Last week I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For three intense days, I basked in the wisdom and wit of writers/speakers such as Bret Lott, James McBride, Anne Lamott, Richard Foster, and Rachel Held Evans. I scribbled pages of notes on subjects like Writing as Lament, The Importance of Precision, The Humiliation of the Word in Our Day, and All the Work a Metaphor Can Do. I also collected a handful of quippy quotes. Here are a few of my favs:

“All good writing is about pushing into the bruise.” –Pam Houston

“Anyone wishing to save humanity today must first of all save the word.” –Jacques Ellul

“You should always be trying to write a poem that you are not able to write.” –Philip Levine

“My writing process? I start with animal crackers and then move on to more complex carbohydrates.” –Rachel Held Evans

And as if all that wasn’t wonderful enough, I also had the opportunity to meet with acquisition editors from two publishers. Both of them are interested in presenting the This Odd House book proposal to their publishing teams for review. Both of them expressed an appreciation for the subject matter and the writing. But both of them also agreed on this…that I need to scale back my posting of book content on the blog.

I am excited, of course, and nervous. But I’m also just a tiny bit sad. I have so enjoyed and appreciated all of the immediate feedback I’ve received on each chapter of the manuscript. You motivate me and encourage me and keep me honest. I will miss sharing every word with you.

But. Never Fear. I have a plan.

From here on out, I will continue to post a portion of each chapter each week. I’ll probably mix that up with some other ramblings about what the Worralls are up to right now. What we’re working through and wrestling with and thinking about. Undoubtedly, some kiddo cuteness will find its way in as well. I hope you’ll continue to visit this space and interact with what you find. And I will continue to pray that our footprints in the mud and the muck will in some way provide comfort and companionship and hope.

May I also ask for your help?

The biggest hurdle to getting This Odd House published is the fact that my blog is new and I don’t have a huge platform. So at this stage every “follow” and every “share” counts. If you feel so inclined, please spread the word.

Thank you so much. Your prayers are appreciated. And I’ll keep you posted.