Running In Place by Terri Weldon

How many news stories, blog posts, and social media rants have you read about COVID lately? If you’re like me the answer is - too many. I’ve had to limit the number of times a day that I allow myself to read about COVID-19. Social media posts for the most part are just tossed aside. No way I’m getting caught up in those arguments! 😊 And blog posts, well I remind myself that to the author it is only one, the one they’ve written. Besides, those are far more interesting than the news or social media posts.

Being at home all the time has left me feeling off balance. It doesn’t matter what time I go to bed or get up. There’s no where I need to be. I feel like I’m running in place. Giving it my all, but getting no where fast.

Unfortunately, my writing is mirroring my life. I edit, and then I’m asked by my most trusted critique buddy, “Did you read this chapter after you edited it?” I continue to work on my plot, but when I try to align my edits with my plot changes nothing works. I’m running, but I’m not moving. I’m stuck in the same place.

Those are the days I begin to wonder if this writing gig is worth the effort. It is. For me. I realize there are others who have walked away from writing. And you know what? If that’s the right choice for them, then more power to them. So today I had a chat with my friend and we worked on my plot. I may not always like what she tells me, but I trust her implicitly. Find someone you trust that much. It may take time, but keep looking. Remember, you need to be that kind of writing buddy in return. If your friend isn’t a writer, support them in whatever endeavor they pursue.

Because my friend has me excited about working on my manuscript. I no longer feel hopeless or like I want to give up. Now instead of running in place I’m jogging down the path toward the finish line.

Have you ever felt like you were running in place? How did you break free? I’d love to hear your tips.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. – I Corinthians 9:24

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A Match Made in Sheffield

Natalie Benton bounced from one foster home to another until she landed on Ellie Alexander’s doorstep. Natalie’s vagabond childhood caused her to yearn for a secure life, which led to Natalie’s five-year plan: complete her law degree, marry the perfect man, become a partner at Montgomery, Haynes, and Preston, and produce one child. Getting arrested wasn’t in Natalie’s plan. Needing a public defender wasn’t in her plan. Falling for Grady Hunter, her public defender, definitely wasn’t in her plan. Can Grady convince Natalie there is more to life than her five-year plan? Is Ellie the only one who sees a future for Natalie and Grady?

Terri Weldon is blessed to be able to write fulltime. She enjoys gardening, reading, working jigsaw puzzles, and shopping for shoes. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has an adorable Westies – Crosby. She is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Terri is the award winning author of The Christmas Bride Wore Boots.

Readers can connect with Terri at her Website or here at Seriously Write.

A Villain's Bio by Laurel Thomas

Big and hairy, green teeth dripping with goo. You get the idea. It’s a villain. 

 

No matter what he, she or it looks like, a bad guy’s primary goal is to shut down the good guy. The protagonist needs to make forward motion and for whatever reason, the villain disagrees.

 

In good fiction, the bad guy isn’t obvious or at least has some believable reason for a twisted point of view. People are complicated and it’s no different for an effective antagonist.

 

My laptop is open without interruption – a rare moment. From my perch at the kitchen counter, I notice little piles here and there, bills waiting to be paid and laundry to done. 

 

But I need to write. 

 

Today, I plow through the angst of choosing a career with no concrete list of orders each morning (unless I make one) or time-clock (unless my alarm counts), and where success eludes me if I don’t move myself forward.  

 

A blank screen is intimidating, of course. But something more sinister lurks. As diabolical as a genetically-designed Godzilla in Jurassic World, it’s tailor-made to shut me down. It comes to devour my journey. This villain has studied me, knows my quirks, failures and mistakes. 

 

But unlike some monster creeping in the shadows, this villain is me. At least until I decide to resign that role. 

 

My writing is a journey. It unfolds as I move forward. It evolves through surprises, plot twists and lots of conflict. It won’t end until I decide to stop. 

 

Like the protagonist in my favorite novel, I may be unaware of how formidable that bad guy can be. And what the stakes are if I give in and quit. 

 

Villain-talk goes something like this: 

 

My last query got rejected fifteen times. It must be a sign. Wrong career.

 

I’m staring at a blank screen. It’s a sign. I have no more fresh ideas.

 

I’ve written myself into a corner as a fiction writer. It’s a sign. Toss it out the manuscript. 

 

There are big structure problems in my novel. It’s a sign. The whole story is flawed.

 

Another day without writing? No big deal.

 

A week without writing? Better quit. Too hard to take it up now.

 

My writer friends are multi-published. Where’s my success?

 

(Remember that adding It’s a sign gathers a weight of the ages on already tired shoulders.)

 

The surest way to foil a crafty bad guy is to understand his tactics, to discern his mode of operandum. Does he gather other bad guys to help? Does he undermine confidence, slander reputation or isolate with shame? What tactics do I use against myself on a bad day?

 

Opposition doesn’t have to work against me. It can stir me to persevere, to hone my craft by learning and investing more into my journey. It can make me shine. 

 

Pressure can uncover a well in me that isn’t dry after all. Or prove that I’ve learned good instincts after plowing through all those conferences, critiques and evaluations. 

 

The crux of a great story always has a villain. It just shouldn’t be me. Or you. Because without us, our stories go nowhere.  

 

Resolve to be your own best champion. You’ve got a great story. Keep writing it! 

A former high school English teacher, Laurel Thomas has written for magazines such as Guideposts, Mysterious Ways and others. In addition to her foray into fiction with her first novel, Laurel has ghosted books and edited others. As general administrator of Write Well, Sell Well OKC, she helps facilitate an annual conference and other opportunities to equip writers.  

 

Laurel holds degrees in English and Counseling. She is a chaplain for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, as well as being a lay pastor at Church on the Rock, Oklahoma City, OK. 

 

Check out her blog at freefreshbread@wordpress.com and her website at www.laurelthomas.org.