A Writer's Pen

     Due to home improvement projects and general busyness, I haven't had the time to keep to the regular posting schedule. This will hopefully be cleared up soon!     Welcome back! I recently shared that my sister, Emily, had completed the sequel to Memory Lane Was Moved as well as launched an author website !       I'm happy to announce that the sequel, entitled "The Journal is Important" has been released on Amazon and can be purchased for Kindle! (paperback copies will be available shortly)      When Travis, an eleven-year-old with amnesia, recognizes a man from the park, he is faced with an urgent decision. The man introduces himself as Fletcher, one of Travis’ oldest friends, and reveals some exciting news: Travis’ parents have been spotted nearby. All Travis has to do is help Fletcher formulate a plan to coax them out of hiding, and they will be reunited.      However, Lewis, a fourteen-year-old guitar pl...

     At about this time last year, I shared with you the exciting news that my sister had published her first book !       Memory Lane Was Moved  ( available in both Kindle and paperback) follows Travis, an eleven-year-old boy with amnesia, as he embarks on an adventure to find answers about his past and stop an international security threat.      I am delighted to announce that Emily has written an all-new sequel  to Memory Lane Was Moved releasing on August 15th! She has also recently launched a website and is looking to grow her mailing list; click here to check it out!      Though the title and further details of the second book in the Memory Lane Series are yet disclosed, subscribers to her mailing list will receive  exclusive information  and  exciting opportunities !     If you have any questions or comments, please post them in the comments below!     ...

    Merry Christmas! This is the time of year when we take a wintry December day to remember the birth of our Saviour. “For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,     and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ESV      Many choose to simply end the story at the manger, but, in doing so, they leave out the whole purpose of the Christmas story! I would like you to not only remember the birth of our Saviour, but also the reason for which he was born. Christ came to take our place and give his life so that we may be saved. We deserve nothing, we are nothing, and we can do nothing, and yet: "God, being rich in mercy,  because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses,  made us alive together with Christ--by grace you ha...

     Greetings! Though yesterday was the regular posting day, I choose to move it slightly, just this once, because today marks 200 days since the first post of A Writer's Pen! It's hard for me to believe that it's been that long!      On this monumental day, I'd like to ask you a question.... What could improve A Writer's Pen? I want your feedback! It's my wish that this blog would encourage and teach other writers , and you can help me know how to achieve that goal by filling out a survey. This survey will only take about 5-7 minutes of your time, and it could make a big difference! Do you have any suggestions, opinions, observations, or problems that you'd like fixed? I'd love to hear it all!     Click here to take the survey; I'd really appreciate it!       ( This survey is to be long-term; I will be leaving the link to it in the sidebar of this blog so that any future readers can also have the chance to fill i...

     Remember, you only have three days left to enter the flash fiction contest! Keep those words coming! See this post to review the guidelines for the contest.      I still have a lot more room for more entries, so be sure to give it a go! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.      Entries will be accepted until 11:59PM on Sunday, August 16th . The winner and Honorable Mention will be announced on Thursday, August 20th .      Have a great week!      ~Madelyn            Want to know a secret? Shhhh... There is going to be a special post on Saturday concerning my sister's book ,  Memory Lane Was Moved . I'll see you then!       

 Greetings, followers of A Writer's Pen! I have a special announcement for all you book readers. My sister, Emily, is about to publish her first book on Amazon! It will be free on Kindle for the first five days after its release. The publication date is not yet decided, but it will for sure be released before August 15th. When it is published, I will supply the link to it on this blog. Here's the description for Memory Lane Was Moved : When eleven-year-old Travis wakes up in a strange room with no memory, he embarks on an adventure of a lifetime. Teaming up with Sadie and her older brother Robert, Travis uncovers his past with surprising results. He encounters Larry (a mysterious man who appears to have known Travis before) and Lewis, an undersized fourteen-year-old who gets swept along into the adventure as well.  Soon, Travis discovers that this whole thing is much bigger than he had at first realized. An elusive company called SCAM has been plannin...

     Over the years, many great writers have risen to fame for their beloved works. J. R. R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, C. S. Lewis, and all those other masterful wielders of the pen. We all have heard those names, and many of us may have curled up with one of their books affixed our hand. Their knowledge of the art of writing is admirable, even to those who haven't attempted it themselves. Let us take some time now to look at words of wisdom that flowed from their heart to their pen.  “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."  -Mark Twain “Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you.”  -H. Jackson Brown Jr. "The more work you put in on your outline and getting the skeleton of your story right, the easier the process is later."  -Drew Goddard "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but be...

     Bonjour! Good day!      Here we are, the very first post of A Writer's Pen. If all goes to plan, I will be posting here every Monday (Update: this has since switched to every other Thursday) . My hope for this blog is that I will be able to help and encourage other writers through their courageous venture through the exhilarating (and at times, quite grueling) process of picking up the pen!      They say that " The pen is mightier than the sword" . And I'm sure anyone who has wielded one will agree that, at times, it certainly feels as heavy as a sword! Many of us may remember beginning to feel that first spark of a writer inside of us. For most, it was fanned by a passionate love of reading. But once you picked up that pen (or, let's be honest, opened that laptop) then, bam . Just like that. Gone is the idea of carelessly writing out half a dozen chapters without pause. In place of that is the knowledge of the painsta...