If you write straight romances or novels with a romantic subplot, you’ll want to check out Writing Love: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Alexandra Sokoloff. I’ve read a few books on writing romance, but this is the best one I’ve seen.
Unlike other books that deal with the topic of romance, Alexandra focuses on what she’s known best for: story structure. If you haven’t read her first book (Screenwriting Tricks for Authors), you might want to do that first. But for $2.99, it’s worth it. Alexandra assumes you’ve already read the book before reading Writing Love. If you’re familiar with story structure, it’s not as big a deal if you want to skip on.
One of my favorite parts of Writing Love, which is worth the money alone, is the chapter on ‘love story’ elements. In it, Alejandra talks about scene and story setups that you will find in romance. These include: call to adventure (when the protagonist first notices her future love interest), the reluctant heroine, mistaken identity, handcuff the couple together (not necessarily literally).
Another thing I loved is that she took ten well-known romance movies (e.g. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sense and Sensibility, While You Were Sleeping) and analyzed them according to their romantic storylines. This includes how the various ‘love story’ elements were used to drive the story. She also discussed how the rules of fairy-tale structure can be applied to your book.
Overall, I highly recommend Writing Love for all writers who include romance in their stories. Do you write stories that have romance as their main story line, or are they usually subplots?
"What is Love?" Bible Study Week 9 Love Lasts Forever
*********************** 1 Corinthians 5:8-10Prophecy and speaking in unkown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. *********************** We have made it to the part of the chapter that connects the 2 more well known sections. This is the middle section that isn't really talked about much, but is still very important to how we see ourselves and our 'story'. One of the first things that stands out to me is the fact that love lasts forever... that connects back to the LOVE NEVER FAILS verse we talked about earlier. Love Lasts Forever... How awesome is that!! I mean, really Love never fails. Love lasts forever-- no matter what-- NOW---- Human love can (and does) fail. Human love can let you down-- but Jesus' love-- THAT is the love that never fails. And we strive to be like Jesus, so connecting the dots we know that we are supposed to try to love where we don't let the other person down. That. is. hard! I feel like I let people down all of the time. We know that we will never reach the type of love that Jesus has to for us-- but we also know that we need to try. We aren't perfect and never will. We are supposed to try which means our love, not the love of others. OUR love. Guess what? We can't control what others do-- and how THEY love. We can't make someone love us. We can't make someone continue to love us, but we can work on our own heart and our love for others. Notebook Question: In what ways can you make sure your love never fails? The rest of the verse deals mainly with spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are a broad topic in and of themselves. One could spend a week or more just talking about them (but don't worry-- I won't--- yet ;) ) There are 7 'big' gifts-- but there are also other gifts that aren't included here. These are just some examples of spiritual gifts: Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leading, and Compassion. Notebook Question:What spiritual gift(s) do you have? Which ones do you wish you had? (if you had a choice) Here on earth, spiritual gifts are used for the church. They are used to build up, strenghten and serve fellow Christians. All of the spiritual gifts are parts of a whole body of Christ. No one person has all of them because we have to learn how to use the gifts, lean on, and serve others. But when Jesus comes back, all of the spiritual gifts will be done away with because they won't be needed any more. The church will be complete. I have never really thought about it before, but my study Bible made a great point, "Based on that perspective, let us treat each other with the same love and unity that we will one day share." One day, we will all have to live with each other anyway so we might as well start getting the hang of it now. In the end, all we are left with is our souls and the love in our hearts. Notebook Question: What do you think of when you hear "Love lasts forever"? Next week, we will learn about the next verse: When I was a child, I spake as a child. I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Notebook Question: Write down that verse in your own words. Verses for Next Week Tuesday~ Psalm 131:2 Wednesday~ Ephesians 5:31 Thursday~ 2 Corinthians 4:18 Friday~ 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Saturday~ 1 Corinthians 13:11 Much Love, Kelly
What is Love? 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 A Bible Study /Series Introduction: Week 1 Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to others so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
Welcome to the "What is Love?" Bible Study! I’m so excited that you chose (yes you CHOSE) to join in this venture with me.
I'm going to be honest with you, I had most of this written. Well, all of it is written, but some of it is typed. A few weeks ago, God said, "Rewrite it." (Yeah, THAT was awesome ;) ) Ok, I had worked on this for months... and God wanted it re-written. Oh. MY! I wanted to know why, of course, and I believe it is because I was trying to make it too 'formal'. I had written it like I 'thought' a 'bible study' should be written... not like how *I* write, and not how God wanted it (Sorry... ) SO, bear with me. We are going to go with the bones of the old-- but add new on top of it. We are going to learn together-- informally. If you have a question, post it (either here on on my facebook page). If you have a comment, write it. If you want to discuss something, let us have it :) I know this is 'online' and we can't see each other, but we can learn so much by interaction. Lets really take time to discuss this. To learn about it, and at the end of the 12 weeks, we *SHOULD* be able to answer the question, "What is Love?" So, you may be asking yourself, "What have I clicked on?" Well... for the next 12 weeks, I'm going to post about 1 Corinthians 13. We are going to take the entire book and dissect it verse by verse (combining a few of them) and REALLY see what love is, how we are supposed to love, and what else God has in store for us while studying it. If you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, you’re not alone. When I started this, it was only intended (by me) to be at most a 3 part series on marriage. However, the more I learned… the more I studied….the more God put on my heart…the more I realized how MUCH there is to learn from this ONE chapter in the Bible. And its not all for married people! I realize that these verses are quoted at many weddings, but the kind of love it talks about spans the gamut of relationships. Husband/Wife Parent/Child You/Neighbors You/Enemies Oh yes! Even our enemies! (Ouch)
We are to love them all, and this Bible Study in intended to give us the tools to do that.
When I thought of love, to be very honest with you, the first thing that popped into my mind is the movie Moulin Rouge. Now, I know it might not be the best thing to start the first day of my first Bible Study with the movie Moulin Rouge. But, hey, it serves the purpose. Moulin Rouge is classified as a “Love Stor y”, however it really starts out as a ‘Lust Story’. The rich guylusts for the high priced –prostitute—and so does the penniless sitar player. He does eventually fall in love with her—but ‘lust’ ends up causing her death (sorry for the spoiler if you haven’t seen it yet….)
The point of this is not to recommend Moulin Rouge, but instead to start off this series by understanding the differences between love and lust.
Remember, we are trying to answer the question, "What is love?" not"What is Lust?"
· Lust is of the flesh. · Love is of the heart . · Lust can get us in trouble. · Love can get us out of it. · Lust is ONLY physical. · Love is physical, emotional and spiritual. Love, actual love for others, is what Paul spent an entire chapter discussing—in detail. Paul (the writer of Corinthians) was not a married man—and he seemed to like it that way (1 Corinthians 7:8—So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—its better to stay unmarried, just as I am.) However, he understood love. True love. Christian Love.
