Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Posted on April 26, 2012 - by Shari Barr

Surviving the Writing Life

Surviving life as a writer is tricky at times. This was especially true back in the early days of article writing. People looked at me funny when I told them I was a writer. It seemed as though no one actually knew a writer. A few people muttered shyly under their breath that “someday” they wanted to write a book, but essentially I was alone in my little world of Writerdom.

I knew I needed to spend time with other writers but that seemed impossible when I knew no one who wrote seriously. Living on a farm has way more advantages than disadvantages, but it can be a lonely place when looking for a writing buddy to share dreams and disappointments, especially in the pre-computer era.

Years ago, I realized that frustrations were going to get the best of me unless I had fellow writers to support me. I remembered a writer’s conference in a college town I had attended several years earlier. Fortunately I had saved the materials from that conference, so I dug them out of hiding and found some information about a woman I had met—Amy Houts. By this time, internet had found its way into our home, so I Googled her name and learned she still lived in the area. I emailed her and she readily invited me to her writer’s group. Driving an hour seemed a small price to pay for basking in the companionship of other writers. Finally I was surrounded by people who “got” me.

From that day forward, I knew I was where God wanted me. Not only did Amy become my cheerleader, she is now one of my best friends. She has rooted for me from day one and continues to do so. Without her I would have given up a long time ago.

Everyone needs a support system, not just writers. Anyone who has a job outside the norm would benefit from surrounding themselves with like-minded people, at least once in awhile. Though I know I’m writing for God, I still need earthly encouragement on a regular basis. The confident words of other writers who have walked the same path help me through those times when I think I’d be better off picking up pop cans and redeeming them for a nickel.

Everyone needs an eternal cheerleader. If you don’t have one, go where they hang out—conferences, classes, or specialized online groups. You’ll find plenty to choose from, many of whom need your support every bit as much as you need theirs.

Posted on April 24, 2012 - by Shannon Vannatter

Shannon’s Survival Kit

In twelve years of writing, I’ve come up with a list of must haves for the diligent writer:

1. A quiet house.

When I first started writing, my husband worked later in the evenings than I did. For about an hour and a half, the house was quiet. Me–home alone–writing. Once our son was born, a quiet house was impossible. I adapted. Before long, I realized I could write with the TV on in the same room as my desk. Three years of noisy writing. Then we decided to send him to preschool three days a week because he had no clue what to do with other kids. Miraculously, my house was quiet again. Since then, I once again require a quiet house. During the school year, I write during school hours. In the summer, when everyone else is in bed.

2. Coffee!

I don’t know how non-coffee drinkers write. When the story stalls, I go get a cup of coffee. When the edits come from the publisher, they make me so sleepy. In editing mode, I’m not into the story, just searching for things to fix. Coffee time and my eyes pop open. And lately, I’ve discovered something even more effective.

3. Chocolate covered coffee beans!

The chocolate is yummy. The bean is gritty, so make sure you have something to drink to chase it down with. Preferably coffee. These little jewels pack a powerful punch. I’m not a morning person, never have been. No matter how many hours of sleep I get–3 or 10, when I get up, I’m heavy-lidded and brain-stalled. No matter what time I get up–5 AM or noon (doesn’t happen often), I’m heavy-lidded and brain-stalled. I pop one bean and I’m awake and ready to write. But be careful, I ate 4 in one day once and the top of my head started tingling. I usually only have one in the morning except during edits. Then I allow 3.

4. Sunflower seeds.

The kind still in the hull, so you have to work to get them out. Another handy dandy trick for combatting sleepy eye when my edits come. They’re good for you and very filling, so you eat less for lunch and supper.

5. Things that inspire me.

I have framed covers of all my books in my office, along with poems and pictures, inspirational sayings, miniature high heel shoes, my name tags from all the ACFW conferences I’ve attended, writing awards (from the first one I won at a local writing contest to my IRCA), handmade gifts from my son, gifts from my husband, writing craft books, writers market guides, novels by other authors, seashells, and a cotton boll. Each of the items inspire me.

I’ve always loved seashells. To me, it’s proof of God’s hand. Such intricate shells where tiny creatures live. The cotton boll reminds me that my parents grew up picking cotton and I don’t have to. One gift from my husband dates back to our dating days. It’s a plaque with a silver platter and a red heart in the center. The poem says, ‘You’re the only who’ll ever matter, so here’s my heart on a silver platter.’ He dated it and signed it. This reminds me of our longevity. A gift from my son, a cardboard trinket box from Bible school. The box was already made, but he painted and decorated it in seashells because he knows I love them.

