Building the Site

I’m coming up on a year of having the Redemptive Wordcraft website out there in the ether, and I believe it is time for me to develop some content here. Honestly, I find this quite daunting. This is not my first blog, my first domain, my first web presence. But this is something new and different, and I’m just not quite sure how it’s all going to work, just yet. Please be patient with me! 🙂

I’m preparing a few series of various types, which I will launch soon. I will also be introducing some of my favorite writer friends and their books. But first, let me explain a little bit about why I’m building this site, and what I hope to accomplish here.

As you can see on my “About” page, I’ve been writing fiction for about 6 years, and freelance editing for three. I write both fiction and non-fiction, edit both fiction and non-fiction, but my heart truly belongs to story. I love stories. I love reading them, watching them, hearing them, living them, and creating them. I can find elements of stories in almost anything, and sometimes, I even create stories in my mind to be able to manage the non-fiction side of things. I need narrative to make sense of the world around me. And I believe that is an innate need of humankind, placed there by our Creator, who is Himself the master Storyteller.

I was working a full-time job, about 60-80 hours per week when I began writing my first book. I had dabbled with a couple of personal blogs, newsletters, and contributions to things like church devotional publications for years. But one night, I was lying in bed, thinking about something I had read in a non-fiction book. A story began to weave itself in my mind as I imagined what this might look like in another world, governed by other rules than ours. I fell asleep thinking of this story. The next day, it was still with me, and I began to document it and imagine more about the characters and their lives. This became, over a couple of months, my first manuscript.

In the process of educating myself about my new hobby, I found a soul connection to the art of writing, and to those who practice it. I found my tribe. My People. And I felt the tug of a calling on my life, one that had been with me since childhood, but was truly awakening for the first time. Fast forward a few years, and here I am, established in my writing communities, working as a freelance editor, and pursuing the completion of 8 manuscript projects. You read that right. I have EIGHT different manuscripts in various stages of development, and stacks of potential projects simmering away in the back of my brain.

My goal for the last few years has been to be in the process of being published by the time I turn forty. I am working hard to finish up a couple of editing projects for clients, and finalize manuscripts of my own. Four of my books are close to completion, and I’m working diligently to prepare three of them for proposals, pitches, and submissions by this summer. (Any prayers you would like to offer on my behalf would be much appreciated!)

I spent a good deal of thought a couple of years ago on my tag line. Over the course of several weeks, and with the assistance of friends, family, and other writers, I settled on a common thread I found in all my writing projects, both fiction and non-fiction. Redemption. This thread became Redemptive Wordcraft for Warriors of All Realms© , and appeared for the first time on my business cards in 2016. I was advised at the time, by an industry professional I highly respect, to reserve that domain immediately, and to eventually make Redemptive Wordcraft my website.

As I prepare to formally launch my career as a writer with my first published novel, I feel more and more need to consolidate my writing web presence in a professional manner. So here it is. RedemptiveWordcraft.com is the online home for my writing and editing. Welcome!