All New

Thanks to some great ladies at ACFW I have a new look to my blog. I just had to ask for advise and they shared some great information. I hope you continue to stop by as the blog is updated. With most of the work done on this site, I am turning my concentration to the proposal for my novel. I ask for prayer as I pursue my dream.

I'd like to hear from you. What do you enjoy reading?

A Process

As I prepare to write a proposal for my novel, I find that I need a web presence. I am transforming my blog, After 50, into Penny Frost McGinnis, Writing to Encourage and Entertain. Thanks to my daughter, photographer, Maggie Wickline for the beautiful photo of pure encouragement.

My plan is to continue this work in progress as I prepare my proposal. With some prayer and hope, the two will work together.

Now-I have a question for you:
What do you like to read?

Am I There Yet?

Almost there. I've finished edits on my novel and now I just need to get them into the computer, wait for my critic partners thoughts, edit a bit more, write up the proposal, send that to agents and then...wait.

For over two years, God and I have worked to create a story that hopefully touches the lives of the readers. I never imagined how overwhelming writing a book might be. One thing I've learned is to let go. I could edit forever. Tweak, tweak, tweak could be my motto. But instead, I have to turn the chapters over to God and ask what he wants and stop when he says, that's it.

As I attempt to finish the writing, I pray that God continues to walk beside me as I work on the proposal.
Now-I better get back to the story. Can't wait to write THE END!

Happy Birthday!

I can now officially eat off of the 55+ menus at Frisches and Bob Evans. I am closer to 60 than 50. I am closer to retirement than than I was :) I am wiser (I hope), more confident (I think) and closer to heaven (I'm sure). Getting older just means I've wracked up more experiences to draw from, met more interesting people and lived more life.

I've set a goal as I turned 55. To finish the novel I'm writing and get it published before I hit 60. So here I go-on to the next great wave.

Happy Birthday!

Mayberry's Andy

Rarely does a character crawl into the imagination and linger for a lifetime.

Last week, we lost a television icon. One who enriched my life with wisdom and humor. Andy Griffith lived a long life that he shared with the world. As Opie's dad he taught us how to parent, as Barney's friend, he showed us to be accepting and tolerant, as Mayberry's town sheriff he taught fairness and compassion. The one thing I loved most about Andy and his friends was that I could invite them into my living room and enjoy the camaraderie no matter how my day unfolded. They added a bright spot and made me laugh. I'll not long forget the funny stories and even the little white lies Andy told to make everything work out.

So I say thanks to the writers who inspired the show and the warmth that still exudes from every episode. Thanks to Andy for giving us a character enveloped in goodness. While his loved ones will miss him, he lives on in the hearts of his fans and the reruns that will hopefully continue to roll on in to a new generation.

Technology

I've often said, that I love technology as long as it works. At my job, I spend most of my time in some sort of software program. I use the software for the catalog. I make purchases on Amazon, and search academic databases as well as Google. 


Then I get home and practically live in Microsoft Word when I'm writing a devotion or story. Word has these wonderful tools that help me write with more accuracy and less mistakes. That is, as long as I use the tools properly.  I can use "find and replace" to search for a word or phrase and replace it with another word or phrase. That sounds nice and easy, until I accidentally ask it to replace every occurrence of the main characters name, Willow,  with the word "She". Yes, I did that. I replaced Willow's name with "She" throughout the entire 200+ page novel. And I hit save instead of reverse. 


You guessed it. I had to go through the entire document and find every place that should say Willow instead of "She". I think the funniest one I found was her niece calling to her "Aunt She, Aunt She!". 


Instead of getting grumpy and  frustrated, I took my mistake in stride and saw it as one more way to reread and revise my book. I'll know soon enough if I found them all. I just finished editing chapter seven for hopefully the last time. Just 19 or 20 more chapters to go. 


That seems like an eternal job, but for someone over fifty who's lived to tell about it, it's just a drop in the bucket.


What crazy computer mistakes have you made?

The Joy of Camaraderie

This week I met some lovely ladies who also write. I attended my first cluster meeting of the ACFW in Ohio. We ate lunch-food is always a plus, and Patty fed us drum sticks-good chocolate ones. Once our appetites were satisfied, the group moved the discussion to our stories. All of us write some genre of fiction. The ladies represented women's fiction, suspense, fantasy, apocalyptic, and children's fiction. Quite a variety with one purpose in mind. We all write for God. He's led us to our stories, and he works through our words.

What a joy to meet with other writers who strive to do their best and give their all. I appreciated the encouragement and the camaraderie. Best of all, I got to put faces with names. I'd had the privilege of meeting some of these fine ladies online. Now I can picture them typing their words and telling their stories. I have been blessed with one more connection to the writing world.