THAT is the kind of love we will be studying about. Now, I’d like to take this opportunity to emphasis something. We aren’t perfect. We will never be able to achieve ‘Perfect True Love’. With God’s help, we can try. But we are human. We will fail. And God knows that. He understands that.
So, you might be asking yourself ‘Why are we studying this if we won’t be able to totally achieve it?”
That’s a good and valid question. We are supposed to try to live and love like Christ did. We know we won’t be able to do it completely because we aren’t Him. However, we are to strive to more like Jesus (1 John 4:17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.).
Paul wanted us to strive to truly love everyone. He knew we’d have problems with it that’s why he gave us instructions on how to do it.
It won’t be easy… and we won’t be perfect… but hopefully through these next weeks together, we will gain the tools so we can love more patiently and with more kindness, etc.
So… what are our goals for this Bible Study/Series? · To learn tools to use in our lives to show love · To find out who we are supposed to love · To gain knowledge of “What IS love?” · To gain knowledge of the Bible through verse finds and daily “homework”
So! Are you still with me!? I hope so! I’m so excited and ready to get these discussions underway! I want this to be an interactive study, so please join in. All you need is: a pencil or pen, notebook, and Bible. You can use any version of the Bible. My personal Bible is a New Living Translation version.
For the next 12 weeks, I am committed to bringing you the Series the Lord put on my heart to present.. I’m praying for each participant—that this touches you in some way. Please, make the commitment with me to participate, learn, and study with me to see what God has in store for us.
Ready? I know I am!!!! "So, Kelly, now that I'm all reved up, what happens next? Why do I have a notebook (that you have talked about for 2 months... )?" I'm so glad you asked ;)
Each week I’ll post the lesson with 6 verses at the end. The verses are for the next week’s post so you will be ready and up to date. I recommend using the SOAP method each day with the verses.
SOAP stands for Scripture, Observe, Apply, Pray. It is a great way to study each individual verse and see how something that was written thousands of years ago…. Applies to you today.
Example: 1 Tim 1:5~ *S*cripture 1 Timothy 1:5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscious, and genuine faith. *O*bservation: Everyone that believes in God need to be taught (instructed) on how to be filled with and use love that comes from a pure heart, clear conscious, and genuine faith. *A*pply: I need to make sure that I learn how to love genuinely. I need to strive to have a pure heart and a clear conscious, and if I don’t, I need to pray about it. *P*ray: God, please forgive me of my sins. I know that do don’t always have the purest heart or the clearest of conscience…. And sometimes genuine faith is overwhelming. However, I want to do that! I want to strive to be filled with love. I want to be instructed and in turn instruct others on how to do it. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
*THAT* is the SOAP method and that’s the tool that I recommend you use for your daily verses in your notebook. If you don’t want to do it that way, that’s fine, but I do know that the SOAP method does help you understand the Bible Verses better. Another great idea (or something I like to do) is to write the verses in my own words. That way it is in language I can understand and I know that I've gotten the meaning out of it. Which every way (or even something different) that you want to do, will be awesome. One of our goals is to learn-- and everyone learns differently. (That's the teacher coming out in me lol) Sometimes throughout the Monday post, you will see these Q. That symbol means that it is a question that I’d like for you to answer in your notebook. Ok, I’ve talked enough. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or ask on the facebook page. I’m asking that if you are participating in this, that you do leave a comment below and you do follow the facebook page NOT because I want more hits, but because I TRULY WANT you to LEARN from this and comments will make us accountable and the daily discussions on facebook will keep this study on our minds daily. Plus I genuinely want to know what is on your mind as we go through these next 12 weeks together. It's gonna be lonely if you don't...
Here we go...
Friends, here are our first verses to start this Bible Study. Our first 'official' week of finding out "What is Love?"
Verses for Week 2: Tuesday: 1 Timothy 1:5
Wednesday: Romans 13:9
Thursday: Galatians 5:14
Friday: Leviticus 19:18
Saturday: 1 Corinthians 13:1 (the first verse of our Series) Sunday: REVIEW all verses for TOMORROW's post. Thank you so much for showing interest in this study and I pray that it touches you-- that you learn something-- and that you have a great time. :) Much love, Kelly Linked with: Women Living Well Wednesday and Encouraging Words Wednesday and Best of 2011 Blog Hop
Every Friday, I link up with Lisa-Jo Baker, the Gypsy Mama, for Five Minute Friday. Lisa-Jo gives a one word prompt, you write (simple). The problem is that you only have 5 minutes (obviously-- I have an issue with adverbs I'm finding... after 4 hours of edits last night!), no backsies, and no edits. It's raw, it's from the heart... it's full of typos ;)
Today's topic is: STORY
GO
I love to write stories. Picturing the places and mapping out the location are some of my favorite things about writing stories. Coming up with new characters and 'watching' their lives being told is fun for me. The 'imperfect' ones are my favorite to write. They have so many layers and can be used to advance the story so easily. Thinking about that reminds me about God (the author of our lives) and how he uses imperfect ones to advance His story.
A few months ago, I read the Bible in 90 days (it's a program and you can find the link in my tabs). Reading the Bible like that made me focus on it more as a connected story instead of just a few random verses thrown together. People, places, circumstances relate, intertwine, and feed off each other. If anyone thinks the Bible is boring, you should read it as a story.
Of course, the Bible is more than a story. It is a chronicle of true events and is the written word of God (so yeah, much more than a story), but did you know that the people in the Bible were just people? They weren't superheros or anything like that. The Bible is written about people just like you and me: people with stories to tell.
What is your story? Can you relate to the people whose stories are told in the Bible? They were imperfect, just like we all are, and God used them. Don't think he can't use you!
STOP
www.lisajobaker.com
Much Love,
Kelly
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If you have time, please check out my other 2 blogs: *It's Faith Fiction Friday #4 at Faith Filled Fiction. This week's picture is a beautiful waterfall. What 100 word story can you write about it?
*And Stacy's first 'Friday's with Stacy' post is up at: Encourage 365. Please head over and give her some love :)
CROSSING THE DEEP has gotten some awesome reviews :) Here are some of them: B.K (amazon comments) I purchased this book on a Friday night and had finished it by Saturday night. I tried to put it down and get things done (I have 3 kids!) but I just couldn't. The story line and great characters kept sucking me back in.
Although I am a firm believer in God, I haven't had much interest Christian fiction myself, but this was a great book overall. The author does a very nice job of building believable and likeable characters. The plot starts rolling right away and you won't get bored or hit any lulls in this story.
You will walk away from this story still thinking about the characters days later.
Great story, you won't be disappointed you purchased this one!
C.S (Goodreads Review) Went into this book with a preconceived notion that it would be ho-hum as I'm not a fan of many books that involve religion or prayer. But I was so pleasantly surprised and quickly fell in love with Rachel and Asher and Rachel's faith gave me something to think about. Wonderfully written and so enjoyable and NOT predictable. Hoping there is going to be a follow up and it becomes a series. Well done!
