On the Clock

 Here’s a bit of trivia that could change your writing habits:

Mechanical clocks were invented to call the faithful to prayer.

In the 12^th and 13^th centuries, several European cathedrals installed clock towers powered by falling water or metallic springs to mark the canonical hours (i.e., times designated for prayer). These clocks seldom had faces or hands, simply a bell to chime the times to rise from bed and pray. They had to be adjusted throughout the year, since canonical hours were measured from sunrise or sunset, which changed with the seasons.

Muslim mathematicians devised clocks of their own for the same purpose. Faithful Muslims pray five times each day, two of which are sunset and evening. So what are the exact times of those darkening hours?  A clock establishes them. When a Muslim clock indicates the time for prayer, a muezzin cries out from a tower to call worshipers to their duty.

What does this have to do with our writing habits? Simply this: 

Each of us eventually learns that we are most productive if we begin our writing at the same time every day.

If you’ve ever worked in a factory, you know what it means to be “on the clock.” When you begin your work day, you punch a time card in a device that records your time in, and when you stop work for lunch or the end of the day, you punch the card again to record your time out. The span between is your time “on the clock”—time you are focused on your work, time for which you will be paid.

As a writer, what’s your daily time “on the clock”? This is when you go to the niche you devote to writing, you turn off your phone ringer, and pay no attention to incoming emails. This is the place and time you dedicate to writing, nothing else.

If you’re falling short of your writing goals, ask yourself when you’re on the clock. If you haven't identified such a time, try designating one. Set alarms for the start and end of your daily writing time, and follow that schedule without fail. It’ll improve your productivity.

Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth.

Every Minute Counts

My children are deep into the Half-Price Books summer reading program where the Top Reader is determined by the number of minutes read over the course of June and July. In seeking the grand prize of a $20 gift card (think of all those glorious books!), they know that every minute counts.

As of July 14, these are the tallies of minutes read since June 1 ~

13yo ~ 5,850 minutes

11yo ~ 5,170 minutes

9yo ~ 2,675 minutes

7yo ~ 890 minutes

4yo ~ 670 minutes

2yo ~ 590 minutes

While life as an adult has prevented me from amassing these amounts of minutes, I, too, have been known to sneak in minutes of reading…while stirring supper, brushing my teeth, sitting in line at the ATM. I even tried reading while driving when I was in college, but that’s not exactly conducive to concentration on the printed page.

But what about with writing? What if I snatched and sneaked and stole every spare minute for writing?

What if I jotted down a bit of dialogue whenever I passed my computer…a bazillion times each day?

What if I brainstormed ideas for setting while rolling biscuits and then wrote it out during the ten minutes of baking?

What if I made mental notes for character names and quirks while picking up after the two-year-old and then scribbled them out as he pulled all the toys out again?

What if I moved my laptop to the dining table and, in between discussing O. Henry with the eighth grader and diagramming sentences with the sixth grader, I added a few sentences or even paragraphs to my WIP?

What if, while my husband watches yet another Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, I sit next to him on the couch and research a few details?

What if, instead of quizzing the fifth grader on insect heads, abdomens, and thoraxes (Blech!), I edited my chapter five? Well…we do need to fulfill our commitments, don’t we?

Sigh.

When my moment comes and I get that call, I want to be ready with bunches of books and fleshed-out ideas.

Every minute counts.

Q4U: How do you make your minutes count?

Meghan Carver is a 2013 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and the author of several articles and short stories. After achieving a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Millikin University and completing a brief stint in immigration law, Meghan heard God calling her to be at home. Now homeschooling her six children with her college professor husband, Meghan has returned to her first love of writing. She blogs about homeschooling and homemaking at www.MeghanCarver.blogspot.com.

Writing Cave part 2

Karla's Cave Desk

Last month I posted about how much I love writing from my chair in the living room. But family dynamics have changed in my house with a "boomerang kid" (read: adult child moves back home), and his social life. So I've found myself spending more and more time in my writing cave. Don't get me wrong, I love my cave. There's something about being surrounded by my favorite things (books) that makes me feel peaceful. Books make great sound barriers. I can't hear much in here and likewise no one can hear me when I call for them. (I know this because I fell in here once and no one came to help!)

Karla's Cave 2

I have shelves of books, yes, hard copy books, going all around the room and book shelves back to back going down the middle. It's the books down the middle of the room that make for such a great "sound booth." When I do a podcast in here, it doesn't pick up any noise from outside the room (you know, like the kids tying the dogs' tails together and laughing at them running in opposite directions through the house, or sword fights with swimming pool noodles, that sort of thing).

I don't hoard books for the sake of hoarding books. I give away many more than I keep. But I do keep a lot of my books because of research. Yes, I've read all the books in the room except for the ones on that top right hand shelf. That's my "to be read" pile. It's two books deep. I'm a little behind on my "reading for leisure" books. But it's rare anymore that I find a book that I can lose myself in fiction-wise because I'm always looking at the mechanics of it. Do you have that same issue? I do that with movies, too. "Oh, that's a great conflict." "Excellent character trait," etc.

I must confess that my Kindle is just as full of books as my cave. And more and more I prefer reading my Kindle (on my iPad) than a hard copy book with one exception: I buy hard copy books for my research because I like marking in them. I find that more difficult to do on an electronic device. Sure, you can highlight, make notes, etc, but I find it faster to mark up a hard copy book and then remember where that information was. Is that true for you as well?

