Blog tour: My Writing Process

This week I get to do a new thing. New to me anyway. I have been invited to participate in the #mywritingprocess blog tour - which has forced me to articulate a bit about where I am in my writing process.

My friend, Patricia Storbeck, got me into this. I have been following her blog Mojito and Me for probably a year or more. For five years, Patricia and her husband have sailed the world on their boat, Mojito. Being more of a land-lubber myself I have enjoyed her travels from my computer on solid ground, but still Patricia has had a hand in strengthening my sense of adventure. Be sure to visit Mojito and me.

I first met Patricia through Tribe Writers and then last November we were writing buddies for National Novel Writing Month. Being several time zones behind her meant that I could never quite seem to catch up to her in my word count, but her seemingly boundless energy stretched me and encouraged me.  And hey, we did it! We both made the goal of writing 50,000 words during the month of November. I am honored that Patricia asked me to be part of the #mywritingprocess blog tour. And now it's my turn to talk about my writing process...

What am I working on?
My main writing focus for publication is my blog - right here - where I write about my wonderings and my wanderings. I have always wondered about lots of topics - from faith and religion to science and human nature. Attending church for 60 years or so and serving in ministry positions for most of those years, I guess I became a religious insider. But after being "dismissed" from the institutional church a few years ago, I am now learning what it is like to be an outsider. And now I am wondering about a lot more things - mostly along the lines of sorting out what I really believe and what is worth the investment of my time and energy. Interestingly, this exodus from organized religion coincides with a another rather dramatic move - stepping away from long-term deep roots in real estate and stepping toward life on the road. I write about both of those here - some of my wonderings and a few of our wanderings. 

Read more about my writing process here including the answers to these questions:
- How does my work differ from others of its genre?  
- Why do I write what I do?
- How does my writing process work?

And now meet Kendra, Nancy, and Lisa...
...my recruits for the #mywritingprocess blog tour. Please visit their websites and learn about their writing process - and a whole lot more.
 
Kendra Burrows
I met Kendra in a Facebook writer's group when she made comment about wanting to be more consistent with her blogging habit. That sounded familiar - so we connected to encourage each other. I like how honest and vulnerable she is and I admire how many books she reads and reviews.

Kendra Burrows is newly married to Bill (the most wonderful man in the world), mom to the most amazing kid, and blessed to be part of the lives of Bill’s children, who are also quite something! She has no idea why God has blessed her with so many riches but is ever appreciative and humbled by His grace and guidance in her life.

An Oregon transplant, during the rainy season Kendra teaches psychology at the local community college. When the sun is shining (and even when it's not!), she enjoy gardening, house remodel projects, cycling, reading, all things in the kitchen, and most especially, hanging out with loved ones!
She writes about life, family, and other bizarre things here. 

Nancy Bouwens 
When I enrolled in the Tribe Writers on-line course, I noticed that Nancy was also from Michigan - and that she was going through a downsizing life transition somewhat similar to mine.
She is a life coach, writer and empty nester mom to three adult children. She writes and coaches about living a life on purpose through intentional choices and by embracing a simpler, slower and more abundant life. 
Nancy has seen the faithfulness of God in the midst of unspeakable pain as her three adult children, within a short seven month time span, each journeyed through life changing medical conditions; a car accident resulting from a drunk driver, an auto immune disorder, and a devastating stroke.
After recently downsizing their life, selling their home of 20 years and condensing into a much smaller living space, Nancy currently makes her nest in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her current "bucket list" includes a hot air balloon ride, dance lessons, experiencing Europe and visiting every national park in the states. Her favorite travel destination is currently Arizona where her five grandchildren live and breathe! You can find Nancy blogging about simply abundant life.

Lisa Wagner
Lisa and I have been NaNoWriMo writing buddies for a couple years. I kinda' love NaNo so I was pretty impressed to discover that Lisa's kids were also participating. What a neat feat to accomplish - not just for herself, but to also guide her kids to do so as well. I commend her for that.  
Lisa is an unpublished writer who began writing during National Novel Writing Month 2007. She has participated in NaNoWriMo (and won!) each year since then. Lisa's four kids, now ages 12-19, are educated at home and have all written NaNoNovels as well. Before homeschooling, Lisa taught in an unusual multi-grade classroom for several years and she has worked as a tutor, a lay reader, and a GED instructor. Currently, she teaches composition classes to homeschoolers and works online for a linguistics technology company. Lisa has written five unpublished (so far!) novels and one novella and is looking for a publisher. Her current works-in-progress are a book club guide to the works of Jane Austen and a fantasy novel. She blogs occasionally at Mirkwood Reflections and Cornerstone Home Learning.

I hope that reading about our writing processes inspires you to consider your process - whether for writing or following your own particular passion.