tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31134536080584434872024-03-13T00:42:50.679-07:00The Fifth SolaWriting for the Glory of GodRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-59989362809631493462020-08-27T12:15:00.005-07:002020-08-27T19:29:09.748-07:00Beauty in the DesertI feel
uniquely qualified to write a post with this title. I spent my formative years
living in the High Desert of Central Oregon, surrounded by pine and juniper
trees, bitterbrush and sagebrush, yellow bunch grasses and gnarled lava rock.
The color palette of my childhood was tan, muted green, and gray. The soil was
dusty. The air was bone-dry.
It was
beautiful.
The skies
were perpetually blueRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-13216664403968282692020-07-29T14:02:00.002-07:002021-04-16T13:57:18.889-07:00Exciting Newses!
Before we start, please forgive the poor grammar in this post's title. It was intentional. (This might be why I'm not a copyeditor...)
So! I have news. There has been a LOT going on in the last twelve months. I give you: The List of Significant Things That Have Happened!
The List of Significant Things That Have Happened:
1) I wrote the pilot episode to a TV show I'd love to develop and RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-61062394486483711852020-03-19T03:30:00.000-07:002020-03-19T03:30:45.572-07:00Seasonal Haiku
Recently, a writing group I'm part of posted a challenge to create some haiku poems during this time of strangeness, so I wrote my first ever haiku poems. Check it out:
1. (Of Haikus)
I'll write a haiku
To meet this virus challenge,
But I'm not a fan.
2. Distance
Alone in my room
Stranded far away from home
In Slovakia.
3. Self-Assessment
I'm eating chocolate
Clearly not symptomatic;
NoRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-64318283209391262762020-03-17T08:23:00.000-07:002020-03-17T11:23:16.744-07:00COVID-19 Poetry
Hello, everyone!
I thought it would be nice, since I'm all alone and since a lot of people are flocking to the internet while they're holed up in their houses, apartments, Hobbit holes and the like, to perhaps post some entertaining fluff poems.
Fluff poems are what I call poetry that I dash off quickly, without too much thought beyond making sure it's coherent and structured. It's RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-30387233632188927002019-12-12T09:40:00.002-08:002021-04-16T13:58:28.609-07:00Work, Stress, and Perspective
Earlier this week, I launched my first novel: Random Walk, Book One in the Fractured Galaxy series. Very exciting.
Also a little nerve-racking because, as my first novel, there's a lot riding on this project's financial success. I moved half-way across the country just so I could afford to live without a day job in order to write this book (and some other writing projects), and many friends andRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-15269378799853551522019-10-29T15:15:00.001-07:002019-10-29T15:33:00.121-07:00Adventures Abroad
I'm in Bratislava for a night or two, and it was already dark when I got here, so I was prepared for an adventure finding my hotel...or so I thought! I arrived at the main train station safely, found the buses right away, got my bus ticket with ease, and lo and behold - my bus pulled it! I took it to the correct spot and that's when the fun began.
The instructions for getting to my destinationRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-67178233754377567462019-10-10T01:32:00.006-07:002021-04-16T13:59:44.026-07:00Random Walk's "Mission Stage One Complete"Those words are uttered by Colonel Derek Williams, Mission Commander and Pilot of Air Force Space Command's first manned mission into space. They are the last words spoken in chapter one of my science fiction novel, Random Walk, after the crew achieves orbit around the Earth.
I too, have completed what I consider to be Stage One of my mission: writing the book! I finished the draft at the end ofRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-6898494456504181742019-09-09T12:37:00.000-07:002019-09-10T12:06:28.265-07:00How to Move Abroad in Four DaysOn Tuesday, I found out I might be able to teach English for a year in Slovakia, but their school year had already started so I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Turns out spending four days planning is what constitutes "as soon as possible:" I left home on Saturday morning, almost exactly 96 hours after getting that email on Tuesday. And you can too! (Theoretically.) Here's how:
1. RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-48251515334407390952019-07-19T11:11:00.004-07:002021-04-27T07:23:28.498-07:00Why Sci-Fi?A few people have wondered why, as a Christian, I would write science fiction - and not even Christian sci-fi but mainstream sci-fi. Allow me to explain...