I have a DO NOT DISTURB placard on my door but everyone ignores it. Not relevant if it's Mom in there. Mom always wants to be disturbed. Or is already disturbed. Can't remember which one of those excuses they use.

As for my desk, it may look busy, but it's organized. I know where everything is. I use magazine file boxes to file papers that I need access to on a regular basis as well as writing notebooks and journals I use when I'm on the road (read: doctor's office waiting rooms, etc.). Most of the papers have to do with my special needs' kids' health, but I also have time management files, research files, etc., right at my finger tips this way.

I like to use little square baskets and small wooden crates on my shelves for those little gift-size-type books such as small devotionals. It seems like those little books always get pushed to the back of the big books and lost. I like being able to see each book.

I'm not an organizing queen but I do like to have things where I know they are. In future posts I'll share some organizing secrets from other parts of my office.

Until then, write on! And please share your thoughts concerning my two questions: as a writer, when you read fiction, do you find yourself noticing the mechanics more than the story? And what about research? Kindle or hard copy?

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of the best-selling Jacques Cartier (that went #1 on Amazon in its category) and O Canada! Her Story.  Her debut novel The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots  was sold to Pelican Book Group and due out in 2013. One of her columns on MNN.com was featured on the CNN homepage. Represented by Hartline Literary Agency, she lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. When she's not writing she dreams of riding her motorcycle through the Smoky Mountains.

Happy Labor Day! (Sort of.)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

 Labor Day!

The kids are out of school. No one has to work.

Right?

Uhm, not if you're a writer. Writers making a living at writing are almost always writing. Deadlines are deadlines and if there's a deadline, it may mean you're writing on a holiday.

And if you're not writing, you're scheming, planning, plotting, dreaming.

At least that's how it is with me.

Because of my type-A personality, I have to make myself take a break. Get out of the chair and do "real life" things. I need to do these things because life is the stuff stories are made of.

I can't take my books with me to heaven--but I can take those I love.

Life is about loving those around us and most people spell love T-I-M-E.

If you're the kind of writer that has their nose to the grindstone and is more task-oriented than people-oriented (like me), then you'll have to get wisdom on the issue. Pray about it. Ask the Lord to help you stay balanced.

Our families and friends need us more than our books do. But then, we also have to know when to say "no" so that our writing isn't neglected.

If we seek the Lord first, He will provide all the time we need (not all the time we want). If we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart, and if that desire is to be balanced, then He will not fail us.

 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes..." 

Proverbs 3:5-7a.

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of the best-selling Jacques Cartier (that went #1 on Amazon in its category) and O Canada! Her Story.  One of her columns on MNN.com was featured on the CNN homepage. Represented by Hartline Literary Agency, she lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. When she's not writing she dreams of riding her motorcycle through the Smoky Mountains.

Writers are weird.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Recently I drove a friend of mine to a downtown Indianapolis hotel because her son had an early appointment at Riley Children’s Hospital the next day. On our way there, on downtown Meridian Street, a police car zoomed out in front of our car and stopped. The officer jumped out, drew his gun and shouted at a suspect to get down on the ground.

My passengers (my friend and her mother) screamed and ducked.

I grinned ear to ear and took in everything. “Oh this is awesome. Check out that gun!”

I memorized every detail – the size of the gun, the stance of the officer, the way he held his weapon, his tone of voice, how neatly pressed his shirt was, and his tall, skinny frame. I studied everything carefully, thrilled to be witnessing a real-time live crime drama.

My friends, frightened and shaking, stayed on the floor.

It reminds me of the time in Kansas many years ago (okay, over 30 if you must know) when my boyfriend and I had a gun held to our heads for being parked in a farmer’s field looking at stars through my boyfriend’s zoom lens camera. (We really were looking at the moon and the stars. Honest. Really. Why don’t you believe me?)

The owner of the field pulled his muscle truck up behind us and put on his fog lights. Minutes later his son pulled up and did the same.  They got out of their trucks and walked up to our car.

They were drunk.

They had rifles.

They cocked them, held them to our heads and yelled at us for being in their field

I prayed while my boyfriend cried.

Somehow we negotiated our way out of the drunkard's line of fire.  As soon as we escaped unharmed I turned to my boyfriend and said, “I can’t wait to write this down!”

He left me because of that.

Writers are weird. They can’t go through anything without filing it away as “research.”

Some writers scream when they see a stick up and then there are those of us who just can’t wait to write it all down.

Are you as weird as I am? What experiences do you remember hurrying to write down?

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story.  Represented by Hartline Literary Agency, she lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes. When she's not writing she dreams of riding her motorcycle through the Smoky Mountains.

Confession of a Freelance Writer

A cold, blustery wind blew from the west, sneaking its way through the crevices in my hundred year old farmhouse. Earlier that day I’d bustled the children off to school and hubby off to work. A rare day with no call from the school to substitute and no place to go until that evening, I was home alone. With just the dog and a steaming cup of coffee to keep me company and keep me warm, I snuggled on the couch with my laptop and wrote. And wrote some more.

The blowing wind and the hum of my computer masked the crunch of tires on gravel. Suddenly the hair on the dog’s back went up and then came a thundering knock on the back door. My heart hammered with panic and I shushed the dog, remaining completely still. He’ll go away if he thinks no one is home. There was no way I was answering that door. I was still in my pajamas…and it was 2 o’clock. In. The. Afternoon.

There’s a dirty little confession for you. Sometimes when I’m home alone and the day looms gray and drab and my calendar is blessedly empty, I get involved in my writing and just don’t bother to change into something more professional. It appears I’m not the only one.

