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Tips on preparing for a research trip for your novel
I’m back from my trip to Hilo, Hawaii for my novel. I spent five full days and two half days on the island, mostly on the Hilo (Eastern side) of the island. Though I would have liked to have stayed through a Sunday so I could have attended a church service (my novel’s setting includes a church in Hilo), I would say the experience provided me with a depth and interest in the island so that I am better able to write about the setting in my novel. Here are a few tips in preparing for the trip: Draft a day to day itinerary: I broke out my days by…
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Literary Travel
I’m writing a book set mostly in Hilo, Hawaii. I’m visiting the town this month and it will be the first time I’ve gone to a place with the sole intent to research and gather information for my novel. Granted, this is also my first novel. Because two of the five days will be consumed by traveling to and from Hilo, I’ve planned out every hour of every day of the five day trip. I have two appointments to meet with local pastors and rented a car for two days. I plan to walk the town the rest of the time. Having visited Hilo on vacation in 2017, I have…
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Is There Such Thing As ‘No Fear’ Travel?
There have been a disturbing number of women, traveling in a foreign country, being murdered. I woke up this morning to the news of a Norway woman and a Denmark woman having been murdered in Morocco, a place I had recently spent some time planning a trip for in February, a trip alone. In the planning phases, I researched other female bloggers who had traveled to that location themselves. Some had horrible experiences of men following them and throwing things at them, others said if one handled the situation properly, the mannerisms of the locals are not that disturbing. In the end, I decided to not go, mostly due to…
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Mere Christianity
“He [a Christian] does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.” – C.S. Lewis I’m working on a novel with Christianity as a strong theme. Reading about Christianity and preaching has been interesting and has helped me with my own struggles with religion. C.S. Lewis was an atheist prior to becoming a Christian and then a prolific writer on the religion, including the Chronicles of Narnia. I’m looking forward to reading…
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The Cusp
What I’ve Done Two more weeks until the end of the year. What have I accomplished and learned? Well, I quit my job in January, I’ve traveled around the world, visited a friend in need of support, said hello to my grandmother -who doesn’t know her son has passed away, spent more time with my kids than I thought I would be able to enjoy (but I’ve enjoyed much and most of it), volunteered in my kid’s classroom and got to observe and appreciate what teachers really do for our children, volunteered in support of asylum seekers, spent more time with my mother. This is What I’ve Learned I learned…
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Let’s Go!
In the beginning of every year, social media is flooded with blogs, vlogs, tweets about change and conquering bucket lists and goals. The risk one takes in making these goals is failure, even if the goals aren’t made public. But most humans recognize their personal deficiencies and have a desire to improve themselves. It’s heartening to know that most of us are inherently ambitious and though that may seem like a negative if played out that way, it also means we are naturally goal oriented, seeking improvement of ourselves and the world around us. I’m starting this blog to keep me accountable in ensuring I continue to pursue…