National Blog Posting Month

Welcome

I'm Audra and I like to write fiction, nonfiction and poetry (and of course: BLOG POSTS!). I'm working on my first novel at a slow and steady pace (I have six kids - slow and steady is the only way to get writing done). I signed up for NaNoWriMo as well, so I need to plot it out a bit and do some character sketches this next few days. :)

I also need to focus on my nonfiction and poetry some. Juggler? YES! :)

I belong to ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), Momwriters and The Writing Mother.

Introduce yourself and share what you write. :)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Beth Vogt on October 27, 2007 at 9:07pm: Hi! I'm a non-fiction writer--but I still have some fiction ideas running around in my head! I went to an ACFW conference once, but was a bit intimidated by all the people talking about the conversations they had with the characters in their novels.
I've written for Discipleship Journal and Today's Christian Woman and Crosswalk.com and am a regular contributer to MomSense magazine. I also edit Connections, the leadership magazine of MOPS International.
My first book Baby Changes Everything: Embracing and Preparing for Motherhood after 35 was published by Revell in August 2007. It's about late-in-life motherhood, which is the big trend in motherhood these days.
I'm still in love with my husband of 27 years. We're spread all over the parenting spectrum with kiddos age 24, 21, 19 and almost 7! And my oldest son just got married, so I have a wonderful "daughter-in-love" too!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Audra Silva on October 28, 2007 at 8:37am: Hi Beth,

I haven't been to the ACFW conference yet, although I sure would love to. :) Umm - I'm one who does chat with my characters though lol. Congratulations on your first book publication, How exciting. You sound like a very busy writer. :)

I'm also madly in love with my hubby and we have six kids: 17, 15, 11, 8, 4, and 20 months. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Beth Vogt on October 28, 2007 at 3:01pm: So, I'm curious--could you fall into the "repeater mommy-come-lately?" I know, I know--I'm asking your age! Shame on me!
The ACFW bunch is a great, encouraging group of writers. I wrote a column on my writers Web site (www.thewritingroad.com) about the idea that the person wearing the "I hear voices" t-shirt is probably a fiction writer! LOL; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Audra Silva on October 28, 2007 at 4:04pm: LOL - I'll be turning 37 on my birthday tomorrow. :)

Oh - next time I see someone with that t-shirt - I'll have to ask lol. My husband teases me about the voices in my head. ;)

I love ACFWers. I've learned so much from them and love their heart. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Beth Vogt on October 28, 2007 at 5:35pm: Well, Happy Birthday to you--just a bit early!!! And I'm doing a bit of mental math here and thinking you earned your Mommy-Come-Lately Merit Badge with your youngest child!! :O) (The medical community likes to call moms over 35 Advanced Maternal Age, but I like MCL better!); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Audra Silva on October 28, 2007 at 6:29pm: Doesn't Advanced Maternal Age sound like some disease? I like your term better, too. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Beth Vogt on October 28, 2007 at 7:41pm: Oh, it gets worse! One friend was called an "Elderly Mother!" She was delighted to finally be pregnant at 46--and this is how the nurse greets her for her OB appointment. I'll explain the MCL term over at My Page. :O); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Audra Silva on October 29, 2007 at 8:08am: Now that's insulting. It's a good thing I look super young because I'd have to growl at someone who said that to me lol.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Beth Vogt on October 29, 2007 at 8:58pm: You are a young older mom.
LOL

Permalink Reply by Audra Silva on October 30, 2007 at 7:54am: LOL

Permalink Reply by Lisa C. Boyd on November 2, 2007 at 1:06pm: I hate to break in here -- y'all have such a lovely conversation going back and forth :)

I'm a newbie writer. I'm not intimidated by the people who talk to their characters -- I'm still intimidated by the writers who start listing every where they've been published. Wow Beth! You've got quite a great list going there!

I too am participating in NaNaWriMo. Yep, I'm crazy. Didn't meet my personal goal for today but I'm getting there. My husband and I just celebrated 11 years and we have 1 daughter age 8. I'm starting to feel intimidated by all of you for having such huge families! :) I look forward to reading blog posts from y'all in the coming month.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jen Zug on November 5, 2007 at 9:13pm: Just checking into the group after a busy week and weekend away!

I write mostly essays and aspire to publish a book of essays. Right now my blog serves as a place to get ideas out of my head. I've always hated writing drafts, and would mull over something in my head until it was perfect enough to put on paper. I am amazed at the amount of writing I've been able to get done by blogging, and all of it is "shitty first draft" material as Anne Lamott calls it.

Over the last few months I've enjoyed a couple opportunities for contributing to the blogs of other organizations. For me this has been an exercise in submitting to a deadline and a topic not chosen by me, as well as writing many drafts before posting because I am representing someone else's organization.

I have three hours of dedicated writing time a week for which I have a babysitter. Any other writing I do is early morning, while the kids nap, and late at night. I've made the decision to not pursue getting published until my kids are in school full time (they are 2 and 4 now), because I'm pretty committed to being a stay at home mom. This gets frustrating at times because I have more to write than I have time to write, but I am trusting that my brain will not turn to mush in the next three years.

So for now I blog to hone my craft, I crave any feedback anybody wants to give me, and I am just lately trying to find other writers to network with and be mentored by. Thanks for starting this group!

Oh, and my blog is The Pile I'm Standing in at www.thispile.com.; ▶ Reply to This