by jphilo | Jun 16, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
The bags are packed and I’m ready to head out for the Cedar Falls Christian Writers’ Conference tomorrow. Here are 10 top ten reasons to attend a writing conference, in Cedar Falls, Iowa or anywhere else one is held.
10. They’re a great opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of other writers and to see if your inner insecure writer’s envy-o-meter readings are going down or up.
9. Writers’ conferences are a wonderful place to make new friends.
8. And they’re a place to reconnect with old friends, too.
7. A good writers’ conference will provide information and concepts to challenge your comfort zone, stretch your thinking, and conceive new ideas.
6. Each conference should offer confirmation that God created you to be a writer…or not.
5. They offer time to reflect upon where you are now as a writer and where you want to be in the future.
4. They also offer time to step back and see God’s hand at work in and through your writing.
3. Somehow, unexpected doors for your writing will open in unexpected ways and under the most unexpected circumstances.
2. Someone else does all the cooking and cleans the bathrooms.
1. At a writers’ conference you are with like-minded people who think your obessions with reading, composition notebooks, ballpoint pens, and mechanical pencils are absolutely normal.
Have you ever been to a writers’ conference? What’s on your top ten list?
by jphilo | Jun 9, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
Life’s been rough at our house lately. So I’m fighting discouragement and a tendency to dwell on what’s wrong in my world by giving thanks for the small and good blessings that are part of each day.
10. The weather’s been so pleasant, we’ve hardly needed to turn on the AC.
9. The propane company sent a letter saying our bill will go down over $100 in September.
8. At this moment, the weeds are pulled and the housework is done.
7. The herb garden provided fresh parsley, basil, and cilantro for several meals this week.
6. Our first CSA produce pick up is today.
5. But the CSA strawberries started early so we feasted our way through 2 delectable quarts…and I took some down to Mom last week, too.
4. Revisions on my mystery novel are moving along and the escape therapy is just what the doctor ordered.
3. The Man of Steel and I will take Mom to a family reunion in Minnesota this coming weekend. She will complain during the whole trip and then thoroughly enjoy being queen for a day in the presence of her nieces and nephews.
2. My daughter held the phone close to our 2-month-old grandson’s mouth so we could hear him coo. Happy tears!
1. In the last week, God arranged encounters with 2 dear friends and a sister who understand my current struggles and the time spent with them was soothing balm to the soul.
What blessings are you thankful for this week?
by jphilo | May 26, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
At the beginning of last Tuesday’s post, I explained the reasons behind that day’s list of ten woman who changed my life. Today, the exercise continues and concludes with a list of ten men who also impacted my life. My hope is that what you read will prompt you to do something similar and discover many, many reasons to be thankful for the people who touched your life in profound ways.
10. Gene Ulrich, a college science professor family friend when my sibs and I were quite young. He had a way of relating to us as children that made us feel secure, valued, and interesting. Years later, he became a middle school teacher and was one of 4 finalists for NEA National Teacher of the Year. His interactions with us taught me how to relate to children.
9. Tim Trudeau, the pastor of our local church who constantly exhorts us to read, to learn, to be curious, to become experts in something, and to delve into Scripture and mine it for the jewels waiting to be found in it. Because of him, I continue to be a life long learner.
8. Dory Little, pastor of the church we began attending in 1985 when we moved to Boone. He was the first expository preacher I had ever heard. The impact of his belief in the power of Scripture and his willingness to test and approve it using reason and logic showed me that Christians don’t have to check their brains in at the door.
7. Tom Balm was the pastor of the church my family attended during my childhood. He was a creative, funny man who marched to his own drummer. He also visited my father almost weekly, and they would laugh together until they were both crying. Through his example, I learned humor can be healing and faithful friends do not forget invalids and shut ins.
6. Harry Thompson was the pastor at the church my parents attended during college. A couple decades later, he and his wife retired and moved down the street from us. He “adopted” our family, helping us kids with 4-H projects and visiting Dad nearly every day. My life was changed by his steadying presence in our home. One day, when it’s time for me to quit driving, I hope to follow his dignified example by turning in my driver’s license out of concern for others on the road.
5. Mr. Frerichs, an extraordinary and precise high school senior composition teacher at Le Mars Community High School, who provided a strong foundation concerning the mechanics of writing. What he taught his students–and what his students complained about every single day–I now draw upon every single day with gratitude rather than complaint.
4. Mr. Hallum, another superior high school teacher at Le Mars Community School, who turned tongue-tied, insecure high schoolers into gifted, confident speakers and actors. He also took me aside one day and said if I wanted a lead in a play, losing 20 pounds would make that much more likely. That was all the motivation one chubby sophomore needed to change her eating habits, develop a healthy lifestyle, and snag the lead in the fall play her senior year.
3. Jim Hoey, my uncle and demanding high school World Cultures teacher, who filled another bedrock role in the lives of me and my sibs. He was a father figure who did for us what Dad couldn’t. He took us swimming, camping, hunting, exploring. He took us up on top of our roof to see the view. He pushed Dad in his wheelchair up hills and across fields and carried him to the basement when the tornado siren blew. When Dad could no longer get out and about, Uncle Jim visited him several times a week. Because of Uncle Jim, I know the joy of adventure. (Jim is on the left in photo above, holding my little brother.)
2. Harlan Stratton, my dad, whose sense of humor never failed throughout his 38 year battle with multiple sclerosis and who never became bitter. From him I learned that by choosing to live well in adverse circumstances, parents can bless their children beyond measure. (Dad is on the right in the photo above.)