Each item has special meaning to me. Most people, including my husband, would say it’s clutter. But with all my special things around me, the words flow.

6. My idea book.

It’s really a journal. Hardback with spiral bound pages, but not your typical notebook. Sturdy, with lots of pages that don’t tear out unless you really work at it. I write all my ideas in it. One sentence. Partial sentences. Pages and pages on one story. Everything I think of that could go in a potential book goes in my idea book. Sometimes I get up in the middle of night and write things in it. Sometimes, I capture dreams in it. I also take it with me for notes on research trips. When I’m between projects, I flip through my idea book and see what grabs me. Whatever idea I think about most is the one I go with.

Anybody else have any of the items on my list in your survival kit?

Posted on April 22, 2012 - by Lorna Seilstad

3 Things in My Survival Kit

Man survives 4th floor leap

Nevada man survives 10 days in the desert

Man survives shooting four-inch nail gun into his heart

Swedish man survives two months inside snow-covered car

Man survives skydiving fall

It’s hard to ignore these kinds of headlines. Surviving catches our attention. We want to know how the person made it through despite the odds against him and we shake our heads in amazement.

But while the survival of these people seems to be almost miraculous, our day to day survival is not nearly so newsworthy. We have to make plans to survive difficult times. Have you put together an emergency kit for your car? Do you know first aid? Do you have everything the experts suggest if you’re in a tornado warning?

If you answered no to all of those things, relax. This blog is not about that kind of survival–even if maybe it should be. For our next round, the Inkspirational Messagers are going to be discussing what every writer needs to survive. We want to take you beyond the keyboard into what it takes to put words on paper, day in, day out.

And if you’re not a writer, please join us anyway. The things we will be sharing apply to anything you are intentionally pursuing in your life, whether it’s a closer walk with God, being a better mother, or a new career.

Since I get to start, besides a Bible and chocolate, which are givens, here are three things, I’d put in the survival kit of any passionate person.

A rubber ball. This ball would remind you to bounce back and to have a teachable spirit. No matter where you are in your craft, there’s always more to learn. Being open and willing to humbly listen is vital. Even when it’s hard to hear, you can learn a great deal if your heart is open. There will also be things that happen that hurt or are beyond your control. How well you bounce back may determine a great deal.

 

 

 

Duct tape. Yep, you read that write. It can fix everything, right? If you want to do something you’re passionate about, you have to stick to it. You have set aside time for it (and maybe even tape yourself in your chair).

 

 

 

A Slinky. When you are passionate about something, you often have an idea of how you’d like things to go. Things seldom turn out like you plan. The Slinky is there to remind you to be flexible. I’m on deadline right now, but one day last week, one important interruption after another occurred. If I didn’t pull out my hidden Slinky powers, I’d have been pulling out my hair by the time I went to bed.

Now, it’s your turn. Which of the above do you need most to put in your survival kit and why?

Posted on April 10, 2012 - by Shannon Vannatter

Great Lines

I’m celebrating Drop Everything and Read day by sharing some favorite lines from recent reads:

From Buffalo Gal by Mary Connealy:

Posted on March 6, 2012 - by JerriLynn

International “It Will Write Itself” Day

I believe it was a Stephen King book that I read one time (The Tommyknockers) that had this device in it that allowed the user to simply think of what they wanted to write.  The contraption would then turn those thoughts into written pages.  Ever since the day I read that, I’ve wished for one of those machines!

So, if I could declare any writer’s holiday I wanted, I’d choose the International “It Will Write Itself” Day.  On this holiday, all writers would need only to do a lightweight (and not at all silly looking) cap that would wirelessly transmit our thoughts onto the written page, at such a speed that there would need to be no lag time between one book and the next.

Can you imagine? How nice would it be to sit down in your comfy chair with your favorite drink, snacks, and a huge teddy (or puppy, or kittie, or kid) for snuggling and then think your way through your book?  When it was done, you could walk over to the printer, pick up the pages and have an entire manuscript in your hand.

How fast could you knock out a few novels? And how much would you NOT miss the sagging middle issues, or the spelling/punctuation issues?  If you could think in complete scenes and chapters instead of words and sentences?

And while we’re at it, this machine would perfectly translate even the foggiest ideas into fully fleshed-out content that readers would find absolutely enthralling.  I don’t know about you, but I could probably think my way through three or four novels in a days time.  And if the machine was good enough, they wouldn’t even need any polishing!

