Our year-long reading contest is coming to a close! Everyone needs to get their tallies in to me by June 30th.
We've had over 3,500 participants write in over the past year that they were participating, and we have WONDERFUL prizes - lots of great books donated from INCREDIBLE authors! Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this possible.
Remember to email through the site -
Your name, your address, total number of books read with title and author, total number of pages read, and if you read through the entire Bible in this past year. Am I missing anything?
Winners will be announced in July, (if all 3,500 of you send in sheets, it may take us awhile to sort through them all) and we will be sending out the prizes. My wonderful friend and assistant, Lori, will be having fun at the post office - that's for sure!
Thanks for being a part of the contest. I can't wait to hear from you!
Keep reading!!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Discipline
I posted this on our ACFWColorado blog this morning and thought I'd share it here:
Writing should be a discipline. How many of you look at it as such?
As I sit here at the pool for another long swim-team practice, I'm struck by that word - discipline. My kids are swimmers. We have practice six days a week, three hours a day. Then, we head to the YMCA and they swim for another hour or two. They are disciplined. Determined. Focused. When I was growing up, it was piano practice that took two to three hours of my day. My point? To excel at anything, you have to practice. It's a discipline.
I've met a lot of other writers since immersing myself in this world of an author. One thing I have noticed is how many "wannabe" writers - and even a few published writers - don't want to work at it. They want to be discovered, get published, become famous, and it all to happen overnight by osmosis. Because they have talent. They shouldn't have to work at it. They should just write and it be gloriously brilliant the first draft. I mean once you're published, you shouldn't need to attend classes at a conference, submit anything to critique partners, or work to polish your masterpiece. It's all about marketing, networking, and sales at that point. Right?
Ummm, that's a big fat NO.
You have to work at writing. You have to constantly be willing to learn. You have to practice the art of writing. It takes discipine. It takes diligence.
Just like one performance of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody takes hundreds of hours of practice at the piano, or one 100 meter Freestyle sprint in the Olympics takes swimming hundreds of thousands of meters - so one well-written manuscript should take work, practice, edits, and thousands of uses of the delete button.
Are you willing to practice? Are you willing to keep learning? Are you willing to be disciplined about this art and craft?
Don't get caught up in the old adage "practice makes perfect" - it isn't true. As I've told all my students over the years, "Practice doesn't make it perfect. Only perfect practice makes it perfect." If you are continually practicing the wrong way - it will never be perfect.
Be willing to stretch yourself. Be willing to learn. Be willing to grow. Be disciplined. Join a writing group like ACFW and surround yourself with others who will encourage you, hold you accountable, and help you along this writing road.
Write. Write. And write some more. Humble yourself and ask for direction, for help, for another set of eyes. And learn how to take constructive criticism.
Discipline. I'm learning even more about it from my kids. What an awesome way to learn.
Writing should be a discipline. How many of you look at it as such?
As I sit here at the pool for another long swim-team practice, I'm struck by that word - discipline. My kids are swimmers. We have practice six days a week, three hours a day. Then, we head to the YMCA and they swim for another hour or two. They are disciplined. Determined. Focused. When I was growing up, it was piano practice that took two to three hours of my day. My point? To excel at anything, you have to practice. It's a discipline.
I've met a lot of other writers since immersing myself in this world of an author. One thing I have noticed is how many "wannabe" writers - and even a few published writers - don't want to work at it. They want to be discovered, get published, become famous, and it all to happen overnight by osmosis. Because they have talent. They shouldn't have to work at it. They should just write and it be gloriously brilliant the first draft. I mean once you're published, you shouldn't need to attend classes at a conference, submit anything to critique partners, or work to polish your masterpiece. It's all about marketing, networking, and sales at that point. Right?
Ummm, that's a big fat NO.
You have to work at writing. You have to constantly be willing to learn. You have to practice the art of writing. It takes discipine. It takes diligence.
Just like one performance of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody takes hundreds of hours of practice at the piano, or one 100 meter Freestyle sprint in the Olympics takes swimming hundreds of thousands of meters - so one well-written manuscript should take work, practice, edits, and thousands of uses of the delete button.
Are you willing to practice? Are you willing to keep learning? Are you willing to be disciplined about this art and craft?
Don't get caught up in the old adage "practice makes perfect" - it isn't true. As I've told all my students over the years, "Practice doesn't make it perfect. Only perfect practice makes it perfect." If you are continually practicing the wrong way - it will never be perfect.
Be willing to stretch yourself. Be willing to learn. Be willing to grow. Be disciplined. Join a writing group like ACFW and surround yourself with others who will encourage you, hold you accountable, and help you along this writing road.