1. Hiram Philo, my husband, also known as the Man of Steel. From him, I have learned so much about loving unconditionally, though I don’t do it nearly as well as he does. Because of him, I was able to leave teaching to do what I do now. Thank you so much, Man of Steel!
Who’s made a difference in your life? Leave a shout out in the comment box below!
by jphilo | May 12, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
Teaching kids the difference between fiction and non-fiction is not for the faint of heart. To help kids master the topic, teachers guide kids through compare and contrast lessons, often creating visuals like the one above. (Find the original photo and a bang up lesson plan here.)
Now that I’m a writer, I’ve come to appreciate the differences between creating works of fiction and non-fiction. Today’s top ten list explains several ways the 2 kinds of writing are quite different.
10. Writing non-fiction is like first creating all the jumbled pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and then working long and hard until they fit together.
9. Writing fiction is like unwinding a ball of yarn, praying for it to hold together until you’re done, and when it doesn’t, going back and tying up loose end after loose end after loose end…
8. Non-fiction research involves reading meaty, often indecipherable books on hard-hitting and sometimes depressing topics and trying not to fall asleep until after plowing through 1 chapter.
7. Fiction research means reading novel after novel by your favorite authors of the same genre and reading far, far into the night…and then sighing before announcing to people that you stayed up far, far into the night doing research.
6. A non-fiction writing schedule requires a calendar with days blocked out for writing all the chapters, the back matter, and sticking to it religiously to meet a deadline.
5. A fiction writing schedule requires reserving a substantial number of appointment-free hours each day, then sitting down to write, and when you look up, discover you’ve been writing twice as long as expected, you’ve missed whatever appointment you scheduled late in the day with plenty of time to spare in case you lost track of time while writing, and your characters have gotten them into another big mess you have no idea how to resolve.
4. Writing a non-fiction book means you can sit in a chair to write about educational best practices, and at the same time be very, very grateful that you no longer come home dog-tired after spending 180 days a year implementing those best practices as you did during your teaching career.
3. Writing fiction means that if you are writing a novel while completing an allergy elimination diet, you can live vicariously by allowing your characters to eat any forbidden foods your taste buds desires.
2. When your husband comes home and finds you sitting at the computer writing about serious non-fiction topics such as the death of a child with tears running down your cheeks, chances are he’ll feel bad enough to take you out to supper.
1. When your husband comes home and finds you so immersed in the story world of the the fiction scene you’re been wrangling for the past 4 hours that you stare at him blankly, wondering who in the world this new character is and what he has to do with the plot, chances are he’ll be hungry enough to take you out of supper instead of waiting for the meal you intended to start 2 hours ago.
What’s the difference between fiction and non-fiction to you? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | May 5, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. The frost boil on our little gravel road has healed, and city workers removed the “road closed” barricades.
9. My allergy elimination diet has moved from bark, twigs, and leaves meat, veggies, and nuts to meat, veggies, nuts, rice, and oatmeal.
8. At the library, I scored the audio version of Amy Poehler’s memoir Yes, Please.
7. I also scored The Book Thief movie DVD and watched it with Hiram. Geoffrey Rush’s portrayal of the father? Perfect.
6. The post about Beginnings and Endings led many former Bryant school faculty, staff, and students to share memories on Facebook about the years they spent there.
5. Every Child Welcome, the book Katie Wetherbee and I co-authored was Amazon’s #1 new release in the Children’s Ministry division and #2 of ALL their children’s ministry books, new and old.
4. The lilacs are blooming.
3. Saturday night, the Man of Steel and I went out to supper with Mom, my sis, and my bro. In honor of Dad, we saved our straws.
2. Facetime with my son and grandson on Saturday.
1. Conversation with a writer I was coaching led to the realization that her parents and grandparents knew my dad when he was an extension agent in southwest Iowa. Her grandpa was on the 4-H board and got home very late one night because Dad wouldn’t stop talking. I love hearing those stories about Dad before my memories of him kicked in.
What are you smiling about this week? Leave a comment!
by jphilo | Apr 28, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
For the past nine days–not that I’m counting–I’ve been on an elimination diet. Nothing serious. Just trying to get to the bottom of some allergy and sinus issues. The diet consists of twigs, bark, and leaves. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But it is limited to lean meats, vegetables with low starch content, and nuts.
Not fun.
So every morning involves a positive self-talk. A pep rally of sorts that gives me the gumption to stick with it for another day. These daily pep talks include the constant debating of the diet’s pros and cons. Here are the top ten that get repeated again and again.
10. Pro: Doing this diet during grilling season means there are lots of delicious options for preparing lean meats and vegetables.
9. Con: Starting the grill aggravates this princess’s smoke allergies.
8. Pro: Some of my favorite foods–onions, garlic, and fresh coconut–can be eaten often. Very often.
7. Con: I am becoming rather fragrant. And I nearly injured myself cracking open a fresh coconut.
6. Con: It’s hard to get enough calories on a diet of twigs, bark, and leaves lean meat, green veggies, and nuts.
5. Pro: A diet of twigs, bark, and leaves lean meat, green veggies, and nuts promotes weight loss.
4. Pro: My sinuses feel much better.
3. Con: If my sinuses feel much better on this diet, parts of it may need to continue beyond 2 weeks.
2. Con: If parts of this diet have to continue beyond 2 weeks, my pants may get too loose and fall off.
1. Pro: Never before in my entire life has the above sentence been necessary.
Are you on a diet? What are the pros and cons you debate each morning? Leave a comment.
