>The concept of balance has occupied my mind a lot lately. I not only balance many different commitments, but I have also been contemplating balance in genre and register. Why must a writer be fenced into either a fiction or non-fiction track? Isn't it possible for someone to write well in both genres? I know … Continue reading >Balance

>My dream has never been to write the Great American Novel. My dream has always been to write the covertly Christian Great American Novel, and to write it with literary excellence.On the off chance that the above statement may lead some of my many readers to question what I mean by "covertly Christian" and "literary … Continue reading >Covert Christianity

>In all my courses on poetry and all the books I've read on writing poetry, I had never run across the term centro until yesterday. Apparently a centro is a type of poem constructed entirely of borrowings from other poems. My current creative writing assignment is to write a centro based on borrowings from assigned … Continue reading >Assigned Plagiarism

>One of the most difficult things about blogging is to keep the writing from degenerating into a self-centered whine. Especially when one is hosting a bridal shower on Saturday afternoon and organizing a family reunion for Saturday evening. Yes, the same Saturday. And, yes, there is a reason. But somehow, right now, the reason doesn't … Continue reading >Do Not Panic

>When it comes to the sins of the children, there's a paradox in parenting. Part of what upsets a parent who views sinful behavior in a child, especially an adult child, is the surprise. The parent has tried to inculcate godly beliefs and behaviors and seems, for the most part, to have succeeded. That flash … Continue reading >Mirrored Sin

>There are days when it is better not to blog. It's important to write daily, but not every day's writing ought to be open to public purview.

>After spending most of last week out of my office in work that I don't particularly enjoy and tend to resent, I am trying to sidestep the anxiety-producing trap of feeling as if I am ineffectually spinning my wheels. It may be a problem of focus. My many commitments make it difficult to concentrate on … Continue reading >Spinning Wheels

>Yesterday afternoon my husband, daughter, and I watched The War of the Worlds at matinee prices. I'm really glad we didn't pay regular admission.Never having read The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, I can't compare the movie to the novel. But I suspect the movie's primary story line about a divorced dad … Continue reading >War of the Worlds

>I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo yesterday afternoon. Friday night I noticed that I was only about a third of the way through the novel, even though I was on page 435. It was then I realized that the volume is divided into two books with the pagination starting over in the second … Continue reading >Count of Monte Cristo – 2

>Rather than making me covet recreation vehicles, regularly walking through the campgrounds has been increasing my appreciation for our location.If we want to feel like we're camping, all we have to do is open the windows. We can even roast s'mores around the firepit and then lie in bed, smelling the wisps of smoke that … Continue reading >Camping at home