Monthly Hoosier Hangouts

 

Mark your calendar now for a year's worth of connecting with ACFW Indiana Chapter members to "talk shop."

Stop by for an informal time to fuel your writerly tank and satisfy those cravings to be with and learn from other writers. 

January 15th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

February 20th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

March 20th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

April 18th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

May 20th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

June 18th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

July 17th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

August 22nd - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

September 16th - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

October 22nd - 7:00pm - Hoosier Hangout

The Reader's Journey

By Rick Barry


The older man grinned a funny grin, as if he were about to make a confession. Then he quietly said, "Whenever I read a book, I kinda pretend like that's me in the story."

My senior citizen friend didn't need to confess. Without asking, I already knew. How did I know? Because whenever any reader begins a novel, to some degree that reader becomes the main character. Sure, the protagonist might be named Ishmael and sail aboard Captain Ahab's Pequod. Or the hero might be an Amish woman who pulls an unconscious pilot from a crashed airplane. But regardless of the gender, location, and time period, whenever a reader follows--word after word--the adventure of a character in a book, that reader begins to identify with the hero. Questions arise. Am I missing clues to the serial killer? What would I do in that situation? In other words, the hero's journey also becomes the reader's journey.

I believe this fact helps to explain why relatively few men read romance stories written from a woman's point of view. Not so many men care to "become" a woman who is falling in love with a guy. That's simply not a journey they care to take. However, take the same male reader and give him a copy of The Hunger Games, and yes, he just might join the tomboy Katniss as she stares fate in the eye armed only with her bow and arrows.

No story universally appeals to everyone. However, when you keep in mind that the reader becomes the hero and joins the journey, you begin to understand why certain books appeal to various readers. People who read fiction often long for an experience of transcendence. That is, they want to belong in some other place, if only for a while. For some, that longing might be for a simpler life in a small house on the western prairie, or perhaps an Amish community. For others, that longing might be for action. Their yearning could compel them to pick up a novel that places them in the thick of battle, or on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Others yet find satisfaction in "joining" imaginary friends on a dangerous trek across Middle-earth.

The goal of a story might be to win something, or to escape a situation, to retrieve a valuable object, or simply to stop an event from occurring. However, regardless of the actual goal, the writer who keeps in mind that he or she is penning the reader's journey (as opposed to just a story) stands a far better chance of hooking a reader's attention and holding it all the way to THE END.

Rick Barry is the author of over 200 published short stories and articles, plus two novels. Visit his personal blog at http://rickbarry.blogspot.com.

"Hey, how did I get here?"

Lost in a story...

Recently a friend shared a funny incident. Her son Josh had been reading. Scratch that--her son Josh had been totally absorbed by the novel on his lap. Although she told him several times to come to the table for supper, Josh couldn't hear. His mind was submerged in a fictional world about another time, another place. As a last resort, this mom took her son by the shoulders and--while he was still reading--guided him to the kitchen table and eased him onto his chair. Moments later, when the aroma of a delicious meal wafted up from his plate, he glanced around in astonishment.

"Hey, how did I get here?"

I didn't ask which book Josh was reading that day. As a writer, though, I applauded the author who crafted a captivating tale so successfully it gripped the boy's mind and held him even while his physical body was maneuvered from a living room sofa to the kitchen table.

Have you ever experienced something similar? I have. When I drive long distances, I like to listen to books on CDs. (If you haven't discovered these in your local library, you really need to check them out--literally.) As least twice, I have been driving along an interstate highway and listening to suspenseful stories until--unexpectedly--I blinked and thought, "Huh? Where am I?" In both cases, I had missed my exit a couple miles earlier and had to backtrack.

Such is the power of a well-written tale. Of course, not all stories hold such ability. Some authors insist on flaunting their vast vocabularies and frequently use obscure words that knock the reader out of the story with the question, "What's that word mean?" Other authors include scenes or events that come across as so incredibly coincidental, or so unlikely, that they puncture the very fabric of the story and let all the believability escape.