So, here’s a self-writing machine that turned out novels at the speed of thought! Now all you have to do is sit back and daydream a while.

Posted on February 28, 2012 - by Shannon Vannatter

National Whatever You Want to Write, We Want to Publish Day

This would be the holiday when anyone could get published. All they’d have to do is have a completed manuscript.

*  The author has never been to a writers’ meeting or conference—who cares.

*  It’s the first book the author has ever written—who cares.

*  The author’s craft isn’t up to par—who cares.

*  This genre isn’t selling well—who cares.

*  It’s not Amish—who cares.

*  It’s not Historical Romance—who cares.

*  It’s not vampires—who cares.

*  It’s not werewolves—who cares.

*  It’s not zombies—who cares.

*  Book sales overall are down—who cares.

Yes, just one day, where anyone can get just one book published. Let’s not think about how badly written the books might be. Or how much the author has to learn. Or about platform. Or about web presence. Or about sales. Let’s just dream big.

Posted on January 26, 2012 - by Regina

A CHAT WITH SUSAN PAGE DAVIS

About a year ago, I went, in fear and trembling, to my first area writer’s group meeting, which at that time consisted of myself and three other ladies in the Western Kentucky/Western Tennessee area. I mean, two of these ladies were PUBLISHED authors! I mean, they even put their pants on differently, don’t they? Well, it didn’t take long, over Culver’s burgers and ice cream, to find out that published authors are regular folk, and that having a good friend like Susan Page Davis is sometimes the best encouragement an aspiring writer can have!

Susan is the author of thirty-seven published novels. Prairie Dreams is her new series from Barbour Publishing. A Maine native, Susan now lives in Kentucky with her husband, Jim. She’s a past winner of the Carol Award and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest.

Welcome, Susan! What was it that inspired you to become a writer?

I have always made up stories, and I have written them since I learned to write. I’m not sure what got me started. But when it comes to seriously writing fiction and trying to get published as an author, I think I was inspired to try when I realized I had a full-length novel in my head. I wrote the story out and started trying to sell it.

You’ve lived in, and written about, so many places! If you could set a book anywhere in the USA, whether or not you’ve been there or not, where would it be, and why?

Right now, probably in Albuquerque. My father-in-law was born there, and I’d like to see it and learn more about it.

Speaking of places, how does living in my own state of Kentucky compare to other places you’ve lived?

Okay, here’s the scoop. It’s warmer, and it has more heavy rains and tornadoes, fewer blizzards and hurricanes. When it does snow, which isn’t often, nobody knows how to drive in it. Kentucky also looks different from Maine or Oregon or any of those other places. . .It’s got flat roads, for one thing. The birds look almost but not quite right. It has lizards and poisonous snakes. It has more ticks and fewer mosquitoes. It has no moose, but lots of possums. The sun never gets up as early or sets as late as it does in a Maine summer, but that’s understandable since Kentucky is a whole lot closer to the equator. At the grocery store, I can find canned okra and bourbon-flavored baked beans, but I often can’t find molasses or fresh seafood or buttercup squash. They put whipped cream on milkshakes here, which seems a bit “overkill” to me, and gravy on lots and lots of things. And I frequently have to ask someone to repeat what they said, or ask what they mean. But all in all, it’s a pretty cool place.

Hey, I recall trying to get a barbecue sandwich in Indiana – it’s not quite like we have in Western Kentucky, is it? I’m just glad to have you close by!

Now, back to writing –

What author, dead or alive, would you like to mentor you? Why?

Dick Francis. I love his mysteries, and I’d love to be as good at pulling clues together.

You have written historical, suspense, and romance. How do you approach different genres?

They all take a lot of planning and research. Historicals probably take a little more, as I have to check EVERYTHING. The 1857 book I just finished is an example. Yes, they had sleeping berths on some trains then, but Pullman cars came later. So did railroad dining cars. That put a cramp in my characters’ journey. I check words and phrases to be sure they were in use at the time. I look up types of fabrics to be sure they were available and plants to be sure they grew in that area at the time. But contemporaries take research too—the place, the occupations, the weapons—it just never ends. And I love it.

The research angle hit me when I realized I may have placed a stagecoach in an area that might have been served by a railroad! Thank goodness for Internet resources!

So, what’s next for Susan Page Davis fans?

