Writing Journey Archives - Denise M. Colby, Writer

Life has been busy and I’ve fallen behind on my blog posts. Hard to believe, it’s been six months since I’ve posted a post here on my website. But just because I didn’t post, didn’t mean I didn’t have things I wanted to share. Quite the opposite. There’s been a lot of life happening, that I just haven’t been able to keep up!

blog post header graphic with distressed wood in the background and words When Life Gets Busy, Blog Posts Fall Behind in bold font

So where do I start? What’s most important?

First. I just want to say hello. It’s been a while. And I’ve missed writing my blog.

Second, with so many topics to cover, I thought I would start with my word of the year. That one word is what is helping me spend time where I need to spend my time.

My Focus word has stayed true even when life got busy

laptop, notepad, glasses, pencil case, planner with word work. Life gets busy so you have to work at managing your time

Work is my word this year. I talked about that in my last blog post Wisdom of Selecting a Focus Word Every Year and the progression from the word WISDOM in 2021 to WORK for 2022.

It’s not a glamorous word. But I’ve found it to be a helpful word. And I need lots of help if I’m ever going to publish my book!

Take a look at my instagram account. Whenever I find references to my word of the year, I post about it. I have a story higlight for the word WORK. One for WISDOM too, if that interests you. I find it fun to capture and organize these words.

And periodically I like to blog about my word too.

Which is what I’m doing here. For example, as a noun, work is defined as: exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something. I’m definitely making an effort on producing a final manuscript that can be published. I also want to be an encourager with my words.

And so in the act of encourager, here are some phrases that use my 2022 focus word. I hope that they will encourage you for whatever you want to work on this year.

Dreams don’t work, unless you do.

My manuscript is a work in progress

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart
Colossions 3:24-25

Which is exactly what I’ve been doing in 2022. I process my thoughts by writing. I explore what’s in my brain by writing. And I’ve missed writing blog posts and I’m ready to jump back in to posting again.

What I found myself not doing at the end of 2021 was writing. But I’ve found it takes work to write. It takes work to find the time to write. Which is why I love this word so much. It helps me focus. And as I go through another round of edits on my manuscript, I’ve been working little by little to keep working toward my goal of someday sharing my book with you.

But wait! There’s more to how my life has been busy.

My third point is this. There’s been a lot of life that’s happened to me over the last few months. Some of which has been amazing fun and I will cover in future posts, and some of it, not so much. Life can be challenging at times and you have to work through things one day at a time. (See how I threw in my focus word?) The not so fun parts for me have included health issues and a car accident that’s taken me a while to bounce back from. And so, I’ve had to limit what I worked on.

And my blog was one of those areas I had to let go for a while.

But I’ve really missed having a place to share. A place to encourage. And a place just to write what God puts on my heart.

I’m happy to be back. Thank you for joining me. We are all in this journey together. Wishing you all the best this month.

Word of the Year

The Wisdom of Selecting a New Focus Word Every Year

January 15, 2022January 15, 2022 Denise M. Colby

I have found the process of selecting a new focus word every year to be a fascinating journey. Last year’s focus word, Wisdom, was an interesting find. (you can learn all about how I came to select that word in this blog post from last year, A Year to Focus On Wisdom.)

Blog header left side words say The Wisdom of Selecting a New Focus Word Every Year and right side stack of rocks balancing on each other

Something I didn’t share is that as I look back over all the words I’ve chosen for the past eight years, I learned something: they all build on each other. And it took the word year Wisdom to figure that out.

There’s a pattern that unfolds with each focus word

Each word represents where I am at a particular time in my life journey – both in writing and personally. And as the year unfolds, I grow into that word more and more. Which then leads to the next word. Again, the idea that they build on each other.

How did I figure that out?

Well, when I was writing in my word journal, I came to an ah-ha moment.

I found an old scripture card with my name on it. Can you guess what it said?

Denise: Wise Discerner

Two name cards on top of wood background. Name is Denise is a Wise Discerner

To find my name Denise linked to the phrase “Wise Discerner” was a shock. Especially with my word being Wisdom. Just one more sign that I was on the correct path.

