Incorporating Your Loves into Your Books

 

One of the things I love about writing is the ability to incorporate the things I love into my writing.

As a gal right out of college I headed to Washington, D.C., to launch my career in public policy. You see, there weren’t a lot of jobs in Nebraska for a girl with a degree in political science. That was all right with me though because I love D.C.

D.C. has an energy, ambition, and pace that appealed to me, the gal from smallish town Nebraska. And my parents acquiesced because the internship I’d landed was at a conservative non-profit that provided housing.

The Leadership Institute and Washington were the perfect places to start my career. But it was also a little lonely. I quickly made friends where I worked, but finding a good home church and community of friends outside work took more effort. Until I moved to Fairlington Village with my husband.

In Fairlington Village, we found a community – some of it ready made because many of our friends from work also owned condos or townhomes there. Ours was an end townhouse steps from a swimming pool and tennis courts. Even better we had friends within a couple blocks in just about any direction. We also could walk to neat shopping areas., the grocery store, Great Harvest, the post office, you name it. And when we got a puppy, it was a rare area where I felt safe being out any time of the day or night.

Sure, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but what made it so special was the people. So when some friends and I started brainstorming a novella collection set in Washington, D.C., I knew we had to model the community our characters lived in on Fairlington Village. I pulled on my man warm memories of our years there. Much like the community we modeled after it in Cherry Blossom Capers, our neighbors became a second family. Next door lived two middle-aged women who became grandmas to our oldest when she arrived. Across the parking lot lived an Air Force chaplain and his artist wife. I could go around the cul-de-sac and mention people who became special to us. Spontaneous BBQs and movie or game nights occurred frequently.

That’s one reason I had such fun writing Dying for Love in Cherry Blossom Capers. I was able to recapture some of that special feel in the neighborhood we created. Why does this matter to you? When you’re stuck in your writing, look for elements from your life that you can pull into your story. It may not be a location, but maybe it’s an experience, a job, a person you know well, a career. Incorporating elements that are important to you may provide just the spark to launch a new plot line. Or the research will inspire you with ideas and challenges to throw at your characters. Or maybe the details will be the precise one that brings the story to life for you.

And that is half the fun of writing…at least to me.

How about you? What techniques to you use to make a story come to life on the page?

Bio: Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a ministry leader and teacher at her church. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara loves bringing history and romance to life. You can read about her community based on Fairlington Village in Cherry Blossom Capers, a January 2012 novella collection released by Barbour Publishing. Learn more about this and all her books at http://www.caraputman.com or http://www.facebook.com/cara.putman

"Teach us to number our days"

"Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Mayan Calendar.  Source: Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to a new year, fellow writers!

This is the time of year we vow to make changes in our lives: eat less, exercise more, and most important for the writer: be better managers of our time.

The best advice I ever received regarding time management came from Dr. Dennis Hensley in his Freelance Writing class at Taylor University. (For some great videos of Dr. Hensley, click here.)Using his suggestions as guidelines, here are a few things I hope to stick to for a more productive year. (After all, the world comes to an end on December 21, 2012. I don’t have a lot of time left.) 

•    I will say “no” more than I say “yes.” As a pastor’s wife, this is very, very difficult. I am greatly motivated by guilt. But the older I get the more I realize my energy level isn’t as high as it used to be. And I don’t know about you, but I prefer to write while I’m awake 

• I will shut my door, keep out the devil. (Have you heard that song?) What I mean is, I will shut my door not only to keep out people distractions, but all the shiny things that grab my attention: TV, Netflix, Facebook, et. al.

• Do a better job of keeping my desk organized. (See my post from last year. I actually did a fair job of it in 2011, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.)

• When given delicious back to back hours to work, I will exercise in some way for 5-15 minutes between hours. (My back side isn’t getting any smaller.)

• I will try harder not to be obsessive-compulsive. Once I’m on a roll, it’s hard for me to stop. I’ve got to learn that the world isn’t coming to an end if I leave my desk in the middle of a chapter to go play with the kids or give Mr. Himself some attention.  I’ve mentioned this before, but Hemingway always left off in the middle of an exciting part of his books so that he could begin writing immediately when he got back to his desk.

