Showing posts with label YWAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YWAM. Show all posts

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Of puppies and plotlines


It's hard to believe that I have finished my first full week of YWAM's School of Writing.  Time really does fly by when you're having fun.  I'm at an interesting point in life anyways, taking a brief break from my regular work with YWAM's School of the Bible and missing everyone there, yet at the same time loving the people I'm with here at the School of Writing, and loving what I'm learning.

Our first week focused on narrative writing, which is something I've never really done before.  Though I don't think it is my strongest point as a writer, it isn't as hard as I thought it would be, and it's a good starting place for learning.  We've been learning how to write scenes, how to make things real to readers, and how to write so people will actually want to read our work.  (A rather important point.)

So I thought I would post a story that I wrote as part of an in-class assignment.  Please remember that this is unedited, and was written in all of ten minutes, so it isn't the most amazing thing you will ever read, but ya  gotta start somewhere, right?  The story isn't really finished yet.  I should add that we did some research before writing about puppies.  They brought in four absolutely adorable puppies for us to love on.  This is my kind of research!  ;)

So for lack of a better title, here is my story, "Puppies in an alley."


"It was a hot summer day in Lindale. Joey was walking by Rockwell's sweating and wishing he had thought to wear a sleeveless shirt. As he walked along, he heard a loud yipping coming from a side street. 

He debated whether or not to just keep walking, but curiosity won out, and he made a quick right turn to find the source of the noise. Next to a dumpster, Joey saw a small cardboard box, with the edges of a navy blue towel hanging over the edges. He walked faster, and was not surprised when a small dog charged out, growling at him. 

“Take it easy. I just want to have a peek.” 

It may have been something in his tone, but she slowly backed away and gave him just enough space to inch by. Kneeling down, he saw some black puppies, with short fur. They were yipping to each other, play fighting and trying to climb the edges of the box. The sight of something so small trying to growl fiercely made him laugh. 

One of the puppies, perhaps braver than the rest, stuck its head up over the box directly in front of him and licked his hand, which had been resting just on the edge.

“Hey little fella. You look like you need some help.” 

With his free hand, Joey scooped up the small pup, who fitted perfectly in the crook of his arm. The dog leaned against him as if seeking comfort now that it had been lifted from the only world it had known. The mother dog, who had been standing aside, rather stiff and on guard, suddenly launched herself at him, growling much more fiercely than the puppies."

As I said, it's just a beginning, but I'm having fun, and learning a lot.  Does anyone want to add to the story?  Feel free to comment.  :)  

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The changing of the Seasons

Once again, it seems to be about time for my annual blog post. I really do have the best of intentions, but seem to have a knack for neglecting this blog in favor of other pursuits. Maybe this time I can really kick-start it up again. :)

This past year has been a good one, full of both challenges and blessings. I've had the privilege of teaching in our School of the Bible here, both last year (class of 09-10), and with this year's awesome group of students. I really do love my job. I also had the opportunity to visit Seattle for a few weeks back in August (thanks Mom and Dad!) to see people again, relax a bit, and enjoy a break from the brutal Texas heat.

A new season has come again. Fall has always been my favorite time of year; cooler temperatures (although here in Texas we are still wearing t-shirts), the changing of the leaves, pumpkin pies and sparkling cider...I could go on and on with what I love about Fall, but I will spare everyone the lengthy list. The new season has also meant the beginning of a new School of the Bible. Once again, we have a wonderful group of students. 16 students, from 6 different countries. All are thinkers, and all are hungry for God. I love hanging out with them, as well as teaching in the classroom setting.

But this new season is also a time of change for me in another way. While I love what I do here, teaching as well as helping out in our Christian school's office part-time, there are other areas in my life that I feel it is time to develop. I've been journaling for years, and seem (in the expressed opinion of others) to have at least somewhat of a knack with words. I even had a snippet of my work published a few years back. :)

At this point, I am planning to make a big change in my life. I am going to be moving to YWAM Woodcrest, which is just down the road from YWAM Tyler's main campus, to do a School of Writing. The School of Writing will run from January-March, and will focus on learning how to write in different genres, as well as covering editing and how to market your work for publishing. I'm including a link to the page, at the end of this post, for those who want to see all of the details.

There is one big challenge, however, and that is the need to raise the tuition to attend the school. While I have part of the tuition raised, I still have a ways to go. I would like to ask those who read this blog to pray about giving towards my tuition. If you would like to give, you can make a check out to YWAM with a separate note saying that it is for me. If my name is on the check, they can't process it. All gifts given through this are tax-deductible. The address to send the checks to is P.O. Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771.

I have also added a paypal button to this blog (kudos to my friend Jeff Holton for helping me with that!), for those who wish to give that way. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to make that tax-deductible, but it is still an option for anyone who chooses it.

To wrap this rambling up, I just want to say I am realizing once again how blessed and thankful I am, and looking forwards to what is next.

http://www.ywamresonate.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118&Itemid=54