GET OUT AND FINISH THAT NOVEL
I am writing a novel. Check that…I wrote a novel….hellooOOOoooo. I wound up this Turkish family in my book for 350 pages (the poor dears). Someone asked me the other night while we waited for a live comedy show to start, “So…how do you know when you’re finished?”
And I paused because it was a good question (and also because I thought I saw Lady Gaga in the crowd) and I gave the honest answer which swirled up in my gut: “I don’t feel finished. I feel like my characters are pausing mid-breath waiting for me to continue their story even though I put a period at the end and clicked save.” Read More
I AM AN AMISH ROMANCE COVER MODEL (AMISH)
This interview originally appeared on Jordan Jeffers’ blog and he has graciously let me re-post it here.
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a column for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency on Amish/Christian romance, “Ten Thousand Zombies in Bonnets.” I wrote at some length on the models who grace the covers of these books, idly wishing that someday I might have the chance to talk to one, ask her all the questions I have.
Today is that day. Through the magic of the Internet, Claire DeBerg, actual Amish romance cover model, has graciously agreed to answer some of my questions.
Let’s start off with the question that I’m sure we’re all thinking: Are you a zombie?
LOVE LETTER TO MY IDEAL CLIENT
When I’m in a rut surrounding my freelance work (and by rut I mean panic), I often think of writing a love letter to my ideal client. Love letter? That’s right…a letter professing the traits I appreciate, the awareness of the gifts clients bestow, and lists of gratitude for how they make me grow as a writer and business owner.
It is a worthwhile project for any number of situations where you might be at a loss for where to turn. In the past when I’ve written a love letter to my ideal partner or my ideal yearly income or my ideal living situation the single most important guide I can offer is to be specific.
Specificity helps you get clear about what you deeply want and seriously need. My own dear husband wrote a love letter to his ideal mate whilst a super single guy (and as a fun aside he was very specific about his ideal mate down to her height and hair color [both attributes of which I matched exactly]). Even when I was single I wrote A Manifesto for a New Man and I got serious about the man with whom I wanted to share life (notably, my dear husband also aligned perfectly). Read More
LEADERSHIP // OWN IT. WORK IT. SHARE IT. BE IT.
I wrote the below article for The Mennonite print magazine where it was published in May, 2014. It is also posted on their website here.
I finally accepted the markers of my leadership prowess this year. There has always been some way in which I experienced the groups around me spread away from me to make space for my leading. But instead of recognizing those experiences as affirmations of my gifts, I chose those moments to feel untouchable.
Here’s how it manifested for me as a little girl: I was welcomed as a guest into tight circles of friends but was not considered truly part of any solid group. I was no one’s best friend. Read More
Claire DeBerg // Writer 