Invasion of Imaginary People by Peter Leavell

Writers know—characters possess a violent burn to be created. A churning volcano at the best of times, a black hole of unreasonable emotion at the worst. 

We’re depressed when we can’t spend time with our characters, and when we sit down to chat, their interest lies somewhere else. Maddening.

Our characters are so real our spouses are jealous. Parents are confused. Children are impatient. Siblings don't know about "that particular family member."

But the absurdity can’t be overstated. Our imaginary friends are getting in the way of real relationships.

There’s medicine for it all.

The medicine I would suggest is thankfulness. We’re the lucky ones. And you know why. I don’t have to tell you. If you need help in this area, message me, and we'll talk.

Here’s a few pointers, though, for coping with a real and an imaginary world in the same mind.

—Stay calm. Yes, we’ve had breakthroughs in character developments, but jumping up in a church missions meeting yelling, ‘That’s why your promiscuous behavior is so famous…your mother rejected you, and you’re looking for someone to replace her!’ can lead to embarrassing talks with church administrators. Jot down the thought quickly, and move on.

—Divide your time with a thick pen between fiction and reality. Just because you must spend time with your characters to write well doesn’t mean spouses, parents, friends, and utter strangers have to spend time with them. You may find they’re not interested, which is disheartening. I’ve found if I must tell someone about my character, I create another character who is disproportionally fascinated in my imaginary friends.

—Let your real friends be the ones to comfort you. Stoicism may come from working through your own personal issues with your characters, but others will think your perfection irritating. I think your perfectionism is irritating. Let us help.

—Do not discuss murder methods with your characters in public. For example, in the church hallway, when prepping to speak to 2nd graders and your characters appear, do not mention aloud cement shoes, taking someone to the farm, ballistic therapy, tango down, the number 187, or kevorking anyone. We understand. We really do. But you’ll find your sphere of influence at church shrinking.

—Allow your characters to take a role in your life, but do not set a chair at the table for them. Don’t drive them to appointments, unless you’re going there already. It’s okay to fill out job applications for them, but don’t submit them to the company. Don’t tell anyone your crazy new idea for a hairstyle comes from your protagonist. And for goodness sake, don’t let them drive.

Be thankful we have so many interesting people in our lives, real and imaginary. But take care, my friends. The real world is scary. 

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Peter Leavell

Peter Leavell is an award winning historical fiction author. He and his family research together, creating magnificent adventures. Catch up with him on his website at www.peterleavell.com, or friend him on Facebook: Peter R. Leavell.

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The End of Myself by Buck Storm

Buck Storm

At the western tip of Texas the I-10 angles north and cuts the Mexican border. Through my passenger window El Paso shines in the sun, clean and bright. On my left the low-slung shacks of Juarez, Mexico spread themselves across the desert hills beneath an ominous haze of dust and smoke.

I drive, carefully balanced at seventy-miles-per-hour between two worlds—a familiar state-of-being for me. Two weeks into a busy five-week tour, I’m already tired. We shave off the bottom of New Mexico then pass the Welcome to Arizona sign just as the sun digs its way into the desert floor. If I were to turn north right now I could find Paradise, Arizona—the setting for my first novel. A place that lives only in my imagination, but as real to me as Des Moines or Cairo. I’d have carnitas at Shorty’s, watch the sunset from the deck of Spur’s Tavern, and spend the night at the Venus Motel.

The speedometer nudges eighty and the lights of Tucson dot the horizon. Man! The hours, days, months working on that book… I’ve lived the characters, walked the streets of my imaginary town. I can smell the place.

In other words—I’m invested. I hope it’s a good book. I get nice emails from happy fans. My publisher put it up for an award or two… Then why isn’t that little 250-page package of my blood and sweat changing the world? Or at least paying my kid’s college tuition?

Tucson in the rear-view, the needle settles at a solid eighty-five and discouragement tugs my sleeve. I’ve done the marketing dance. I’ve gotten my social media friends in a “check my book out, I’m an author” headlock more times than I can count. What’s the story?

