Glass Dome Mentality

Beware of the glass dome mentality. What is it? It’s the gradual and unnoticeable closing yourself off to the world. The metaphorical glass dome seals you, both protecting you and keeping you from being impacted by all that surrounds you, enabling you to smoothly slip by, skimming the surface of things while avoiding relationally going deep in any aspect of life.

If you write, this temptation can become strong. Hunker down, fanny in chair, eyes on the screen and type, type, type. There’s a time for this. There’s also a time for getting out there. I happen to believe enriched writing comes from enriched living. Does this mean you need to experience everything your MC does? Absolutely not. But, engaging in relationships, striking up fascinating conversations and risking love certainly can’t hurt in your attempt to understand your MC.

You don’t need to be a writer to know what it’s like to live life as an observer. Everyone experiences seasons of this and while your season may serve as a plentiful time to collect and write material, I don’t believe we’re to live our whole lives as observers.

Here are the pitfalls of slipping into Glass Dome Mentality:

Hibernating—Closing Yourself Off
People need you. Whether you realize it or not, you influence people. Your words, your actions…they can make a difference. When you’re living with a glass dome over you, you see this, but you aren’t pouring into anything. You’re checked out and in turn, you might be missing valuable and meaningful moments of connection.

Forgetting How to Interact
Vigilantly soaking in the myriad ways people bond with one another and hurt one another makes for good stuff when it comes to writing. But, if you’ve been out of the mix for too long, it’s easy to forget the most constructive ways to problem solve and how to normally tell a joke. Trying to delve back into a social scene can be awkward and harder work than it should be if you’ve been “gone for too long.” You never want to shut yourself off so much that you forget you’re human and you’ve been created for relationship.

Isolation—Feeling you’re the Only One
I could write pages and pages on this one. When left to yourself for too long you’re apt to begin believing the lies. Fellowship does wonders as a reminder that you are not alone.

Lack of giving—Selfishness
You become so invested in your goals, your dreams, your depression, and your [fill in the blank] that you’ve neglected to inquire about anyone else. Sad place to be if you ask me.

If you’re a writer, it’s possible you’ve encountered glass dome mentality under the guise of collecting material and working on a project. Like I wrote, there’ll be seasons for this. But we aren’t meant to get stuck in those seasons. Inject yourself into life and live it. Risk relationships. Risk living.

Ironically, I think these words from Henry David Thoreau (a man who checked into the woods for awhile) are fitting for this post:

I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.

Have you witnessed or experienced other examples of what occurs with glass dome mentality?

*photos by flickr

Charging Characters and Opening Doors

Today I want to give you some life updates. I’ve gotten older, not in the sense of having a birthday, but every day I’ve gotten one day older. This doesn’t upset me as it might upset many women. From about age twenty; I’ve claimed I look forward to being fifty. Ah, the wisdom that comes with age, with time. Anyway, every day I grow a little older. Do you?

Life Updates:

I’m approximately 10,000 words shy of ending my second novel. As I wake up and fall asleep though, something mysterious is happening. While I dine at the home of my current characters, I keep hearing someone (more than one person, actually) pounding on the door. They are undeniably persistent. You’ve seen the scene in Lord of The Rings (I apologize, I don’t remember which one—I think maybe Two Towers) where the Orcs pummel the door of the safe tower with the enormous flaming log? That’s what the characters of my third novel are doing to my thoughts. Lessons on courteousness, timing and patience will be a must as I first meet them on the page.

I’m a columnist for Exemplify Online and my first article, How-To Fight Fair is featured in this month’s issue.

My article, Give Me Your Eyes was published in the WEFC Weekly this week.

My short story, The Pond is featured (along with Katie Ganshert’s story) in Christian Fiction Online Magazine this month (August).

My children have been growing each day, too. Because of this, I’m making concerted efforts to spend time with them and pour into them.

I’m reading a lot of books right now, but am basking in the greatness of Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl (book review soon to come).

My ten year wedding anniversary is fast approaching.

I’ll soon be posting an interview with an amazing author who has dedicated herself to a noble cause.

I just received gorgeous jewelry in the mail from a talented artist (will be attaching a button to my blog soon so you can peruse her jewelry).

It’s Monday, so I’m over at Live Beautiful.

That’s all (for now) folks!

What's new with you? Are you aging with grace and/or opening doors?

*photos by flickr

One Question Friday

Every Friday I’m going to ask a question. The questions I choose might be ambiguous on purpose. The goal is to have you answer the question according to your beliefs, where you’re at in life or a circumstance that might have recently impacted you. The only thing I ask is that you provide an explanation for why you answered the way you did.

It’s my hope to understand you better through this and also to gain a greater understanding of humanity and how people make decisions.


Strength to Strength
Everlasting Spring Chicken
Litmus Living
Refusing to Stand Still
Strength & Song (this one thanks to this post)

So what are those?

My potential memoir titles.

Now, for your One Question Friday…
What would you title your memoir?

