either. Each day I put solid hours into this story and each day I come out a page or two ahead. A PAGE OR TWO.

And to top it off, just when I think I've gotten over the hump and will run right into a scene or two that shouldn't need revising at all, BAM, it's all crap again. Seriously, and I'm not being ridiculously hard on myself, either. I must have been living in dream land when I did my full read through and thought (in comparison to what I know now) that there was minimal work to be done to smooth it all out.

So I've given up on setting a goal date for this story to be fully polished. Instead, I'm switching my writing goal to putting a minimum of three solid hours in on this manuscript each day (which I've been doing so far) and let it be done when it's done. Not easy when I have new characters fighting for the stage right now and bless them, they want a Christmas setting for their romance. Maybe by the time the snow falls thick and heavy here I'll actually get to dig into their story, but until then, please Lord, help me revise, rewrite, smooth, go back and patch a little more, and finally polish to a gleaming shine this current wip I'm determined to finish. Amen. 



What's the longest time you've ever taken to revise/polish a novel? Did you do it in the allotted time you had initially set for the task?

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Balance, Anyone?

Okay, I'm in Christmas decorating mode. But I'm also still really busy with revisions, so I'm having to hold myself back. Anyone else suffering with me? Thinking of all you Nanowrimo contributors out there. Feeling your pain.

As my hubby often has to remind me, "Balance is important". It is, I know, and when hubby says this I know I'm too heavy on the writing and not enough on everything else that is important to me. So, since we have several Christmas parties planned for December at our house and I don't want to be rushed to decorate the day before the first event I'm committing a bit of time each day in November (which might only consist of 5 minutes on a given day, but at least it's something) to getting the house ready. To keep me on track, my post pictures from now until Christmas will be of my decorating ventures. Many will be totally unrelated to my blog topic, but hey, at least they'll be seasonally appropriate. And my prayer is that they help fill you with the Spirit of Christmas.

When I see beauty in the world  I see Christ.

When I see twinkle lights, I see the Star of David.

I know many think that seasonal decorating is just commercialism. And Christmas decorations have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas, and I can certainly see their perspective. But to me, decorating in a festive way is how I recognize the importance of the season. It makes me Christ centered. So as I open up the boxes of stored trinkets and lights to celebrate Jesus' birth, I also fill shoe boxes and contribute to baskets for those less fortunate. I support the Angel trees in the malls. And I dream of one day getting myself over to a soup kitchen and volunteering there (that's the getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone challenge I have yet to achieve.)

What about you? How do you bring balance to your life in the midst of the Christmas or as some like to call it, the Holiday season?

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

What Ever Happened to Christmas?

Hubby and I were driving home from shopping for our daughter's birthday gift yesterday and as we were stopped at traffic lights, I noticed workers changing an advertising sign outside Home Depot. You know, the kind where they slide one letter in at a time?

Well, the words "Get a new kitchen before" had already been spelled out. As we sat at the light I anticipated seeing them spell "Christmas" next, but sadly "the h" got slid in just before we proceeded through the green light.

My heart sank as I realized they'd taken the politically correct route and chosen to refer to Christmas as "the holidays." When did "Christmas" become a word only used in Churches? And how did we let this happen?

Any suggestions on how we can bring "Christmas" back onto our streets?

P.S. Did you know there are only 51 days now until we celebrate the birth of our Saviour this year?

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Taking the Plunge

Dare I admit that I've sent out a submission?

 

Patting myself on my back here. I really did! Pinching myself now.

See, if you're like me and the whole self-confidence or lack thereof is an issue, it's not easy to share such a milestone. But there you have it, I've sent a partial out, and you betcha that I'm praying all over it, and praying for a healthy dose of toughness, too.

They say you're not a writer until you've received a hundred rejections. Well, maybe not a hundred, but you know what I mean. Now I've only received two rejections so far in this near nine-year writing journey of mine, and to be honest, one I sent in those very early years when I was way too naive so I don't consider it a serious submission. And I thank the Good Lord for it being rejected!

The other I sent in a rush because I heard this particular house was "hurting" for manuscripts. Now, that story I'd spent a good number of years working on, so the rejection that came did hurt, even if I suspected it would be the outcome despite the years of work I'd done on it. Deep inside I knew I still wasn't ready for publication nor was my writing at that time.

But this time, I feel like this story has real potential. I'm guarding my heart and running through a slew of reasons why a rejection might come back. Not near touching all of them here, but here's a small sampling:

• Your getting there, but your writing just isn't strong enough yet.
• Not a good fit for our readership. Your heroine's too sassy.
• Your characters are two-dimensional. 
• Your plot is weak. 
• Sorry, already bought a similar one.

Need I go on? 

So as I prepare myself for my next rejection, I'm also preparing myself for a miracle! I like to burn candles at both ends it would seem.

I continue to polish and re-polish this manuscript as I wait, and will move onto a new project soon--a sequel to this story. And I'm looking forward to taking Deborah Raney's ACFW Loop Course, The Business End of Writing.

If you're interested in joining me in taking this homework-free course, you can sign up by going to www.acfw.com and logging on. Click "Get Connected" on the top bar. Choose E-loops and subscribe to the ACFW Course Loop.

Hope to see you there!

 

  

Surrendering to Him,   

 

Eileen