And so the goal for 2021 became something more.

I guess you could say I wanted to grow into my name.

But at the same time I had to admit something.

I never considered myself wise. Oh, I wanted to be. But I respond without thinking, and have a hard time making decisions on things because I worry about making the wrong one (even in my writing). All things that I hoped by choosing the word wisdom would help me improve.

What I didn’t realize, is that all the words that came before: Hope, Believe, Strength, Steadfast, Purposeful, and Courage had to happen first before I could embrace Wisdom.

It definitely provided some clarity and knowledge to chew on.

This whole building on each other thing. Which adds credence to the idea that I’m never really done with a word I’ve chosen. I actually find myself still referencing all those words in my life.

And you could say in some cases I have grown in wisdom this past year.

I’m not as quick to rush in as I used to be, and I hope to seek God in everything more, as well as make decisions a bit better. I grew in understanding that the words knowledge and wisdom are different and you need both to make wise decisions.

And I took time to really think about things. My writing and finding balance. I think I did some of that, although I know I could always do it better.

By the end of the year, I sort of took a break from all the inputs and outputs of my writing (newletters, blogs, writing groups), which is helping me come back in 2022 with a fresh perspective.

So as I venture into another new year, with another new word, I love to evaluate the process of selecting one.

Again I thought about what was important in the next year for my writing goals and my life goals

I wrote a list of words that communicated that and then moved on, coming back to the list periodically.

It wasn’t until I dove into my Bible to find verses with some of them, that the list grew smaller. Then I received a Christmas card from one of the writing groups I belong to and the verse in the middle?

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.
Philippians 1:6

And I knew what my 2022 word had to be.

WORK

Something I chose because God isn’t finished with me yet. And I am not finished with this writing journey.

But I have to get to WORK if I’m going to be a published author.

I took time at the end of last year to find verses and quotes and figure out how I wanted to use the word, and several ideas began to pop into my thoughts. Energy to dive in and get to work.

laptop, notepad, glasses, pencil case, planner with word work

And that is so exciting.

Welcome 2022! Now, let’s get to work.

To read more about my why I chose the word work, check out my blog post at A Slice of Orange, Being Out of Balance Stifles Creativity.

Word of the Year

An Entire Year to Focus On The Word Wisdom

January 25, 2021January 23, 2021 Denise M. Colby

This is the year I will focus on the word Wisdom!

blog header title with Orange Banner with Word of the year across the top and large letters Wisdom underneath with 2021 at the bottom

Yes, that’s my word for 2021. And how did I come up with that particular word?

Well, the word Wisdom chose me much like last year’s word, Courage, did. I became laser focused on it around October and every time I saw or heard it used, it continued to jump out at me. So as I looked into other options, it never moved from the top of the list.

So the word Wisdom it is!

As I dug into researching the word, I’ve learned that Wisdom is not a word used alone. Knowledge, experience and deep understanding are closely tied to it. One of the terms I read in relation to this, was INTEGRATION of the three.

Which is exactly the reason I had chosen it. I want to take the knowledge and experience I have so far and apply it to whatever I am doing. In life and in my writing.

And when I don’t know the answer, to seek others with the wisdom to help teach me and guide me.

I love this definition I found on wisdom.

Wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing.
found on dictionary.com

This is the wisdom I seek.

In all aspects of my life.

Other terms I found within the different definitions of Wisdom include; insight, judgment, decision-making, discernment, and sense of balance.

That last phrase, “Sense of Balance” speaks to me.

There’s a balance of taking all points of perspective and then firmly deciding on what course of action to move forward with.

Making decisions is not easy. Not in life. Not in writing a novel. I’ve received such different feedback from contest judges that it’s been challenging for me to know how to move forward. This year, I want to finish and publish my book. And that means making sound wise decisions I can move forward with.

And that gets me super excited about this word and this year

I found it interesting when I googled wisdom quotes, for there were so many! It goes without saying that most quotes evoke a bit of wisdom in them, don’t they?