At the same time that clothing companies are catering to teenagers and adults who like to wear their jammies every day, all day long, some opponents are raising an outcry. Some rail against the public wearing of pajamas calling it everything from slovenly (saying if you’re dressed for bed you won’t be at your best) to a health hazard (because people usually don’t shower before they put on nightclothes and bacterial infections could lead to death—seriously, this is what someone argued!). They wonder what will become of our nation if we permit people to wear their pj's in public. Will underwear be acceptable next? Maybe we’ll become so lazy as to not wear clothing at all? I think not. (And for the record, when my kids were little and we had “Pajama Day”, they always took a bath that night and changed into clean jammers. Take that, Commissioner Williams!)

Michael Williams (see health hazard reference above), a Louisiana parish commissioner ,even went so far as to negate the wearing of nightclothes in public by proposing a law. (At this writing it has been put to bed for the time-being.) How would you like that job added to your list of duties if you were a Louisiana police officer? Upholding the peace, responding to emergencies, risking your life, and barring the wearing of bedclothes.

I won’t be sporting my sleepwear to the grocery, the bank, or my child’s sporting event. But to say that people who don’t change out of their nightshirts into neckties are lazy or unproductive? To this I say, “Hogwash!” If I can get an entire day’s worth of work or writing done, not dirty more laundry, and stay comfy in my flannels that’s a win-win-win. The only thing I can’t do is answer the door to the UPS guy.

Nikki Studebaker Barcus

Writing Through the C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S Season

Christmas season is finally here! It’s my favorite time of year, mainly because we get to celebrate the birth of Christ. And I also get to decorate the tree, buy a bunch of fun gifts, send out Christmas cards, and bake those yummy peanut butter cookies with a Hershey kiss squished on top.

But with all the extras on my to-do list, I have a hard time sitting in front of the computer to creatively write. There’s no time. Sure, I’m finding time to think of a creative comment to post on Jack’s Facebook status, and then quickly check the gold box deals on Amazon, and then back on Facebook to see if Jill finished her laundry…

So I’ve created a new acronym for “CHRISTMAS” to help keep us writing through this Christmas season. These are just some rumble strips for those of us who easily veer off Manuscript Road.

C - Call your peeps back later.

Return phone calls AFTER you write that awesome disaster for Chapter Five. If you spend your time making phone calls before devising the disaster, you may only leave yourself enough time to save the blank Word document and call it a day. That’s not the disaster you’re aiming for here.

H – Hit like Rocky.

Hitting the super sale at Best Buy is not an excuse to blow off your antagonist. If Rocky hit the super sale at K-Mart instead of Apollo Creed, he wouldn’t have won the fight—Oh Wait! He didn’t win, but he went the distance.

R – Read the “Life’s Funny” page in Reader’s Digest.

I guarantee you’ll laugh at least once. Laughing reduces stress and boosts your immune system. You don’t have time to get sick right now.

I - Inner elf.

“This holiday, discover your inner elf.” It may be just a silly tagline from the movie Elf, but there are some good values we can learn from the green guys with pointy shoes. Coincidentally, elves love to tell stories. Here’s three good values of an elf: 1.)Elves, work hard to get their required quota of work done each day, 2.)They only require 40 minutes of sleep each night (we should aim for a little more than that) 3.)Elves burn a lot of calories because they keep moving while working. So don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins, and keep moving! *If you don’t know what I’m talking about, be sure to watch the movie Elf in your oh-so-vast amount of free time.

S – Sleep with a notebook within hands reach.

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night with a perfect idea for your WIP and then fallen back asleep, only to forget those important details? If you keep a notebook handy, you can quickly jot down the main points you want to remember. Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, came up with the idea for her vampire story in a dream. She even remembers the exact night of her dream. So make sure you put the date next to your midnight ideas, because you never know…

T - Thank God for everything.

Simple. Thank God for EVERYTHING!

M – Multitask while making Christmas cookies, not while writing your masterpiece.

We all know that it requires a lot of detailed mental processing to write a novel. If you’re not fully concentrating on the story, your writing pace will slow down. Even though you may have folded a load of laundry in-between paragraphs, you will end up with fewer words for the day.

A – Aerobic exercise is a must each day.

Make sure you take time to go for a walk or run, or even jump some rope while on a break from writing. Aerobic exercise reduces stress and blood pressure, and improves mental health and circulation.

S – Smell the Christmas pine tree.

Smells trigger your emotional memory. The woodsy aroma of pine trees are everywhere right now and easily accessible. They can create feelings of nostalgia. Just make sure it’s a real tree. The sense of smell is also great for story writing, because it can give the story a livelier picture.

Merry Christmas!

~Marjorie DeVries

Ten Surefire Ways to Destroy Your Writing Career

          1.  Never rewrite a first draft. You’re a genius. Rewrites are for amateurs.

2.       2.  Don’t worry about grammar and spelling. That’s what editors are for.

3.       3.  Don’t bother mastering plot and character arc. Who cares about those pesky little things as long    as your heroes blow up a lot of stuff and the main characters fall in love?

4.       4. Write only what’s trendy and hot.

5.       5.  Post all your emotional baggage and lose your temper on Facebook. You’re most certain to get read that way. And you’ll be remembered.

6.       6.  Be a diva. Act eccentric and neurotic—especially when pitching a story to an agent.

7.       7.  Slam other writers and agents in your blog. And if you get a bad review, lay into the reviewer on their blog in the comments section.

8.       8.  Ignore your editor. If they were really smart they’d be writers.  (Those who can, write; those who can’t, edit. We all know that.)

