Anne Faye

Sometimes I get very discouraged with my writing career/progress. Stories like this one How I Got My Agent - Mary Glickman offer some hope!

The Catholic Writers Guild now has a blog - check it out at Catholic Writers Guild Blog

When I don't have a creative outlet, I get restless. It's just part of my personality. In some respects - it doesn't really matter what it is - it can be painting, or quilting, or writing (and somehow my nonfiction writing doesn't count for this particular purpose) - I just need to have that way of expressing myself in some way. And right now, none of that is happening and I am getting a serious itch that needs to be scratched in order to keep myself in good balance. Hopefully soon . . .

For a whole host of reasons, writing has needed to take a backseat lately. But I did have a little time today to read the first half of How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make . It isn't written by a writer, but rather by someone whose job is to read screenplays. He's seen all the flaws and he points out what not to do. It makes for interesting reading. It definitely shouldn't be the first book on screenwriting you read, but once you learn what to do, this book is great for pointing out mistakes you might not have thought of.

This is a tidbit I picked up in the March/April 2011 issue of Writer's Digest Postertext is a company that makes posters using the text of novels. What an awesome concept! I'm personally quite fond of the Little Women one. To find out more, visit Postertext .

When you long for something so much but God does not grant it to you do not sorrow. There's something even greater on its way! Although the sorrow may last through the night, joy comes in the morning. This was a FB status on one of my friend's pages and it spoke to me. At a time in life when it feels like I have to pack up all my dreams (again!) and put them away for an undetermined amount of time and I am grieving for them, it brings me some comfort. I want to trust that God does have something good in store, even if it isn't in this lifetime. Lent is all about dying to oneself and picking up one's cross. It is so easy to say and so hard to do.

This is a good post on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog: How Do We Know When It's Time to Quite Being a Writer?" With all the ups and downs of the writing life, it can be tempting to quit. J. M. Tohline offers the following words of wisdom: I have written to write. I have written because I have no choice but to write. If I ever try to quit, I'll just come right back. In truth, my path has probably not been so different from the one you are traveling yourself, or (you better start preparing now) the one you will travel yourself. And unless you are a masterpiece of mental toughness and emotional unassailability, you will sometimes find yourself asking that dark question: Is it time to just plain quit? The answer, of course, is simple: Can you quit? Chances are, you probably cannot. So keep writing, Dear Writer – because that is what you are. Whether or not you have a novel in bookstores. Whether or not the whole world has read your writing. Whether or not a...

Life is busy right now, and I honestly don't know when I'll get to work on my screenplay, but a couple days ago I did finish my first scene outline - and I have about 50 scenes too many! So, some condensing is definitely in order! That will be the next item on the screenplay agenda. I need to cut and combine scenes while keeping all the important information in the story.