B.H. (amazon comments) Kelly Martin is an amazing author! She really sets the bar high for her first novel. I really enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the Smokies alone make you feel like you are right there with the characters. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from her!
S. (amazon comments) Wow! A great read for teens or adults. Wonderfully written. From a great start to a fantastic finish. I can't wait for her next book.
C. (amazon comments) Once I started this book I simply could not put it down! Crossing the Deep keeps you on the edge of your seat. Crossing the Deep is a thought provoking young adult Christian fiction story that tells about a church youth group's hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains and obstacles that they have to overcome in order to make it safely back home. Definitely a great read! W.K (amazon comments) The cover alone captures your attention & leads you to a great story written by a new up and coming author. A refreshing young adult Christian novel sure to please! R (amazon comments) If you enjoy fiction (and even if fiction isn't really you're thing) you'll be entertained by this young adult novel. I would certainly recommend it for any lover of a good action/adventure story. B. (amazon comments) Bought this book today and cannot put it down! I will be finished by tomorrow and I am so excited as each new chapter and character develops! M.W (amazon comments) What a great book from a first time author! I enjoyed it so much. The characters were very interesting and the plot kept me guessing. Please keep writing, Kelly Martin, I'm looking forward to your next book. B.H. (facebook post) I started reading it last night and finished it today. I couldn't put it down. You are a wonderful writer and I can't wait to read more. Wow! I highly recommend that all of you read this! S.T. (author page post)
I started Crossing the Deep yesterday and couldn't put it down! I stayed up late to finish it. Excellent book!
J. T (on a blog tour comments section) ... Had me crying in several spots. It points out one very important but little known fact; PASTORS DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS!!
B.G. (on a blog tour comment section) WOW! I love that you started on a spiritual quest to read the Bible and ended as a published author! I love the "blurb" and can't wait to buy the book! Have you read the book people are calling 'not your typical' Christian novel? If you have, I'd love to hear from you! If you haven't, please go to Amazon and read the first 3 chapters to see if it is up your alley. I think you'll enjoy it. BUY LINKS:Amazon Barnes and Noble Astraea Press
Last night, the husband and I were talking. about my writing. He said, "I'm glad you found a hobby." He meant it because I've been on to him for years for fishing so much... now I write more than he fishes and don't care if he fishes a lot lol.
But the word 'hobby' bugged me. He didn't mean it bad (and hobbies aren't bad), but to me, writing is more than a hobby, just like I'm sure (if he really thought about it) fishing is more than a hobby to him.
Then I asked him, "Do you think it's just a hobby?"
And he got that deer in the headlights look that men tend to get and said, "Um... no. It's more like a hobby and a second job."
Job? Hm... that didn't sound right either.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my job as a teacher! It makes me do a silly happy dance when they learn to do something (especially if it's go to the potty ;) ), but writing seems... different. To me, it doesn't seem like a job.
Then I read a blog post last night about writing being a passion (I'd link it if I remembered where it was). And it clicked!
Writing is a Passion! To me, anything you LOVE to do, is your passion. I love teaching, It's a passion of mine. The same goes for writing. Since it's a passion, it doesn't seem like work (teaching doesn't either most days... unless the state comes for it's annual visits and I'm a nervous nelly ;)). For Teaching: I love getting kids to learn. I love watching their faces when they've mastered something. I love watching them play and interacting with other kids. For Writing: I love creating new worlds. I love learning about new characters and what their stories are. I love to get so lost in the story that it feels like coming out of the water after a dive. Both are passions. What is your passion? Everybody has something they love to do so much it doesn't feel like a job. It might be blogging... Or a internet company you have on etsy... Or reading... Or church ministry... Or whatever it is that YOU do that you'd do even if you didn't get paid... I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment :)Much Love,~Kelly P.S. Crossing the Deep has a release date! It is scheduled to be released by Astraea Press on October 9th, 2012 :)
Several years ago, I attended a SCBWI workshop with an editor from Harper Collins. She told us to take a book we love and read it three times, consecutively. Great idea, except I hadn’t read a book at that point that I loved enough to use for the assignment. That changed recently when I discovered the YA contemporary novel Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. This book not only had me bawling as I read it, I cried a few days later when I thought about one specific scene. I knew I had to analyze the book to see what Katie did to make it my favorite book of the year.
First Read Through Because I first read the book back in July, that didn’t count toward the assignment. It was too long ago. I had to start again. I reread the book without stopping to take notes. And yes, I cried at the same scene that I cried at the first time.
Second Read Through This time I focused on story structure. Pushing the Limits (PTL) is a dual POV story, alternating between the two main characters: Noah and Echo. Because I love the book Save the Cat (STC) by Blake Synder, I used it to break down PTL according to Blake’s story structure beats. You don’t have to use STC. There are other great books that also discuss story structure. They’re all very similar and can be applied to most stories.
First, I created a table with three columns. This is because I was dealing with two points of view. I assigned ‘Echo’ to the first column, ‘Noah’ to the second one, and the third column was reserved for the STC beats. For example, in PTL the catalyst moment falls under one of Noah’s scenes. I wrote ‘Catalyst’ in the third column in blue ink (for Noah) and described in one sentence the catalyst moment. I used a different color for Echo.
Next, I wrote the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) for the POV character of each scene. I also added any notes about plot that I wanted to include. And yes, I cried again at that one emotion-filled scene.
Third Read Through This time I focused on characterization and the emotional impact of the story. For the main characters (Echo and Noah), I listed:
Fears
Key issues (e.g. both have issues of trust and issues with authority, but not in the same way)
Word to describe them (Noah is self-confident; Echo is insecure)
Story goal for each
What Echo and Noah have in common. In other words, the connection that binds them together for the story (since PTL is a romance)
Wound or fatal flaw
Identity (how others view them. Their personal armor, so to speak)
The real them (who they really are when they drop the personal armor).
Finally, I made notes for each chapter, including:
Moments that revealed emotion
Any symbolism used
Use of the senses
Small moments with huge impact
Characterization (for all the characters)
Hot make out scenes :)
I also copied excerpts from the text that I felt were important. The exercise helped me figure out why that one emotion-filled scene affected me so much. I discovered that Katie had cleverly set up the moment with the scenes just before it. I also discovered that my new mascara was not tear proof. Darn it.
Some of you are no doubt cringing at the amount of time involved for this level of analysis. To me, it was worth it. I learned so much about why I loved the book and how to make my stories (especially my dual POV stories) stronger.
Do you analyze books you love (or dislike)? If so, what do you looked for? How many times do you usually read a book consecutively when you analyze it?
I haven't talked about book #3 much. I've been kinda caught up with Crossing the Deep (which is having great sales... and wonderful reviews! I'll put a few at the end of the post. I'm so stinkin' excited!!) and edits for SAINT SLOAN (coming in Feb/March from Astraea Press. It is at the line editor now :) )
But what about Book #3... did you know I had a book #3 contracted? 2012 was a crazy year for me writer wise! I signed my first contract... and my second contract... and my THIRD contract!