I have four historicals coming out in 2012. The first, in March, is Almost Arizona, which will celebrate 100 years of statehood with an action-filled romance. In April and October, the second and third books of my Prairie Dreams series will release. A lot of people are waiting for Lady Anne’s Quest, to answer some questions about the Stone family and see if Lady Anne finds true love in the Wild West. In the final book, A Lady in the Making, you’ll see what happens to Uncle David, the new earl, as he heads out of Oregon and into danger. Also in April, you’ll see Cowgirl Trail, the next book in the Texas Trails series. It’s a lot of fun.

I can’t wait to see what’s next for Lady Anne – and the Texas Trails series is amazing.

What question would you like to ask our readers?

What book that you’ve read in the last year would you most like to see made into a movie?

Thanks so much for joining us, Susan, and our readers! Remember, leave a comment during our “Authorpalooza,” and you may have a shot at a pack of books, including Susan’s own The Lady’s Maid!

Back-cover of The Lady’s Maid:

An Aristocratic Brit searching for her lost uncle . . .

A German Maid determined to protect her mistress . . .

A disagreeable Scout waiting to see the ladies fail . . .

A Ruffian dogging their every step . . .

And the Prairie that challenges their very survival.

Lady Anne Stone’s uncle is the new Earl of Stoneford. The only problem is, he disappeared into America’s Wild West. With only her personal maid, Elise Finster, as determined chaperone, Anne embarks upon a quest to find David Stone. First stop, St. Louis, where the ladies discover their quarry went farther west five years ago. Resolute in their mission, Anne and Elise join a wagon train to Oregon. But will their prairie-dream adventure turn into a Wild West nightmare?

Scout Eb Bentley, initially skeptical that the women can survive the journey, soon finds himself falling for the determination, charm, and beauty of one lady in particular. Can he keep her alive long enough to win her love?

Or will the ladies succumb to the rigors, ruffians, and rustlers along the trail?

Posted on January 10, 2012 - by JerriLynn

Who Has Time for a Muse?

I’ve been writing for a living for almost 20 years. That’s long enough to hear just about every piece of advice in the book. It’s also long enough to gather a few favorite pieces of advices. And I have.

Many of my favorites have been mentioned in this series already, but I have one that’s my all time favorite. This little piece of advice has served me well, and as a result, I have never found myself without something to write (even when I don’t have any desire to write).

I wish I had some cool story to go with this piece of advice, but the truth is, I don’t. It’s just something that was shared with me by a writer in about the same position I am. Her advice?

You don’t have time for a muse.

Hm. I thought writers were supposed to be the tortured types that bowed whenever the muse entered the room and wept whenever he or she left. This whole idea that there is no muse was an alternate reality for me. But you know what? Turns out my writer friend was right. At least, for me.

The muse is a person, character, or entity that provides insipiration when you sit down to write. And there are many writers (and authors) who truly believe that they must have a muse present, and sometimes larger than life, to provide the stories that they write down.

The problem with a muse is that they can be finicky. They always want to play when you want to work. And when you don’t want to work, they’re right there pushing you.

“Get up.”

“No. It’s four a.m. I’m sleeping. It can wait until morning.”

“Fine. But in the morning, I won’t have anything for you.”

“But I’m tired. And I have to get up in two hours.”

“Tough. It’s now or never.” And the muse means it.

If you don’t answer the call of this tough task master, she turns on you.

“Hey muse, I’ve had my coffee, now I’m ready to write what you have for me.”

“Nope. The sun’s up. I’m going to Hawii. I’ll be back when it’s completely inconvient for you.”

See? Cantankerous.

I have a problem with the concept of a muse, though, and I really hadn’t thought about it until I had the muse conversation with my friends. My issue is that when you depend on your muse for inspiration, you’re at the muse’s mercy.

For me, I think it should be the other way around. I am a control freak, I’ll admit, and I don’t appreciate someone trying to take the control from me.

So, after hearing that advice and having the muse conversation with my friend, I determined to go home that night and fire my muse. Instead, I developed a habit of writing even when the words were uninspired.

As a result, I have boxes full of writing that was nothing more than an exercise in storytelling gone awry. Those pages of words, however, taught me craft. They helped me develop my own voice. And they made me more comfortable with sitting down in front of a blank page.

Firing my muse also had an unexpected benefit. When she realized that I didn’t need her, she started feeding me more and more ideas. These days, the muse hovers over me while I’m writing, oblvious to her presence. And when I’m thoroughly ensconsed in a story (usually when I’m right in the middle of the book, where the work is the hardest) she’ll throw a new story idea at me.

