So you want to be a writer? Then you better get a thick hide.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a writer.

And for as long as I can remember I've had issues with rejection.

We all have them, really. But my issue is more pronounced since I was abandoned at birth, and for other reasons I'd rather not share, I feel rejection to the core.

Of all the occupations to long for, I managed to pick the one where rejection is more the norm than the exception. Especially when starting out.

If you want to be a writer, you're going to have to grow a thick hide. You're going to want to be a writer more than you hate the feeling of rejection.

I started submitting stories back in the 1970s (you know, when the ice was just beginning to thaw from the ice age). I received more rejection letters than acceptances. In fact, I'm not sure I received any acceptance letters from any magazines of major importance. But I continued to write. I enrolled in writing courses. I kept practicing the craft. The passion was still there. The rejections hurt, but my unction to write was stronger than that hurt.

I truly believe that it's not the most talented that get published but those that are the most persistent. It's the ones who refuse to give up and who are open to criticism and willing to learn how to master

their craft that make it.

Get yourself in a critique group that will filet you, and you'll learn to write well. It will do you no good to surround yourself with people who pat you on the back. Iron sharpens iron. Pens sharpen pens. Create an environment for yourself that stretches you and demands more from you.

Recently I was asked by a major magazine to do an article. I had longed to be published in such a magazine during the 1990s but my submissions were consistently rejected.

Now the magazine has come to me, not me to them.

I do not boast in myself. I only share this to say that it has nothing to do with my brilliance, but it does have to do with my work ethic and my willingness to learn all I can and to work like a dog. When I'm not doing something else, I'm writing. I'm not kidding. When I'm not writing, I'm usually researching or learning about writing. (I'm also a full-time college student, pastor's wife, Mama, caregiver of a mother-in-law with Alzheimer's...) But when I'm not doing those other things in my "other life," I'm working on my craft. I sacrifice personal free time to do so. (Naturally, in balance with keeping God my God and not putting the writing before Him.)

My point is this: Work Hard. Learn to take it on the chin. Grow a thick hide.

And never, never quit.

This post is cross-posted from Karla's Blog.  

 

Karla Akins is the award-winning author of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Books due out August 9, 2013. Her ebook, Jacques Cartier went #1 in its category on Amazon and one of her columns was featured on the CNN homepage.

 

 

Sharpen Your Craft

As writers we must not only work our craft, we must hone our craft. ACFW provides plenty of opportunities to do that regardless of the level of writing through on-line critique groups, Novel Track, Genesis contest, and loops. The annual conference also is set up to aid all writers from newbie to profit-making professional.

Plenty of fine websites provide helpful tools for quick and reliable reference. Right here on Hoosier Ink we address writing issues. For instance, you can flit over to Steph Pritchard’s “If I Were a Butterfly” on subjunctive mood. Other sites such as http://www.grammarly.com/handbook  and http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl act as traffic cops at the intersection of sloppy diction and proper English. One site that guides you to other helpful places is http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/grammar.htm.

While computer use increases availability for those hands-on or hard to find questions, sometimes it’s best to hold a book in our hands as we alternately read and work exercises. There’s something about physically recording work that aids in learning.

What is your favorite craft-of-writing source? What is one idea that held great take-away value for you? Do you have a favorite site to check grammar?

Mary Allen, a lifelong Hoosier, has authored many articles and two books of poems, “Journey to Christmas” and “Ten Days to an Empty Tomb”. She also contributed stories to “Kernels of Hope” published by Majesty House. Allen was named La Porte County Poet Laureate 2010-2011. Follow her online at https://www.facebook.com/PoetAndWriterMaryAllen. She blogs monthly for www.thebarndoor.net, a site about the Midwest.

Breakthrough!

Woot! Woot!

I've been waiting for this for a long time, and to me it's almost as good as a hot biscuit fresh from the oven.