First, let me say that I totally understand the question. Why would any Christian want to delve into the world of mainstream science fiction? Characterized primarily by an atheistic worldview and, in many cases, material inappropriate for RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-22711964300958422262019-07-01T09:24:00.006-07:002021-04-16T14:06:41.008-07:00Exciting News!
In case you were wondering what I've been up to lately...
I have exciting news!! I have been hard at work setting up an author website, and re-writing the draft of my debut science fiction novel, which I'm independently publishing - Random Walk, Book One in the Fractured Galaxy Series. 😃
At the same time, I've been planning a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo to ensure the finished product RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-78156704924580953152019-01-17T10:00:00.001-08:002023-04-11T19:16:15.540-07:00Work and Trust
"The Lord helps those who help themselves," said no Bible verse ever. However, we are encouraged to work "as unto the Lord," which implies a certain amount of energy and dedication.
I was at a conference once where the speaker said that our job is to put in the work; the results are up to God. He was talking about writing, but I think you could apply that to just about any kind of work. RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-45483519874376218052019-01-02T13:15:00.000-08:002019-06-12T11:13:37.562-07:00Big, BIG Changes
Perhaps you noticed. It's been a while since I last blogged. I apologize.
But here's the good news! I've moved! I had to leave my beloved Pacific Northwest mountains behind and trade them in for Indiana uplands (which are themselves rather picturesque, thankfully), but it was for the best. Now, instead of working a nearly full-time day job and editing in my free time and not having hardly RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-76285515401952756652018-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:002018-08-06T23:49:07.898-07:00It's Easy to Write A Poem
I wrote this yesterday evening at a coffee shop. I'm sure I'll do some (more) editing at some point, but I thought I'd share it - just a bit of fun. :)
It's Easy to Write a Poem
It's easy to write a poem,
Especially a rhyming one -
The steps are so simple,
You'll even have fun.
First: You must choose your topic.
Second: Begin to write.
Watch how the words
Come out, with delight!
Remember RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-87898419424344774532018-07-13T18:29:00.001-07:002021-04-27T07:18:57.825-07:00Flashback Friday
It's been a while since I've posted because
1. I was busy preparing for the debut of my first full-length play.
2. I was out of town on vacation.
3. I'm getting ready to move!
4. Etc.
But now all of that is done* and to get me started again, I thought we could have some fun. Here's a #fbf** poem I thought you might enjoy. I wrote it in high school during Algebra 2/Trig class. We were RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-65284995582822977492018-05-11T15:21:00.001-07:002018-05-11T15:26:26.172-07:00Writing on the Go: Tools of the Trade
Sometimes, you just need to get out of the house.
So you go to the park, or a local coffee shop, or your corner Starbucks, or a hotel, or a train, or wherever. So you pack for the journey: money for provisions, your spiral poetry notebook because you're behind in your Great Devotional Poetry Project, your devotional, a book for the next play you're researching, your phone, etc. And of course, RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-24244770834814621752018-05-09T10:00:00.005-07:002021-04-16T14:09:55.106-07:00The Confessing Church Chronicles: Interesting Facts
Monday night was the first rehearsal for my play, The Confessing Church. It was really fun to get everyone together and do a read-through of the script. I got home at around 10pm (I think...?), feeling very physically tired, mentally energized, and starving.
The following are some interesting facts about the play, in no particular order (numbered for visual clarity):
1. I'm very happy toRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-58888060817595542592018-05-04T11:14:00.005-07:002021-04-16T14:10:13.065-07:00The Confessing Church - In Production
Graphic Design by Brian Overholt
I wrote The Confessing Church for an independent study my final term of graduate school. Over the following summer, I made arrangements to have the play workshopped again. I thought it wise to do so, now that I finally had a completed draft, and my local community theater group, Mask & Mirror, graciously agreed to help me with my revisions.