Still, I was able to find some that pertained to wisdom in general. Here are a few of those quotes about wisdom itself:

Immanuel Kant Wisdom quote written over wooden planked background

Aren’t these great!

What I didn’t know until I spent some time researching and putting together specific tidbits, was how deep this word was going to be for me for this year. There is a lot here for me to pause and reflect on.

I always pick Bible Verses to support my word for the year. So as I dug into the Bible, I found more about wisdom than I expected. Who knew that this word was so rich in the Bible!

Of course, I could study the book of Proverbs all year long because of the wisdom found there.

For those who may not know, Proverbs is attributed to have been written by Solomon, the son of David, who was blessed by God with a perspective of wisdom no one else has attained. Leaders from all over came to hear him speak and learn from him. Here’s a summary from Pastor Chuck Swindoll on the topic

So I’ve had to make the decision to focus on only verses that I found the word Wisdom or Wise in, specifically. Even though I have many I will refer to throughout the year, here are three that stood out to me right now:

For my writing:

Proverbs 18:15—The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out

For my Teaching:

Proverbs 31:26—She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue

And for me personally (because I have adult children)

Proverbs 17:17—A man of knowledge uses words with restraint and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

I’m still exploring quotes, verses, and synonyms that are connected to the word wisdom.

I loved these synonyms: Acumen, gumption, foresight, experience, savvy, caution, poise, prudence, reason, discrimination, discernment, practicality, shrewdness, solidity, stability, judiciousness, comprehension, astuteness.

These are some fun terms I hope to utilize throughout the year! I definitely hope to have the foresight, gumption and savvy to get my book pitched, accepted and published this year!

All in all, I find Wisdom an interesting word and I’m excited to focus on it as my year of the word for 2021.

Here’s to a great year full of wisdom for us all.

Blessings,

Denise

Word of the Year

Time to reflect on my 2020 Word of the Year

December 29, 2020December 29, 2020 Denise M. Colby

At the end of the year, I love to take time to reflect on my word of the year, which for 2020 was Courage. Who knew how appropriate this word would be given the challenges 2020 has brought. And that I had to dig as deep as I have this year in every aspect of my life, not just my writing.

Finding Courage to stay upbeat. Strength & Courage to keep working when headlines were distracting. Courage to live life completely differently. And Courage to figure out new ways of doing things. Courage to be strong and encouraging for others. And Courage to search for and celebrate the little things, daily.

taking time to reflect on my 2020 word of the year, courage

When I selected this word, I had thought of my writing. To push myself past my comfort zone so I could finish my book. And the courage to say no to things that would interfere with that.

Here’s the prayer I wrote on January 2, 2020:

Lord, help me to have the courage in 2020 to move out of my static comfort zones so I may create with you and have an impact for you with my work and my words. Lead me, guide me, and nudge me to follow you. Comfort me in the uncomfortableness.
Prayer by Denise M. Colby

And for the most part, I did. But there were many other things I did this year, and it’s important to write them down so I may see all the ways I showed courage both in my writing and my life. By keeping track, it also shows I was purposeful (my word in 2019) in utilizing my word to help motivate and encourage myself throughout the year.

Vincent Van Gogh Quote about courage with cursive writing in the background — I chose courage this year to push me out of my comfort zone

Reflection for 2020 Word of the Year, Courage

Shared my book and writing goals with my husband on many of the nightly walks we took. He challenged me back in to stay focused.
Set an editing goal and stuck to it for most of the year.
Shared my entire manuscript with a writing friend and read through the feedback and made edits.
Grew in my writing and editing through practice and consistency.
Created new blog posts for A Slice of Orange and my own website, including the topic of courage to be thankful and journaling through tough times.
Entered another contest to gain feedback for my new opening.
Started a newsletter for Marketing for Authors and kept it up every month.
Taught several classes on brand or SEO to other authors via email and virtual conferences.
Pushed past my comfort zone with Instagram in learning how to create better content and post things I’ve had foundering around on my heart for a while. Moments of Encouragement

There were many ways I found courage personally as well.