I finally figured out a way to stay creative at work, despite my exhaustion from working in a factory. (Sorry if I keep repeating myself about the factory. It's really created a bottle neck as far as time and energy for the rest of life.)

Some aspects of my job are very routine, almost like milking cows. Same thing over and over. I just have to keep moving. That gives me some big chunks of time to day-dream about my stories.

I started a new project about the time I discovered the "notes" feature of my cell-phone actually has a lot of space.

So, on breaks and at lunch, I've been writing myself notes about my latest story. If they are in my cell phone, they have to be concise, and they don't blend into the debris field of my purse like paper scraps would.

When I get home, I jot them down in the story document. I don't really have an outline or a snowflake, just a list of things to do in the story. I don't think this is going to change me from a seat-of-the-pants writer to an organized one, but it is helping me use my time.

The only issue is, what was I thinking? Here's an entry ..."Sofias gma n ggma dps, ggma a cook for army, overhears gi speaking dutch, is war bride." I think it is supposed to mean "Sofia's grandma and great-grandma are displaced persons after World War II. Great-grandma gets a job as a cook (?) (or doing laundry? Ask Pop) for Army, overhears a GI speaking Dutch, is war bride and they move to Michigan."

Anyway, I've been using my cell phone to capture a lot of ideas while they are fresh. I would love to hear other ideas for organizing stories.

See you after work!

You Don't Need a Cast of Thousands

How many characters do you need in order to tell your story? If you're Hemingway writing The Old Man and the Sea, just two--the elderly fisherman and his trophy. If you're writing "Downton Abbey" or some other intergenerational saga, you need to introduce several dozen people to your readers. Clearly, it depends on the complexity of your plot and the intricacy of your narrative style.

For the sake of clarity and unencumbered pacing, it's best to keep the number of characters to a minimum. By "character," I mean an individual with a distinct name, description, and story role. For example, we may take our readers to a garden party with a hundred or so guests whose raucous laughter and gay apparel contribute to the mood of the evening, yet get acquainted only with our urbane hostess and her scowling maid. We've given readers two new characters and a roomful of party noise. (Trying to keep track of the rest would distract readers, even if we gave everyone name tags!)

So before you introduce a new character into your narrative, ask yourself a few tactical questions such as these:

• Will this person's identity, ideas, or actions move my hero closer to his/her goal?
• Will this person thwart my hero's quest? 
• Will this person's experience give my hero a crucial insight into what he/she must do?
• Will this person "take a bullet" for my hero--pull away someone who otherwise would encumber my hero, or fall victim to a hazard that otherwise might claim my hero?

If all such questions yield a "no," don't introduce the person as an individual character, but let him/her remain in the background. For example:

     "Have I any messages?" Hester asked, stripping her gray flannel gloves.

     The clerk turned to a rank of mailboxes and retrieved a folded half-sheet of stationery with her name hand-lettered on the outside.

     A chill ran down Hester's spine as she scanned its contents. How had Gretchen found her here?

The clerk performs an important function in this scene, but not so important that we need to be introduced. We don't know whether the clerk is male or female, young or old, natty or slovenly...because it doesn't matter. The note's the thing.

I once worked as an "extra" in a crowd scene for a college drama production. The director told us to mill about the stage doing things that a crowd normally would do in the city square, while muttering to one another, "Peas and carrots...Peas and carrots...Peas and carrots..." That way, the audience saw and heard us in the background, but their attention remained fixed on the main characters.

If an individual doesn't really advance your story, don't make that person a character. Let him be a nondescript "extra": No name, no physical characteristics, no inane dialogue--just peas and carrots.

Joe Allison and his wife, Judy, live in Anderson IN, where Joe serves as Coordinator of Publishing for Church of God Ministries, Inc. Joe has several nonfiction books in print, including Swords and Whetstones: A Guide to Christian Bible Study Resources. He's currently writing a trilogy of Christian historical novels set in the Great Depression.

