A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

I left Cincinnati. For Kenosha. You thought I was going to say Kosova, didn’t you? Kenosha is my first stop on this journey. I’m here a week before flying the friendly skies to my new home. My youngest daughter, Kendall, calls it a “soft launch.” Speaking at the E3 Children's Ministry  Conference In Wisconsin Envision, Equip, & Encourage I had made a commitment to conduct a teacher workshop in Wisconsin before I learned of the teaching position in Kosova. Now I see how perfectly God made it all work together. My second-born lives in Kenosha. I’m able to spend time with her, her husband and four of my grandchildren before I leave the States for ten months. I’m away from home, but still able to talk with my mother and two other daughters via cell phone each day. And I’m able to assess all that I packed. Or didn’t. Living out of my suitcase in Wisconsin brings to focus a few items I need to pick up. It also gives me time to tidy up some business in Cincinn...

Last week I officially announced my move to Kosova. (If you missed it you can catch it HERE . ) I will be in the country for ten months teaching fourth grade at Prishtina High School. Though Tom and I travelled extensively, I have never lived abroad. Actually, I never lived away from home. I never had a college dorm experience where I had to pack for the school year. I lived with my parents until I was eighteen. That’s when Tom and I married and moved into a home of our own. It’s time to pack. I can’t rely on the old vacation motto, “As long as you have your bathing suit you can manage.” I’ll be living in a country where the winters are cold and long. There’s no going home on the weekend to pick up a sweater I forgot. Nope, I have to be careful with what I take. And wise. I can check two pieces of luggage. Each piece can weigh no more than fifty pounds. Let’s see, two winter coats, boots, shoes, and assortment of clothes will hit that ceiling in no time. I still need to inc...

In June I shared I moved. In writer terms, the move caused me to edit my life as I downsized my living arrangements. The new house required some repair and changes to meet my needs. That was part of the revision stage of the move. The other part of the revision of my life came when I moved in and realized the rhythm of my daily routine changed as well. Today I am officially announcing a new chapter in my life. I have accepted a teaching position in Kosovo, or as the Albanian Kosovars call it, Kosova. I will be teaching fourth grade at Prishtina High School . (By the way, you can follow Prishtina High School on Facebook. Click on the link.) Prishtina High School Editing, revising, a new chapter…see how cleverly I wove writing into this post? But this post isn’t about writing. It is about following God’s will. As in most situations, I can look back now and see how past events lead me to the place I’m in right now. Actually, maybe this is about writing. As authors we ...

Readers and writers agree. Getting inside the head of your character is paramount to creating a strong, believable story. In the past I’ve shared how I create biographies and excel spreadsheets for each character. I write down birthdates, hair color, college attended, and anything else I can to describe the person. When I add information in the book as I craft it, I include that information in the spreadsheet.   I’ve even developed family trees to identify members of my character’s family. Many authors go a step further, pulling images from the internet to represent a character. Some authors use those images in digital posters reflecting a character or characters.   And a few well-known writers “cast” a movie star to play the part of the character they are creating. The bonus there is that the author can not only “see” the character, but can “hear” him or her talk and envision the character’s physical expressions, and mannerisms. We use words and images to capture...

While last week’s post chronicled my journey as a writer and a widow, it is actually an account of God’s presence during this season of my life. God created me and continues to shape me. I am a unique creation…as are you.  As I shared last week, one of the first pieces I completed toward become a published author was to attend the Write-to-Publish conference in Wheaton, Illinois. There I learned everything I could about writing. I attended workshops and met with agents and editors. It was at this first conference I met Eddie Jones who later offered me a contract for Breathing on Her Own . The conference was wonderful. A very special part of the conference takes place at lunch. Participants have the opportunity to sit with conference speakers and publishers in a very informal setting as well as pick the brains of experienced writers. It was over lunch I learned I needed to have a blog. I didn’t even know what a blog was much less why I needed one. Others at the lunch ...