Courage to read my Bible every morning before I climbed out of bed.
Finding creative ways to encourage my family and keep us sane and healthy, while still disciplining as necessary.
Courage to focus on my marriage and my family.
Taking the lead to set up zoom calls with extended family.
Reaching out to others (via technology), when it would’ve been easy to stay in my own space.
Courage to reach out and ask for help.
Participating in tough conversations.
Making phone calls that I’ve been putting off.
Courage to do what God asks of me.
Sharing my heart and beliefs.
And so on.

Something I wrote in my early notes: Courage is a choice we make many times in one day. 1000’s of choices daily where we live in courage or comfort.

As the year unfolded, I found courage to be a good word to focus on. I have really enjoyed this word. The quotes I’ve found. The Bible Verses to encourage me. Even the definition of the word.

Sometimes the daily reminder just writing my word, “courage”, kept me on track

It reminded me to be strong and have courage during days that were hard. It enabled me to share my courage with others. And I found that I really liked what the word courage meant and represented.

I’m always sad to say goodbye to my word and feel like I want to spend more time with it. Find more quotes, post more about it, etc…

Just like every year, I will be sad to say goodbye to #my2020word, courage, but I have found, just like other words, that it will always be a part of me and something I will refer back to at times. In fact, I created a page of courage highlights from all I collected this year on the word, courage. It was fun to put everything into one place.

I’m now researching next years word and figuring out how it fits in stretching and teaching me in 2021. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Word of the Year

Living 2020 Full of Courage

January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 Denise M. Colby

Every year I pick a word to represent my focus for the year. For 2020, my word sort of chose me. My word this year? Courage! To live 2020 full of courage.

I couldn’t be more excited to dive into this word and use it to encourage, guide, and direct my life this year.

When I looked up the definition of courage, it was described as showing bravery in the face of danger, but as I dug deeper, I found that it is also about facing difficulties and fear.

I’ve been writing and editing my first novel for the past six years and it has been a journey. A wonderful, beautiful, sometimes frustrating journey.

But as I’ve entered contests and done more writing, I find I’m afraid to put my work out there over and over, to get feedback (no matter how encouraging), and it’s daunting to know there is more work that needs to be done and I don’t know fully what that is yet. I want to keep working on it and not give up, even though I wonder at times why I keep trying.

This is the courage I want to have in 2020.

For my writing:

Courage to finish my book
Courage to show it to others and pitch it.
Courage to say no to the things that take me away from my goals

But the word courage can be applied in so many areas of my life:

Courage to obey God and trust Him fully
Courage to have the conversations with my kids I want to have and sometimes don’t
Courage to take those moments and make them worthwhile
Courage to not miss the moments that can be fleeting

And so much more. In some ways it’s taking last years word, Purposeful, and having the courage to live it out in abundance.

As I look back over my blog, I realize I haven’t always written about the words I’ve chosen each year (I have on other blogs), yet this small decision to choose one word to focus on has reaped so many blessings for me and I’ve grown in all sorts of ways. In a way they sort of build off of each other. I might need to still talk about them. They become a part of me. And I still get encouraged when I see them – like my word for 2017, which I did write about – strength.

Also, when I choose my word for the year, I pick a memory verse as my theme. There are a few that I like for courage, but the one verse that fits my heart the best with this word is:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

As you can see, the word strength is in this verse as well.

I also like to look up quotes with the word and loved what I found. I have quite a lot to inspire me:

Walt Disney Quote All our dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them with blurred photo of Denise M. Colby leaping in front of Dream sign

Vincent Van Gogh Quote What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? with cursive writing in the background

Steve Jobs Quote And most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition

So for 2020, I look forward to seeing how God will use this word to encourage me.

Is it to have courage to finish my book and pitch it for publishing?

To say no to things so I can have the time to work on my book and other things that are most important to me, such as my family?

Will I have courage to listen to God when he nudges me (which is exactly how writing my novel began)?

Whatever it is, I’m really looking forward to this year of courage.

