Happy
Wednesday, my writing friends,
What joy
I’ve had contributing to Seriously Write each week! I’ve learned so much as
I’ve shared my small offering of writing knowledge and experience with you. I’m
sad to say, my schedule—both in writing and family life—have made it necessary
for me to move on. This will be my last Ask O Wednesday.
Over the past
year and a half, I’ve shared a wide range of writing topics, from characters to
plot to self editing. For my last Wednesday post, I want to narrow it down to
three.
Seek Christ
First things
first! It’s easy to seek being published. Let’s be real: it’s easy to obsess
over being published. I understand this longing. I’ve felt it too, but through
the years, I’ve learned to go back to Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the Putting my hope in publication either leads to disappointment or pride. Seeking Christ reminds me that my goal is to glorify Him (not myself) and to love through words as He’s called me to do.
Deep POV
Now for a
more nuts-and-bolts tip. For me, the key to creating real characters who
emotionally connect with readers is to plunge into the deepest possible POV. I’m
learning to lay aside my own self-consciousness and tap into my deepest
emotions, (O’s blubbering time) then pour these out through the character.
I try to
remember: The heroine of my story is not a stranger, not a friend, not even a
family member. She’s me. The more I become her, laugh as she laughs and cry as
she cries, the more real and relatable she becomes.
Strong Verbs
Tossing
those to-be verbs (and other weak culprits) opens my mind to more creative
thinking. And, therefore, a higher level of excellence. For example:
She is
beautiful.
Compared with:
Her hair
cascades over slender shoulders as her hand gently touches the scar on
her face, yet Marcus can’t see the scar, only the shining love in her eyes.
I can’t tell
you how many hundreds (thousands?) of my sentences have gained sparkle simply
by reworking a weak verb. New characters even show up (like Marcus—who’s that
guy?) and plots shift. It’s such a simple step, but so important!
Well, my
dear writing friends, there you have my final tips: Seek Christ, Use Deep POV,
and Find Strong Verbs. Keep strong on the journey, and if you need me, feel
free to keep in touch at Ocieanna.com or Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest…
God bless and happy writing,
Ocieanna
