Ok, I admit it.  It’s been rough posting a chapter a week.  And it’s only been three weeks!

Not only do I want everything to be perfect, I also have these sweet little boys who want every ounce of my attention every second of the day.

But, how do I write a chapter a week and still maintain a semblance of a balanced lifestyle?

Well, I’m so glad you asked!  :)

First, a little background.

God nudged me to write Wisdom and Folly while I was praying for direction for my website.

I already had a few chapters, a rough outline, and a massive brainstorm going, but all of those got put aside while I pursued writing other books of mine.

My first thought was, “Absolutely.  Yes!  Excellent idea, God!” followed closely by “But someone might steal my idea!  I want a traditional publisher.  I want to get paid eventually!”

But, of course, God knows exactly what He’s talking about.

So this is my leap of faith.

My Process

First of all, most of my writing gets done after my little ones are in bed, so that only leaves a couple of hours four or five nights a week for writing.

Second, my family is my number one priority after God.  Which means I have to get enough sleep so I’m not a bear (or a zombie) the next day.

That cuts into my writing time just a wee bit.  It would be SO much easier if I just didn’t need sleep!

I have to schedule, organize, and create time to write, or it just ain’t gonna get done.

Here is my schedule for writing one chapter a week.

• Saturday:  Brainstorm and Rough Outline.
• Sunday:  I post to my blog on this day, so not much else gets done.
• Monday:  Write, write, write.  Anything, everything–I can’t edit something I haven’t written!
• Tuesday:  Light edit; fill in any gaps.  Write down new ideas or changes.  Edit some more.
• Wednesday:  This is the day, after heavy editing, I try to get someone else to read it.
• Thursday:  After the kids are in bed, I do a final read over, my husband reads it, then I post it between 10pm and midnight.
• Friday:  I take a BREAK!  It’s a lot of work to get something ready for public viewing!  :)

So there you have it!  My trial and error process for writing and posting one chapter per week.

I’m having a blast using this precious gift God gave me!

To HIM be all the glory!

In Him,

Michele

Oh yes, one more thing.  Images.

One of the things I have read while studying about creating a blog is the importance of vibrant, come-alive images.

I found these angel pictures while searching Google, and I’ve searched and searched and searched for the original artist.

I finally sent them to IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) to, #1, find the artist and, #2, ask their legal department about copyright laws.

I was directed to post “Unidentified Artist” or link back to the source of the image.

I choose not to link back to the free wallpaper sites due to some rather, ahem, unsavory other images.

(But I have those on file in case you want to know where I got them!)

Right now I am reaching out to several artists to showcase their work on my site in exchange for whatever publicity I can bring them.

I am praying this works out, because I would much rather give someone credit for these gorgeous paintings.

So, if you happen to come across the original artist of these incredible works, please let me know right away!

P.S.  I have since found the artist of my original Chapter Three header, and have not yet received her permission to use her artwork due to some insane difficulty of being able to contact her.  I’ve changed the headers on this post and on Chapter Three of my Wisdom and Folly story, but I simply cannot wait to be able to speak with her.  The picture of the angel looking over her shoulder is most definitely my favorite so far!  Until then, enjoy my own personal photographs, or the many samplings of the incredible artists who have given their permission from deviantART.  God bless!

Hugs!