Visit Joe's blog at http://hoosierwriter.wordpress.com

Staying on track ...

My daughter and I were talking about "the perfect horse book" in her mind. Not one where an inexperienced rider is the only person who can tame an unbroken bronc, wins the race or show class and ends up marrying the stable boy.

So, what would be the perfect horse story?

She laid out some awesome ideas, including friendship and family relationships surrounding two cousins and their horses. In our story, one of the horses is an old but reliable beginner's horse and the other is a bronc-y (if that's a word) little mare, who, with some more wet saddle blankets, could be a winning barrel racer. We did throw in a couple of cliche's, including a mean girl and an evil ex-boyfriend.

What would it take to get this on paper?

We talked about Christmas break, our upcoming vacation, and writing a thousand words a day. Can we do it?

This reminds me of some of our horse-related talks about riding lessons, practicing for contesting and rail classes and finding time during the school year with everything else going on. "How bad do you want it?" I have often asked.

A lot of our time with the horses is not glamorous. There are stalls to clean and hay to bale. One of the most monotonous tasks ever was shortening her Quarter Horse gelding's mane from about a foot long to about four inches to prepare for the county fair. This took hours because manes should be pulled, not cut. If one of the horses gets sick or lame, sometimes there are shots or medications or soaking hooves or poulticing and wrapping legs. Sometimes there are late nights, walking a sick horse until the vet arrives. Other times we get to see our daughter and her horse in the ribbons at the fair.

So ... how badly do I want this? I have been asking myself this about not only the horse story but other projects as well.

Can we get a thousands words a day written on our horse story? I don't know, but it would be a good goal. What would we have to give up to make time for this? Is there any research involved? If we write it, then there is rewriting, revising, brain-storming, organizing and probably revising some more. Not as messy as a clay poultice for a gimpy horse, but still, some work involved.

How do we stay on track with our writing? Daily or weekly goals? I would enjoy hearing other ideas. I will be back after work!

Book Review – You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through A Christian Lens" by Scott Nehring

This blog is being posted on Black Friday. Many of you are on the look-out for the ideal Christmas present. Others are content to let your spouses do the shopping (my hand's up here) and may be more interested in seeing a movie. If you are a shopper whose significant other is heading to the theater, I have the ideal gift for you.

But wait a minute. I hear some protests. This blog is not about watching movies, and definitely not about shopping. Objection noted, but allow me to continue and I should prove why this book about movie watching should be on the must-buy list for every Christian writer.

I had the privilege of hearing Christian film critic Scott Nehring on Chris Fabry live (3-5pm on WGNR-FM, 97.9). Nehring's reviews have been syndicated on several websites including Reuter's, USAToday, FoxNews, and The Chicago Sun Times.

Chris mentioned Scott's book You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through A Christian Lens in the course of the interview. I read this book based on my interest in movies and having a cinemaphile for a father. Through the course of reading, I discovered things to think about as a Christian novelist.

The epigraph sets the tone for the book: “We have come from God and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of true light, the eternal truth that is with God.” (J. R. Tolkien)

Nehring's book is divided into three sections. The first establishes the role of movies in our society for better and mostly for worse. He shows that today's films are helping lead our culture to collapse and Christians have the role of setting our society back on solid ground.

The second section captured my attention as a writer. It establishes the fact that a movie is a story and deals with structure and character types. His premise is that in essence every film has the same structure with the same types of characters popping up here and there. He believes this story structure is engrained in us.

I found this part very helpful for having more knowledge on my craft. It points out what readers expect from a story. Of course, there is a part of me wondering where I can bend the rules in a way that will surprise the reader and keep them reading, as opposed to shocking them and having them throw my book across the room.

In the third section, Nehring challenges Christians to take an active role in the culture. This includes a discerning eye in watching movies (and I believe the principles apply to other forms of entertainment, such as reading novels). He also challenges Christian artists to engage the society with high quality product that deals with real-life issues.