If you’d like help in picking a word, this is a great website page with lots of ideas.

If you have a word picked out for the year 2020, I’d love to know what it is! Let me know if the comments below.

Writing

It’s The One-Room Schoolhouse’s Fault

October 16, 2019July 24, 2020 Denise M. Colby

I have this thing for historical one-room schoolhouses. I don’t know why. They are cute, inviting and have history that is yearning to be told. Ever since I visited the one-room schoolhouse in old town Sacramento during my oldest son’s 4^th grade Sacramento trip, I have wanted to write a story about one.

How specific some of the rules were.

How students were separated with boys on one side, girls on the other.

How each student had to stand at the side of their desk to speak.

How lashings were given for the most interesting infringements.

How a female teacher had different rules than a male teacher.

How for some of these students, it was the only education they would ever receive.

How children of all ages were taught in the same room.

How one measly stove in the center of the room provided heat.

How lunch was carried in a bucket.

Quote from Blog by Denise M. Colby - Maybe it's the influence of Little House on the Prairie, but i find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic

Maybe it’s the influence of Little House on the Prairie, but I find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic. And so, when I went on the same trip with my second son two years later, the same curiousness came back, a few characters formed in my head, and a story screamed at me to write it.

So I did.

My story is about a town across the river from Sacramento that has a brand new schoolhouse. This schoolhouse seems to want to match-make for its teachers. Their first teacher got married before she set foot in it. The next one, my heroine Olivia, wants to remain a teacher her whole life. But God, the one-room schoolhouse, and Bert the rooster, all have a different plan for her.

It will be interesting to see how long she lasts, and who else might come to teach at this match-making one-room schoolhouse.

Quote from Blog by Denise M. Colby - Who else might come to teach at my match-making one-room schoolhouse

To find out more about the story I’m writing, go to the Going West Series page of my website. Or click on this link if you’d like to see the photos of One-Room Schoolhouses I’ve posted. I’ve also created a Pinterest board about One-Room Schoolhouses which has been fun to build.

Writing

When “The Plan” Does Not Go According to Plan

September 15, 2019September 15, 2019 Denise M. Colby

I think this title says it all! When “The Plan” does not go according to plan. Have you ever felt this way? I have. I’m a planner at heart, so I run into this, A Lot! So here’s my story right now.

I have had many “plans” over the past year for my website, my blog, and my writing and most of it has NOT gone according to plan.

I had plans to update my website

I had plans to have more blog posts each month

I had plans to have my newsletter completed and emailed out to a list of willing readers

Don’t get me wrong. I still have those plans. And that’s the thing. For me, right now, it’s not necessarily the plans I wrote down, but the timing of those plans that changed. And honestly, I’m okay with that. Now. But I wasn’t at the time. I’ve been frustrated with myself for not being able to get them done when I wanted to get them done.

Recently, I have realized that those were “my plans” and in hindsight, I can now see the way things have unfolded may not have been my plan, but very much “God’s Plan” for me.

Recently, I have realized that those were “My Plans”.
Denise M. colby

Several reasons, that I only can see now, include all the other “things” that needed to fall into place before I got to the things on my list. (And also the fact that I had too much on my plate, and my health and my family needed to come first.) For a long time I couldn’t see that. But now…

That’s what hindsight is all about

Something we can learn from.

So, what’s the lesson?

Something I’m still learning (and will continue to do so because it is one of the hardest things for me to do) is to let go and trust God when things don’t go the way I want them to.

Let go and let God be in charge, quote by Denise M. Colby with old wooden fence background

Ironically, this is actually one of the themes in my book I’m working on. We all make plans. And we think we are on the right track with those plans. But we sometimes run into road blocks or challenges that prevent us from making progress or change the outcome of some of those plans.

That’s what my heroine, Olivia, runs into over and over.

She has a lot of stuff happen to her. So much so, she has to let go of her past and reinvent herself and plan out a new future. And she’s doing it all without any help from God. At least, that’s what she believes.

