Writing – Christine Smith

2024 in Review // Stories, Writing, Life, & Lessons

Post published:December 10, 2024
Post category:Encouragement Fangirling Life Reading
Post comments:8 Comments

2024. What a year it's been. I cannot claim it's been my favorite year. There have been a lot of hardships in these almost 12 months. But goodness has there been so much growth and blessings in all of it. The countdown to the end of 2024 is upon us, and as we're rapidly reaching 2025, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the year. This year was one of stretching. Of finding contentment in the hardships, seeking peace in the storms, and being brave in each day. I cannot claim to have handled it all with grace and…

Know the Novel: Part 3 // Unwind the Shadows

Post published:December 4, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:2 Comments

Hello, friends! It's December which means it's time to dive into the LAST Know the Novel for the year! Technically, I've not added a single word to Unwind the Shadows since I reached my FicFrenzy goal and hit 100k words in the second week of November. My hope is to return to it in January and get this monster of a story fully drafted next year. BUT. It was a wild time getting as far as I did, so I'm here to reflect on all things Fall FicFrenzy 2024! Snag the questions for the tag HERE! UNWIND THE SHADOWS How…

Know the Novel: Part 2 // Writing Unwind the Shadows

Post published:November 13, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:6 Comments

Hey, hey, friends! I'm emerging from my frenzied writing fog to give an update on how my FicFrenzy novel has been going! Whew! It really has been a frenzied few weeks of writing. And I can't believe the event ends FRIDAY! But it's been such a joy gathering with my FicFriends and supporting each other as we make progress on our WIPs. Today I'm joining in on my Know the Novel tag to give a little peek on the chaos that has been my FicFrenzy! Grab the tag yourself HERE! THE WRITING OFUNWIND THE SHADOWS How’s the writing going overall?…

Know the Novel: Part 1 // Introducing Unwind the Shadows

Post published:October 10, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:14 Comments

Fall's FicFrenzy is nearly upon us! Soon I'll be taking advantage of the motivation fall always brings me to type madly away at a new project! Sooo today I'm answering the Know the Novel prompts to introduce you all to the thing that may or may not turn me into a hermit for a month. I'm so excited, guys. Last year, I didn't heavily join in on Fall's FicFrenzy due to life and health and other priorities taking precedence, which is perfectly fine. But boy, do I miss the mad rush of immersing in a first draft for the entirety…

I live! // An Update, Know the Novel, & FicFrenzy

Post published:September 3, 2024
Post category:Life Writing
Post comments:20 Comments

Hey, friends! I do in fact LIVE. And I'm poking my head in from my hiatus for a little life update and to announce some exciting upcoming things. Whew. It's been quite the past couple of months. In my last post, I mentioned that I needed mitral valve replacement surgery. I am very happy to say that is over and done with! I had surgery on July 19th and have been recovering ever since. It wasn't all smooth sailing, but God was so good through it all. Strangely, the surgery itself was the easy part. I felt so much peace…

Mid-Year Update // Seasons, Rest, Surgery, and A Hiatus Notice

Post published:July 16, 2024
Post category:Life
Post comments:9 Comments

Happy July, friends! I am a bit (read: a lot) in shock that we are here at the halfway point of the year. But this seems like the perfect time to reflect on the year thus far and share some updates. 2024. Goodness, it is blazing by. So far it's been both a lovely year and a stressful one, but that's one thing I've been learning through this year: the most beautiful things are found in the hardships. So what has 2024 looked like thus far? It's been a creative one. After a writing break in December, my two co-writers…

Storytelling is Worth Fighting For

Post published:June 11, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:14 Comments

Stories—one of the most impacting creations we've been gifted on this earth. Stories have been changing lives and shaping the world since the creation of time. Stories are powerful. And it is such a privilege to tell them. But sometimes (many times) it's not always easy... The writing community is swarming with memes about the struggles of the writing life, with jokes about how we'd rather move to Antarctica to raise penguins than make progress on our WIPs, with endless conversations about how hard writing it is. Because it is. Writing is hard. It takes so much energy, so much…

Hello 2024 // Living Boldly

Post published:January 15, 2024
Post category:Life
Post comments:14 Comments

A most happy 2024!!! We've accomplished another year and have a brand new one with all manner of journeys ahead. That can be a little scary, definitely overwhelming, but also so very, very exciting. I will be honest, I didn't have the easiest December. Some deep insecurities that have been slowly rising to the surface burst out at the most inopportune time, life got stressful, and I struggled with one of the worst cases of creative block I've ever experienced. This eternal optimist who usually looks to the future with hope was having severe difficulty getting excited about anything. My…

2023 in Review // My Favorite Things, Writing Highlights, & Growth

Post published:December 4, 2023
Post category:Encouragement Fangirling Life Reading Writing
Post comments:9 Comments

2023—a year of unexpected blessings and reaching for new dreams and mourning losses and praising God for renewal and failing and learning and so very much growing. It was a year of life. And though some (read: many) days were hard, there were blessings in it all, and I am grateful for each day given. Somehow we have reached the final stretch of 2023 and I'm looking over at March like, "Weren't you just here?" But my word chosen to live by for 2023 was PRESENT. I tend to fly through my days, always looking ahead and never stopping to…

My FicFrenzy Plans

Post published:October 13, 2023
Post category:Writing
Post comments:4 Comments

FicFrenzy starts in TWO DAYS. I cannot believe it's been a full year since I launched this writing challenge. I am so excited to settle in with my FicFriends again and get some good writing in. But this year's FicFrenzy and in general fall writing for me may look a tad different. Before I launched the Fiction Frenzy Writing Challenge last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo every single year for 12 years straight. I got a smidge...obsessed. BUT. The joy of NaNoWriMo and then FicFrenzy is that it pushed me to get a full book drafted in one go. I…