       9.  Use lots and lots of adverbs continuously, incessantly, and passionately.

          10.  Write only when you’re in the mood and the “muse” inspires you.

Do these ten things and you’re sure to destroy your writing career.

I guarantee it.

Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned Writing a Novel

I’ve marked something off my bucket list: “Submit a complete novel to an agent for their consideration.”

Woo Hoo!

No matter the outcome, the journey I’ve taken to get to this place has been amazing. In fact, everything I ever needed to know, I learned writing a novel.

1. I learned to take criticism. My crit partners are amazing and I’m in awe that God brought them into my life.  My writing improved a gazillion percent (really!) from their guidance. How good is God that He would send me such talented writers as my critters? And how good is God when he sends people into our lives that make us better people? 
2. I learned to be consistent. Novels don’t get written by wishing them into existence. Yes, I’m a busy Mom of twins with autism, another son with mental illness and a pastor’s wife. But unless I make my writing time happen, novels can't be born. With determined effort, I now own a spot in the house and a scheduled time each day where I do nothing but write. Applying this to other areas of my life, I get more done.
3. I learned to make a plan. Not only for my days, but also for my novel. I didn’t know what kind of novelist I was at first when I began years ago. A seat-of-the-pants writer or a planner? I’ve discovered I’m both.  I learned to map out a story. Even if the story ended up going a different direction, the plan gave me at least a guideline to follow when I’d get stuck. I never experienced writer’s block because of the general plan. I believe God makes plans for us and our novels.  When we think of it this way, it’s easier to depend on Him. I want to be in the center of that plan.
4. I learned to be flexible. I must be willing to slash and dash, slice and dice what isn’t working in my novel. At first the edits hurt. Now, I find them fun. How can I make this sentence stronger? That emotion clearer? It’s like a captivating treasure hunt. Life’s like that, too. So things aren’t going my way today – what is God showing me? Where’s that nugget of truth I need to find?
5. I learned to let things go. I learned to cut the things that didn’t work in my story and let them go. Letting them go liberated my story. In life, letting go of the things that “so easily entangle us” is true freedom.
6. I learned to never, never quit. If God gives you a job to do, He will equip you to do it. By the time I’d readied my novel for submission I was sick of it and full of doubt regarding whether or not the work was good enough, I wanted to give up and walk away. But God gave me the grace to face the pages each day and make them come alive. It’s that way with Him in my day to day life, too. I’m often overwhelmed at the prospect of facing my responsibilities, and yet, He always gives me the grace to get through to the other side. I truly believe that people who succeed aren’t necessarily the most talented ones, but the ones who don’t quit. Talent is nothing without perseverance.
7. I learned to enjoy the journey. Writing novels is a blast. I’m determined to enjoy each moment. Sometimes when I’m driving in my car I think, “Wow, I have an awesome life. I get to write. I get to do what I was born to do! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, God!”   
8. I learned to remain teachable. I love to teach but what I love more is to learn. There’s always more to learn. I believe that novels aren’t static. I think there’s a way to make them better even after they’re published. I’m actually hoping my novel is accepted simply because of all the things I want to learn to get to the next level of being a better writer. I think being teachable in life is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.
9. I learned to think outside the box. Donald Maas taught me this truth in his wonderful books on writing. There are tons of great books out there that will teach you how to create awesome stories. Reading good fiction books also teaches me. Sometimes I outline a good book so I can see the rhythm of it. The “what ifs” of creating a story never end. Nothing’s too crazy. Life is the same. I’m convinced there are always creative solutions out there if only we’ll jump out of our little box and go looking for them.
10. I learned it takes a village to write a novel. I can’t list all the amazing people I’ve learned from through the years. They’re innumerable. Some of them include Dr. Dennis Hensley, Randy Ingermanson, Colleen Coble, Cara Putman, and many, many more. ACFW is a huge blessing to me. My family’s willingness to do without a Mom for several hours a day and their support is something I never take for granted. Likewise, no one can do this thing called life alone. We all need help. Learning to accept that help is a huge lesson in humility.
11. I learned to take risks. Going to conference scared me. Meeting with a publisher and an agent was even scarier. Submitting my manuscript for criticism to a published author frightened me more. If I’d stayed hidden at home in my safe little corner, terrified and pitiful, my novel would still be sitting inside my computer, useless. Sometimes when I take risks there’s a voice that says, “Who do you think you are?”  One obstacle after another tries to block my progress, but I manage with God’s grace to smash through the barriers and carry on. Often in my life, that voice (we know where such snarkiness comes from don’t we?) reminds me of my past, of my mistakes and mocks me still – “Who do you think you are?” I’ll tell you who I think I am. I’m a writer on a mission from God. I’m a saved, redeemed, blood-bought, whiter-than-snow, bold woman of the Most High God. Watch out devil, here I come.
12. I learned to pray, pray, pray. I learned I became a better writer when I spent time praying and asking for God’s help. Not only in my quiet time, but during the process. “What do you want me to write here, Lord? I need a good idea. Lord, what now? Oh God, please anoint me to write this, give me Your Words.” Christian writers are blessed for the Author Himself whispers in their ear. Christians are blessed to have the Shepherd guiding them day to day. All we need do is ask.

There are countless other things I’ve learned on this journey of becoming being a writer. What about you? What have you learned? Where do you write? When? I’m curious and want to know!