Although, by God's grace, I've successfully sold over two hundred short stories and articles, plus a couple novels, I'm still learning and growing as a writer. I'm not yet where I would like to be on this  journey. However, authors who are true craftsmen at this trade inspire me. Who knows? Maybe someday readers will engage with my stories so intensely that they will suddenly look around and wonder, "Hey, how did I get here?"

The Beverage of Inspiration

It has only been in the last six months that I've started drinking coffee (and decaf at that). Before that, I have always chosen ice tea as my BOC (Beverage of Choice). Over the years, however, it would seem I have developed a food allergy to caffeine. I know, right. YIKES! Not to fear. I'm fooling my brain to think it's regular coffee. Believe it or not, it's having the same effect.

I know many writers who MUST have their BOC in order to write. I was always a bit skeptical, but now I am a firm believer. So what is it about a writer's beverage that facilitates the writing process? Is it the caffeine, the taste, the aroma, or just the concept of it?

Whenever I see someone writing...be it on TV, a photo, or out in public, they always seem to have a beverage in hand. As writers, could it be that we have been conditioned to have such a device in our hand? Perhaps our BOC is just another tool for us to wield in our writer's toolbox similar to having comfy chair to spin our tales of adventure. 

Does your beverage of choice inspire you? Do you imagine your character sitting back and sipping a cup of coffee, hot tea, or something more exotic? If you are like me, you have trained your creative brain process not to start until your BOC is in hand. For me, it's a daily dance of ritual and aroma.

I remember being on vacation in Florida several years ago. I was at a restaurant that overlooked an inlet to the ocean (it was the main restaurant at a marina). I ordered a differently flavored ice tea; different from anything I had tried in recent memory. As I was sitting there enjoying and experiencing this new taste, I began to spin a story based on that actual experience. In essence, my BOC inspired my story.

So, as a writer, what is your BOC? Can you function without it? Does it inspire you?

As a note of reference, yes, my coffee mug is quietly sitting next to me yet again inspiring the text on my screen...

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.

A "Casual" Conversation?

A Facebook friend request appeared a few days ago from Paul, a fellow I'd known in college. I can't say we were close friends. In fact, I recall having only one conversation with him, on a wintry Saturday morning when the campus food service was closed and we landed side-by-side at a downtown coffee shop. I don't even remember what we talked about--but he does! A text message soon arrived:

Hey Joe, Been a long time. I remember back in 1970 you encouraged me to write. Thought I couldn't do it. Well, after 23 years of ministry, 10 years of sales, and 7 years owning my own businesses, I have written two main biz books, 10 smaller books, ... have one being edited on the choices we make in business and in life, a photography book waiting to be published, have written a turn key system on cash flow, and now finishing up a turn key business development system for professional photographers. I am a partner, along with the majority owner, in a national business solutions company. Good to see your name. Let's connect sometime.

I can't claim to have been the inspiration for Paul's writing career because, as I said, I have but a dim memory of that conversation. But while we made small talk over coffee and toast, I must have said something that fanned his interest in writing. Perhaps it was just the simple question: "Why don't you write about this?"

Most of us became writers because someone encouraged us to try, so let's share that encouragement with others. Let's pay closer attention to our "casual" conversations to see if we can strike a spark (or fan one already there) that could blaze into someone else's writing career.

Character Sheets: Fun or Intimidating?

I have a love/hate relationship with character sheets. I love getting to know my characters, and I know the predetermined details come in extremely handy during the writing process. But, they are so, so ... well, the phrase 'Just the Facts, Ma'am,' keeps coming to mind. Once I sit down – and force myself to fill in every minute detail about my character, from their date of birth to their favorite food - I love my character sheets! I keep them in a handy spot, and refer to them often - making sure I'm staying true to my character's nature. (So much so, that I've considered laminating them to make them last longer!)