This is added: There are two interesting appendices to the book, looking at the structure in Pulp Fiction and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I found the latter to be very interesting.

Next month, I'll be having an interview with Scott Nehring about the book and writing. If you want more information on the book, go to http://www.YouAreWhatYouSee.com. You can also access Scott's movie reviews at http://www.GoodNewsFilmReviews.com. And of course it's on Amazon, where you'll see a variation of this review by yours truly (among a few others).

Writing on the Run

Gone for me are back to back hours to write. These days I’m learning to write on the run. (I’m pursuing another degree.)

Agatha Christie got her start writing that way. During World War I she worked as a nurse and later at a dispensary. She spent every spare moment during her down time and in between patients writing.

I may be getting a degree, but I find that first and foremost, I’m a writer. There are too many stories in my head that I’ve got to get out, so I plot and write during boring lectures. While I’m waiting in lines or doctor’s offices, I pull out my notebook and begin to write where I left off during a dull class. When I’m in the car and Mr. Himself is driving, I pull out the notebook and take up where I left off while in the doctor’s waiting room.

I’ve found some advantages to these writing spurts:

• When I rewrite it on the computer, I do an immediate rewrite.

• It gives me a new perspective when I’m typing it out – I think of new things to add or delete.

• My brain is able to slow down and think deeper when I’m writing long-hand on paper than when I’m typing a story. (Of course, the flip side to this is that I can’t write as fast as I can think.)

• I’m becoming an expert cryptologist as I work to decipher my scrawl.

I do miss having long delicious hours to languish at the keyboard and write. But to be honest, writing for long blocks of time can sometimes be frustrating. Writing in small spurts is really fun. I never have writer’s block. And when I have to stop, my brain is more free to ponder what I’ll write the next time I get to pull out the notebook.

What about you? How do you write on the run?

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, and grandma to five beautiful little girls. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three crazy dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is shoes, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

To Everything There is a Season: Spring

To Everything There Is a Season. In my office, right on top of my computer monitor, I have a little sign that sports these words. It is there to remind me that life is an ever-evolving journey and if I don't like the place I find myself in today, never fear, tomorrow the view out my window will be different.

One of the many hats I wear is that of "farmer's wife". Normally springtime on the farm is a flurry of activity, getting the crop in the ground. This year, however, spring apparently didn't get the memo. Cold, wet days with little sunshine are not ideal planting conditions. Now I've added to my job repertoire "farmer's therapist". I can sympathize with my poor, frustrated hubby, because I realize how similar writing and farming can be. Let me explain.

Preparation
Before the seed can go into the ground, my hubby must prepare the soil. Plowing, fertilizing, praying. As writers, we prepare too. Whether you're a "plotter" or a "pantser", at least a little planning is first on the list of every new writing project. Research, plotting, praying. Getting it in our head before we get it down on paper.

Planting
There is more involved in planting than just pushing a little seed into the ground. Sowing, waiting, praying. Watching for those little shoots to burst forth from the ground. Praying that the fertilizer will make them strong. Guarding against weeds or pests that might choke out the tender plants. Keeping an eye out for hail or standing water or scorching heat that might damage the fragile leaves, stems, or roots. Praying that the one tiny seed that goes into the ground will result in tall, healthy plants heavy with bounty. Writing, rewriting, praying. Writers plant the seeds of words and ideas. We rewrite and delete, making our writing strong. We guard against pet words, passive writing, and head-hopping. We keep an eye out for industry changes, trends, and keeping a consistent voice. And, always, we pray that God will take our words and multiply them.

Partnership
My hubby needs other people to help him on his way to harvest. Helping, supporting, praying. I run him between fields, helping him move equipment and seed. He heeds the advice of industry experts regarding pest infestations or weather cycles. I support him with food, running the house in his absence, and in prayers for safety, rest, and yields. Writers may write in solitude, but they aren't alone. Helping, supporting, praying. We network and grow in our craft with the help of those that are a little further down the writing road. Critique groups and writing buddies move us out of our comfort zones, pushing us to higher levels of writing. Industry experts support us with advice on trends and the ever-changing publishing world. And we share in one another's burdens and victories, always lifting up prayers for encouragement, perseverance, and steadfastness to the faith.

