A Dream
On the first night, Nicole stood by the kitchen window washing the last of the dishes, procrastinating. The expanse before her was dark but for star- and moonlight bouncing off the fields. It was one of the most beautiful things Nicole had ever seen. Just as she thought, maybe the dark here isn’t so bad, the tiniest, almost imperceptible dust up at the side of the house caught her attention. Nicole felt her face warm, and her throat tighten.
A Beast Dressed as Josephine
ripe petal perfume swells in his nose congests his course ambushed silver aura imprisoned by her ashy trance
Golden Kiwi Tea from Greenfield: A Teatime with Rita Review
The Golden Kiwi tea is a black tea with dehydrated fruit added, and golden kiwi flavoring added. The tea has an almost spicy edge to it when you sip. It’s a moderate to mild edge, though. And the actual fruit used in the tea is pineapple, not kiwi, which is where the edge comes from.
Hail to the Chief
Once a week she’d take the medals out of the top drawer of the mahogany bureau in the room we shared. She’d carefully polish the silver and bronze bars and the ebony stars with a special soft cloth as she held each one up for me to admire.
Faith and Dandelion Seeds
Her eyes were heavy as she drifted… So where was she now? She dared not open her eyes as she could feel the sun behind them and that was impossible.
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Submissions open from June 1 to August 31
November 25, 2021
It’s time for a little motivation from the Masters.
November 24, 2021
Usually, when I cross the 30,000-word mark each year, my inspiration for NaNoWriMo begins to wane. So, I thought it might be good to work through some of the things I do to keep the inspiration going. I hope my workarounds are things that help keep your motivation flowing all November long!
November 23, 2021
All writers at some point in their writing career will face a blockade – the dreaded writer’s block. And though, yes, I agree with Jim Butcher on this sentiment, “I don’t have writer’s block. I have a mortgage,” we don’t all have that motivator when it comes to writing our fiction...
November 22, 2021
He was a politician, a missionary, a school janitor, and an international businessman by day. And at night, he dabbled in noveling. My dad was one of the few people that really did do it all.
November 21, 2021
Summer was edging into fall and, if my memory serves, I’d biked a couple miles to church and stood poised to repeat the trip. Clouds had appeared in the sky and darkened, but I looked at the sky and said… I’ll make it. I don’t need a ride. I’m cool.
November 21, 2021
Are you struggling to tell a story? Maybe, like me, you’re thinking of tackling the National Novel Writing Month challenge but aren’t sure you could even begin.
November 20, 2021
There is this passage, this song of creation that even babies utter praise and worship the King. Why not a fish who coughs up a coin?...why not horses…?
November 20, 2021
This year, I couldn’t decide which novel to write, so I gave myself some leeway in choosing one to start with, then the option to jump to the next ones after I complete the first. This gave me the freedom to prioritize without eliminating the possibility of working on the other four I really wanted to write this year. But as the last third of the month hits, ideas can wane, and inspiration poop out. So, I, like many of you, need some good solid writing prompts.
November 19, 2021
You’ve been at this for 18 days now. Writing, writing, pushing, pulling, breaking, mending - drafting your NaNoWriMo 2021 novel. Well, by now, you may have come to absolutely love your main characters, or you may hate them. But if you’re not feeling that strongly about them, you might need to take a pause in the storytelling and spend some time falling in love with your lead (or falling in hate, if that villain just isn’t doing it for you).
November 18, 2021
None of these are inherently good or bad. Some people will run wild with your validating words and, intentional or not, harm others in their own “freedom.” Others may rejoice and find healing. The reader’s response is not on you to determine. You cannot force anyone to do anything.
November 17, 2021
Finding motivation all month long can be tricky. Right now, we’re about halfway through the month, and the inspiration is waning for many. You’ve been writing that 1667 words a day, struggling to take the next step, write the next word, not completely blank out. You might just need some writing inspiration games at this point.
November 16, 2021
Your Words Your World, written by Louise Bélanger is one example of this influx of religious poetry. I had the privilege of reviewing this book for the Roost and am happy to report that it truly is a lovely collection of works by a woman with a creative, imaginative mind.
November 16, 2021
If you’re still working away at your NaNoWriMo novel right now, I challenge you to make the following thousand words really count. Tell your readers every smell, every touch, every sound and sight, every flavor in the scene.
November 15, 2021
I decided to try one last Ahmad brand tea this year. Since I loved the Strawberry Sensation so much, when I saw the Strawberry Velvet Cake dessert tea, I thought I’d give it a brew.
November 15, 2021
My journey along the way has been a rather unique one, I would imagine. The first year I wrote, I was “locked” away in my bedroom for the month, writing between bursts of fundraising, ministry, and theatrical endeavors. The following year, similar. The third year, I lived in a run-down motorhome in the backwoods of Florida, awaiting my move to Chicago. I had no full-time job these three years, so they didn’t take me that long to win (apart from the first one when I was gaining my “NaNo legs”).
November 14, 2021
Now, as an adult who happened to marry a man equally Christmas-crazy as myself, I decorate early for Christmas, not when it’s “normal.” I start putting up the decor in October.
November 14, 2021
Throughout this month, I and others from the Roost staff have offered some tips and suggestions for getting those juices flowing again as you push through NaNoWriMo, aiming for that 50,000-word goal. So today, I thought I’d offer up some specific writing exercises instead of merely directing you to other websites for resources. These are the ones I’ve found most effective for myself.
November 13, 2021
One of the biggest things I’ve had to work on as a writer and as a Christian is having the proper perspectives and “standards” regarding morality in my writing.
November 12, 2021
I’ve found that when I find myself overwhelmed and unmotivated to write, despite my goals and desires, I need a break. Here’s how I do it without sacrificing those NaNoWriMo badges.