The Heart of Your Story by Patti Jo Moore

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends! When I realized my blogging day would fall on February 14^th, I knew I wanted to write a post featuring “love” or “heart” in the title, and after much thought and prayer, decided on this one. 😊

I’m sure some of you have more writing experience than I do, but what I’m sharing today comes from either my own experience or what friends have shared with me over the years. And…this also enabled me to incorporate heart in my post. 😉

Sometimes writers (primarily fiction writers) can become bogged down by the mechanics of writing. If you’ve been writing for any amount of time, it’s likely you’ve read numerous books and articles on the craft. It’s also likely that many of you have attended writers’ conferences, which can be excellent both for learning and networking. We’ve learned all about the basics: creating hooks, point of view, structure, plot, adding conflict, dialogue, and the list goes on and on. All good and useful information.  

But, if we’re not careful, we can become so focused on all of the “dos and don’ts” of crafting a good story that we gradually drift away from the heart of our project, and if we’re not careful, we can lose heart in our project. Now I’m not saying that writing is all fun---on the contrary, writing is hard work! I know I’m not alone in saying that I’ve gained a much deeper respect and admiration for authors after seriously pursuing publication myself. 

Sometimes we might need to block out distractions, including all the writerly terms we’re supposed to be applying to our work. Our focus has turned to, “Did I do this? Have I included that?” These concerns can grow like pesky weeds in a garden, until we’re so frustrated and overwhelmed that we’ve completely lost sight of why we’re writing the story and what we want our readers to take from the story. We need to stop and ask ourselves about the heart of our story. And maybe just as importantly, is my heart in this story? 

Now I’m not advocating giving up whenever we become frustrated or “stuck” in our writing. We’d seldom complete any projects if we did that! But if our heart isn’t truly in a project, or we don’t think this is the right time for that project, then maybe—just maybe—we should put it aside and pray about the story we should be writing. And when that idea nudges you and won’t let up, then get busy and pour your heart into it. 😊   

            For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:21
 

 An Unexpected Romance

An Unexpected Romance Buy Link

Gracie Norton loves her life on Florida’s gulf coast. When a handsome widower with adorable twins moves in next door, Gracie’s life soon changes. As Gracie helps her neighbor during a crisis, she must face her biggest fear. Could young twins be the matchmakers for an unexpected romance? 

Patti Jo Moore is a retired kindergarten teacher and now a full-time writer. She’s a lifelong Georgia girl who loves Jesus, her family, cats, and coffee. She’s published two books with Forget-Me-Not Romances, with her third book releasing soon. Patti Jo enjoys connecting with readers and other writers. You can find her on Facebook at Author Patti Jo Moore. Or visit her blog at http://catmomscorner.blogspot.com   

The Big Picture by Susan Tuttle

Susan wrote this great post last year, but it is so good I wanted to run it again this February. I hope you'll gain as much from it as I have. - Terri

As writers we strive to weave a picture together for others to see. Our readers cannot see on page one the scope of what we are creating or the depth of the story they’re embarking on. But when they reach that last page? They’re able to see the purpose in every valley we had our characters walk through, the beauty in each moment of laughter, and the entire range of growth that occurred throughout each page turned.

Our lives are much the same. In the middle of working on our craft, we only see what’s right in front of us. Often times we don’t understand how that flash fiction piece we write may stretch us. We miss how the rejection letter makes us stronger…or perhaps softer. We don’t realize the impact a passing conversation or new connection at that conference will make on our writing lives. Sometimes we’re so focused on becoming that we miss the work God is actively doing. It reminds me of the disciples. They knew they walked beside Jesus Christ. They called him Lord. They had a hand in fulfilling the prophecies of old. And in the moment, they missed it. It was only after the fact that they could look at the entire picture and see how waving the palm branches or sitting him on that donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem was what they’d read about for years.

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. John 12:16

Hindsight allows us the ability to see how the tiny moments we walk through assemble into the beautiful picture of our lives that God planned all along. In the moment we only see one stroke, but God sees it all and one day we will too.

Don’t miss the picture God is painting in your life today. Understand that each moment in this journey is shaping you and becoming a part of the story only you can tell.

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

Susan contributes on the first Thursday of each month.