Wherever you are on the road to publication, I pray for you today. I pray that you remember there is a season for everything. I pray that you are diligent and persevere. I pray that your hard work is rewarded. And always, I pray for you that you remain steadfast to the faith that is the root of all we do.

Words

If you're a writer, I know that at some point you've struggled to find the exact words needed to share your thoughts or feelings. Not just any words will do. The right words can help your readers see the world in a new and unexpected way. Stephen Lawhead, author of The Paradise War, describes the power of the language in his fictional world below:


"there were no dead words. No words that had suffered the ignorant predation of a semiliterate media, or had their substance leached away through gross misuse; no words rendered meaningless through overuse, or cheapened through bureacratic doublespeak. Consequently, the speech of Albion was a valued currency, a language alive with meaning: poetic, imagaic, bursting with rhythm and sound. When the words were spoken aloud, they possessed the power to touch the heart as well as the head: they spoke to the soul."

I want to give that type of language to my characters, my story world!


Any tips on how you find the right words?

Or if you're a reader, would you share an example of a fiction book where the words reached out and grabbed you?

Point of View - a Study in Voice

I recently read a publisher's website that stated they did not want submissions in the omniscient voice and it got me thinking about that. Who does that? Would I like it? Maybe they're throwing the baby out with the bathwater on this one. Now, I understand about no head hopping in third person, handle with care first person (The Snowflake - my Christmas novella due out in October is my first experiment with first person) but what exactly is omniscient pov? And is there really anything wrong with it?
A few days later, down another rabbit hole, I looked up one of my childhood favorites - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and there it was . . . omniscient narrative:

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled
Jo, lying on the rug.
"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at
her old dress.
"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of
pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy,
with an injured sniff.
"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth
contentedly from her corner.
The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened
at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly,
"We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time."
She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking
of Father far away, where the fighting was. (This appears in Jo's pov)
Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone,
"You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this
Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone;
and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when
our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can
make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am
afraid I don't." And Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully
of all the pretty things she wanted. (Now we're in Meg's pov)
"But I don't think the little we should spend would do any
good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped
by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or
you, but I do want to buy UNDINE AND SINTRAM for myself. I've
wanted it so long," said Jo, who was a bookworm. (Jo's pov if she's the person we are in their head, if not omniscient)
"I planned to spend mine in new music," said Beth, with a
little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and kettle
holder. (Omniscient pov)
"I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing pencils. I
really need them," said Amy decidedly.
"Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't
wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and
have a little fun. I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it," cried
Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner. (Back in Jo's pov or omniscient)
"I know I do--teaching those tiresome children nearly all
day, when I'm longing to enjoy myself at home," began Meg, in the
complaining tone again.
"Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we
had the money Papa lost when we were little, Jo? Dear me! How
happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!" said Meg, who
could remember better times. (Omniscient)
"You said the other day you thought we were a deal happier
than the King children, for they were fighting and fretting all
the time, in spite of their money."
"Birds in their little nests agree," sang Beth, the
peacemaker, with such a funny face that both sharp voices
softened to a laugh, and the "pecking" ended for that time. (Omniscient)

Okay, lots of head hopping going on here, but really it doesn't feel as if we're in any one's head. It feels as if the camera is zoomed out and giving us an overall view of the scene. I find I don't mind it. It gives me information about each character and what they think and feel, who they are. If we were only in Jo's pov it would be quite different, wouldn't it? How she views her sisters. But, wait a minute. That kind of comes through after all, with the way it is written. It's Jo we end up identifying with in Little Women as the main character/narrator and maybe that's because the omniscient view isn't really omniscient after all. Maybe it's Jo's way of telling a first person pov story. Now that's confusing! And interesting to me.

