Friday, May 15, 2015

How To Only Share Your Written Gems, Not The Rough by Elizabeth Van Tassel




How To Only Share Your 
Written Gems, Not The Rough

by Elizabeth Van Tassel

How do you let your heart show through in your writing without being overly vulnerable? Here are four tips for your next writing adventure.

Tip#1 Write in the Zone
Whether you’re a morning or evening person, your best writing will develop during that time of day. I’m a morning person, so I rise with the sun to begin my creative efforts. If you work with your natural rhythm, your writing will improve and your messages will have more impact.

Tip #2 Stay on Brand
To write from a place of abundance, and not feel drained, stay true to your message. Your branding should be central to what you are called to write, and as an expert, you have a lot to say about it. When you get dragged off track, it can be tiring and your message will be less effective than if you remain on target.

Tip #3 Leave the Baggage Behind
When being vulnerable, write about events that you can share something emotionally constructive. People need your insights, so be careful about baggage. I’m able to write about losing all my possessions and about emergencies our family has been through, including my husband’s stroke, the child we lost to miscarriage, and my other son being in the hospital and almost dying because years have passed and I’ve been able to see God’s faithfulness in that timeline.

Once you’ve encountered God’s faithfulness, you may better reflect moments that are painful and life changing. You can bring that essence forward for your audience with authenticity. You can’t have lasting impact unless you’re already personally transformed, like a gem.

Tip #4 Don’t Touch If It’s Hot
If a recent experience hurts too much, consider writing for yourself at first. For example, in my fiction, I want kids to avoid traps I’ve experienced. A character in my fantasy is a double agent. I developed her after I dealt with someone who I trusted very much but turned out to be a bit poisonous, so that is part of this character. I was careful to process what had happened before inserting the lessons. Like colors on a canvas, the pain of that experience has informed my double-agent’s vibrancy, believability, intrigue, and texture.

Share Only the Gems
In the jewelry world, we use an example of an unpolished gem vs. a polished gem. An unpolished gem has great potential but might only look like a rock. Whereas when you see a polished gem, all the beauty shines through. The facets are there, it’s reflecting light, and you can see the color or colorlessness depending on the gem. The same is true for your writing. If you aren’t quite ready to offer it to the world, that’s okay. Put it in a file, save it. But don’t give anyone an unpolished gem. Give them your very best and it will reflect well on you.

Have you ever written when life’s been a bit too raw? Have you successfully incorporated difficult life-lessons into your work? What was the result?



About the Author:
Elizabeth Van Tassel

As a graduate gemologist, Elizabeth Van Tassel has the expertise to bring gem mysteries to life in kids’ imaginations. Her experience as a wildfire survivor and her perseverance through her family’s medical trials lends depth to her characters’ similar challenges. As a coach and youth enthusiast, she teaches real-life lessons to help tweens, teens, and their parents build a treasure box of tools to face the hardest parts of life. Her background selling jewelry, corporate writing experience, and love for history bring a special flair to her speaking, classes, and fiction and nonfiction writing. And she just finished the first of a fantasy series for tweens featuring an ancient Viking gem mystery with a modern twist.

You can connect with Elizabeth at www.ElizabethVanTassel.com and learn how to Live A Resilient Life!™ Sign up for weekly blogs with tips about being resilient there, and updates about her future website for kids and novels. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.