I should go back to where this began. I'm a big believer in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month. The 'official' month is November. Though they do have camp in June and August... CTD was a Nano. SLOAN is a Camp Nano)
This year for Nano I started writing a book. I got 10,000 words into it and knew it wasn't working. The story is good, but how I was going about it wasn't. I'll get back to it eventually because I really like the story.
In the mean time, my publisher, Astraea Press, had a call for submissions for Valentine's stories. I'd waited til the last minute! I had EIGHT DAYS to get it written, so I figured, why not? I had a story in mind that I loved.
I got a 27,000 word novella written and edited in 8 days (shew!) and sent it off. A few days later, my publisher emailed me back that the reader loved the book... and wanted to know if I'd make it a complete novel at 50,000 words.
Well... HECK YEAH I would!
So, I signed the contract and now I'm re-writing it with the same feel, but adding 33,000 more words to it...
DAUNTING? Sure... but it's a great challenge. I LOVE this story!
The title is B.I.G is Beautiful-- A Love Story. And it should be out in May/June 2013!!!
Here is the blurb... The seven worst words ever spoken came out of Brittany Gregory's mom's mouth at breakfast, "I signed you up for math tutoring." Sure, she probably needs it (probably nothing, she'll fail without it), but the thought of having to stay in that school longer than she had to every day makes her sick. It's not the school's fault... just the few jerks inside. Brittany's tutor is none other than Matt Taylor, senior quarterback-- all around hottie. At first, she's shy around him because, hello, Matt Taylor! But as he shows more and more unexpected kindness toward her, Brittany softens around him. Unfortunately for Brittany, Matt's former girlfriend, the beautifully wicked Amber Moses, has tormented Britt since eighth grade about her weight. In an unusual moment of brains, Amber realizes Brittany's initials spell B.I.G.-- a hilarious (to the cheerleader) irony since Brittany isn't the smallest girl at school. With the Red Ball (Valentine's Dance) approaching, Brittany has to decide if her growing feelings for Matt are real, or if he's secretly been playing a part in Amber's game all along. ~Can't wait until you guys can read it! In the meantime, Crossing the Deep is available for $2.99. It's been called, "Best in Christian Fiction", "an unexpected read," "Exciting", "Beautifully written," "Fantastic"... Check it out for yourself :)
AMAZONBARNES AND NOBLEASTRAEA PRESSALL ROMANCE ~Kelly
To celebrate the release of her Novella Dies Irae, I asked author Christine Fonseca if she would talk about one of her strengths: using setting to set the mood. Not only does she do a great job with this in her story (which I'm currently reading), she wrote an AWESOME post on the topic.
<<<3
Thanks, Stina, for hosting a leg of the blog tour for DIES IRAE. I am excited to be here today talking about setting. As most of you may know, I love writing dark and creepy stories. Whether they are gothic, romance, or psychological, one thing unites my stories—they’re dark.
One of the ways I achieve the “dark” tone to my stories is through the use of setting.
I view setting as a “character” of sorts—something that can enhance and enrich the story; the vehicle by which character emotions and plot themes can be revealed or embellished.
Specifically speaking, setting is comprised of the following elements of a story:
* Location – WHEN is the story set? * Time – WHEN is the story set, both in terms of era and time of day * Climate – WHAT is the season and/or the weather like during your story
Correctly identifying these things, as well as describing them in ways that work towards the overall tone and mood of the book can help an author create a memorable experience for the reader.
So, how do I do that? How do I use setting in that way? For me, it is always about placing myself in the scene and looking around. Using my five senses, what do I see, hear, smell? And how do these details help to create or push the emotional content of the story? Then I filter that experience into words.
Now, this is not always an easy thing to do. Most of the time, I put too much or too little into the story. My early drafts are often filled with purple prose, some passive language, and too many sensory references that I then need to rework. But eventually, after I’ve reworked and rewritten a scene, after I’ve taken the time to judiciously put in setting references without dragging down the plot, I come up with a scene that is powerful and rich.
Take this tiny excerpt from DIES IRAE:
“The mouth of the cave is complete in its darkness. A cold wind wafts up from the earth’s depths, carrying the scent of death. “Yep, this has got to be it,” I whisper.
Mikayel draws his sword and walks in. The descent is steep and narrow, giving way to an even floor littered with rocks and bones. Too many bones.
Everything is quiet. Stalactites line the cave’s ceiling like teeth meant to consume us. Small crevices recede into the walls.
And still, everything is quiet.”
My goal in this tiny snippet was to establish the setting in such a way as to build the tension the character is feeling. You will have to be the judge as to whether or not that was accomplished, but I would like to think it was.
Setting is a powerful tool in a writer’s arsenal. Sadly, it is one that is not always utilized. Is it one you are comfortable using?
For me, becoming more adept at using setting to establish tone and mood, as well as mirror the emotions, has been one of the best, most useful skills I’ve learned—a skill I am constantly working to develop through writing exercises that include practicing writing different descriptions of places, all to evoke specific feelings or moods.
Try this:
Pick a familiar setting—a beach or mountain landscape for example. Write a detailed description of that place. Now, make it scary and write that description. Make it romantic. Make it foreboding. Keep rewriting the basic description within different emotional contexts. The more you practice this, the more natural incorporating setting will become.
For a 'Sweet Saturday Sample' of Saint Sloan (my newest book, coming out Feb. 28th, 2013), click HERE.
Wanna read the Bible cover to cover? We are over at Encourage 365. Head over and check it out.
I'm thrilled to have Tanya Eavenson (author of Unconditional) on my blog today! Unconditional came out this week, and she was nice enough to give us a sample :) Unconditional is a clean, insprirational romance (my personal favorite type :) )
Blurb for Unconditional: He will fight for her at any cost... Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.
When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.
She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?
Chapter One
Elizabeth pushed herself up from the bed. Her gaze swept the dark room and fixed on the hall nightlight. Her hand grazed over her husband’s shoulder when a thought gripped her. Katherine. The baby monitor stood silent. Darkness shrouded the red and green lights that indicated movement. Her chest tightened. She hurled the covers away and leapt to the floor. Panic made her clumsy as she rushed to her daughter’s room. She lunged over the crib. No sound. No movement. Not even a stirring of air from her tiny nostrils. “Katherine!” Elizabeth snatched her daughter from the mattress. The infant drew a heavy breath as her eyes flung wide open. Lord, what’s happening? Elizabeth’s bare feet pounded the cold tile as she ran back to her husband. “Chris, wake up! Katherine quit breathing again!” Chris rubbed his eyes and scowled. “What is it?” “We need to take Katherine to the hospital. She stopped breathing.” He studied their child. “She seems to be breathing now. Are you sure?” “Of course, I’m sure.” “She’s fine.” Chris fell back against the pillow. “Please—” “We don’t have the money to take her to the hospital when there’s nothing wrong with her.” “But there is. She stopped breathing.” He sat back up. “You’ve been worried about her since before she was born. You’re all worked up because she hasn’t rolled over yet. The doctor said that’s normal for being early.” She’s called a preemie. She glared into his eyes. “If you were home more often you’d know she’s not fine.” “I’m home, Elizabeth, and she’s fine.” Heat flushed her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared. Can’t you see that? I need you to pray for our daughter. I need you to hold me and tell me everything will be all right.” “Look, she’s sleeping.” His voice softened as his hand ran down her thigh. “Come to bed.” “How can you care so little? I’m worried about our baby.” Chris’s hand dropped to the sheets. “Shut the door when you leave.” He turned away from her. Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to speak. With their baby in her arms, she slowly closed the door behind her and sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying. If tears came, it would be for her daughter, not for the stranger in her bed. The nightlight’s faint glow lit the hallway as Elizabeth slipped back into Katherine’s room. She laid her sleeping child in her crib. Her knees buckled and tears streamed down her cheeks. “God, please…” ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been in the ministry for fifteen years teaching youth, adults, and counseling. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. You can find her on Twitter at @Tan_eave and contact her at her website. Want to learn more about writing?
