A Quick Tip for Aspiring Writers

   Okay, so what I'm about to share is something that I've found really helpful and I hope you find it helpful as well.

     "DESCRIBE THINGS!"   "PAINT A PICTURE IN YOUR READERS HEAD!"

    Ever heard people say things like the above two statements? Well, there's a lot of truth to both of those statements, but the trick, is using them correctly. When I started writing, I wanted to describe things without much effort, so I did what most beginning writers do. I described the things that were easy to describe. For example, I described things like grass as green, cars as fast, and cake as sweet. The problem with this is that your reader already knows that grass is green. So the tip I'm giving you, is to learn to chose what you describe carefully. Don't describe the cake as sweet because everyone knows cake is sweet. Unless the cake is bitter, or salty, or something that's not normal, don't bother describing it. Don't tell the reader the grass is green, we already know that. Of course if the grass is purple, then you should describe it.
     So as beginning writers, we tend to describe things that don't need describing, and then we don't describe things that should be described. We might say something like... "The man standing on the green grass was getting mad." To become a better writer, we need to learn to drop the 'green grass' statements, and learn to describe other things. So the man on the lawn was mad... How was he mad? Was he clenching his jaw? Was he turning red? Was he simply getting quiet? Or was he flying into a rage, yelling and swinging a golf club at everything in sight?
         In summary, don't describe things the reader knows, describe things they don't know. I hope this was helpful!
    Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay thankful!:)

Book review of Ned Franks

  A few years ago, one of my sisters told me I needed to read the 'Ned Franks' series by A.L.O.E. but I thought they looked boring. I did eventually pick up the first one and before I was done with the first chapter, I was challenged by this one armed sailor and was ready to admit that I was wrong and it was a great book! I read the trilogy and think everyone else should read them as well.

  Ned Franks is one of those characters that you can't help but like. He's a true gentleman who loves everything that is right and good. After losing his arm and being forced to leave his life as a sailor, Ned Franks tries to make the best of his new and challenging life. The books follow through the ups and downs of his life and you can't help but be challenged to draw closer to God when you see Ned Franks steadfast faith. I think book two was probably the one that convicted me the most as it talks about 'Sheering off from the shoals of sin' and not letting little sins drag you towards bigger ones but steering clear of them all. Book three deals with the power of a good name, and doing the right thing even when others don't seem to care if you do.

   So yes, I highly recommend the series! They're entertaining, challenging, and suspenseful. Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay thankful!

Corn Maze Season!

Yep, it's that time of year again for my family! If you're not familiar with our corn maze, you can check out our website here.

   For those of you who do know about our maze, you know that there's a lot of work that goes into it, so if you think of it over the next several weeks, we could really use your prayer. You can pray that we'll all stay healthy during the season, and that we'll all get enough sleep, and that God will be glorified in everything we do.

      On another note, I just entered my most recent book into a contest. I know I probably don't have a chance in the world at actually placing, but you can pray that I'll learn whatever God wants me to learn through it.  

    Have a great day, and stay strong in the Lord!!

A Deleted Scene

        When I'm writing, sometimes I writes scenes that don't flow right, or just don't fit with the story so I have to cut them. The following scene was deleted from Never Forget because it just didn't seem to fit right. I hope you enjoy it!


     That evening, Paul needed to go to town and buy some things for the farm, and I decided to go with him. I didn’t think I could stand another minute of just sitting in the house. I couldn’t figure out what God was doing. Did He expect me to wait for the rest of my life for things to get better?

My leg hurt after the long day, so I grabbed my other crutch, and followed Paul to Dad’s truck.

Paul was totally quiet as we drove to town, and I felt glad. I didn’t want to talk either.

Rifton is five miles south of the Canadian border, and almost five miles south of us. Our farm was practically on the border, and several times Dad had pointed the line out to me so that I wouldn’t accidentally wander across illegally.

I enjoyed sitting and looking into Canada but sometimes, like today, I wished we could just move to Canada and start over. Things had gone from bad to worse and I was losing heart. I had been waiting on God for weeks and nothing had happened.

I followed Paul around the store as he looked for the best deals and stood patiently as he added things up in his head.

“Nice crutches!” a crude voice said. “They’re just perfect for a cripple like you.”

I turned around and found myself face to face with a guy not much older than myself. Although I could tell he wasn’t very old, he was stocky and didn’t look like he avoided fights. He also didn’t look like he lost many fights.

I turned back to the shelf expecting him to walk away. Instead he reached out and pulled my hair.

“Oww!” I spun around as fast as I could on my crutches.

“What ya gonna do, huh? Your daddy’s in jail, he can’t rescue you.”

Paul calmly stepped in front of me. “Leave,” he said simply.

“Well, if it isn’t the mute boy actually talking. I hear you don’t talk cause you got a stttttuuutttterrrrrrr,” the boy mocked. “And isn’t your sister the girl with that creepy white hair?”

Paul simply grabbed my arm and started walking away.

“What are you chicken or something?” he yelled after us.

I stopped and turned to face him. “Stop it!” I said.

“Aww, isn’t that sweet, you’re trying to protect your brother.”

“My brother can protect himself,” I said firmly, “but he doesn’t pick fights with losers like you.”

“Amy,” Paul’s voice came firm and low. “That’s enough.”

The boy stuck his tongue out at me and I started to pull my crutch up to hit him but Paul pulled me back. “Let’s go.”

The boy yelled insulting comments after us but Paul didn’t stop. He walked straight for the cashier counter, purchased his items, and we went back to the truck.

“Why didn’t you fight him?” I asked. “If I were a boy I would have punched his lights out.” I bit my lip the moment I said it. It sounded like something Sylvia would say and I regretted sounding so harsh.

“It wasn’t a fight worth fighting,” Paul said.

I stared at Paul. “Doesn’t it make you mad when people make fun of you?”

Paul nodded. “Sometimes, but it’s not worth fighting over.”

Paul droveodded. "

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“How do you stay so calm?” I asked. “You’re always calm!”

 We were halfway home before Paul spoke. “Amy, I used to get mad when people made fun of my stutter, but then I realized that they just didn’t understand. It’s not my job to force people to understand. It’s my job to love people. It’s my job to be like Jesus. It’s my job to turn the other cheek.”

Like normal, Paul only said what he felt he had to and then he lapsed back into silence.

“Paul?” I paused and chewed on my bottom lip. “What exactly is worth fighting for? You said it wasn’t a fight worth fighting but what kinds of fights are worth fighting?”

Paul stared across the fields that rolled by. Finally he spoke. “The only fights worth fighting are the fights of faith.”

I frowned. “Like what?”

“Like when you believe in something. It’s always worth fighting for the things you believe in.”

Paul was silent again, and I sat thinking. Was I fighting any fights of faith? What did I believe in?