But just like in our own lives, God is behind the scenes orchestrating something so much bigger and beautiful for Olivia. Something she would never be able to do on her own.

Sometimes we have to learn to get out of the way and trust God. We may not know what the future holds but by trusting in Him we can have faith to take things one day at a time and know we are where He wants us to be at that moment.

God's way of going about it is so much better than our own, quote by Denise M. Colby, text over wooden fence background

Sure it’s good to have goals and plans of the things we want to work toward. I think that part is important. But I also think that sometimes God’s way of going about it is so much better than our own.

And we don’t know that until our plans have to change

So here I am, many many many months later finally posting a blog post. And I have plans. Big plans. To write more. To post more. And to share with you more. Words of encouragement to help inspire and give you hope. Words of enrichment to learn new things. And words that we can engage in so that we can support, uplift and show love to one another.

If you are interested in signing up for my nonexistent newsletter to receive in the near future (hopefully) go here to sign up. You will receive a free poem I wrote, titled When God Calls, Go.

And for the novel I’m still editing? It has had several different titles over the past few years all related to plans changing, so I’ll leave you with a few verses from the Bible on the topic:

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29: 11

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10:36 36

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 text on background

I am part of a writers blog called A Slice Of Orange. I have been writing blog posts monthly now for over a year. My particular blog posts on the 12th of every month. You can find links to those posts here, or for all my archived posts click here. In my August post, I wrote about real life turning points and how big ones have impacted me this year. The topic dives into the “why” my plans didn’t quite happen the way I planned and a first-hand view as to what plans are emerging now. It’s titled Tracking Real Life Turning Points

Books

Writing Words That Encourage, Enrich, and Engage

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 Denise M. Colby

A part of this post was first posted on the Sliceoforange.net blog on April 12, 2018 (The Purpose of Words)

I love quotes, phrases, and how words are used to communicate. It’s fitting that at dictionary.com, the verb ‘word’ is defined as: to choose and use particular words in order to say or write something.

Yes, as writers that is what we do. We have a lot to say and we choose our words for a reason.

I’m always amazed at how people put together their words the way they do. Many times, in my head I find I articulate well. But when I write the words down, they don’t always sound the same way they did in my head. Does anyone else struggle with this? I’m thinking I’m not the only one. Or so I hope. But, I digress.

This post is about words.

Definitions. Synonyms. Words by themselves. Words strung together. I love words. Go figure that Words of Affirmation is my love language (if you don’t know what that means — check out the book Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Interesting insight into why and how people show love differently) and that I got my BA in Communications.

Words are a curious thing. How you say them, spell them, and use them can change what they mean. We have rules for these words and we take classes our entire school career to learn what those rules are. And yet, there’s still a variety of ways people string words together.

What makes us each use words differently?

I don’t think it’s a new phenomenon. Diary’s and journals have been around since the beginning of time. But most of those private musings never saw the light of day. However, with the internet explosion and the plethora of blogs out there, not to mention the ease of self-publishing, anyone can express themselves however they want and post it for others to read.

Some writers use big words that I have to mull over and think about before I can continue on, while others write in a way young kids can follow. Some use clever prose, others are straightforward. Some write very long sentences, while others write less. All. The. Time. I find I enjoy reading it all.

There are several types of books out there that play with words.

One book series titled, Short & Sweet, is a compilation of one page poems and stories all written in one syllable words. Each book has had a different theme.

Denise M. Colby's Poem Titled, "When God Calls", is on page 77 In this book, The Short and Sweet of It

I submitted a piece titled “When God Calls” to the third compilation, titled The Short & Sweet of It. When the Right Word is a Short Word.

The focus of this compilation were things that matter deeply to the authors and my piece is based on the Bible verse Matthew 11:28-30 —“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I wrote a short poem from my heart and I couldn’t be more excited as it’s my first published work.

The book launched in April 2018, and my piece is on page 77. It’s being sold on Amazonand Barnes and Noble .