Write. Write. And write some more. Humble yourself and ask for direction, for help, for another set of eyes. And learn how to take constructive criticism.
Discipline. I'm learning even more about it from my kids. What an awesome way to learn.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The End is Drawing Near - Reading Contest
I've already received some of your lists, and others have asked how much longer they have to read. :) You guys are great!
I will accept entries until the last day of June. So read your little hearts out until then, just make sure I receive your entry by June 30.
Remember, keep track of number of books, pages, and your Bible reading.
It has been a great year - thank you all so much for sticking with me on this challenge! It has been a crazy year for us, and this grew bigger than I expected. I really had no idea how many people would enter, and what an inspiration it would be to so many to read! I may do another one soon (a shorter one since you guys are so incredibly amazing), so be watching!
Send me a note through the contact form on this site and I'll let you know how to turn in your totals.
Happy Reading!
Kim
I will accept entries until the last day of June. So read your little hearts out until then, just make sure I receive your entry by June 30.
Remember, keep track of number of books, pages, and your Bible reading.
It has been a great year - thank you all so much for sticking with me on this challenge! It has been a crazy year for us, and this grew bigger than I expected. I really had no idea how many people would enter, and what an inspiration it would be to so many to read! I may do another one soon (a shorter one since you guys are so incredibly amazing), so be watching!
Send me a note through the contact form on this site and I'll let you know how to turn in your totals.
Happy Reading!
Kim
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
SwimNetwork Article on Kayla
Visit Swimnetwork.com and click on the story, "More Than Just A Sport" to see a new article on Kayla.
USA Swimming is incredible and we so enjoy being a part.
USA Swimming is incredible and we so enjoy being a part.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Reading Contest!!
Okay, folks. We only have a few weeks left in our reading contest. Gather up all the titles and page numbers and keep a tally sheet to send to me. We have incredible, and I do mean, INCREDIBLE prizes.
If you have any questions or comments - post them soon, so that everyone is ready for the contest to end.
I'm so excited about how many people have entered this reading contest. Here is a link to some of the books that will be given away as prizes. With links to all the incredible authors' websites.
So check out the books and keep those pages turning. Time is running short!
Here is another reminder and more info.
Keep track of the title, author, and number of pages for the books that you read.
And ALL books count. If you are a pre-school teacher and read a stack of books each day to your students, they ALL count. Keep track of them! The non-fiction, self-help books that you read, Bible Study books, novels, books you read to your children, AND there will be a special prize for those who read through the entire Bible during our year-long contest!
There will be winners for:
Most Books Read
Most Pages Read
Most Variety of Authors Read
and those who read through the entire Bible AND one of the above.
And another big shout-out THANK YOU to all the amazing authors who donated prizes:
A.K. Arenz
Shirley Kiger Connolly
Mary Davis
Sharon Dunn
Laurie Alice Eakes
Tina Ann Forkner
Cynthia Hickey
Anita Higman
J.M. Hochstetler
Michelle Sutton
Nancy Jo Jenkins
Patti Lacy
Vickie McDonough
S. Dionne Moore
Trish Perry
Stacy Stallings
Camy Tang
Debra Ullrick
Looking forward to hearing about your reading experiences this year!
If you have any questions or comments - post them soon, so that everyone is ready for the contest to end.
I'm so excited about how many people have entered this reading contest. Here is a link to some of the books that will be given away as prizes. With links to all the incredible authors' websites.
So check out the books and keep those pages turning. Time is running short!
Here is another reminder and more info.
Keep track of the title, author, and number of pages for the books that you read.
And ALL books count. If you are a pre-school teacher and read a stack of books each day to your students, they ALL count. Keep track of them! The non-fiction, self-help books that you read, Bible Study books, novels, books you read to your children, AND there will be a special prize for those who read through the entire Bible during our year-long contest!
There will be winners for:
Most Books Read
Most Pages Read
Most Variety of Authors Read
and those who read through the entire Bible AND one of the above.
And another big shout-out THANK YOU to all the amazing authors who donated prizes:
A.K. Arenz
Shirley Kiger Connolly
Mary Davis
Sharon Dunn
Laurie Alice Eakes
Tina Ann Forkner
Cynthia Hickey
Anita Higman
J.M. Hochstetler
Michelle Sutton
Nancy Jo Jenkins
Patti Lacy
Vickie McDonough
S. Dionne Moore
Trish Perry
Stacy Stallings
Camy Tang
Debra Ullrick
Looking forward to hearing about your reading experiences this year!
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