Hello Friend! Here I am, emerging from the midst of a crazy busy, challengingly different, albeit inspiringly beautiful summer. It's been a while since my last blog post or writing update - but while my blog has sat quiet, the rest of my life has been anything but. The first few months of summer were crowded with planting thousands of baby trees for my summer job. My sister and I spent hours working under the sun, getting coated in dirt, and learning to navigate the tangle of gravel roads in our rural county. Once planting season ended, the usual plethora of farm work has kept me busy: hauling small square bales off the ditch, butchering chickens, training and riding our horses, pasture upkeep, and marveling at my mother's incredible garden. Of course there are also long hours of reading, sunny days at the lake, playing with kittens, or going out for ice cream with my siblings. And, of course, watching a pandemic shut down the world has been... interesting. This summer has also given me a lot of opportunity to evaluate what I want to do with the passion for writing God placed in my heart. There are a lot of times when I wonder if I have really nailed down my niche, or if I actually know my target audience. This summer has brought up a lot of questions and I'll be honest, I didn't find many answers.
One thing I am starting to see, however, is that answers are not always necessary and almost never immediate. So I'm learning to be willing to wait, and grow, trust Jesus, and do my best. As for writing, most of my time has been spent laboring over my fifth and most promising historical novel - the story of a girl searching for worth in a circus, and a boy who refuses to let go of the past, even as he watches the German Reich unleash WW2. Outlines. Structure. Edits. Rewrites. Tears. Red Pen. Glorious breakthroughs. Copious amounts of tea. The whole works. I am loving it and am so excited to begun working on my final draft. After all, it can't get into the hands of readers unless it is finished, and what is a book without readers? Besides that, I have a message to share, a passion to cultivate, and a dream to chase. Life is too short to write just one book. Think of all the stories we would miss. Sunshine, lake days, long books, or endless days of haying... how has your summer been? Now that I am back to blogging, I want to know what kind of posts that you enjoy - lifestyle, inspirational, practical etc.? It's been a while - let's chat!
7 Comments
8/17/2020 10:35:15 am
Hey Anita I loved this blog post! I'm sure you don't remember me but my family use to go to the Assembly of God church with you guys in Cavalier a long time ago. My summer has been crazy busy between work, and well work haha. I work full time so that doesn't leave much time otherwise, but I'm saving up quite a bit of money for various things so that's good. I like lifestyle and inspirational blogs the best. I totally understand being too busy to keep up with your blog, because I feel the exact same way with mine! Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day!
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Anita S.
8/17/2020 06:09:16 pm
Hey Allisyn! I do remember you actually and it is so good to hear from you! Your comment made my day. :)
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Allisyn Tollefson
8/18/2020 09:57:26 am
I'm surprised you remember us lol and I'm glad that I could make your day! :) Yes I've definitely had a busy summer. I work a few miles from my house at Icelandic State Park in the entrance booth. Full time is a big adjustment, but your right, it is worth it in the end.
Anita S.
8/27/2020 02:31:32 pm
Haha!
Allisyn Tollefson
8/28/2020 11:37:10 am
Yeah we love spending days at the lake there as well! It is a really great place to work, and we are always looking for more help!
Brooklyne
8/19/2020 06:11:08 am
I loved reading this post!! Wow, sounds like a really productive and fun summer you had! I love what you said about writing... <3
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Anita S.
8/27/2020 02:30:00 pm
I'm so glad! <3 Yes I have, and I'm glad you appreciated the little "writing snippet". :)
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