Besides one syllable word books, there are more specialized books on words. If you are anything like me, you own more than one dictionary and thesaurus. At used book stores I like to look for unique and different types of dictionaries to use for references. Recently I learned about a new word. You may have heard it before, but it’s new to me. It’s called ‘Etymology’. At first I thought it was about body parts or an animal species. It’s not!

Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

Isn’t that awesome?!

Apparently, this has been a thing for quite some time. I looked on Amazon and there are numerous books on the subject (some of which are now on my wish list). As I researched further on the internet, I found a website dedicated to the topic, https://www.etymonline.com/.

For those of us who write historical, this might give us an entire new source of understanding how or why a character would use a word. My favorite part in the few words I tried out, is the listing of slang words.

For instance, I looked up the word farm. Besides an overview on the definition it lists two slang phrases:

Fetch the farm: prisoner slang for “get sent to the infirmary”

Buy the farm: world war II slang for “die in battle”.

Now, if I was writing a World War II piece or a Civil War piece, I might use one of these. But alas, I’m not. But, the next time I’m looking for a something more on a word, I’ll use this as a resource and see where it leads.

All in all, words are wonderful.

Especially when we use them to communicate to others. Whether it’s in a private letter, an article, a novel or a blog post, words are put together to read and enjoy.

Just like you read and enjoyed this post, right?

Blessings,

Denise

Writing

Time Flies When You Are Writing!

September 27, 2017December 8, 2019 Denise M. Colby

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last posted on this blog. Of course I haven’t been stagnant. Life keeps moving, or as the phrase suggests…time flies when you’re having fun. And I have been having fun. Both in my personal and professional life.

I’m still writing…

…I’m now writing a monthly blog over at www.sliceoforange.net. You can see my posts on the 12^th of every month. If you are interested you can sign up to receive the daily posts from a large group of authors. Here’s my September post: http://www.asliceoforange.net/face-your-fear/

…I attended the SoCal Christian Writers Conference in June and met some wonderful people within the industry. I also picked up new tips and information to help me on my journey, including some blogging lessons.

…I’ve taken two online classes over the past few months, both on editing and revisions, since that is what I am currently working on. I’ve learned a lot and am now applying those lessons to my manuscript.

…I rewrote the entire beginning of my book. I’ve learned so much since when I started that it was easier to rewrite it with new words and phrasing rather then continue to change what I had originally.

…I have a title for my first book that I’m completely happy with. I had been going round and round with a handful of them, but one stuck out I really liked and after asking a few publishers and agents, I’ve decided it’s the one (I’ll have to reveal it in another post).

…I have met a wonderful new author friend who is now my critique partner and together we’ve exchanged a few scenes and gotten to know each other. I’m really looking forward to working with her. I’ll have to introduce her in a future post.

…I’ve been revising and editing my first book and adding words to book number two. I can see my writing has improved tremendously, but it’s not quite where it needs to be. So I keep working at it.

…I have a logo my middle son designed and created for me. I need to finalize the last bit of detail before I put it on my website, but it’s been great working on it with him. I’m super excited to share it with you.

Wow….I really haven’t been stagnant. It feels good to write out what I’ve been doing. I can see the progress. Daily I don’t feel like I’ve done much because sometimes the progress is itty bitty, but all in all I can see the progression in my writing journey.

Looking ahead…

…I’m considering renaming this blog ‘my journal’ since that’s the style I have chosen to write in. I guess an official “blog” post is more instructive and has a call to action. Here I share my thoughts, feelings and encouragement as if I’m writing a diary entry.

Do you like this approach? I would love to hear your opinion.

…I hope to have revisions done by the end of the year for my first book. The process is slow, but as I apply things from my new tool box, I can see it taking shape.

And My Family Keeps Me Busy…

With three teenage boys in my house, there is never a dull moment. This year we have celebrated a high school graduation, an Eagle Scout, lead roles in musicals and plays, choir performances, track meets, dances, backpacking trips, college classes and lots of pizza movie nights (our weekly tradition) and so much more (including my 22^nd Anniversary to my amazing hubby). It seems daily I’m running somewhere, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I love my family dearly and enjoy watching them get to do what they love and cheering them on.

