Pump Up Your Writing

 

 

You’ve finished your rough draft and now it’s time to go in and pump it up with details to turn it from good to unforgettable! Yet…you pause because this task either seems overwhelming or tedious or both.

 

Take a deep breath, snuggle into your favorite writing space, and pump up your writing one detail at a time.

 

Start with your opening scene. Read it out loud. Does it hook you? Are you intrigued? If not, do you have a wow scene you could make the opening scene? Is there a wow scene you could add to hook your readers?

 

One author I go to for inspiration on opening scenes is Julie Lessman. Most of her books are free on Kindle Unlimited and her opening scenes always hook me with either intrigue or laughter. I would recommend her Love’s Silver Lining or Love at Any Cost.

 

Next, I like to read the ending of each chapter and ask, does this end with a cliff hanger that keeps me wanting more? Sometimes this is fixed by simply changing where one chapter ends and the next begins. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it keeps your reader wanting more! An author I recently read did a great job of ending each chapter with a cliff hanger. Check out Lynn H. Blackburn’s books for some inspiration!

 

After that, dig into your sensory details. I know most of you are groaning at this point and I’m with you. This is one of the most tedious parts of revising. Read each scene and put yourself in your characters shoes. What are you seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling that effects your words, thoughts, and actions? This part takes a lot of time, but it brings depth to your setting, plot, and characters.

 

There is far more you can do to revise your writing, but I hope this gives you a place to start. Keep plugging away and your details with draw your readers in!

 

 

Until next time, happy and blessed writing!

A Season of Love - Hate

 This morning, in those foggy, first few moments after waking up, I grasped the edges of a dream still wafting about my brain. Words and sentences formed in my still-sleepy mind. Nearly a paragraph fell into place on a topic that I could use in this very blog post today. A contented sigh preceded several more minutes of half-asleep peace.

I love when that happens, when real life injects itself into a writing assignment or captures the everyday-ness of life and gathers it into a meaningful collection of words that can comfort, educate, inspire, or entertain.  

Unfortunately, those precious, slumbery second-hand trips around the clock erased the meat of the dream-inspired theme I’d celebrated just minutes before, leaving a blank slate in its place. No amount of reaching into my now fully awake mind rescued more than a few random words. I hate when that happens. When will I stop relying on an aging memory to keep safe those impromptu lines that string together in random moments?

Now, today. From this moment forward, I vow to record in a talk-to-text message to myself any and all writing-related ideas, bits of dialogue, catchy phrases, vivid descriptions, snatches of inspiration. As witnessed this day by you, my writing comrades.

The season of transition for my writing life, that I wrote about last month--that I was so excited about--hit several sad, frustrating, emotional snags, before this longed-for season drew its first breath. The best of intentions and well-laid plans dashed. And along with them, my inspiration and motivation evaporated. I hate when that happens.

Now, five weeks later, it’s time for take #2. Because that’s what we writers do, right? We pick ourselves up, dust off the clingy debris of life’s interruptions, and get back on track. I’m counting on my favorite calendar season to inject inspiration and motivation into this second go at a new writing season. The bold splashes of red and orange, golds and browns and yellows seen out my window. The aroma wafting from my kitchen of autumn’s bounty baked into sweet treats. I love when fall happens. And I vow to give this glorious season permission to soothe and warm my weary heart.

Sometimes I hate the solitary nature of writing. That’s why I’ve claimed an “office spot” at a local fast-food restaurant, mostly for the people encounters it offers. And the refillable fountain Diet Coke. But mostly the opportunities to chat a bit and indulge the “people person” part of my personality. I love connecting. So, you can imagine that I’m already hating that my fave writing den will be closed for six to seven weeks for remodeling as soon as the end of October. Grrrr . . . Which means I’ll have to fill my connecting-with-people needs (and my Diet Coke addiction) by other means. Doable but frustrating. I’ll give you a full report next month on how that’s going.

I like all kinds of people connections, but nothing beats connecting with other writers. And next month’s Indiana Chapter meeting will offer a fab opportunity to do just that. Several of our own will share the opportunities and resources they’ve discovered and utilized to grow their craft, set and reach toward writing goals, and ignite and maintain inspiration. So, set aside Saturday, November 5, to join your fellow Hoosier writers via Zoom for a friendly session of iron sharpening iron. All the details coming soon!  

 Beth’s combined experiences teaching the high school Sunday School class, substitute teaching in the public school, and connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-food joint where she claimed a “back booth office” helped inspire her young adult “Choices Matter” fiction series. She's a "cheerleader" for saving sex for marriage and for "renewed waiting" because it's never too late to make wiser choices. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage while her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life.

  As a genetic genealogy enthusiast and "search angel," she writes and speaks about her experiences as a "foundling" who located her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in the blog series “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers.” She also serves on the executive board of the National Association of Adoptees and Parents. All of her writing endeavors can be found on her website, https://bethsteury.com. 

 

 

 

 

Eat, Write, Shoot the Breeze, Critique. Then Repeat.

