"If" = "When"

I posted this on my blog yesterday, hopefully it encourages us on our writing journey this year.

This week I had the pleasure of hearing a dear friend dish on the details of a business venture she is planning. Thinking through names, probabilities, and finances are big thought processes. It was fun dreaming right along with her as she takes real, tangible steps toward making this plan a reality. I know her well enough to recognize that this area is what she is clearly gifted in.
Too easy it becomes to say “If…” “Maybe when…” “Not sure if I can…” “Other people, not me…”
Let’s work to replace the indefinite, the insecurities, with plans to proceed. We can start by changing the wordage of “If…” into “When…” every time the dream tries to slip away. My dreams include being a full-time writer and eventually I’d love to have photography become more than a hobby.
It is insanity how we have learned to berate ourselves, minimize our talents as if false modesty is more becoming than contagious excitement at our skills. We ALL have them! It is a beautiful thing, talent. Every single person shares a creative gene with God.
Today, write it down. Commit your dream to paper. Share it with someone who will ask about it. Dictionary.com defines “when” in a useful way for this purpose. Take a peek, dare to dream- then take the first step.
–adverb 1. at what time or period? how long ago? how soon?:under what circumstances? upon what occasion?

Hoosier Ink: What A Great State We Live In!

Hoosier Ink: What A Great State We Live In!: "I’m so proud to live in a state where we have the right to choose a license plate proudly proclaiming, “In God We Trust.” I’m not sure many ..."

Strange Days Indeed

Did you know in Switzerland the official Egg Races are held on Easter Monday, where residents race to carry large numbers of eggs to neighboring communities?

We all love to celebrate Save Your Vision week each March. I am personally ever grateful for the Presidential Proclamation that ensures this continuing tradition since 1964.

Perhaps one of your characters is a big fan of Jimi Hendrix? They would naturally be drawn to today's celebration of his birth in 1942.

If you have a character that wears a blue collar to work in Indy, would you know to place his residence in the the Thirty Eighth Street corridor?

Sometimes the details of life are hard to place for fiction, and our readers are sure to catch any inconsistencies of our story. There are some fun and wacky resources that are affordable volumes to decorate your shelves. Put them on your Christmas wish list.

Who knows when it will be imperative to know exactly when Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day is?

Chase's Calendar of Events
Writer's Guide to Places by Don Pures & Jack Heffron
On This Date... compiled by Sandy Whiteley

When writing feels like another item on your to do list, have some fun and flip to a random page. Create a scene that you would normally press the delete button immediately. A new character might wiggle into your running storyline that you haven't met yet...

"When will this end?" she muttered pushing past Ernest into the crowded hallway. She stretched her legs over bags filled with the yearly necessities: cymbals, wigs, tattered grass skirts and a worn paper mache' donkey. Even though the Gong Show ended decades ago, he wasn't about to miss the annual Gong competition. The perpetual booing didn't seem to phase him. This year was going to be the...

Not so serious...

Ahhh, an epiphany! Writing doesn't always have to be taken seriously, although we often tend to do so. The business warrants a healthy dose of studiousness, commitment, and concentration. Fiction can be a riot when we allow ourselves permission to just sit and write nonsense.
Since beginning to write fiction, I have been often bogged down in learning the craft. We writers love to say that, don't we? "Learnnnnninnnnngggg theeee Crafttttt" rolls wonderfully off our tongues, and sometimes we even mean it! There are other times though. Just sitting down and sometimes spilling out utter, absolutely could not happen, or maybe if...., destroy upon completion scenarios.
Why not? We don't have time? I am finding that these scenarios might contain a few sentences of value that can be extracted for later use. Even better, they loosen up the writing part of my mind. The part squished in between parenting, commitments, ministry, etc.
Let's remind ourselves to relax a bit, these seemingly random exercises offer mental rest. Freedom to escape for awhile from everyday life into a world that has no boundaries. When we come back, we carry on with perhaps a private smirk of remembrance. Let loose and see where the story goes.

More-than-enough

Psalms 4:6-7 in the Message says,
Why is everyone hungry for more?
"More, more," they say.
"More, more."
I have God's more-than-enough.
More joy in one ordinary day.

At first glance this didn't seem to apply to my writing life. I was wrong. As writers, we often lament for "more" time, "more" words, "more" cooperation from life outside our writing world. We can be hungry to write, and imagine that "more" of what we think we need is the magic ticket. God's word promises that we already have what we need, in this case, time. The possibility for joy in our work is already within our grasp. We have more-than-enough. What a comfort!
Learning to be productive within the confines of our day sometimes takes a jump start. Let me share a few resources that might encourage and enable us:
Conquering the Time Factor by Julie-Allyson Leron
Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
A fun little box of writing games to spark your imagination-
The Writer's Toolbox by Jamie Cat Callan

Let's go forth with confidence, accepting what we can do today.Thank God for what we do accomplish-not regretting what we didn't.

5 Minute Folders

My reality check came to visit this week. All those lofty postponed plans to write all summer haven't materialized. What I have been doing is worthy and necessary as well, but didn't include much writing. So, where to go from here? I thought of a few suggestions to share that might help you get those fingers moving during the lazy days (in theory, who has time for lazy?!? ) of summer.