However, I find that I still dread filling them out - only slightly less than those dreaded forms the dentist makes you fill out before you can proceed with a simple cleaning. Yeah, it's that bad.

So that's now got me thinking ... what could I do to make the process seem less like filling out something boring like a medical form? Well, here's another factoid - I also hate filing paperwork. You are so shocked, I'm sure . . .

The solution I found to cure my issues with filing, was to use the money I get back from my favorite office supply store's ink cartridge recycling program to buy folders, binder clips, binders and other colorfully designed supplies that appealed to me. Now I actually enjoy filing! And, by using my recycling money, I don't have any guilt for spending extra money on something attractive, instead of the standard blah supplies. (And yes, they make folder designs that appeal to a guy's personal style too - in case this is sounding all too girlie.)

Yeah, a few of you are now thinking I'm a little wacko. But because I know many writers are also visually stimulated, like the crazy graphic designer/writer that I am, I'm betting a lot of you also 'get it'. So I am considering spending some design time on creating visually appealing blank character sheets that I could share with my writer friends on my web site.

My idea so far, is to create a pair of sheets for each writing genre; either a male and a female sheet, or a protagonist and an antagonist sheet. Each pair would be designed to match a particular writing genre. So a mystery sheet might have fingerprints, evidence bags ... shoe prints or something of that nature surrounding the information area. Fonts would also be grungy and colored to match.

I also want to include a space for an example photo if someone has found one for inspiration, and I'm also hoping to make it so that it can either be printed and filled out by hand, or it can be opened and filled out on screen if people prefer to keep everything on their computer. We'll see on that one - I know it can be done in Acrobat Pro, but I have to figure out if it can be opened and altered in the free Acrobat Reader or another free Mac/PC application, so that more people could use it.

I'm hoping to make them interesting enough that if I wanted to keep them posted on my wall while I write they would be somewhat decorative. Which is why I'm thinking other writer's might find them inspiring too? I'll likely post them on my site for free or for a small amount like 25 cents each. Would anyone even be interested except me? Or am I really more of an oddball than I think I am?

Feel free to tell me if I am. I can take it.

(I'm trying to determine if it's worth spending the time on more than the genre I am personally working on - for my own use. Any input would be extremely helpful!)

What's My (First) Line?

The first sentence of a manuscript. Sometimes that first line just sits there, bland and uninteresting as oatmeal. But other first lines practically reach up from the page and grab your eyeballs and compel you to keep reading to find out what's happening.

A visit to your local bookstore provides a wealth of inspiration in successful first lines. These novel openings survived the rejections of agents and editors and made it (along with the rest of the novel) into print. I find it fascinating simply to pull novel after novel off shelves to read those first lines that successful authors used to capture readers' interest and lure them into a new story. Sound fun? Then check out these sample first lines from various authors, and then consider your own opening sentences.

"Three men watched intently as peculiar events occurred, one after the other, on opposite sides of the globe." (Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn)

"The sultry breeze carried not a single hint that the summer afternoon would give birth to the worst aviation disaster in American history." (The Note, by Angela Hunt)

"Well, now, ain't that a purty sight?" (Opal, by Lauraine Snelling)

"The swastika medallion dangled from the limb of the Christmas tree." (While Mortal Sleep, by Jack Cavanaugh)

"Down to the last day, even the last hour now." (The Testament, by John Grisham)

"He first thought of his feet." (Enoch, by Alton Gansky)

"When the tiny dart hit Pierre Sirois behind his right ear, his right hand reached up as though to swat an insect." (Mission Compromised, by Oliver North)

"Ryan was nearly killed twice in half an hour." (Patriot Games, by Tom Clancey)

"The first wave of pain seized his chest like a vice grip so that his hand flew to his heart and he gasped for breath." (Where Yesterday Lives, by Karen Kingsbury)

Each of these lines begins novels representing a variety of genres. In each case, though, the author has carefully crafted that beginning. Even before you know what's happening or exactly who is involved, these writers tease us into wondering what will follow.