I let the restRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-12803048230455359632018-05-02T10:00:00.005-07:002021-04-16T14:14:03.606-07:00Why I Wrote The Confessing ChurchNext week rehearsals for my first ever full-length play, The Confessing Church, begin.* Is this real life??
Roughly a year and a half ago, I had the crazy idea that I might like to write a proper play. I'd written some short ones for a few dramatic writing classes and I loved it, but would I be able to write a longer work? After all, I write short poems and have trouble getting through longer RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-17840097302401889832018-04-25T11:01:00.002-07:002018-04-25T17:42:53.989-07:00The Great Devotional Poetry Project
You know that thing called New Year’s Resolutions? I normally don’t
make them, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. However, back in December
I had an idea for something like a resolution. I’d written a few poems based
closely on scripture over the years,* and I always really enjoy those poems when
I’m done with them. I have scripture references or quotes in most of my poems,
so I’m notRMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-25234683268681953702018-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:002018-04-23T10:00:19.385-07:00Write to Publish
On Saturday, I went to Portland State University's 'Write to Publish' conference. It was the 10th anniversary of the inaugural event and, having graduated from the publishing Master's program last June, I was invited not only to be a vendor, but also to sit on a panel of freelancers.
I've never gotten any business tabling at this particular conference - it's relatively small, and few of the RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-75521116819479959922018-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:002018-04-13T10:00:05.237-07:00Writer's Tools - The Poetry Notebook
Ah, the pleasure of writing longhand. Even the Tok'ra Anise kept a journal because her host Freya enjoyed the "tactile sensation of handwriting.* I used to write everything by hand, then type it up later. I remember in high school I wrote a middle grade fiction book, all in notebooks, double-spaced so I had space to add or change things if I needed to. Obviously, that used up a lot of paper and RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-29491122161109454162018-04-11T10:00:00.000-07:002018-04-11T10:00:24.602-07:00New Poem: In Peace
The beginning of this poem is taken from Psalm 4:8 - "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (ESV) I started with the first bit and built from there, obviously branching off pretty quickly. I wasn't sure what I was going to write about before I started, but I think it turned out alright.
In Peace
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
But peace RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-61128027531549740582018-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:002018-03-22T10:00:19.002-07:00Confessions of a Nagging Secretary
Howdy, Campers!
Don't forget to submit your bulletin updates before you leave today! You can still get the EarlyBird rate if you submit your updates before 9:00 tomorrow morning; anything after that costs the full rate.
Thanks!
Rachel Lulich
Activities Director
Bulletin Dictator
Receptionist Extraordinaire
And that's how it all started. An simple attempt to make the weekly reminders I RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-25101269526483955952018-02-21T10:30:00.000-08:002018-02-21T10:43:26.864-08:00Writing Hymns
Most of my poems are what's called lyric poetry.* Lyric poems are typically short, written in the first person, and deal with specific emotions, concepts, or moments. This is in contrast to, for example, a narrative poem which, as you may guess from the name, tells a story. So, The Gray Havens' song lyrics are typically narrative poems, whereas Ginny Owens' are usually lyric poems.
My own RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113453608058443487.post-26451370161791547982018-02-07T17:47:00.000-08:002018-02-08T12:01:07.886-08:00Spoken Word
A while back, I was introduced to spoken word poetry. I'd heard of it before, but I'd never actually heard the poetry.
The basic idea (from my perspective as a written word poet, if you will), is poetry that is meant to be presented verbally; it's meant to be heard, not in addition to being read, but instead of being read. So if you'd like to buy a spoken word poet's work, you'll get a CD (or RMLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629636375655730636noreply@blogger.com1