Shannon McNear, Author

Well ... with the first draft, anyway! I topped out at 96,403 words, a good 15k above my original estimate. (Good thing I started out conservatively ...) That's small enough to allow me some wiggle room for fleshing out (worldbuilding details and such), and maybe I've matured enough as a writer to not need TOO much tightening of my writing ... we'll see. :-D I plan to let it "cool" for a week or two (unless I just can't stand it any more) before starting revisions. And catch up on critiques. And start seriously decluttering my house ... And rest. I have a terrible cold today. Bleah. Too much sugar (Valentine's Day) and not enough sleep ... I think I blitzed through 10k just this last week or so. (Not bad for a distracted, hurried, klutzy mom of 8 ... oh, wait, that's another story for another day ...)

I think I have a new favorite movie: http://endofthespear.com/ . Besides the appeal of seeing another angle on the "Through Gates of Splendor" story, this film was fascinating to me from the standpoint of its view into a primitive culture discovering the Gospel. Troy, however, decided he didn't want to see it (I think his tender daddy's heart couldn't bear seeing this father have to leave his son, never to return), so I insisted Alistair (oldest son, age 15) come along. Education, and all that, I told him. *evil grin* Well ... to say I came away changed is an understatement. The most moving scene is the one near the end, where Mincayani reveals to the adult Steve Saint that he's the one who speared his father, Nate--I wasn't prepared for that. And I walked out of the movie theater, looking around and thinking how utterly shallow our culture is. (Technology does not superiority make--although I'd be the first to admit that I like my modern con