BUY LINKS: AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE ASTRAEA PRESS
Endorsements for Unconditional: "Unconditional is a powerfully-gripping story of deep heartache laced with fears, yet even through the sorrow, Tanya Eavenson reminds us that nothing can separate us from God's love." ~ Alice J. Wisler, author of "Still Life in Shadows" and other novels
"Not your typical amnesia story, Unconditional tells a tale of loss, betrayal, and forgiveness. Eavenson drags her characters through the fire, then reveals God’s power through their broken lives. The writing is stellar; the emotion, raw and palpable; the cast, impeccably crafted. This author is one to be watched!" ~ April W Gardner, award-winning author
"Unconditional explores the struggles that married couples sometimes experience, and the decisions they must make after going through difficult circumstances. A powerful story of hope and healing." ~ Laura V. Hilton, Healing Love (Whitaker House)
"Unconditional is a beautiful story of God's never-ending love. Throughout its pages, Tanya Eavenson evokes a myriad of emotions in her readers, from deep despair to heartfelt praise. The characters gripped my heart, showing me the reality of man's sin but also the depth of God's grace. Unconditional is a well-written, heart-stirring novel written by a talented new author." ~ Jennifer Slattery, Novel Reviews
I have a special guest today who has just released her Young Adult novel, Every Little Piece. I’ve already read the book and loved it. I loved it so much, I ignored my writing just so I could keep reading Kate’s book. So naturally I was thrilled when she said she would write a guest post. Take it away Kate . . . .
****
As writers, we’ve all heard over and over to follow the rules. They help us when we’re writing our first manuscript…or second and third.
Rules such as don’t ever describe a character by having him/her look in a mirror, start with action but not so into the action that readers are confused, and follow story structure.
Rules are good.
I suggest following them. Most of the time.
There’s also a time to experiment. I had finished one project, and I needed something new and different. When I sat down to write Every Little Piece, I had a vague idea of where the story was going. I wanted an event and then a before and after. I wanted to show two people in a relationship dealing with their past.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have a solid outline. I told myself that I was willing to write thirty thousand words just for the sake of backstory. I didn’t worry about turning points.
I just wrote the story.
Of course, I had reshaping, revising, rewriting to complete after. I cut scenes. I refined the writing. I fleshed out turning points that came naturally.
But I let go of everything when writing this story. Sometimes it’s good to follow those rules. It’s good to follow perfect story structure.
But sometimes, it’s good just to let go of everything and just write the story from your heart.
Blurb:
Secrets never stay in the past.
The night before high school graduation changes everything. Lies are told. Mistakes are made. Secrets tucked away. Lives are changed in the span of a few hours.
A year later, Haley is still reeling, numb with the constant ache of guilt. She's in a place she never expected to be: lost without her friends and Seth. Until he enters her life again, dredging up everything she's trying to forget. Everything about that night.
Seth returns to his hometown determined to share his truth, his side of the story. He desperately needs to make things right with Haley, even if it means losing her forever. Because the truth will ruin any chance of her ever loving him again.
Except neither of them are prepared for the shock of what really happened the night before graduation.
Goodreads~ Amazon~ Barnes and Noble
There’s still time to sign up for the Every Little Piece Book Blitz Tour with Xpresso Tours starting May 6th!
Thanks so much Stina for your support and letting me take over your blog!
Kate Ashton @kateashton01 is the author of the contemporary mature YA Every Little Piece. She writes about relationships and love, heartbreak and healing. And everything in between.
Welcome to Friday, Friends! :) I can't tell you how happy, thrilled, humbled, excited, (and all kinds of good things) I am about the response to 'Faith Fiction Friday'. I'm glad you are all excited about writing and reading these. So, enough from me, what is Faith Fiction Friday... 1. I will post a picture. 2. You will get inspired by the picture and write a 100 word (give or take) story (either fiction or non-fiction OR devotional). 3. You will post your story in the comments section of this blog below. 4. You can post your blog on the link-up after you've added a story to comments. 5. Somewhere on your blog, put the Faith-fiction Friday button (feel free to shrink it if you want). 6. Since this is new, I'm asking, begging, pleading, kissing your feet, to please spread the word about this. I'd love for this to be a great place for people to read and write Christian fiction (believe me, there aren't many places on the internet that have it). If you have any questions, just ask. Like I said, I'd love for this to just be fun-- but it won't be fun for me (or anyone else) if no one participates. Here's is this weeks picture...
Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Much Love (and Happy Writing!)
Welcome to Faith Fiction Friday-- where good stories meet faith.
I'd like to thank the wonderful people who have been participating in Faith Fiction Fridays these past few weeks. I'd love to invite others to join the fun as well (even if you don't write; commenting on the stories gives a lot of author morale).
If you don't know what Faith Fiction Friday is:
1. I will post a picture. 2. You will get inspired by the picture and write a 100 word (give or take) story (either fiction or non-fiction OR devotional).
3. You will post your story in the comments section of this blog below.
4. You can post your blog on the link-up after you've added a story to comments.
5. Somewhere on your blog, put the Faith-fiction Friday button (feel free to shrink it if you want).
6. Since this is new, I'm asking, begging, pleading, kissing your feet, to please spread the word about this. I'd love for this to be a great place for people to read and write Christian fiction (believe me, there aren't many places on the internet that have it).
If you have any questions, just ask. Like I said, I'd love for this to just be fun-- but it won't be fun for me (or anyone else) without participation.
