I hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. You might wonder what that has to do with writing. Well, not much. All I can say is that the 20 years I spent in nursing gave me plenty of fodder for stories. That’s why when I started my writing career I felt intimidated. I expected my writing…
I still remember the spring day years ago when I pulled up to the equestrian center where we boarded our flashy Belgian Draft horse. My two daughters scrambled out of the car and rushed to their riding lesson. The girls rode Hunter Jumper, complete with an English saddle, tight breeches and tall black boots. I…
The first time I heard Larry Parman, an attorney specializing in estate planning speak at a conference, I knew I would use him. Even though he asked questions that made me squirm. “If something were to happen to you, could your children afford to bury you?” “Ummm…well…the truth is that they couldn’t even afford to…
My 10-year-old granddaughter Haiden spent the weekend with me not long ago. She had disobeyed her mother. It wasn’t a small thing. While the rest of her family and the next door neighbor’s family left for a planned trip to the lake to swim and ride jet skis, Haiden had been dropped off at my…
If you’re a sports fan, you may recognize the name Ted Winsley. He’s best known as the chaplain for the Philadelphia Eagles. His Super Bowl ring testifies to his great success at motivating players. Pastor Ted also leads The Family Church in Voorhees, New Jersey. While interviewing him for his new book, View From the…
In July 1961, Vince Lombardi stood before the Green Bay Packers football team on the first day of the summer training camp. He looked at the 38 athletes who only months before had come within minutes of winning the highest prize in football. They weren’t slackers. They were among the best athletes in the NFL….
I pulled onto the Turner Turnpike and merged with traffic heading from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. Beside me, Cheri Fuller writhed in guilt. “I shouldn’t be going! Melanie, why are we going to this conference? What good will it do us?” Those were valid questions, but I didn’t pretend to have the answers. I’d never…
I attended a national writer’s conference a few years ago and crowded into a packed audience to hear one of the top editors in the industry. “By the way,” she said during her fascinating lecture, “if you send me a manuscript with an adverb in it, let me explain what will happen. I will pull…
Have you ever written a fabulous scene, section or chapter that made you feel like you should win the Pulitzer Prize? Oh, admit it. I’m talking about those times when your writing seems to soar. The descriptive detail is so vivid you feel like you’ve stepped into the story. The dialogue and quirky and interesting—not…
I took a circuitous route to my writing career. A registered nurse, I worked as the clinical supervisor of the coronary care unit and the assistant clinical supervisor of the intensive care tower at Baptist Integris in Oklahoma City. My life revolved around live and death decisions every day. I could almost smell the spirit…