A Week of Giving

What parent isn't proud of their kids? I'm no exception of course. This past week both my kids participated in a "giving" thing.



What's in the bags?
Soda pop tabs. These are just two of the bags my youngest daughter turned in to her school this week for donation to the Ronald McDonald House.















The cold didn't keep my oldest daughter from helping out with Trash Bash on Saturday. She participated with her Girl Scout troop to help clean up Lake Houston.






Good job girls! I'm proud of you!

Check it Out!

I am pleased to announce the origination of a new blog dedicated solely to my novel, tentatively entitled Hope and Faith. I invite you to check it out at http://sheryltut.wordpress.com/. Please visit, feel free to comment, and ask questions. I appreciate your help in keeping me focused on getting the novel rewritten and manuscript ready! Thank you.

The Proof is in the Pudding

The other day I found myself sitting on a bench with my youngest daughter's BFF (Best Friend Forever). We were watching my daughter take a karate lesson, which gave the BFF and me plenty of time to talk. First we talked about karate. The BFF asked about the progression of the karate belt colors, getting tips placed on the belts, and preparing for belt tests. Then, we talked about gymnastics and other activities. Eventually, I found myself telling BFF that you can do anything you want if you just practice, and that the only way to get better with something IS to practice.

Hmm. Sounds like good advice for a 40-something year old wanna-be writer too. Actually, good advice for a writer at any age.

You may be familiar with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), where participating authors from all over write a 50,000-word novel in one month. For me last November, it translated into a lot of writing, much more than my usual daily quota. It provided an opportunity for a lot of writing practice.

Shortly after NaNoWriMo, I wrote a short story that had been a plague to me for some time. Calling the story a struggle is like calling a tiger tame, but nevertheless, I finally got the story down and finished. Fairly pleased with the story, I put it out for feedback.

As always, I received some great suggestions from my writers' group friends on ways to improve the story. But the most memorable comment was from my mom. She simply said that she liked the story very much, and she could see my improvement from when I first started writing.

Wow. It felt so good to hear that my ability at this craft of writing was improving!

It's true in writing, as in everything else of life, the more we do something – the more we practice – the better we get. After a full month of dedicated writing on my novel, the short story I completed afterwards WAS better than my previous work. The proof is in the pudding.

Armed with this knowledge, I look forward to writing more and better stories. Keep practicing!

Have You Read it Yet?

I am a Thomas Nelson book review blogger. Having previously received and reviewed The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield, I recently requested a new book to review. Entitled I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss by Michael Franzese, be on the lookout for a future review of this book.

Buy		Read

Have you read I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss by Michael Franzese?

Book Review - Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having just attended a writing presentation on tension and pacing, I was very excited when I started reading Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The book opens with perfect examples of scene and sequel set up, resulting in a true page-turner, although the pacing did slow further into the story.

The author began the story like the other books in this series - from the point of view (POV) of Bella. She later changed to Jacob’s POV, which made for an interesting shift, and the book came full circle ending from Bella's POV.

While the ending is where everything culminates and all the great vampires of the world meet for a potentially deathly battle, Bella’s childbirth and her becoming a vampire were most sensational to me. Stephenie did a good job describing the anguish and pain that Bella faced during that time.

Series tend to get old to me very quickly. With each successful book, the expectations for the next become greater and usually there is a resulting disappointment. The Twilight series overall did a good job keeping my interest.

View all my reviews.

Psalm 100 for a 100th Post

This is my 100^th post to my WordProverb blog, which started back in June of 2007 with a post about our too busy lives. Many musings later, and still busier than ever, I'm tickled with the wonderful ride this blog has provided. Thank you for your readership, and for contributing your thoughts and comments. I hope you'll join me for another 100 posts.

A Psalm for giving thanks
In confirmation classes at our church, my daughter must pick out and share with her class one of her favorite Psalms. I like Psalms 100, and what better time to share it than with my 100^th post.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Do you have a favorite Psalm I can share with my daughter?