Linked with: Laura @ Beholding Glory
Here is this week's picture:
Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Remember, write your 100 word (give or take) story based on the prompt picture and post it in comments. Then leave your blog in the linky--
You should have finished day 21 today. If you didn't, don't worry. You have time to catch up. Just keep reading and don't give up! (That is the most important part). This is my second time doing the b90 program,and to be honest, I'm still learning new things... and I'm still enjoying learning about older stories I already knew. Joshua *Achan's sin affected his entire family... and his farm animals (Joshua 7) *When they didn't consult the Lord, things went badly (Joshua 9) Judges *Some judges have lots of stories.. and some have one verse *Don't let your desire to fit in hurt your relationship with God (Judges 2) *Ehud is my favorite Judge--- (Judges 3) *Deborah was a strong woman (Judges 4) *Gideon was the smallest of the least tribe and he was called by God (Judges 6) *Abimelech was a mean man... and didn't want to be done in by a woman (Judges 9) *Jephthah's story is heartbreaking! (Judges11) *And Samson... oh Samson... Samson didn't like nagging women.. and it lead to his downfall (Judges 13) Ruth *I love Ruth... such a love story. *I wish Orphah's life had been as good as Ruth's. 1 Samuel *Saul becomes the first official king of Israel. (1 Sam. 8) *He liked throwing spears... mainly at David, but at his son Johnathan too. *David was Saul's harp player bc it calmed him. (1 Sam. 16) *David slayed Goliath (1 Sam. 17) *David had a lot of wives--
AND because somehow I got ahead (here is what you have to look forward to reading... ) 2 Samuel *David becomes king over all of Judah.. but no one told Saul's son, Ishbosheth (2 Sam. ch. 1 and 2). Drama! *Abner is this books villian. (2 Sam. 2) *He got first wife, Michal, back... it was sad (2 Sam. 3) *Ishbosheth was murdered by 2 people who thought it would make David happy--- well... they were wrong. (2 Sam. 4) *They got the Ark back (yay!) (2 Sam. 6) *David danced for God... Michal thought he looked like an idiot... David told her to lump it. (2 Sam. 6) *Annnnnnnd... (because he didn't have enough drama) he saw Bathsheba on the roof, slept with her, got her pregnant, then couldn't get her loyal, nobel husband to sleep with her. (2 Sam. 11) *Soo... of course... said loyal and awesome husband had to die (2 Sam. 11). *God was ticked! (2 Sam. 11) Here are the readings for days 22 thru 28. day 22: 1 Sam. 28:20 to 2 Sam. 12:10 day 23: 2 Sam. 12:11 to 2 Sam. 22:18 day 24: 2 Sam. 22:19 to 1 Kings 7:37 day 25: 1 Kings 7:38 to 1 Kings 16:20 day 26: 1 Kings 16:21 to 2 Kings 4:37 day 27: 2 Kings 4:38 to 2 Kings 15:26 day 28: 2 Kings 15:27 to 2 Kings 25:30
My emails are a day ahead (I JUST NOW noticed). I'm so sorry about that. Monday the 20th should be reading day number 22. I'll try to do better. I'm so sorry... but if you thought you were behind.. Surprise! You're not :) (yay you!)
Much love (and full of mistakes) ~Kelly
*P.S. don't forget to check-in for week 4 below in comments. Let us know things you've found interesting too. I love reading them.
Wanna 'TREAT' this Halloween? I'm participating with Lisa Orchard, author of THE SUPER SPIES and the HIGH SCHOOL BOMBER (and lots of other authors) for a Spooky Good Giveaway! One winner will win a Kindle Fire ! We are playing a game called 'bobbing for books'. Here’s how to play and enter the contest via Lisa Orchard’s blog 1. TWEET about the giveaway and then FB share. (Each time you do this, comment on Lisa's blog with the tweet/facebook status URL, HERE) 2. Buy a participating author’s book(s) and post the confirmation code of purchase/book title in a comment on Lisa Orchard’s blog. 3. Enter as many times as you want! There is no limit. 4. Winner will be chosen on OCTOBER 30th. Tweet/share = one entry. Book bought = two entries so enter often... BUT don't forget to leave a comment on Lisa's Blog for each book bought and tweet/fb post to get credit for the giveaway.**All books are clean reads. NO purchase necessary. The amount of chances to win depends on how many entries you have.HERE ARE THE BOOKS... “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” By: Lisa Orchard
An innocent game of Truth or Dare spins out of control when Sarah Cole discovers the dead body of the Cat Lady and what’s worse? The lead detective believes they’re responsible for the old woman’s death. Sarah realizes it’s up to The Super Spies to snare the Cat Lady Killer…or die trying.. A great Halloween read! BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Crossing the Deep” By: Kelly Martin
Sixteen year old Rachel Harker expects the hiking trip in the mountains to be short and painless. Four days later, injured and scared, she just prays to make it home alive. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Hauntings of the Heart” By Joselyn Vaughn
When lost love shows up on your doorstep, what do you do? Minnie Schultz slams the door in his face. With the help of some paranormal investigators, an Elvis impersonator and a couple of nosey friends, can Minnie and Gordon find the future they were meant to have? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Joselyn’s books here: http://joselynvaughn.com
“Abiding Echoes” By: Kay Springsteen
Love is family… Love is endless… Love is timeless… Love is abiding… BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Kay’s books here: http://kayspringsteen.wordpress.com/
“Vala Appointed” By: J. F. Jenkins
Identical twins Anj and Zes Willam have always been considered odd, even in a world where myth is real. Their magic is powerful and intense, as well as their secrets. None more so than Anj, who has the biggest secret of them all. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Double Crossing” By: Meg Mims
August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed — both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey. As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble “Cruel Justice” By: Mel Comley
The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered decomposing in Chelling Forest. Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned to the case. A few days later another victim, this time a young girl, is discovered. Who could the killer be and what’s the connection between the two victims? BUY LINKS: Amazon/ US Amazon/UK Find more of Mel’s books here: http://melcomley.blogspot.fr/
“Moonlight on the Palms” By: Lisa Greer
When professor Astrid Kent’s estranged mother dies, she returns to her childhood home of La Casa De La Luz to set things right. But secrets, murder, and her mother’s ex-husband—Astrid’s former fiance before she fled Texas in shame—threaten to entangle her at every turn, even as another man vies for her heart. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of Lisa’s books here: http://www.lisalgreer.com/
“Prepare to Receive More” By: Benecia Ponder
A Step-by-Step Guide to Forming Your Prosperity Partnership with God. BUY LINKS: Amazon:
“The Trouble with Charlie” By: Catherine Bennett
Love. Desire. A psycho bent on revenge. But can Charlie Reynolds recognize the most dangerous of the three? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“At What Cost” By: J. Andersen
When sixteen year old Maggie Reynolds discovers she’s pregnant at the beginning of Junior year, she’s scared to death to tell her parents for fear of what they’ll do. Luckily, her boyfriend suggests another alternative: abortion, but will it really solve all her problems like she hopes it will? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“The Legacy” By: Patricia Kiyono
A family finds and embraces its samurai heritage. The Legacy introduces the Tanaka family, whose story begins in The Samurai’s Garden, available beginning November 6 from your favorite ebook distributor! BUY LINKS: AMAZON
“The Last Time Keepers” By: Sharon Ledwith
When Amanda Sault and her four classmates are caught in a major food fight at school, they are given the choice of suspension or yard duty. It was a no-brainer. A two-week crash course in landscaping leads the kids to discover a weathered stone arch buried in an overgrown backyard. Instead of a forgotten lawn ornament, it turns out to be an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. BUY LINKS: Musa Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble “There your Heart will be Also” By: Felicia Rogers
The Renaissance Hearts Series – Begin the adventure with Sarra and Cedric. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Felicia’s books here: http://feliciarogersauthor.weebly.com/
“A Collie Rescue” By: Lindsay Downs
Former Army Sergeant Sandi Charleston, diagnosed with PTSD and homeless barely survives day to day. By a miracle of fate she meets Taz, a uniquely special collie, who helps turn her life around. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lindsay Downs books here: www.murdersandmysteries.wordpress.com
“A New Dream” By: Elaine Cantrell
Former NFL player Matt McCallum and baker Violet Emerson find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Psychic” By: John Warnock
What if you awoke one day and discovered you had ESP? Would you feel blessed? Or would you feel cursed? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of John’s books here:http://www.johnwarnock.info/
“Secrets of Catalpa Hall” By: Lori Lapekes
BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lori’s books here: http://lorilapekes.com/
“No Job for a Woman” By: Sherry Gloag
Circumstances demand Julian and Deborah learn to work together and Julian dares to dream that he might gain the love of the only person he’s ever given his heart to. But will Deborah live long enough to discover that by releasing everything she values, she will gain everything her heart desires? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Sherry’s books here: http://www.sherrygloag.com/
****Please be aware that the KINDLE FIRE will be gifted from Amazon and sent directly from there. Therefore, if the winner receives a damaged prize, myself and the participating authors are not held liable for any damages. The winner must work with Amazon to get a replacement. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on OCTOBER 30th.