Gifts Writers Love

People think writers are hard to find gifts for. I disagree. Give us a pencil, a pad of paper and a coupon book for an endless amount of free time, and we're happy. But, if you insist on spending money on us, who am I to stop you? Here are some ideas for gifting writers.

1. It's not too unique, but writers love books. Especially in the genre they write in, and most especially in the genre they don't write in. Oh, and they especially, especially appreciate books on the writing craft. Okay, so maybe just a gift card to a bookstore or amazon.com is in order.
2. A Kindle or other ebook reader. We're back to books again. Fine. A gift card so the writer can purchase the ebook reader of their choice is again a very good choice. (If you're buying for me, I want the new and improved Kindle, k? Thanks.)
3. Coupons/gift cards to their favorite hang out -- Starbucks, Coffee Shops, etc.
4. If you are buying for the lady writer, this lipstick flash drive or this adorable purse flash drive is the ticket. For the not-so-girly-girl or guy there are other unique flash drives here,  or here and here.
5. It gets cold in my office where I write, so  I imagine writers could use a pair of handerpants or fingerless gloves. Not to mention warm slippers or booties for keeping writers' feet warm on cold wooden or tile floors in winter time.
6. When writers are working on a project they don't get to cook very much so this bacon air freshener or corn dog air freshener would come in handy and help the family feel like they had a home cooked meal while eating delivered pizza for the umpteenth time. 
7. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite as well as a generous gift of eggnog soap.
8. Even the best writers can suffer from writer's block. This inflatable brain might help or a gift card to iTunes so they can purchase the Writer's Block Assassin app would be app-propriate. (See what I did there?)
9. If your writer has a deadline close to Christmas, they may feel better about missing the Christmas frenzy of fruitcake and turkey by your thoughtfulness in gifting them with these inflatable ones.
10. Some writers are neat and tidy, and others, like me, live er, a little more creatively. For those who are a little challenged in the area of tidiness, this mini-file for all those business cards they collected at the last writer's convention is handy dandy.
11. For the suspense writer, nothing says Merry Christmas better than a knife stabbing the refrigerator/file cabinet or splat stan coaster or knife coat hook or dead Fred pen holder.
12. For the writer who often loves to play host and hostess, they'll love these.
13. Etsy.com is one of my favorite places to find unique, handmade gifts. I like the site because I'm helping independent artists such as myself (writers are artists, right?). Find unique gifts for writers here.
14. I love my headphones and ear buds for listening to music while I'm writing. They also help block out the sounds of the house. However, I'm constantly misplacing them. You can never have too many. Find some cute ones here, and here and an adorable way to store and keep track of them here.
15. Actually, the ideas for writers are endless. They'll love a moleskine journal, or a nice pen, the 2011 Christian Writer's Market Guide, or tuition to a writer's conference.
16. The kids can make a coupon gift of writing time for Mom. The spouse can promise not to complain when a deadline looms and they have to stay in the writing zone.

I am acquainted with a lot of writers, and I think I know what they would like the most of all this Christmas. Most of all they'd like your love and support. They'd like time with their families. They'd like to know that you "get" what they're doing, and believe that what they are doing is leaving a legacy because words are forever.

Okay, fine. What they really want -- are contracts. Lots and lots of contracts. And chocolate.

Merry Christmas!

Brainstorming; Part Two

One of my most productive brainstorming activities is working my way through George Polti’s thirty six dramatic situations. I usually find numerous ways each situation can be used in my work in progress, even though I may toss it out later.

For example; Using the first dramatic situation; Supplication, I explore every character in my story and consider if there is a fugitive who needs the help of some greater power to help him or her against the enemy.

Next, I consider each character and ask myself if this character needs assistance for some duty which she is not allowed to do—and so on and so forth. You get the idea.

Here are the first seven. I think these are great.

1. SUPPLICATION
(The dynamic elements technically necessary are: a Persecutor; a
Suppliant; and a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful)
● A.
● (1) Fugitives imploring the powerful for help against their
enemies.
● (2) Assistance implored for the performance of a pious duty
which has been forbidden.
● (3) Appeals for a refuge in which to die.
● B.
● (1) Hospitality besought by the shipwrecked.
● (2) Charity entreated by those cast off by their own people,
whom they have disgraced.
● (3) Expiation: The seeking of pardon, healing or
deliverance.
● (4) The surrender of a corpse, or of a relic, solicited.
● C.
● (1) Supplication of the powerful for those dear to the
suppliant.
● (2) Supplication to a relative in behalf of another relative.
● (3) Supplication to a mother's lover, in her behalf.

2. DELIVERANCE
(Elements: an Unfortunate, a Threatener, a Rescuer)
● A.
● (1) Appearance of a rescuer to the condemned.
● B.
● (1) A parent replaced upon a throne by his children.
● (2) Rescue by friends, or by strangers grateful for benefits
or hospitality.

3. CRIME PURSUED BY VENGEANCE
(Elements: an Avenger and a Criminal)
● A.
● (1) The avenging of a slain parent or ancestor.
● (2) The avenging of a slain child or descendant.
● (3) Vengeance for a child dishonored.
● (4) The avenging of a slain wife or husband.
● (5) Vengeance for the dishonor, or attempted dishonoring,
of a wife.
● (6) Vengeance for a mistress slain.
● (7) Vengeance for a slain or injured friend.
● (8) Vengeance for a sister seduced.
● B.
● (1) Vengeance for intentional injury or spoliation.
● (2) Vengeance for having been despoiled during absence.
● (3) Revenge for an attempted slaying.
● (4) Revenge for a false accusation.
● (5) Vengeance for violation.
● (6) Vengeance for having been robbed of one's own.
● (7) Revenge upon a whole sex for a deception by one.
● C.
● (1) Professional pursuit of criminals.