So there’s the fun I’ve had while my time has flown by. I encourage you to write out some of the things you’ve accomplished this year so far. I bet it’s more than you think.

And hopefully I won’t take as long before I post something again.

Blessings,

Denise

Faith, Hope, & Love

Where Is Your Confidence?

June 6, 2017December 8, 2019 Denise M. Colby

This morning I was reading in 2 Corinthians and the following verse made me stop and pause, so I wrote it down on my handy 3×5 index card for future reference:

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

I want to be a writer. Notice I said I want to, not I am.

I’ve only been writing things for over twenty years – either marketing copy or fiction stories. No matter which, the reality is I struggle with believing in myself. My takeaway from this verse is God’s telling me if I believe in him, I need to believe in myself.

After getting the kids off to school, I took a walk and the verse rattled around in my head. But for some reason the key word competence turned into the word confidence (I wonder who put that there?). As I mulled around thoughts about confidence, I knew I needed to come home and look up the word in the dictionary.

I love words. Definitions, synonyms – all of it. I also love seeing connections words have with other words. So here’s what the website http://www.dictionary.com says about

CONFIDENCE: full trust; belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance:

And I love the example they gave in a sentence: His lack of confidence defeated him.

Is my lack of confidence in my abilities as a writer defeating me?

I think about my writing and the nudges I have had over the past five years and I know without a doubt God wants me to do this, otherwise doors would’ve closed on me long ago. However I’m not fully doing what he wants me to do because I have not had the confidence to just do it.

I’ve been saying for a while now, I would like to write devotionals. I have this strong innate desire to share hope, encouragement and God’s Word with others. What I haven’t been sure about is the how and what. So I haven’t done it, period.

When I took my walk this am something clicked and I couldn’t wait to get back home because I needed to do this right now. God has confidence in me. He has given me the desire. He’s nudging me to do this. Why have I not done this? Why?

I’m afraid – that’s why. What am I so afraid of? Putting myself out there? Looking like an idiot? Is that confidence then? I know I’m not looking for accolades, not looking for stardom. I just want to write and share my heart. But I’ve been too scared to do that.

Then I saw the Synonyms for confidence – 1. faith, reliance, dependence.

And the Antonym – 1. mistrust.

Wow!

In a nutshell, my lack of confidence in myself (lack of faith) and the abilities God has given me (lack of faith, dependence) are holding me back from sharing something he wants me to share.

I’m not really trusting God then, am I? If I have faith, I should have confidence in what he’s asking me to do. And I need to depend on Him when I do it.

So here I am today. Writing a devotional and setting up a specific devotional page on my website. Only God knows what will happen. I just need to have the confidence to do it (already the nagging doubts are creeping in). I must rely on God with the rest.

But wait, there’s more. When I grabbed my Bible to write in the verse, I realized I made a mistake (was it really?) and the word was competence not confidence. Oh no! Do I scrap what I just wrote? Does it even relate? See maybe I shouldn’t be doing this after all. I paused for a moment then decided to look it up:

COMPETENCE: having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified:

And the Synonym: 1. fit, capable, proficient.

No antonym. Interesting. There is no negative/opposite of being competent. You either are or you are not. I may not be the best writer, but I know I am proficient. So what am I waiting for?

Then I looked at 2 Corinthians 3:4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.

If God has given you skills – you are capable to use them for his glory. You just need to have the confidence through Him to do it.

What abilities (competence) has God given you? Where do you put your confidence? In your own efforts, schedule, skills, voices in your head? Or do you trust God? Do you have the confidence to put yourself out there with whatever it is?

God has given us all skills. We are all competent in something. Being competent does not need to mean you are the best at something.

Being competent means you are proficient. You can get the job done.

We let our own voices tell us we are not competent because we think we need to be the best or someone does it better than us and we let it affect our confidence which in turn affects what we do.

Everyone’s path is different and God has one he wants you to follow. He has given you these skills for a reason. You just have to have confidence in Him that He is with you every step of the way.

God believes in you and I believe in you too!