As writers, our goal is to create stories with intricately woven layers that keep the reader on the edge of her seat. But how do you do that?
In his non-fiction book, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (which I highly recommend), Donald Maass talks about the plot layer and the subplot. The plot layer is specific to the main character; whereas, the subplot is specific to the secondary characters. Yep, that was news to me, too.
Ideally, your main character has more than one plot layer. The more the better. So if you only have two, you’d better start brainstorming for some more. One will, of course, be the main story problem. Others, for example, could deal with the romantic storyline and the storylines dealing with the interactions between your main character and various family members, friends, teachers.
Because all our characters are dimensional (right?), each has their own interests, values, secrets, etc. Maybe the potential love interest is training hard to make the high school swim team. Great. As long as his goal somehow interconnects with the main character’s story. And if it somehow interconnects with other secondary characters’ stories, too, even better.
This means the more you know about your characters before you start the first draft, the easier it will be to make sure you have enough plot layers, and that your plot layers and subplots interconnect in as many ways as possible. Even if you’re a panster, it’s worth it to brainstorm first to make sure your story is as rich as possible before you start writing. It will mean fewer headaches down the line—even if you haven’t fully developed each plot layer and subplot beforehand.
Another thing you can do is analyze the novel you’re working on, and see if there are any subplots or plot layers that can be removed without damaging your story tapestry. If the answer is yes, then it hasn’t been woven into the story and is probably unnecessary.
Be sure to check out the exercises in the workbook. They really are worth taking the time to do no matter where you are in the writing process (preplanning, first draft, later revisions).
Note: I’m not getting any compensation for this. But you know, Donald, a ms request would be nice. I’m just saying, yanno. ;)
I'm so excited! My good friend Kathi-Ann graciously heeded the call I posted a few weeks ago for a guest poster while I worked on the Bible Study. I'm so glad she did. I think she did a wonderful job... enough of my blabbing. Here is Kathi-Ann...
************************************************************ I’ve never done this guest posting thing before, so I’m not sure how to start out. I guess I can share a little bit about myself. I’m a single mother of two (Bud, 8 and Boo, 4) and a student. I’m a year (or so) away from my bachelors in psychology. I’ve got two blogs, one (for lack of a better word) is a cooking blog, and the other was inspired by Kelly and is a religious blog. My religious background, I don’t know how different I am from Kelly’s normal readership, but I’m LDS. Oh, and I love to sing. And that is what I’ve elected to write about.
There’s a scripture in my church, something that almost everyone knows, certainly by the time they are out of high school. To paraphrase “A song of the righteous is a prayer unto me” and church is always full of songs. OK, so most of the people there are picking out the melody and barley hitting the right notes, but you can still fell the spirit.
Kids sing all the time, including mine. They love it. They spend half an hour (give or take) on Sunday just learning songs and the meanings behind them. My kids learn a lot of songs that I knew when I was a kid and I love to sing with them. One of them is just a simple song about reading the scriptures, and recently my daughter (the 4 year old) has been singing it. I love that song, I have since I started singing it when I was a kid.
It’s a lovely song to have in your head. The tune is catchy and the message is beautiful.
I love to read the Holy Scriptures, And, every time I do, I feel the Spirit start to grow within my heart—A testimony that they’re true.Search, ponder, and prayAre the things that I must do.The Spirit will guide, and, deep inside, I’ll know the scriptures are true.So, prayerfully I’ll read the scripturesEach day my whole life through.I’ll come to understand.I’ll heed the Lord’s commandAnd live as he would have me do.Search, ponder, and prayAre the things that I must do.The Spirit will guide, and, deep inside, I’ll know the scriptures are true.“Search, Ponder, and Pray”Jaclyn Thomas Milne and Carol Baker Black My son doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves the songs to, and when Boo and I are singing he’ll join in…until I look at him, then he pretends that he’s annoyed.
There is one more thing I’d like to share. I’m in a community choir in the town I live, unique I think, in that we don’t sing religious pieces to show off our skill, but we sing them to bring others closer to Christ.
This is us at our practice tonight (doesn’t my cell phone take amazing pictures). Our director (the guy standing in front…it’s kind of hard to tell) loves to have us sing spirituals. You know, like traditional gospel music like you’d find in the south. I think this is hilarious. I think, in the 200 some odd people we’ve got in the choir, two of them have some sort of rhythm to them. And those people are the pianist and the director. They try but we are about the sorriest bunch of white people you’ve ever seen trying to sing songs like “Go Down Moses” and “Goin’ Up to Glory”. Our attempts are usually laughable at best, but on the night of our concerts something amazing happens.
No, we don’t manage to pull out of ourselves some as yet unknown ability to sing the music the way it was intended. We are still just a bunch of uncoordinated southern Utahans’ who don’t seem to know any better. But as we stand on that stage, singing about trying to get to the Promised Land and trying to find God there’s a transformation.
It’s no longer about if we can sing the music as it was written, or as another choir would sing, it’s about God and spreading the message of love and joy that He shares with all of us.
As I was standing at practice tonight, in a hall as old as our town with a broken air conditioner in 108 degree weather, I started to cry. I could feel the spirit surrounding us. It wasn’t even a concert and He was there with us.