Thoughts?

Jamie Carie
www.jamiecarie.com

"All grist to this mill ..."

This line came from a character in a book, a foot soldier in one of the Crusades. He took a peek at his bad food, noticed the bread was full of weevils and snarfed it down anyway. He told the POV character, "All grist to this mill."

That's how I think of a lot of life experiences. I am working at a factory now and absolutely none of it relates to any of my previous experiences as a farmer's wife or newspaper reporter. But, I am doing some people watching. All grist to this mill. Maybe I can use some of it, some day. Who does my boss remind me of? How would I describe my co-w0rkers? Why is this place organized the way it is? How would I describe the sounds, the sights, the heat, the noise ... I pray for wisdom in my dealings with my co-workers. Probably need to pray more!

In the same way, I tried to gather details when we went to Warren Dunes Sunday. A strong weather front pushed through and stirred up 2- to 4-foot-waves. On Sunday the lake was every shade of blue and green -- the horizon was indigo but closer to shore the waves were turquoise and jade. One emotional impact came from seeing my 9-year-old, who hated swimming lessons and resented our making him suffer through them, turn into a suntanned little otter in Sponge Bob swim trunks as he played in the waves. Or the human comedy of a parade of people slogging through deep sand with all their gear. Or the drama of the rangers searching for a lost little boy and returning him to his parents, with a round of applause from surrounding beach-goers. Wow. Some answered prayers take only minutes.

Other experiences pile up: The sounds and scents of horseback riding; trying to walk across a plowed field; the feelings of sweat, blisters and splinters as we bale hay; the voices of children; boys' voices changing to manly voices; a daughter growing taller than me. All grist to this mill.

All grist to this mill. I don't know when I will use any of this in my writing, but I'm glad I have these experiences to draw on. Perhaps writing is one way for me to "save time in a bottle" as an old song says.

Now We're Cookin'

Have you ever had a character who is stubborn? You know the type. Wants to remain distant and two-dimensional and oh so elusive. Like recalcitrant children (or maybe just shy) they dodge and deflect when I'm trying to bring out their true feelings, their foibles, that inner dialog/back story that will make me and the reader fall in love with them. I try this turn of phrase or those clothes, a veritable feast of peccadilloes and habits (both bad and good) but nothing is just right. Nothing fits. And so I continue with the monster that is plot and hope to later fill in the proverbial blanks.

Well, I am happy (relieved, thrilled, ecstatic?) to say that my latest heroine, an English woman and an impoverished Earl's daughter has finally fleshed out. It's my current WIP and due in a little over a month - yes, I was beginning to panic and pray a lot! Her name is Lady Kendra Townsend and I've recently learned two things about her. One - she and father used to "encourage" one another by a gentle, spoken reminder of the fruit of the spirit as needed for an occasion. Sometimes I scramble for a new, fresh way to portray my characters as Christians aside from the prayers and Scripture verses. This (I hope) has a light hearted comical effect. When someone irritates her, Kendra (silently) yells the word "patience!" to herself. Or when dealing with pain and heartbreak she remembers her dear father's gentle admonition of "long-suffering" or "love." I do miss her father almost as much as she does - sniff!

And then, just this week in late edits, I learned that she harbors a love for hats. She can't afford many but oh, my, like my love for shoes . . . well, enough said. She loves them big and full of fripperies, feathered and bejeweled. The drooping brim, the shallow crown, straw, felt and fur. The gaudier the better and I just love that about her. (See some gorgeous hats here http://jamiecarie.com/wordpress/?p=664 )

So, if your characters are being shy or just plain giving you fits, keep plotting on! Who knows what you will discover at the ninth hour.

Know what I mean?

ALLOW YOURSELF TO WRITE JUNK

“The first draft of everything is…”

A quote by Ernest Hemingway. How do you think his quote ended?