Chances are, if you've read this far, you just might be a writer, too. Want to share the first line of a favorite novel? Or, is anyone brave enough to share a first line from your own work in progress?

What inspires you?

Source: Wikimedia Commons

As imaginative writers, many things inspire us: sunsets, mountains, romantic candlelight. Maybe it’s a memory of our childhood, a nightmare, or our latest trip to the mall. We're constantly people watching, thinking up new plot lines, creating “what if” scenarios in our minds.

We go to conferences to learn the logistics of fashioning a book,meeting agents or networking with publishers. We spend valuable time on group emails, building an online platform, and gathering friends on Facebook. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things. It’s part of the job. We need to be the best that we can be and  fellowship with other writers to feel inspired, encouraged or validated.

Sometimes, though, we look too hard for inspiration, when as Christians, we have it inside of us. Sadly, we may forget it’s there, or worse, ignore it.

Job was someone in the Bible who got a lot of advice. He was surrounded by “encouraging” nay sayers who shared their expert opinions: “Quit! Give up! Die!” 

But Job knew where to look for inspiration. He knew Who to listen to:

“But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment” (Job 8 & 9, KJV).

As writers in these last days, we need to work smart, not hard. It’s tempting to take the hard road of going to and fro picking up tidbits here and there. We can wear ourselves out being afraid we might miss some morsel of a publishing secret or writing trend, when all we need to do is get quiet and listen.

To Him.

“What is it you want to say today, Lord? What words do you want on this page?”

I wonder sometimes—do we hurt the Holy Spirit’s tender feelings when we ignore His ideas? His inspiration? How would we feel if we were telling someone the perfect way to succeed but they never took our advice? What makes us think we have better ideas than God?

I am often inspired by thoughtfulness, grief, and the spirit of the overcoming soul. Courageous athletes, cancer survivors, pianists playing Rachmaninoff—these folks receive my awe and attention. But I must remember that my most powerful inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. He knows better than anyone what needs to be written. He knows better than anyone Who needs a message that God has put me on this planet to write.

He longs to inspire us. He patiently waits for us to listen. All we need do is follow Job’s example, and obey. Obeying His voice is much better than all the sacrifices we make going hither and yon for inspiration. For it is written: “…to obey is better than sacrifice…”(1 Samuel 15:22).

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three silly dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

My Peter Pan Syndrome

Suzanne & her daughters

True confession: I don't think I'll ever grow up. Oh, I'm technically a grown up. I've got all the headaches of a grown up - bills to pay, children to raise, all the usual stuff. BUT, I think there is a big part of me that somewhere along the way refused to stop 'playing pretend'.

When I was little I was more like my children. I remember donning my mother's or even my grandmother's clothes to play 'dress up' - including shoes, jewelry and the like. As a writer, I don't usually go to the extreme of dressing up like my characters, but I had the opportunity this summer to visit a local treasure called Conner Prairie up near Fishers, Indiana. If you are at all interested in history it is worth the trip.

While walking through the Conner homestead (resembling an 1836 prairie town) it hit me how awesome imagination can be. Around every corner was a new opportunity to pretend you lived there and fill the town with crazy neighbors, rugged heroes, and every day challenges. My daughters loved it when I jumped in and dressed up with them in some provided costumes for the photo above, but I realized the truth to be that nothing provided came close to the costuming and conversations I was picturing in my head.

Even in more modern settings, a snatch of conversation can stimulate my mind to manufacture an entire back story for the people I've overheard. And I love it! Even if the stories I make up aren't their 'real' story, I feel this ability makes me more understanding of others ... more compassionate. How can that be a bad thing?

