One of my favorite books on writing is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. This was one of the first books about writing that I ever read, probably in my early teens, and it was only when I re-read it in the last year or so that I realized how much the advice in this book has shaped not only my writing but also how I approach life. Lamott is not just a writer but also teaches writing professionally, and much…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte The Lord truly invited us to enter fully into the desert this Lent. And perhaps it has been a consoling blessing that this crisis happened when it did, right as we entered into this penitential season. Hopefully it has been an opportunity to deepen our prayer lives, reflecting more fully on the Lenten fasts we had already chosen to adopt. In modern rhetoric, fasting can refer to…
The last few weeks I have been making some serious headway on my novel-in-progress, and it’s felt pretty good. But in those last few weeks I have also had a few emotional mini-crises while reading the news and thinking about the state of the world and what the future might look like, and I have had to stop and ask myself, “What’s the point? Should I really be spending my time working on a silly novel right now? Should I…
It’s hard to know what to write about right now. Everything feels uncertain and we are all struggling to find new routines, a new normal for our lives. I’ve been managing to avoid the majority of the main stream news and the hysteria contained therein, but I’ve stayed informed enough to know that these are serious times that we are living in and life will most likely look very different even once we are past the worst. For me, the…
Hello, dear readers. I must first apologize that it has been so long since I’ve given you any serious, dedicated content. I’ve been so caught up in life and other writing projects, that this poor blog has been rather neglected. But I am now hoping to get things back on track with some re-prioritizing. With a mind to better time-management, I’m going to be suspending my monthly posts on What I Read. The truth is that I am reading so…
Please note: I have intentionally decided not to include Amazon links (unless something is available exclusively on Amazon). Instead, if you are interested in reading any of the books I mention, I encourage you to check out your local library or independent bookstore. These places (and the communities around them) need your support, and they are generally quite willing to order any book if they don’t currently have it in stock. However, if Amazon is still the more practical choice…
Please note: I have intentionally decided not to include Amazon links (unless something is available exclusively on Amazon). Instead, if you are interested in reading any of the books I mention, I encourage you to check out your local library or independent bookstore. These places (and the communities around them) need your support, and they are generally quite willing to order any book if they don’t currently have it in stock. However, if Amazon is still the more practical choice…
In a few short days, I’ll be turning 33 years old. This may not seem like a significant age to most, but it feels quite momentous to me. Taylor Marshall has a great little post about why 33 is the perfect age. I had been thinking about this for sometime beforehand, and so his post was a nice confirmation that I wasn’t just putting my own significance on this age. The most interesting (to me) of the facts he presents…
Recently I was blessed to be a part of the wedding of my oldest friend, a beautiful woman who by God’s grace I have known my whole life. To say that it was an honor or a privilege feels like a cop out or a cliche: overused words that barely convey the proper emotions. If you have ever had a friend or family member share exciting news with you, and you experienced their joy as if it was your own,…
In his book The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes, “For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity… He [God] would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present — either meditating on the eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.” I am very bad at…