It wasn’t with the word “perfect.”

A few years ago, I sat down to write my first novel. I wrote the first chapter, and then sent it out to my newfound online critique group through ACFW. I received it back, basically painted in red.

Disappointed in myself, I scratched the whole first chapter and started over. I let my husband read it. I watched his face as he read every line. He didn’t look too enthusiastic about the chapter. I can’t remember exactly what he said after he finished judging my work, but it wasn’t, “Great work honey! It’s perfect!” His remarks were something opposite, but ended with “Don’t give up.” Encouraging, right?

Disappointed in myself again, I scratched the first chapter and started over. I was getting no where fast, and losing my creativity in the process. Afraid to type a word on the page, like playing the Operation game, I couldn’t come up with one perfect word.

I couldn’t keep sending my critique group a first chapter, so I had to do something. I finally realized that a junky chapter was better than no chapter. From then on, after receiving my critiqued chapters in red, I wouldn’t allow myself to start over.

I researched online, to help guide me through that first draft so that I wouldn’t be writing one novel for ten years. The best information I found was through Randy Ingermanson’s “Snowflake Method.”

His method gave me a step-by-step process to get me past the first chapter. The great thing about the Snowflake Method is that it works for seat-of-the-pants writers (like me) and for those writers who like to outline everything first.

To see a summary of how the Snowflake works, go online to: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php.

I can’t write what Hemingway’s quote ended with, but it was a synonym of “junk.”

So, if you’re struggling with that first draft:

Take that creative mind God gave you, get Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method, and finish your beautiful work of art.

Clichés Are for the Birds

We're all told to avoid them, yet they show up in every writer's first draft. The key is catching them in the second, third, or fourth draft. So in honor of our pledge as writers to avoid clichés, here are my top seven cliché phrases (because a Top Ten list would be way too cliché).

7) The difference was like night and day. - Or black and white, or Baptist and Pentecostal.

6) It happened in the blink of an eye. - Or, It happened faster than a stomach clench at reading all these clichés.

5) I feel as big as a beached whale. - Cliché or not, this one is true thanks to my baby belly. Here's another true statement: I feel bigger than a hippopotamus on steroids.

4) Don't let the cat out of the bag. - Instead of freshening this one up, I just have to ask who put the cat in the bag in the first place? And who is going to get the poor thing out?

3) We can't afford to lose. - If we lose, we'll be sorrier than all these washed-up writers who can't freshen up their clichés.

2) It's as easy as pie. - Who said making a pie was easy? For me, It's as easy as a frozen Marie Callendar pie.

1) She was scared to death. - Her fear rivaled that of a writer stuck in a time warp of bad clichés.

What are your toughest clichés to kick? Do you have any fresh takes on the clichés in this list?

Fiction Lessons from Diego

My two year-old-son's favorite show is Go Diego Go!. For those of you familiar with Dora the Explorer, Diego is Dora's cousin and he's an animal rescuer. The Diego frenzy has gotten so out of hand that we gave my son's bedroom a Diego theme (see before and after pics here). In watching a multitude of Diego episodes, I've discovered a pattern I can apply to my fiction writing.

To demonstrate, here's a summary of one of my son's favorite episodes:
- Diego is at the rescue center and hears an animal in trouble calling out for help. Diego and his sister, Alicia, figure out that the animal is a chinchilla named Chinta. Chinta is stuck on a tree branch over the water and can't swim.
- Diego heads out to save Chinta and arrives at the waterfall. He has to figure out a way to get down the waterfall in order to reach Chinta.
- Diego uses his rescue pack as a hang glider, and on his way down, the Bobo monkeys are on the same tree as Chinta, causing trouble and scaring Chinta in the process. Diego uses his classic line, "Freeze Bobos", and gets the monkeys to leave.
- Chinta's tree branch starts to break, and Diego swoops down on his hang glider and catches her.
- Once they get to dry ground, Chinta is hungry, finds leaves to eat, and misses her Mami and Papi. Diego promises to take her back to her family.
- They set off but can't find chinchilla mountain. Diego uses his spotting scope to find it.
- Puma comes up behind them and scares Chinta. Diego and Chinta hop over cactus plants to escape.
- They arrive at a dark cave and must go through it if they'll get to the mountain. There are multiple paths in the cave, and Chinta uses her good hearing skills to choose the right path. They make it out of the cave and see the mountain again.
- The mountain is too rocky for them to walk up, so they hop up like chinchillas.
- They reach the top of the mountain and reunite Chinta with her family.

