“What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God” Hans Urs von Balthasar
In November, I had the honour of being interviewed by Erika Oley for the Surthrival Diaries Podcast, a podcast on overcoming loss and grief. Having read my blog post, “Miracles & Trauma,” I was invited to share more of my experience and testimony on Episode 6 of Season 1, “On Child Loss & Keeping Faith.”… Continue reading Podcast Interviews & More
Where do writers get their ideas? That’s a good question, one that varies from writer to writer. I’ve had ideas spring up from dreams, conversations, from reading novels, and all manner of sources. But how can you generate ideas when the well is dry? I was asking myself this today and decided to research the… Continue reading Novel Idea Generation—Tips & Tricks
Unsheathing my weapon, I sharpen it to a lethal point. Concealed beneath the squalor of an apocalyptic sky, I charge the front lines with calculated strokes, stripping my adversary of integrity. Years of practice have shaped my craft and refined my skill so that I hit my mark but draw no blood. “Hide that before… Continue reading “Weapons of War” A Short Story
I'm still here! I'm still writing! I've just been somewhat quiet lately. My fiction WIP is at a stand still due to unresolved plot holes but I've been writing Christian articles and Physical Wellness pieces to keep my writing muscles toned, despite my novel's sad lack of progress. In any case I wanted to check… Continue reading Where’s Waldo?
In honour of #WriteYourHeartOutWednesday I'm sharing another sneak peek of my debut novel, "Straddling the Void." The dog park scene is written from the perspective of the female lead and Kyle's love interest, Charlie. Sharing the scene is her former friend, the menacing loose-canon, "Butch." Leave a comment, I'd love to know what you think!… Continue reading “The Dog Park” — An Excerpt
The poetic telling of "Tristan" is dark and tragic, written in iambic pentameter. I wonder about this man, this Tristan, and what might have happened to him before this "scene" of the poem. Poor Tristan. I hope you enjoy but, be warned, it is of a darker nature. And as a fun, free, goodie, I've… Continue reading “Tristan” a Poem — (and a novel excerpt)
Jodie pulled my blue lifejacket from the back of the minivan and handed it to me. “Do you have the map?” she asked, a hint of panic edging into her voice. “Don’t worry, I’ve been planning this trip for over a hundred years.” The sarcastic exaggeration might have been much, but it was ridiculous to think we could get lost canoeing around the shores of… Continue reading “Be At Peace” A Short Story
It's Write Your Heart Out Wednesday, the day I take a break from my novel WIP (work-in-progress), the day I also encourage YOU to write, write, WRITE your HEART out ❤ This Wednesday's contribution, an original poem, "Losing Me," was somewhat of a creative stretch on my part since poetry is by no means my… Continue reading Wednesday Writing Goodies
This morning, I was most pleasantly surprised by an email announcing that my short story, "Hidden, I Hide," has made it to the TOP 50 of the "Wingless Dreamer Literary Contest" 2019!!! My deepest thanks to my followers, mentors and fellow writers for your encouragent and inspiration. Thank you, most especially to writer Ruchi Acharya… Continue reading Exciting News!!!
For some reason, I can read every plot structure and outlining book and article, listen to a hoard of audiobooks, YouTube videos and classes, yet somehow outlining remains a challenge for me. My inner novelist has a natural grasp of plot structure and I've been able to "pants" (write a novel without plotting, by the… Continue reading Novel Outline Cheat Sheet AND Novel Excerpt
Vanessa Marie Caron, Author 