I have a thing for words pounded out, a mallet to metal spreading sky like a bowl for stars. What is the creative life but this brush with infinity? One more keystroke at the end of the page, edge of the formless void, the yet wordless place, and a new page springs from possibility to reality.

We are meant to be little makers…but for that red pen slashing, gashing, bleeding to death worthy words, even the Word that spoke heart into the dark, poetry humming over the surface of the deep. Still, the pounded out sky shows His handiwork. He takes the beating and whispers back, ā€œLook what I am making.ā€

Waking in the dark from quicksand dreams, scurrying to be all that is asked of me, Iā€™m pounded out to thin places. I feel wordless. But woman is meant to be curved, atmosphere rounded from equator to poles, His handiwork cupped to hold glory. I listen for the next word.

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Iā€™m linking up with Influence today, conversing with friends in anticipation of our in real life meet up this October.

A few things about me:

  • I write slow, a phrase or two then lots of space for thought and sipping tea between. This is the same way I go about cleaning my house, which means I live up to Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote: “The only advantage in not being too good a housekeeper is that your guests are so pleased to feel how very much better they are.”
  • Iā€™m an INFP…a sociable introvert and big time idealist constantly stubbing my toe on reality.
  • My family is full of writers of both the professional and hobby variety. My husband is a writer and literary agent who represents an amazing line-up of authors. Itā€™s a thrill to work with words together…from brainstorming titles and book ideas to editing manuscripts.

What Iā€™m looking forward to at Influence:

  • I canā€™t wait to catch up with blogger friends from my town, meet some amazing ladies that I already follow online and make some connections with new friends, like-minded writers at the same stage in blogging.
  • Most parts of my creative life stem from my love for words: songwriting, print design, and even blogging. I started Message in a Mason Jar as a place to practice my craft with accountability to write more consistently, as well as a way to interact with friends in the blogging world where Iā€™ve been an avid reader. So, you can probably guess that Iā€™m most excited about Influence’s writing workshop (led by Amber Haines) where Iā€™ll get to meet and work with fellow wordsmiths.

What I donā€™t leave home without:

  • If I had to choose between taking along my Moleskine or my iPhone, Iā€™d pick my Moleskine. It’s less distracting, more tangible. I like to see in real indentations of pen or pencil the scribbles of whatā€™s planned for my days or how my days have gone. When an idea hits me or the kids say something quotable, I jot it down in the corner of a page so I can flip through later and remember.