 

After a lo-o-o-o-ng covid winter and feeling almost as frigid as Narnia’s spell-frozen, snow-covered landscape, I was more than ready to meet with other writers in person. I’m sure anyone reading this post understands the emotional impact after so much isolation. For a community of mostly introverts, we writers yearn to spend hours with, talk nonstop with, and truly connect with other writers.

 

A few days ago, I was finally able to attend a retreat in-person with my local critique group, Heartland Christian Writers. We spent three days and two nights at Shepherd’s Gate Inn where we were pampered with lavish meals and the luxury of writing for as long as we wanted to. 

 

No cooking, no cleaning, no day job, no errands to run. Ahhh.

 

We could write new material, revise old material, meditate on what comes next on our writing agenda, or do absolutely nothing, allowing our souls to refresh. The labor of writing could start again once we returned home. 

 

The days naturally fell into thirds: mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Each portion of the day contained in some order: a meal, a writing session, sharing what we’d worked on, and chatting about anything and everything. (Eat, write, shoot the breeze, critique. Then repeat.) The entire experience met or exceeded my expectations. Perfect! Except for the cold and snow outside. In April.

 

We left the retreat inspired and energized, affirming what we knew to be true: WE. ARE. WRITERS.

 

Daily life will get in the way, and our energy will eventually ease into more ho-hum levels.When I slide back to that point again, I’ll be casting about for a new retreat. It won’t have to cost a lot of money, maybe only the price of meals, but I know (for me) a retreat can’t happen at home. Too many distractions.

 

What has been your experience with a writing retreat? Have you taken yourself to a solitary place, or must you have other writers around? Have you designed a retreat at your home, or invited other writers to join you in your home? I’d love to know how you made it work.

 

 Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She has completed a  middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister and is currently working on a women’s fiction series.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to eight, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!

Where Linda can be found on the web:

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan

 

 

Rock Star Mentors

 

Mentorship: “People ahead of you in their career who inspire you.”

Who doesn’t need writing support? I know my writing life depends on it, and as I've studied other authors, I've found even those on the NYT Bestsellers List depend on feedback and encouragement  from other writers.

I recently read an article by Jessica Conoley about writing support for authors. It was so good, I plan to pick it apart and use many of her points in my Hoosier Ink posts for most of this year.

Conoley says, “If you are lacking in motivation and inspiration, invest some time in finding your mentors.”

I’m not one who lacks motivation, but like a super sponge, I try to soak in gallons of inspiration from those who go before me! I follow blogs, attend conferences, and look for any opportunity to connect with published writers.

Here's one form of mentoring I hadn’t given much thought to: Rock Star Mentors. Big names. Like James Patterson or Dean Koontz or Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti or J.K. Rowling. 

Mentors from afar.

Unless you happen to be a friend of theirs, you won’t get one-on-one instruction, but you can:

1. Read their books and study how they put together their sentences, their scenes, their plot lines, etc. Figure out what they’re doing, and apply it to your own writing.

I used Marie Killilea for my rock star to study. Her book, Karen, about raising a daughter with  cerebral palsy, was the inspiration for my own story of growing up with a deaf sister. Killilea isn't a household name, but her book sold millions of copies.

2.  Look for videos on available platforms. Take notes on the shared wisdom of bestselling authors.

Since Marie Killilea passed on into eternity years ago, I've chosen Lisa Wingate as one of my favorite authors to study. It took me less than five minutes to find a video of her teaching a writing workshop that interested me.

3.  Check out their social media. Study how they interact with their followers.

I’ll admit it’s my weakest area. I’m not a chatty-Kathy type of person, so I can learn from those who appear at ease on these platforms.

I had already followed Lisa Wingate’s website, but for this article, I checked for her name in      all  the social media I use. I found out:

A.   She posts daily on Facebook (and she’s funny).

B.   She posts almost as often on Twitter. It seems to be less personal and more related to her author platform.

C.    She does a lot on Pinterest (I liked her quotes board the best)

D.    And on Instagram. I’m kind of new to both and don’t understand why there are so many different pages to follow (is pages the correct word?).

E.    I couldn’t find her on MeWe or Rumble.

 

Having written this post, I am now giving myself a specific assignment.

Lisa Wingate, who will probably never know it, is now my “Rock Star Mentor.” I plan to tune in everyday to her social media and study any patterns I can find (and shamelessly copy) so I can practice the same skills on my own platforms for my own work.

I challenge you to find your own Rock Star Mentor.

I will also make you a promise: if you write a comment about this post and make sure to advertise your own online presence and your hoped-for Rock Star Mentor, I promise to follow your blog and social media platform(s). Who knows? Maybe a lot of our readers will follow you, too.

And maybe you could return the favor?

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, grandmother to seven, Linda regales the grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!

Where Linda can be found on the web:

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan

Thank you to Jessica  Conoley, author and writing coach, who inspired this post! https://jessicaconoley.com/

Side note: If you also read and loved the book, Karen, I found out Karen Killilea passed away last year at the age of eighty. A rock star mentor in her own right as a quiet champion of the disabled simply by living her own life.