So I don't think I'll ever be done 'playing pretend' - even if I mostly do it in my mind, or on my computer screen via keyboard. And I know that amongst fiction writers I have many kindred spirits. How about it everyone, off to Neverland?

Which Stories Affected You?

When I was in seventh grade, our family visited relatives in Detroit. In the course of the evening, someone turned on a TV and flipped channels to a movie titled The Great Escape. I started watching. Understand that I had no special interest in war or movies about wars. It was just a story. However, as I sat watching this film, which was adapted from a non-fiction book by the same name, my horizons rapidly widened.

In case you're not familiar with the actual events, in World War II the Germans created Stalag Luft III, a prison camp for captured Allied airmen. Even though they were prisoners, these men considered it their patriotic duty to attempt escape. By escaping, they could either make their way back to England, or else they would confuse and harass German troops, who would waste time tracking them down instead of actually fighting on the front. In the end, 76 men escaped in one night. Only 3 made it home, and the Germans machine-gunned the majority of those they captured as a warning against future escapes.

The film captivated me so much that later I read the actual book by Paul Brickhill, who had been a prisoner in the Stalag Luft III. This one story ignited my interest in the far-flung experiences that so many endured during World War II. They have stories worth hearing.

Your turn: Think back. Has there ever been one particular story (whether a movie, a book, or one told verbally) that especially caught your interest and made a long-lasting impact? What was it? Why did it grip you? Please share your comments below.

Magic Skates and Stories

by Rachael Phillips

Hans Brinker, the young Dutch hero in Mary Mapes Dodge's nineteenth-century children's novel, and I shared a common grief. Neither of us could afford the beautiful ice skates our hearts craved.

Family illness and poverty forced Hans to use clumsy wooden skates. Because of my family's tight budget, I wore hideous brown rental skates that, in my fourteen-year-old mind, certified me as an eternal member of Plumbers on Ice. Chunking and clumping around the city skating rink, I longed for sleek white skates that would magically morph me into Olympian Peggy Fleming. Wearing them, I would spin into an alternative universe where all that was wrong with my world would go right. There I would skate like a champion, never making an ignominious landing on my rump again. Even my zits would fade away.

Unlike Hans Brinker, I found my fairytale skates under our Christmas tree, and my family went skating that evening. Will I ever forget that enchanted black velvet night when the new skates cast a spell on my oversized feet and long wooden-puppet legs? As God cheered and threw silver confetti from the heavens, I glided, spun, even leaped and landed, moving in perfect synch with Peggy (who just happened to drop in).

For many of us, a good story acts like my Christmas ice skates. Reading a riveting novel rescues us from the everyday take-out-the-garbage aspects of life and sends us to imaginary kingdoms without limits. Cynics might question the dermatological benefits derived from using new skates ("Your zits went away? Oh, please!")--or reading a fascinating story. Still, both passions encourage healthy self-forgetfulness. Yet they dare us to be better than we are. As a child, I devoured Hans Brinker, reading it several times. Although dripping with summertime sweat, I lived thousands of miles away in his world, skimming over frozen canals, consumed with Hans' longing to win the silver skates--and challenged by his willingness to sacrifice his own desire to help someone else.

Cranky joints, a high insurance deductible, and the fact I type for a living have curbed my skating. But enthralling stories still send my heart twirling, swirling, and soaring. If we writers can produce novels that bless others in a similar way, even Peggy Fleming in her prime couldn't match the heights to which we can leap.

How about you? Any stories you've read or written, past or present, sent you soaring?

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

To Everything There is a Season: Autumn

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.            --Stanley Horowitz

To many people, autumn is springtime’s ugly, older sister. While spring is all things beautiful and new, autumn is a fading away, a death. But to this farm wife, autumn is so much more. And, like He is always faithful to do, God teaches me lessons in the fall. Lessons about life and lessons about writing. Here are a few.