4. VENGEANCE TAKEN FOR KINDRED UPON KINDRED
(Elements: Avenging Kinsman; Guilty Kinsman; Remembrance of the
Victim, a Relative of Both)
● A.
● (1) A father's death avenged upon a mother.
● (2) A mother's death avenged upon a father.
● B.
● (1) A brother's death avenged upon a son.
● C.
● (1) A father's death avenged upon a husband.
● D.
● (1) A husband's death avenged upon a father.
5. PURSUIT
(Elements: Punishment and Fugitive)
● A.
● (1) Fugitives from justice pursued for brigandage, political
offenses, etc.
● B.
● (1) Pursued for a fault of love.
● C.
● (1) A hero struggling against a power.
● D.
● (1) A pseudo-madman struggling against an Iago-like
alienist.

6. DISASTER
(Elements: a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger)
● A.
● (1) Defeat suffered.
● (2) A fatherland destroyed.
● (3) The fall of humanity.
● (4) A natural catastrophe.
● B.
● (1) A monarch overthrown.
● C.
● (1) Ingratitude suffered.
● (2) The suffering of unjust punishment or enmity.
● (3) An outrage suffered.
● D.
● (1) Abandonment by a lover or a husband.
● (2) Children lost by their parents.

7. FALLING PREY TO CRUELTY OR MISFORTUNE
(Elements: an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune)
● A.
● (1) The innocent made the victim of ambitious intrigue.
● B.
● (1) The innocent despoiled by those who should protect.
● C.
● (1) The powerful dispossessed and wretched.
● (2) A favorite or an intimate finds himself forgotten.
● D.
● (1) The unfortunate robbed of their only hope.

If you don’t want to buy the book, The 36 Dramatic Situations can be found at this link;
http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/pdf/36DramaticSituationsGeorgesPoltiExpanded.pdf A DVD is also available on this subject using the movie Training Day http://www.writersstore.com/brainstorming-with-the-36-dramatic-situation-jeff-kitchen

Brainstorming; Part One

All writers must discover their own process for developing the stories, and naturally the process varies from writer to writer. The idea of having a process seems to add credibility to the idea that an author can do it again; otherwise, the writer may flounder hopelessly in a sea of trail and error—thus, the need for the term one-book wonders?

I’m a big fan of the bubble map (vein map) in the early stages of brainstorming, and I’m guessing most writers use the Donald Maass Breakout Novel Questions. Knowing each writer has to find the process that works for him or her, I offer two of my brainstorming tools in hope others will find a tidbit they can tailor to fit their personal style. I’m guessing the idea of following a process may even cause some pantsers to hyperventilate, but here goes.

One step in my brainstorming process is the “The Playmaker Strategies” which I gleaned from “The Elements of Influence” by Alan Kelly. This book was written primarily for managers, business leaders and campaigners, but it has given me some great strategies for my characters to use and move the plot along. The book is out of print, but you can still get an inexpensive used copy from www.amazon.com. Below is a brief summary of a few of the playmaker strategies.

The Pause Strategy
The playmaker (character) remains silent and allows the competition (other character) to talk until they talk themselves into a corner (or reveal too much information).
The author cites the example of an important meeting when Winston Churchill and his political counterpart were both called to a meeting with the current prime minister. During the meeting Churchill remained silent and let the competition (who was more qualified) talk himself out of the job. I’ve used this strategy to have my female character to talk endlessly and thus reveal more information than she intended while the brooding male listens quietly.

The Ping Strategy
The playmaker (character) drops a hint or dribbles out important information to evaluate the response from the opposing team. It’s a low-impact way to check on the competition’s pulse on a given situation. This is often used at poker tables where the players lightly rib their opponents to watch for their reactions. Story characters can use this strategy to test the response of bad news or some secret a character fears will get out.

The Filter Strategy
The player (character) allows some information to get out and holds back other info in order to control which facts might be used to his or her advantage. For example, a soldier is killed during battle, and the army paints him as a hero as it draws on the patriotism of family and friends, not revealing the full truth—his death was the result of friendly fire. A story character might make a serious mistake and knowing he or she is about to get caught, but uses the situation as if it was planned, while at the same time hiding bits of the truth.

The Deflect Strategy
An attempt to divert a rival’s attack, either to avoid or minimize its impact. Also known as dodging, and passing the buck. Example; A famous baseball player on trial was asked about his use of steroids, and his response was; “I cannot answer these questions without jeopardizing my friends, my family, and myself.” Instead of answering the question, he cleverly diverted it.

The Pass Strategy
Typically used by a player as a means of bailing out of a marketplace to preserve resources or focus elsewhere. The book uses the example of IBM selling its PC business to China’s Lenovo group—in order to focus profits elsewhere. Likewise, a story character might withdraw from his previous agenda under the cover of “the good of others” while in reality he has to focus his energy on a more pressing or more important issue.

The Lantern Strategy
The deliberate preemptive disclosure by a player of its own flaw, mistake or some source of potential embarrassment or controversy. Thus, the character volunteers to confess his mistake before someone else can do so. IE—report the bad news on your own terms before someone else can report it on their terms. The book uses the example of the 1952 Richard Nixon Checker’s Speech when he had to fend off accusations that he had accepted illegal campaign contributions. Nixon surprised his detractors by doing the unexpected. Instead of dodging the charges, he confronted them directly, point by point—even to the extent of the gift of their dog Checkers.