*photos by flickr
** "The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty. Let all the earth rejoice. All the earth rejoice. He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide. And trembles at His voice. Trembles at His voice. How great is our God, sing with me…How great is our God, and all will see. How great, how great is our God…" ~ Chris Tomlin

Life Chapters: Part 3

And so we meet the end. Again, not really. Today, we’re just wrapping up my life chapters. I’m so curious if you’ve tried this exercise. Writing mine makes me wonder about yours.

And so to finish with a bang:

The end

23 The Union
24 Seattle Reign
25 Move to Suburbia
26 What Big Eyes She Has
27 Balancing Act
28 Her Own Day
29 Gaem Knodel & MOMS
30 He Gives and Takes Away
31 He Was Doing a New Thing
32 Return to the Stomping Grounds—Flood of Stories
33 An Unlikely Reunion

So, there you have it, my life in the antithesis of a nutshell. Instead, I unraveled a ribbon of titles on you, probably leaving you scratching your head wondering what the heck THAT title meant. Well, that’s where the story comes in, the heart and the meat of it (why does this make me think of an artichoke?). And that will come. Not now. Not today, but someday…when I write my memoir. Someday…

Can you give me any titles from the later third of your life?

*photos by flickr

Life Chapters: Part 2

Midlife. Well, not exactly because I’m starting at age 12 and ending at age 22. But when I break my 33 years out into three parts, today we get the inside of the sandwich. Day 2 of my life chapters experiment. You’ll read my titles for those tenuous impressionable years. You may feel like you want to decode some of these titles. I think even I am still trying to decode some of the titles I chose. The key for me was to capture an aspect, feeling or memory of each age and title it.

And now for the “middle”

12. Stairway to Heaven
13. Awaiting Death
14. Loving Someone Who Swallows the Moon Whole
15. I’m Not Alone Here—The Birth of Hope
16. The Bible in a Year
17. A Seed Planted & Litmus Lessons
18. Aristotle & That Guy from Animal House
19. Checking my Reflection, Then Walking Away
20. Surveying Hilton Head on a Borrowed Bike
21. Distinction of Honor
22. Close Calls

How’s your list of life chapters going? What would some of your middle look like?

*photos by flickr

Life Chapters: Part 1

Have you ever thought of writing a memoir? I have. Someday I will, though not in the near future. Someday...

Here’s a fun writing exercise to get the juices flowing whether you intend to write a memoir or not. Write down numbers for every year you’ve lived. Then, next to each number write a chapter title. You are naming chapters of your book; your life. The beauty of writing is risk. Some things work. Some don’t, but if you are willing to risk you’re able to sort what works from what doesn’t. And in the process you just might find one truly original idea.


Here are the “Chapters” of my life:

1. Top of the Totem Pole—the Fourth Paine Girl is Born


2. The View from the Back of my Mom’s Bike


3. European Castles & Fields of Flowers


4. Hollowed Out Rooms


5. No Ski for Me


6. Coming to America


7. Laura and Gin Gin & Other Pretend Things


8. Tales of the Fourth Grade Everything


9. Liesel, Kittle and China Baby, Our Elkhounds


10. Bologna & Mayo and Soccer Games


11. Wizard of Oz Meets Mary Poppins Meets Nadia

Of course, when you write a memoir you don’t include every detail and every year of your life, but this exercise could propel your memoir or even your WIP into an enriched and more fleshed out piece of work. It can’t hurt to try.


Then, let me know what some of your younger years would be titled. (FYI: I’m breaking my life into three parts over the next three days with a related question to come on Friday.)



Also, stop on by Exemplify Online to see what I wrote about God Breathing Nature.






*photos by flickr

Childish Writers

Michael Hyatt conducted a great interview with the author of Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl (excellent book) the other day. During the interview N.D. Wilson admitted he intentionally used the word childish instead of child-like to describe a specific way of seeing the world. That stuck with me.

Today we get to be childish writers.

Which figure do you best relate to?

Strawberry Shortcake—All is berry berry good in your writing world. Always the optimist, at times you take on more cake than you can chew.

Sleeping Beauty—You’re an idea person. The only problem is most of your ideas come at night while you’re sleeping. Your dreams are piled high as the Princess and the Pea’s mattresses with detailed plot lines and eccentric characters. The goal is being able to get a feel for that one golden nugget, aka the little green pea idea.

Baloo—Bare necessities baby. You’re a minimalist in how you write and in how you live. On the writing track you are laid back, you do your thing and you know you’re time will come. In the meantime you go for a few paw paws.

The Grinch—You used to be a cynic about writing and the publication realm but at some point your heart grew three sizes and you adopted a new way of thinking. Now you readily give of your wisdom and wait patiently for publication because you know the journey really isn’t about you.

Eeyore—“Never been published. Everyone but me is published.”


Buzz Lightyear—You’re in this thing for the long haul. “To infinity and beyond!” You are the ultimate visionary and you don’t give up on a whim.

WordGirl—This writing journey revolves around your love of words. If it looks like a word and it acts like a word, then you are willing to bet it’s a word and just as willing to use it at the perfect place in your WIP.

So have fun and dip into your childish nature today.

Pick a character, any character.
Of course I’m a combo of all the above.

Check out my post at Live Beautiful later today.

*photos by flickr

**Wordgirl photos = my kiddos