Photo credit: Igor Spanholi

Celebration: For a farm family, harvest is evidence of hard work, sweat, and even tears. Proof of weeks spent sowing, tending, and nurturing tiny seeds, tender sprouts, and towers plants. Fall is a time of celebration. And for writers, those oft-solitary creatures, harvest is a time to answer the question, “What do you do all day?” It is proof of the countless hours, days, and sometimes years, spent rear-in-chair checking facts, turning phrases, and tending the stories of our hearts.

Community: Harvest on the farm is a time of communal busyness. The days stretch from early morning’s light to hours past sundown. Extra hands hire on and even the littlest member of the family pitches in and helps out. For writers, that final push to see our work in print involves lots to do. Marketing, negotiations, and social networking keep us immersed in self-promotion from the time our eyes open to the time our head hits the pillow. Our family might need to sacrifice during our harvest time and additional folks like influencers, agents, and editors come alongside to help us  finish strong.

Continuation: Fall isn’t just about endings. Each year as we bring in the harvest, almost immediately, preparations begin for the next growing season. Fertilizer is applied and tractors work the ground, ripping and enriching it in preparation for the next crop. Seed is ordered and plans are made based on predictions and market research. For the writer, our work doesn’t end with submission or publication. New article or story ideas rattle around in our brain and maybe on our storyboard. Plotting begins for the next book or series based on hot topics,  whispers of coming trends, or the passions in our hearts.

If you find yourself in the harvest season of your current project, let us know so we can celebrate with you. If you are in another season, let this be your encouragement that one day you will reap the benefits of all the time, energy, and passion you sow into your writing.

 Read the companion post, To Everything There is a Season: Spring.

Nikki Studebaker Barcus

What to do When Your Mind is Writer Blocked

My mind is writer blocked, and I need a story worth writing.

Fresh air and a change of scenery ought to do the trick. I pack a lunch and take my family to the state park. Perhaps the trees have secrets to share?

My husband straps our preschooler to his back, and I nestle my baby against my chest. The four of us set off on a trail under a canopy of shimmering gold. Spruce, pine, and black walnut's stretch their arms and fingers toward the heavens.

I crane my neck and my baby's eyes follow. Yellow blends into blue. There's no telling where the leaves end and the sky begins. All of a sudden, I'm two feet tall in the presence of the majestic trees. I'm awed by their age and wisdom.

Is that the rustling wind? Or are the trees whispering tales of past visitors? My feet, hands, and mind are all ears.

I hear sonnets of lovers as they etch their names on bark; laughter of children as they make believe high up in branches. I hear a woman's cry over loss of pattering feet, and an elderly couple's musing of past regrets.

And was it a tree such as this where Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity or chicken little a falling sky? Is this the one that holds the young girl's secret or the sick man's dying wish?

There are thousands of stories in this forest. Yet, I can't find one to write.

For even the greatest intrigue or conflict doesn't seem worthy of these stately trees. Are my words worthy of the lumberjack's saw and wood pulp fiber paper?

A twig snaps under my shoe and it's then I realize why I'm lacking inspiration. I'm as dry as the severed branch. I'm trying to pen stories apart from the source. It's only when I look to the author of life that His words flow through me.

My breath forms prayer, "God grant me stories worthy of these trees. Stories that point others to you."

My husband leads us to a clearing where a blending of colors paint one glorious canvas. We pause, drink in the beauty. And in that moment, I know what I must write!

Didn't the Savior die upon wood that held his nail pierced hands and feet. Didn't the timber hear His victorious proclamation, "it is finished?"

When I have nothing to say, I must go back to the greatest story ever penned--the living Word etching the story of grace and love upon a tree.

At the foot of the cross, I find transformational stories.

Melanie N. Brasher is a full time mama of two boys and wife to an incredible husband who understands her bicultural background. She moonlights as a fiction and freelance writer, crafting stories and articles toward justice and change, and contemplates faith, family, and writing at her personal blog. Though she’s an aspiring author, she’ll never quit her day job.