Peacock
The unsolicited parading by a player of a novelty to generate attention in a marketplace. Peacocks usually hinge on a novelty or unusual action—to spur market talk. Good peacocks have staying power and are remembered for years. Example; Oprah and the 7-million dollar car giveaway. It shows who has the power. How many times do we see a story where a wealthy character gives so generously, even to the point that it diminishes the sacrifices the main character makes, causing us to dislike the big giver?

The book explores twenty-five of these playmaker strategies, which it breaks down into precise moves and countermoves by which the competitive advantage is won and lost. I go through each strategy and try to come up with a way in which each one might add something to my story. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it has worked enough to be worth the effort.

Perhaps you have a brainstorming strategy of your own. Care to share? Next month I’ll give an overview of George Polti’s thirty-six dramatic situations.

Street Smarts for the Writer PART TWO

We never go into a room to write alone, we go crowded by our own experiences—Julia Cameron

The essential ingredient for any novelist is driveness.—John Gardner

Over time authors have discovered that routine is a better friend than inspiration.—Ralph Keyes

Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered potholder.—Raymond Chandler

A novelist’s discipline and technique are infinitely more important than inspiration.—David Madden

The correct detail is rarely exactly what happened; the most truthful detail is what could have happened, or what should have.—John Irving

Don’t say the old lady screamed—bring her on and let her scream.—Mark Twain

No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money—Samuel Johnson

No one but a blockhead ever wrote except for love…You must do it for love. If you do it for money, no money will ever be enough, and eventually you will start imitating your first successes, straining hot water through the same old teabag. It doesn’t work with tea, and it doesn’t work with writing.—Erica Jong

Words in prose ought to express the intended meaning; if they attract attention to themselves, it is a fault; …Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all. –Winston Churchill

After I had written the Grapes of Wrath and it had been to a large extent read and sometimes burned, the librarians at Salinas Public Library, who had known my folks, remarked that it was lucky my parents were dead so that they did not have to suffer this shame. I tell you this so you may know what to expect. Now get to work—John Steinbeck

Often I am asked if any writer ever helped or advised me. None did. However, I was not asking for help either, and I do not believe one should. If one wishes to write, he or she had better be writing, and there is no real way in which one writer can help another. Each must find his own way. –Louis L’Amour

Books don’t get easier to write. It’s not a formula.—Terry McMillan

…for the most, writing is now just a horrible grim burden. I wouldn’t do it if I were not morally engaged to do it.— Katherine Anne Porter

My schedule is flexible, but I am rather particular about my instruments; lines Bristol cards and well-sharpened, not too hard, pencils capped with erasers.— Vladimir Nabokov

I write my first version in longhand. Then I do a complete revision, all in long hand. Then I type a third draft on yellow paper, a very special certain kind of yellow paper.—Truman Capote

An author must develop a deliberate process used to help facilitate the writing experience, otherwise there is no way to retrace those steps and repeat them.—Stanley D. Williams (The Moral Premise)

KennyNoble@hotmail.com

Street Smarts for the Writer: (PART ONE)

One of the few things I know about writing is this: Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book, give it, give it all, give it now.—Annie Dillard

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. –Robert Frost

If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that’s read by persons who move their lips when they’re reading to themselves.—Don Marquis

Always assume your reader is at least as smart as you.—Sue Grafton

I have found that a story leaves a deeper impression when it is impossible to tell which side the author is on.—Leo Tolstoy

The shorter and the plainer the better.—Beatrix Potter

You have to throw yourself away when you write.—Maxwell Perkins

There isn’t any secret. You sit down and you start and that’s it.—Elmore Leonard.

Write in a café can work to improve your concentration. The café atmosphere keeps the sensory part of your mind busy so the deeper quieter part of you that creates and concentrates is free to do so—like occupying a baby with tricks while slipping a spoon of apple sauce in its mouth. Mozart had his wife read stories to him while he was composing for the same reason.—Natalie Goldberg

I never begin a work without being terrified I won’t finish it.—Danielle Steel

When I wrote the last line, I remember that I cried; “well, I’ll never beat that,” and threw the inky pen at the opposite wall.— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (on The White Company)

Caress the detail, the divine detail. –Vladimir Nabokov

When you endeavor to be funny in every line you place an intolerable burden not only on yourself but on the reader. You have to allow the reader to breathe.—S.J. Perelman

You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.—Saul Bellow

The best thing you can do about critics is never say a word. In the end you have the last say, and they know it.—Tennessee Williams

Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it. Use its energy to keep yourself going—William Zinsser

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.—Jack London

It would be crazy to begin revising immediately after finishing the first draft, and counter to the way the mind likes to create. You’re exhausted. You deserve a vacation. Go away from the project for at least a week.—Kenneth Atchity

I am convinced as a member of the reading public that bad [author] photographs are bad business. I have been put off reading books, which otherwise looked rather attractive, by the puss of the author printed on the back of the dust cover.—Raymond Chandler

I see the notion of talent as quite irrelevant. I see instead perseverance, application, industry, assiduity, will, will, will, desire, desire, desire. –Gordon Lish

The methods, even the ideas, of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence—an overwhelming determination to succeed.—Sophy Burnham

Do not pay any attention to the rules other people make…They make them for their won protection, ….—William Saroyan

You must once and for all give up being worried about successes and failures. Don’t let that concern you. It’s your duty to go on working steadily day by day, quite steadily, to be prepared for mistakes, which are inevitable, and for failures.—Anton Chekhov

Maybe you have some favorite advice that has been meaningful to you. Please--share it with us.