• I will make my own deadlines and keep them. I like what Dr. Hensley says about deadlines: “Deadlines mean, ‘go past this line and you’re dead!’”

Another thing Dr. Hensley taught me was to use a life map. I’ve filled it out before but I’m going to do it again. I want to know my goals for one year from now, three years from now, five, fifteen and thirty years from now. (Will I be alive thirty years from now? I’m not getting any younger which makes it even more important to be a good time manager. Oh, and then there's that December 21, 2012 thing…)

How about you? What will you do differently in 2012 to reach your writing goals? Where will you be in thirty years?

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.

2012 Has Arrived!

Happy New Year!


From everyone here behind the scenes of Hoosier Ink.
May 2012 be your best writing yet!

Two Constants

Two constants exist. One is change. People. Politics. Circumstances. Geography. Writing conventions. Word meanings. They all change like the clouds in an Indiana sky.

At my age, I should be used to change, I suppose. I should take it in stride. I've certainly seen enough of it. "Of such is life," I should say. Fact is I don't accept change easily.

Therefore, when the email arrived announcing that our ACFW Scribes small critique group had been disbanded, I was sad. It didn't come as a surprise. Some members now have agents and/or contracts, and their critique needs have changed. While I celebrate the victories in the lives of my fellow Scribes, I will miss the camaraderie, the tough critiques, the prayers and encouragement we shared. 

This year brought other changes, also. I attended two Writer's Digest webinars and the Indianapolis Christian Writers Conference. I also finished the first draft of my second middle-grade novel. Even as I revise that work, I'm writing a third MG and researching for a historical novel set in southern Indiana (using a pseudonym).

What changes will 2012 bring? That's not for us to know.

Which brings me to the second constant: God, our immutable Sovereign. Isn't it a comfort to know that whatever the new year holds, He Who said, "I Am that I Am," already is there. What security! What peace!

New Year's Resolutions--
Resolved: I will write, as the Lord enables and leads.
Resolved: I will submit to select agents and publishing houses.
Resolved: I will wait upon the Lord to work His will in my life and career, acknowledging Him as my Supreme Agent.

Your Turn!
What changes occurred in your life this year that affected your writing? What do you anticipate for 2012? What resolutions have you made relating to your writing? Please leave a comment.

A LAMINATOR FOR CHRISTMAS?

“A Laminator for Christmas?”

That question has lingered around my house since yesterday morning, when my son Corey unwrapped the unforgettable gift.

For the past three months, Corey had been hoping to get a “Turnigy 2WD Desert Racing Buggy.” This remote-control car was at the top of his Christmas Wish List. Therefore, a few weeks before Christmas I ordered his wish online, which was exclusively sold at Hobby King. In Hong Kong. And could take up to 45 days to deliver. Yikes.

At midnight on Christmas Eve, with no Turnigy Racing Buggy to wrap for Corey, I turned to the only store open in Indiana—Walgreens. The store resembled black Friday, and the shelves looked ransacked.

From a distance, I spotted a laminator, which sat neatly untouched on a lonely shelf. I remembered that Corey listed one of these bad dogs on his Christmas Wish List (more toward the bottom of his list).

On Christmas morning, Corey ripped off the wrapping paper, and my heart sank as I saw his eyes lower with disappointment. He reminded me of Ralphie in a bunny suit from “A Christmas Story.”

“A laminator for Christmas?” Corey asked.

Apparently, he didn’t remember writing that on his list.

Just like Corey and the laminator, so are a writer and the rejection letter. It’s so disappointing after months of anticipation, and then to receive a rejection letter. But that doesn’t mean it’s all over.

If a writer is patient, a different package could someday arrive in their inbox or mailbox. Like maybe a contract for a novel, or even a series of novels. Whatever the case…Don’t give up!!

I guarantee Corey won’t give up the story about the Christmas he got a laminator instead of a Turnigy Racing Buggy.

~Marjorie DeVries