The song we were singing was “On Jordan’s Story Banks” (arranged by Howard Helvey) and the line…well, it wasn’t just one. It was the whole thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-zksaadkd4
Just the whole song, just…I don’t know how to adequately explain the feeling I get when I sing this song. The choir in the above video sings it at a faster clip than we do. My director takes it at a flowing place, the transitions are harder…not the right word, but it works, and the sprit that comes from it is amazing.
I know that I’m going to ‘go home’ one day and that I am sharing that message. So, there was a point to this long post that Kelly has been gracious enough to let me share with you all, and that is to sing. Always.
Keep a song in our heart and he will always be with you. Another song that I sang when I was a child was “Hum Your Favorite Hymn” and basically said that if you ever have to chase away bad thoughts that you should just think of your favorite hymn. I’ll be honest, I still do this today. Sometimes it’s just “Hum Your Favorite Hymn” sometimes it’s a favorite hymn or something that we’re singing in choir, but it is most effective.
Hum... still rambling. Just one last thing, always sing. Even to yourself. Keep those songs going around in your head through the day and you will always feel closer to
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Thank you, Kathi-Ann so much for that :) I really enjoyed it. I appreciate it :) Please visit Kathi-Ann's blogs at http://www.dothisinremembranceofme.wordpress.com/ and http://www.studentmamacook.wordpress.com/ (Linked with Women Living Well Wednesday )
That’s right. My new best friend is a corkboard, and it’s become my savior when it came to restructuring my WIP. I love it so much, I’m going to use it this summer to plot out my next novel. This is how it works: · Each index card represents a scene. · On one side of the card, write a sentence or two about the scene. · On the bottom, indicate what emotional change(s) your POV character goes through during the scene. · On the back, write the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) for your POV character. If you want, you can write them for all the characters in the scene, too, though you might have to do this on additional index cards and pile them underneath the main one. Now comes the fun part: · Pin the index cards in the order you think the scenes should go. · Play around with them, and see if there’s a better way to sequence the scenes to make your story stronger. · Don’t be afraid to toss away scenes that aren’t working the way you first envisioned. Obviously, this is ideally done BEFORE you write your first draft. But even if you’ve written your first draft (or your third or fifth draft), you can still use this tool. When Laura Pauling (the queen of story structure) told me I should move a few scenes around in my WIP, I thought she was insane brilliant. But after playing around with the corkboard, I not only moved those scenes around, I moved several others and tossed a few in the recycle bin (but this is only because my story problem/goal had changed). While moving a scene might sound daunting if you’ve already written the first draft, after plotting things out on the corkboard, it’s not so scary after all. You can see how much better the story will be, and the rewrites won’t be so painful (at least that’s what I keep telling myself). You can’t see it in this picture, but the cards are organized according to Act, and the key element of the act (e.g Catalyst, Debate, or Dark Moment*) are indicated on the appropriate card. Have any of you used a corkboard (or the software equivalent) for plotting out your story (either before the first draft (plotters) or afterwards (pansters)? And if so, do you have any other tips to share? (* refers to the elements in Save the Cat by Blake Synder) <<<3
Next week, I’m going to NYC for the RWA conference (and family vacation). Since I have a gazillion things to do before I leave, this will be my last post until July 11th. After that, I’ll be posting Mondays and Wednesdays until September 5th.
If you haven’t heard, Heather McCorkle’s book, The Secrets of Spruce Knoll, is now available. I love love love the cover and can’t wait to read the book (it’s on my iPod).
I asked Heather to share with us some of her favorite writing tips.
<<<3
Thank you for having me over Stina! As you know, I love helping writers in any way I can and I'm thrilled to share my writing tips in hopes that they may help others. I'll jump right in.
#1. In the beginning set small daily goals for as many days a week as you feel you can handle. Do your best to stick to them, whether they are a sentence a day, a paragraph, or a few pages. Small accomplishments help keep me motivated and moving forward.
#2. Give yourself permission to write a first draft that is truly rough. No one but you should ever see the first draft anyway so go for it, let it all out and don't be afraid of how good or bad it is. You can fix it later, that's what editing is for!
#3. This is a big one because it is what stops a lot of people from ever finishing: Write straight through the first draft. You will change so much once it's written that who knows what you'll keep or cut. This advice has helped propel me forward when I would have stalled out and quit writing a book altogether.
#4. When it's time to edit try to read through it as though you're an acquiring editor or an agent who is looking for a reason to reject it. Look for character arcs, story arcs, plot twists, plot holes, grammar, sentence structure, voice, and flow. Break it down into a few different editing passes over the entire manuscript. Yes you'll end up reading it until you can almost recite it, but it will be better for it if you can focus on one issue per read through.
#5. Share you work with others! Join a critique group and/or find a beta reader or two. If this makes you nervous think of it this way, the critiques you get will help develop the tough skin you're going to need to be able to approach agents, and it will make your novel better. A secret tip I'll throw in with this one: Read your novel aloud. It will shock you how much more you'll catch by doing this!
~Heather
Book blurb: It’s hard enough being a teenager under normal circumstances; imagine being orphaned, sent to live with an unfamiliar aunt—and learning that there really is magic in the world. Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands.
Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Now, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad.
As Eren and Aiden’s relationship blooms, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The town holds many secrets—and many enemies. It soon becomes apparent that the untimely death of Eren’s parents-and Aidens-was no accident and that her life might be in danger, too. Only time will tell if Eren has the power to protect the people she has come to love.
**Before I tell you my happy dance news, I'd LOVE if you'd click over and read this week's story at Faith Filled Fiction. Stacey has done a great job writing it! I know you will be blessed.
~*~
Last night, I made my first $0.24 as a writer!
This morning, I made my first $0.48!
I wrote the Ruth Bible Study for the Women's Ministry at church. I put it on Smashwords for free download, but I had some wonderful friends who said they didn't want it for free... they wanted to BUY it (awesome friends!).
So, I put it on createspace...
And now it's on Amazon!
Ignore the fact that it has Mrs. Kelly Martin as the author (it grates my nerves, but my husband thinks it's sweet ;)).
A five part Bible Study on the book of Ruth. This humorous and heartfelt study brings the verses to life and shows how love and respect can change the world. If you are interested in learning more or are interested in buying it, please click HERE. You can also download the free eBook version by clicking the link on the sidebar :) *If you're wondering about the other books... 'Crossing the Deep' is still being queried to agents and publishers. If it doesn't get picked up, it's ok. I'll work on it and probably self-publish it (now that I kinda know how). *I'm 44,000 thousand words into my second book. (Thanks campnanowrimo! :)) It reminds me of "The OC meets God"... I'll probably finish it up this week, then do edits. The PLAN is to not rush edits like I did the first book and do it right the first few times. Both are Young Adult/Christian books which are REALLY hard to sell to agents/publishers, but that's ok. If they are meant to be published, they will be. I just love writing them. Much Love, Kelly Linked with: Women Living Well Wednesday