Did you figure out the pattern? With every victory Diego achieves, a new challenge instantly presents itself. The writers of Go Diego Go! have figured out how to harness a toddler's attention (and it works, believe me!). They never let the viewer rest or get too comfortable until the very end.

Sometimes the attention span of adult readers isn't much longer than a toddler's. I've read advice in books and blogs about keeping conflict high in fiction. In Camy Tang's Story Sensei blog, she goes so far as to ask whether you have conflict in every page, or even every paragraph. If we take this advice to heart in our novels, we just might capture and retain the reader's attention from start to finish (and maybe they'll even redecorate their room into the theme of your book). :-)

Do you prefer to read a novel with high conflict or low conflict? Do you find it easy or hard to infiltrate tension into each page of your novel? How do you keep it from feeling contrived?

Will Your Readers Read On... or Put Down Your Book?

I belong to a book club that meets monthly to discuss selected fiction and non-fiction books. The members are terrific Christian gals who are voracious readers. We often pick Christian non-fiction books to read and discuss, but seldom Christian fiction. Why? I haven’t taken a poll, but I’ve kept my ears open for answers. Here are the two biggies I’ve discovered.

First and foremost we want a captivating story. We want to be swept off our feet and fall in love with what’s happening on the pages. Do we always find this in the secular books we choose? No. We’ve ended up with some doozies and have fondly prioritized our fiction goofs by “the books we hate most.” So why not give Christian fiction a chance? Most of us would raise our hands to answer, “Because they’re soooo predictable.” Ouch. The sad truth is, predictability ruins a good story.

Secondly, we adore a good theme. We love it when the whole story is a subtle, well-written presentation of a whop-‘em-upside-the-head truth. (And, yes, we rip the book to shreds if the theme doesn’t present Truth with a capital T.) We’ve read a few Christian novels that accomplished this, and, believe me, we danced in the aisles—er, living room—when this happened. So, again, why reject Christian fiction? Because it’s preachy. Nothing subtle, no way! The Truth is right out there, under glaring spotlights—and in case you missed it, the author presents it a second time around for good measure. C’mon, admit it—what fun is that for the reader?

Writing a good Christian novel presents a terrific challenge—one that secular authors don’t have to face. As Christians we know God is sovereign, and that “all things work together for good to those who love God.” Halleluiah  and praise the Lord for that! But, um, it does make the outcome of our protag’s story-problem a bit predictable, yes? And as Christians we pray a lot, we take our problems to God, we read our Bibles, we belong to churches whose pastors preach the Truth, we share the gospel with the lost. But if our protag lives this God-centered life (or is fighting it), these Christian elements can come across as, well, preachy.

So what are we Christian authors to do?

There are a lot of answers, actually. Your audience will make a difference—maybe your readers want all those Christian elements. Certainly genre makes a difference—a mystery or suspense novel handles the challenge one way, a romance, another. How you craft your characters makes a difference. And of course there are many crafty things (as in skills) one can learn to do to avoid predictability and preachiness. You might say my book club is fussy, and I wonder how well read the members are in the CBA market. But the point remains—predictability and preachiness are inherent problems that need to be addressed in Christian fiction. I’ve come up with some answers for my writing. How about you?

Steph Prichard