Writing is Like Fighting…

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Happy Friday! Today CAN member Carla Hoch inspires us with writing perspectives told from a fighter’s point of view. Mohammed Ali estimated that over the course of his career he had been hit about 29,000 times. Twenty-nine thousand! Now, I don’t know how many of you have been punched in the face, but it ain’t fun. A solid punch can rock you to your core. And, after the fact, you are sore in places you never thought you’d be. Including your spirit. Writing is a lot like fighting. You pour your heart into it and sometimes the “win” doesn’t come….

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A Frightening Proposition

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What is your greatest fear? What would it take to face that fear, and make the shift from from fear to love? Halloween, El Dia de Los Meurtos, All Hallows Eve—these traditions offer a great opportunity to reflect on our faith walk and the extent to which we are allowing the Holy Spirit to move us away from fear into His perfect love. The journey itself could spark a great story. Anytime I notice myself living a little smaller, a little less joyfully, a little less confidently—I know it is time for me to stop, pray, and reflect. I ask…

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Discovering The Rabbit in the Moon

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We welcome Linda Rooks and thank her for today’s wonderful fascinating fact! Did you know there is a rabbit in the shadows of the moon? In the United States we often talk about a man in the moon, but in other parts of the world—especially Asia—people talk about the rabbit they see in the moon. In fact, centuries ago, storytellers in the East not only observed a rabbit on the left side of the moon but made up legends about him. In countries like India, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico and others, legends abound about the brave rabbit whose sacrificial courage…

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Reflections From the Road

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My recent retirement prompted a personal move from Illinois to my home state of Wisconsin—which meant my awesome nine-year-old quarter horse mare and I also moved to a new barn and horse trainer. All of these changes resulted in prepping, practicing, and praying for success on a brand-new horse show circuit this year. We agreed to an aggressive schedule of shows that would take us from Wisconsin to Oklahoma City for our first event; onto Las Vegas for our second show—The Silver Dollar Circuit—and then to Scottsdale, AZ for our final event, the Sun Circuit. This was my first series…

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Dreamy Ideas

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Where do you get your ideas? We writers know, love, and sometimes hate this age-old question. My Jo Oliver thriller series started with a desire to write compelling stories of triumph, choice, and the power of emergent faith and community. Each story was fueled by a strong character, a plot idea, or an idea of what justice might look like via a twisty series of events. And while I am playing around with my next installment, I find myself distracted by new dreams. For the past year or so, I’ve been toying with a new story that I finally had…

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A Conversation with CAN Prayer Warrior Donn Taylor

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Happy Friday CAN Members! Catherine Finger here with the great privilege of interviewing CAN Member Donn Taylor. Donn is a prayer warrior and serves our CAN members through his tireless prayers and encouragement. His faithful organization of the weekly online CAN prayer group blesses us all. When he’s not praying, Donn can be found inspiring others in person and via his daily Facebook posts. His wisdom, warmth and good humor is revealed in a new way today. Thank you for joining us today, Donn! And thank you for your tireless service of prayer over the members of CAN and encouragement. We…

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Mary Ann Diorio—Podcasts for Writers

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Write Your Heart Out! Podcasts for Writers, MaryAnn Diorio The Heart of the Matter: How to Put Heart in Your Writing Your Writing Attitude Is Showing A Moment With MaryAnn Tips for Achieving Success in Life, MaryAnn Diorio Have You Learned to Love? You Can Conquer Worry Making Your Dreams Come True Are You Building Your Life on the Right Foundation? Are You Afraid of the Future? Winning With The Word MaryAnn Diorio Wonderful, Incredible You! You Are What You Think You Are The Power of the Spoken Word The Power of the Dream You Can Conquer Worry Where Will You Go…

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Along Came A Writer on BlogTalk Radio and iTunes

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CAN members Linda Kozar, Lena Nelson Dooley, and Angela Breidenbach host shows on the Along Came A Writer Network. Along Came A Writer Network  2017/2016 Chat Noir Mystery and Suspense, with host Linda Kozar on the Along Came A Writer Network August—Nancy Mehl September—Anita Higman, McMullen October—Testimony: Growing Up Haunted November—Linda Davis December—Patricia Bradley February—Danny Mehl March—Rachael O. Phillips April—Sharon K. Connell April—Brandilyn Collins The Lena Nelson Dooley Show, with host Lena Nelson Dooley on the Along Came A Writer Network September—Kathy Ide October—Marji Laine November—Varina Denman December—A SPECIAL Christmas Interview January— Lynn Gentry February—Angela Breidenbach March— Michelle Stimpson April—Patsy…

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Look Around

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Quilting Encouragement with Mary Tatem Look Around A recent visit to Yosemite National Park kept us craning our necks to look up at the magnificent granite mountains that surrounded us.  Regardless of which direction we faced, immense pillars of stone reached to the sky, dwarfing even the tall Pines and occasional Sequoia. Beauty surrounding us. From the sounds of water crashing from tall mountain ledges to the caw of iridescent Ravens foraging for food, our ears were as absorbed with the of beauty as our eyes.  We left for home, our hearts bursting with thankfulness for the world God made…

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