I was reading a book by Barbara De Marco-Barrett called Pen on Fire. She was discussing, how as writers, we often want to wait for the perfect writing scenario. An uninterrupted period of peace every day. Those days can be few and far between, so learning to write in snippets is essential.

I've been guilty of being a waiting-writer, and am realizing you can do a lot in 5 minutes! I tested out this theory with my new 5 minute folders created in Word. I have tons of 5 minutes in my life, but can rarely eek out a 3 hour chunk. My world is full of scraps of papers, ideas, and observations- but they aren't in a one stop shop. Opening a new Word document, I sat down and just wrote a paragraph about a person I observed. Threw that paper away. It felt great! I am on to something here. Another folder might be labeled "Sounds" and all the snatches of descriptions can go here. Now I might make a folder about "Expressions" and start choosing a person a day just to keep my mind moving, and describe how someone comes across while speaking. Suddenly, I am pumped again about the writing, the kind that fits into my reality...words that come to fruition, and aren't in the limbo of my "Maybe Tomorrow" mental folder. 5+5+5+....

One day the work is complete, 5 minutes at a time.

Can a sad story survive?

My WIP has floated along, stopping to say hello but never staying to put down roots. It has been frustrating to write on occasion, because the subject matter is difficult. Believing it was supposed to be a book has burdened me. Recently I read about a woman who won a short story contest in Writer’s Digest. My heart started racing as I considered new potential outlets for this WIP. Perhaps is not meant to be a book at this stage? Ideas flitted about faster than I could process them. I could write my characters journey into a short story! My fiction piece wouldn’t lose value by being reduced in size to a more manageable work.

At this stage of life, maybe short stories would be a viable option for this writer. I felt free. The pieces are fitting together in my mind as never before, suddenly “it” makes sense. By eliminating the pressure of a complete book, writing fiction once again feels life giving. I am going to focus on telling the part of the story that matters to me the most. Who knows? Maybe I too will enter a short story contest?

The possibilities are exciting. More importantly, I can stay true to the nuance of this story. What it wants to be today. It can always expand later. I am not writing it for a market per se, but as a conduit to let these characters speak. I have been told that no one will be able to read a subject matter without a happy ending. I disagree. I believe people will connect with writing that peeks into their secrets, surprising them that they are not alone.

Life doesn’t always end with closure, perhaps a story that doesn’t force a happy ending might be just what causes a reader to reflect…writing their own ending. Can a sad story survive? It can be a good read, and be a catalyst for change, even just for one person. If I allow God to use me to tell the story, He will certainly bring the reader who needs to connect through it. What are your thoughts?

What year is this?

When I set out to do historical fiction I was advised to tread carefully, readers quickly catch on to inaccuracies. Seemed easy enough, just plan well, take some notes etc. Flash forward to my last writing session.

I had sent a goal and was only on w0rd 401 for the day. The first paragraph went fabulously. Then, each word became so difficult to plunk out- slow and I'd even say painful. It is difficult being fully aware that you are writing slush pile material, but still pressing on, knowing that you can't edit what isn't written. Giving up wasn't an option.

Join my brain in progress...The main character is having her hair done for a family photo. That is where the trouble started. What kind of hairstyle? Went to the trusty Internet for some pictures. Realizing that the style I was thinking of was in the wrong decade. One m character is a musician and part of the jazz era. Then I realized the car I'd given him wasn't created yet!

Thus began a desperate search through the 20's, 30's and 40's to attempt to pinpoint the year. Ahhhh! He couldn't drive a 40's Plymouth, have his favorite song be on the radio in the 30's and get into speakeasies. Well, I guess he could in my mind but it didn't translate to the written word well. Now I am faced with having to deal with the Depression or World War II. Sigh. How could a hair style lead to so much bewilderment?

Here is the funny part. My husband who is neither a writer, nor a fan of reading came home late from work. Needing to get these "hefty" ideas out of my head to keep my sanity, I share my dilemma. His eyebrow went up on one side, thoughtfully. I told my beloved that the writing was junk that day but I found out a few new things. Frank (my imaginary character) finally agreed to do.....and then....well his wife was not happy about THAT....and then Lizzy (the daughter) was at school and some girl said to her, "Everyone knows your dad is a lousy drunk!" I told him how my character responded. Am I rambling yet? I imagine so, you should see inside my head :).

As the writer, I was surprised to find out that the whole town already knew about Frank. And Lizzy surprised me by slapping another character! I concluded at least I learned something new about my story.

My husband was still staring at me like I was crazy. He calmly said, "She pinched her?" Then he started chuckling as he walked up the stairs. I was stunned. All that mental effort and that is what he took away from this genius plot?!?

What must it be like to love a writer? Someone who seems somewhat normal but talks about her characters as if they were alive. And he surely can't understand how I can be as surprised as the next person when there are new revelations about my fictional friends.

How about you, ever feel like you are somewhat caught in your writing; in the specifics of time or character? Can anyone relate?

Now, back to the turn of the century I go to start again. I have got to know what year my story takes place. After all, Frank needs a new suit for his photography session and I don't want him to be out of style...

Christa Sterken