Oh how I want to write that new story, since this one is so much work! But I don’t. I jot down the idea (thank you, Ms. Muse), and keep right on pushing through the difficult parts of the story. I’ll write the new one on my own schedule, not hers.

Posted on January 6, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Don’t Stop Believing

My first actual finished writing project was a women’s study I put together to help women begin to believe in themselves and live a fuller life. It goes step by step in the process of breaking bad habits while putting better ones in their place, learning to listen beyond the spoken word, and recognizing the labels we put on ourselves or others place on us does not make us who we are but that we can become that which we aspire to be.

What makes me such an expert? Who do I think I am that I can tell others how to live a better life, when clearly I have no degree, no pedigree for which to show? If others only knew the personal struggles I had, they would see me as the hypocrite that I am and never listen to a word I had to say.

These, among others, are the words that play through my head whenever I even think about the study I put together. I used it with a women’s group once, to some degree of success, and has since gathered dust in my basement. I’m just a bit insecure when it comes to this study. Why? Because I know how imperfect I am and how deep inside me I know I am not a completely shining example for others to go by.

But, I do believe completely in the words I put together for that study. I’ve watched people live in a cycle of misery desiring a way to move beyond that into a prosperous life. Often times it’s just that we don’t see the forest because of the trees. We can’t see beyond our day because we are living just to survive. It starts first with a change of mind and attitude and works its way into a changed life. You just have to believe you can do it.

What does this have to do with writing advice? Everything. When I first put words together it was a jumbled up mess. I had stories in my heart that wanted to work their way out, but I had a lifetime of trouble and sorrow that I had to work through to get to the good stuff. I’m still working my way through some of my past demons.

But I believe. Probably stronger about this than I have anything else I have done in my life, I believe. I believe in me.

To many of you this may seem like a given thing. But it’s not for me. You see it took several years to stop seeing myself as more than a victim of circumstance. Daughter of alcoholic parents-victim. Didn’t go to college-victim. Troubled marriage-victim. But I’ve always felt there was something bigger, something more I was destined to do.

That’s where the writing comes in. I believe I am meant to write and reach out to other women through the written word. It’s been one of the strongest feelings I have ever had and it comes from a place deeper than the heart. It comes from my soul.

So the best advice I ever got was from a Journey’s song. Don’t stop believing. I didn’t realize when I put together the study but the theme was the same thing. Don’t stop believing in yourself. Even if that’s all we have is the belief in ourselves and the God who put that belief there. We don’t stop believing. We know some day that belief will be realized.

 

Posted on January 5, 2012 - by Shari Barr

Quitters Never Prosper

Don’t quit. Those two words are the most important ones I’ve heard as a writer—especially in the prepublication days.

Even after story and article acceptances began trickling in, I was tempted to just chuck it all when acceptances didn’t come my way as often as I thought they should. But I am so glad I didn’t. Perseverance is an essential trait to finding success as a writer. (A bit of stubbornness comes in handy too.)

Those days of just plugging along, selling an article here and there, and wondering if my ship was ever going to come in, led to opportunities I had never considered.

My dream had always been to write fiction, but when I got a chance to write non-fiction, I not only added credits to my resume, the door eventually opened to my first book deal.

Switching gears to the world of non-fiction was one of the best things I ever did in my writing career. Not only did it open my eyes to a new genre, it gave me incentive to keep writing. It’s really hard to quit when you know someone depends on your muse and sends you a paycheck to show how much they appreciate you.

In my early days as a writer, God had a different plan for my writing. He knew I wasn’t ready to write a full-length novel, so He opened up a door for me to write Sunday school curriculum for middle grade kids. This was more creative than I ever thought possible. No, I wasn’t writing fiction, but I was teaching God’s word and hopefully making it fun for kids in the process.

Out of this opportunity came two non-fiction book deals with the same publisher. These credits gave me confidence and experience, helping pave the way for several books in a mystery series for middle grade girls. Need I say more about why I’m glad I didn’t quit.

Even if your dreams don’t include becoming a writer, perseverance is the key to achieving your goals. Satan is the one putting those negative, self-deprecating thoughts into your head. God never whispers the word “quit” into your ear. Satan, however, loves it when people give up on their dreams, especially when those aspirations involve spreading the word of God.  God may not provide a straight shot to the pot at the end of the rainbow. He may take you on a little detour first.