I found these questions somewhere online. I'm sorry I don't remember where, nor do I remember if I added any of my own. :-)
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Do you write better at a specific time of day?
That's hard to say. I'm not sure there's a time I write better, but I do have the unfortunate tendency to start writing too late in the afternoon or evening and then end up writing too late. This isn't good for my health. Sigh.
What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?
I struggle with self-doubt about my writing skills quite a bit. I also get discouraged about whether I'm doing anything useful.
How much time do you spend writing?
This year, not as much as I should. I have been gradually getting back to feeling like writing just lately, but I had a rather long spell of not feeling motivated to write much. I realize now that this was probably largely due to the stress we were going through dealing with my mom's dementia and failing health.
What is your favorite type of writing?
At present I have been enjoying the epistolary form of writing - the new category at the web page: "Letters to My Friend".
When did you know you were a writer?
Strange to say, I didn't really know it for a long time. I was at least in my late twenties or thirties, I think, before I thought of myself as a writer. This despite the fact that I loved writing before I even knew how to read!
How did you first get into writing?
One of my earliest memories is one of my mom writing a letter at our picnic table in Ethiopia with 3 or 4 year-old me sitting next to her making marks on a piece of paper. I was "writing a letter" to Gramma Hoover. I never lost the love or fascination for writing. For years it was focused on letter writing and school work, then the occasional poem, diaries and Bible study journals. Later it moved into writing articles for the web page.
Who was the first person to take note of your writing skill?
My fourth grade teacher, Woody Fridae.
How did you get into writing/editing an online journal?
My dad had started a web page for the purpose of ministry and he suggested that I start a section for women. This is the reason we chose the name "The Home Maker's Corer". It was originally a "corner" of his much larger web site. When I married my husband, Peter, he wanted it to be a separate web page of its own, so we separated it and got my own URL and compiling program.
How did you get into blogging?
After we got married in 2008 my husband suggested a blog as something to along side the web page. Coming up with a name was a bit difficult at the time, but we settled on "The Cotton Apron" because I wore cotton aprons a lot. Still do some. I believe I started it in February of 2009.
What writing skills would you like to add to your skill set?
I would like to write edifying fiction.
What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
Starting. Once I really get started, I can usually keep writing. It's the starting that hinders me the most.
What aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?
I think that would be the sense of satisfaction that I was able to get into words something that was on my heart that I wanted to convey to help people, and then to know that it did help someone in the Lord. That is sweet and such a blessing to me personally.
What motivates you to keep writing?
The desire to help lift others' loads and to teach. To help my sisters in Christ look to God's word for their answers to life's questions. To pass on some of the things that God had taught me. 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. I have been given so much, and I know the Lord doesn't mean for me to keep it all to myself. Plus, I just have to write. Even if it never makes it into print, I write and have conversations in my head constantly - c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y!
How has writing made a difference in your life?
It has expanded my view of the world and life. It has forced me to work on my own spiritual needs and life struggles. It has perhaps given me a different view of scripture sometimes as I read it. It has made me more aware of may issues that women are dealing with in the world and church today.
When you are in ministry to others often times the Lord will let you experience a lot of things so that you can help others, or perhaps you just become more aware of how your life experiences can help others. This can give you a sense of the importance of not letting things go to waste, so to speak. Sometimes it is an attainable goal, and sometimes it is not. Some things are too hard to write about yet, but when you have a desire to help others, you will often times find that at some point the Lord will require you to write about things you never wanted to write about. This is hard. It strips away a lot of pretense. It can be quite painful at times, but it can also be cathartic.
Another, though less interesting, difference that writing makes in my life is that when I get to writing sometimes chores that needed to be done get delayed or missed. Sigh. Tonight the dishwasher did not get run as it should have.
Do you have any professional help with writing?
No. I have watched some YouTube videos by writers and editors that have been helpful to me, but so far I haven't sought out professional help. My husband proofreads for me often, but we both miss things, as you may notice.
Have you taken any courses on writing?
I took a creative writing course at the college level right after high school (maybe I did secretly know I was a writer? but I didn't have a real goal in that other than wanting to). It was really more basic English, in my opinion. I wasn't overly impressed, but I did learn stuff from it.
Is writing your profession or hobby or...?
For me it is an unpaid ministry at present. It is one of the main ways that I serve the Lord outside my home (and yet at home at the same time). Unfortunately, writing does not seem to be very much looked for as a ministry within the body of Christ on the local church level any more. I'm not sure how that could be changed.
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