by Andrea Renee Cox
This month is insanely busy for me, but I am remembering to
take time to enjoy life and rest between my various projects. This weekend, I
saw Murder on the Orient Express,
which was a phenomenal story, one which I recommend studying to learn how to
write complex plots that keep viewers guessing until the very end. I also saw a
re-showing of Casablanca—a celebration
of its 75th anniversary—an old classic I didn’t appreciate the first time I
watched it. Cut me some slack, though. I was a teenager who understood nothing
of politics back then. Even though I am still not a fan of politics, I
understand more about them now, and I’ve learned a great deal about WWII since
the last time I viewed that classic movie.
As for rest, I’m soaking in snippets of the Word of God. I’m
finding it helpful to meditate on a single verse or small section of verses
these days, since I am so busy. This still keeps my mind and heart focused on
God and His Word, even as chaos is pinballing around me. I love writing these
verses on the white board in my room as well as on 3-by-5-inch notecards to
stick in my purse, keep at my desk, and prop up on my bookcase (which I visit
often, as you can imagine, my being an avid reader). At other times, I like to
flip open to a favorite section in the Bible and read a full chapter. While
doing this, I pay extra-special attention to any passages that I had previously
highlighted, underlined, or circled—and I often end up finding hope, encouragement,
and a whisper of love from the God I serve. Those moments are the most precious
of my day.
These days, I need all the encouragement I can get, because
I’m nearing the middle of NaNoWriMo, which is a challenge to write at least
50,000 words toward a new book during the month of November. Believe it or not, I’m past 40k already. Still
going strong too. I’m at that point now where I’m doubting the quality of my
work and dreading the editing. Normally when I reach this point, I hit a slump
in my writing. I don’t know if it’s a dip in my confidence or a gap in my
timeline (or lack of a timeline altogether). This year I have most of a
timeline, and my confidence is stronger than in NaNos past. Still, I find
myself struggling to find words right when I sit down.
Since I’m talking about NaNoWriMo and the story I’m working
on, how would you like to see a section of my very rough first draft? Sharing
something so raw and unedited makes me nervous, but I appreciate you guys so
much that I want to share this tidbit with you. Here goes…
Wow! I want to reread this book immediately, but I don’t
have the time. Imperfect Justice was
so complex and interesting. From stalkers to murders to grief, domestic
violence, and custody battles, this book pretty much had a little of
everything. Don’t let that intimidate you, though. These things were all
balanced out by faith and clean romance. The fact that domestic violence and
fighting for folks stuck in those scenarios were featured made this an
especially great read. The encouragement to get out of unsafe relationships was
well presented, with heart, compassion, and experience. For those who are in
the position of being abused, I pray this book will provide hope that you can
survive and find joy in a brighter tomorrow.
I wish I had a
bunch of positive things to say about this book, but I cannot pretend I enjoyed
it. This is an extremely difficult review to write, because I dislike being
negative about any author’s hard work. I know how many hours and emotions and
commitment go into writing a novel, and I appreciate the passion and effort and
time that go into every book I read, even those that weren’t a good fit for my
reading taste.
As for rest, I’m soaking in snippets of the Word of God. I’m
finding it helpful to meditate on a single verse or small section of verses
these days, since I am so busy. This still keeps my mind and heart focused on
God and His Word, even as chaos is pinballing around me. I love writing these
verses on the white board in my room as well as on 3-by-5-inch notecards to
stick in my purse, keep at my desk, and prop up on my bookcase (which I visit
often, as you can imagine, my being an avid reader). At other times, I like to
flip open to a favorite section in the Bible and read a full chapter. While
doing this, I pay extra-special attention to any passages that I had previously
highlighted, underlined, or circled—and I often end up finding hope, encouragement,
and a whisper of love from the God I serve. Those moments are the most precious
of my day.