Cut Your Wrists

Cut your wrist and bleed into the work . . .

“What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten as a writer?”

Cut your wrist and bleed into the work . . .

That was it.

First of all, it’s still surreal when I get these questions, any questions about being an author. I’m not sure I deserve them, have earned them, know how to answer them. But that aside, I do know that that one phrase my agent said struck me, made me rewrite chapter one of Snow Angel with the wrists wide open and the blood (figuratively) flowing.

Writing without the safety valve on feels very scary, exposed, raw and real. But that chapter went from two dimensional, cardboard characters to something that breathed on its own, something that could touch a chord from my heart to the reader’s heart, something transcendent. The truth is, though, it was hard to go there. It cost me something greater than myself.

My mind turns to Jesus. He “died on the cross for our sins.” The phrase has been said so many times it’s almost a cliché. But if you look at His life . . . He never lived for Himself. He always bled out His life for others, way before the ultimate sacrifice of the cross. I complain sometimes and get discouraged that I don’t have any more to give. But then I look at His example and know I have to give everything.

You want to be a great writer? Here’s my advice:

Don’t be fake. Don’t say what you think you should say. Don’t compromise to fit in. Don’t care who you please except for pleasing Him. Cut your wrist (figuratively of course!) and bleed out what God put you on this earth to share with others. You might be rejected. You might be reviled.

You might be crucified.

We were never promised multi-book, thousand dollar deals. But we were promised eternal life with all the rewards that obedience to Him will give us. This life is just a moment. We are all flowers fading. Find what He wants you to write and then live your destiny with the assurance that you have followed in the footsteps of our savior. Jesus.

People might not recognize your genius until you are long gone. :-)They might not ever validate you and who you are. But this life is just a glimpse of reality.

We might spend eternity discussing your genius!

So bleed into your work. Be real. Be honest. Be who He has called you to be. And then expect nothing but His smile and the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Someday, those words will be all that matters and they will ring throughout eternity, never growing old, never fading in meaning nor worth, always validating our sprint here on earth.

I can’t wait to someday read the words written on your heart.

Organizationally challenged ...

"What do I need to know to apply for that inspector's job?"
My supervisor didn't even pause as we shoved more equipment down the assembly line. "How are you at Excel?"
"Um ..."
I hated to admit how little I used that spread-sheet program. At home on the farm, we still use ledgers, the check book register and notes on the calendar to track income and expenses. A few times a year I'd start to put the information on a spread sheet but usually went back to jotting notes on the calendar.
What does that have to do with my writing?
At home I vaguely remember another writer blogging about using Excel to plan out a story.
Mine story is done, but maybe I could use Excel to analyze it.
I could get two things done at once -- take another look at my story, and practice with spread sheets.
I plugged in page numbers compared to the names of the point-of-view character for each scene. Then I jotted down a summary. Then I got wild and color-coded it, giving each POV character his or her own color. Still color coding, I highlighted turning points and changed the font color on a couple of scenes that still need work.
And what did I find out?
A couple of possibly draggy sections really did ramble on. And on. And on a little farther. I decided I could break those up. A couple of story threads needed strengthening. And, I could probably cut off the last twenty or so pages. Or not.
At any rate, viewing the story from another angle showed some surprising things.
How do you-all organize your stories? Do you plot and plan ahead of time or just sit down and let 'er rip? I would love to hear more about other strategies!

Seven Habits of a Christian Writer

In 2008, the Write to Publish Conference celebrated its 35th anniversary by dedicating to Director Lin Johnson an anthology, Writing So Heaven Will Be Different.

My testimony, "Seven Habits of a Successful Christian Writer," was one of 35 in the book by WTP alums. Four of those habits I'll share today, and three next month. But first, I recommend this inspiring book, compiled and edited by Joyce K. Ellis and Tammie Edington Shaw.

1. Use your gift to worship God. Writing is God's gift to you. When we use our writing gifts, we are worshiping our Creator. Plus when we're at a Christian writers conference, worshiping together with several hundred writers is an awesome, inspiring experience. Until my first writers conference, I didn't know that a writers conference was like a creativity revival.

2. Enjoy the adventure. God often surprises us with writing and speaking topics when we least expect them. Throughout my years as a busy mother and teacher, I dreamed about writing the Great American Novel. What novelist hasn't? I never guessed I would one day, instead, write and speak about women disciples of the Last Supper, and my family's lives in China.

3. Keep learning from the pros. Agents, editors and published authors have great insights to share about the craft of writing. Even though I've been a writer all my life (and taught writing too), I'm still learning. Writers conferences, along with the how-to books I've found there, have been my greatest skill-building sources. I try to attend two conferences each year, and America Christian Fiction Writers and Write to Publish are my favorites.

4. When disappointments happen, press on (Paul knew what he was talking about). No one masters the writing craft overnight (well, maybe some have, but I've never heard of them). Every time I meet with an editor at a conference or send out a proposal (these days my agent does it), my manuscripts improve in some way. I long ago learned that self-editing is ongoing and fun. I also remember the good old days of typewriters, so I never cease to be grateful for the ease of revisions with computers.

I'll share three more habits next month. But of course, there are many more than three more. So why not share one of yours right now that you're working on these days. Your habit-in-progress might be the very habit another writer needs to be successful.

O Holy God, please guide our writing habits so that our words will bring glory to Your Kingdom. Amen.

Millie Samuelson
http://www.milliesbooks.org/