Then, at a gas station on the outskirts of Casa Grande, I am reminded (again). I pick up my phone—equivalent to Poe’s opium pipe—to check for new reader reviews. Instead, I see a message from an old friend saying she’s reading and enjoying The Miracle Man. I realize with a rush that this lady who doesn’t have any real knowledge of Jesus and would never step foot in a church is being touched by my story.

God laughs and slaps me on the back with conviction that is both painful and good. Who do I think I am? At the end of the day I don’t deserve to breathe air and He calls me friend! And by His grace I’ve just received compensation that infinitely outweighs any royalty check I could ever dream of.

Forgive me, Jesus! Please bring me to the end of myself.

I hope I can encourage you like that phone message encouraged me. We work so hard dreaming up with our beginnings, middles, and endings. But even so, we can’t see the whole story. We are part of something bigger than we’ll ever know this side of Heaven. The lack of sleep, the agent hunt, the publishers and rejection letters, the endless edits… Maybe it’s not about units sold at all. Maybe it’s about that one, broken person who suddenly finds herself awash in God’s love and hears those sweet words whispered, “Come home daughter, I miss you…” And she does.

Wouldn’t it all be worth it?

Hand to the plow, fellow pilgrims! Don’t let discouragement get the upper hand. We can always trust our faithful gifts will be well used in the loving hands of the real Writer.

And when the stars are a distant memory, we will remember and rejoice.

Fair winds,
Buck Storm

About the Author

Buck Storm has marked time as a commercial diver, fisherman, sailor, and musician. A veteran singer/songwriter, he’s bounced around the planet with a guitar and a pocketful of stories and made friends in venues everywhere. Buck writes about this mixed-up, out of control, beautiful cacophony we call humanity. About life as he sees it—or sometimes just how he'd like it to be. Buck and his wife, Michelle, have a happy love story, a hideout in North Idaho, and two wonderful children. The Miracle Man is his first novel.

Book two, Truck Stop Jesus is coming September 2016!

The Miracle Man

The Miracle Man
by Buck Storm

Welcome to Paradise. Off the beaten path, sleepy, backwater—call it what you will, police chief Luke Hollis likes his town just the way is. Clear skies and fair winds make for smooth sailing. Luke’s perfectly content to concentrate on nothing but a good cup of coffee and working up the nerve to approach his dispatcher, Ruby Brooks, with his feelings for her. When an unexpected miracle occurs at the Mount Moriah Pentecostal Church of God events are set in motion that will challenge him, test everything he believes, and ultimately change his life forever. Throw in a struggling minister, a world-class grifter, a stranger with an unbelievable story of love and redemption and the stage is set for The Miracle Man. By the time it’s all over everyone involved will come face to face with a Power that’s greater and more wonderful than any of them could have ever imagined.

If You’re Writing, You Better be Reading! by Susan Tuttle

I recently attended the writer’s conference Breathe in West Michigan where the keynote speaker was Stephen James. (Side note: if you ever get to hear him speak, don’t pass up the opportunity!) After the Friday night closing session, Stephen entered into a conversation with a group about whether or not writers should be reading the Classics.  

Now, I wasn’t there for this conversation—though a friend of mine was—so I’m not revealing his answer. I am, however, stating the overall answer everyone around that table agreed with: If you’re a writer, you better be reading. 

As writers we are all too often consumed by our writing. And rightfully so, it takes a huge bulk of time. If we have family, work another job, or basically have any other life outside of our writing desks, then finding the time to read on top of writing can seem impossible. Yet we need to make sure we are building that time into our schedules somehow. 

Why? Because reading feeds our imagination. It keeps us dreaming, and that’s a vital component to writing. Reading also allows us to widen our voice, whether through learning new tools we come across that we’d like to implement or steering us away from ones that didn’t work. It also deepens our vocabulary, both in actual words and style. If we see writers pulling off unique metaphors or stylish imagery, it pushes us to strive for the same. We dig deeper. Work harder. Edit longer.  

But best of all? When we continue the role of reader, we see words through another spectrum. We see their impact, and we know we want ours to be as powerful. Bottom line? Reading allows us to retain the wonder of the written word. When we’re filled with that, friends, we can’t help but pass it on to our own readers. 

So whatever you do, don’t stop reading. 

****

Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Nurturing Your Creativity by Norma Gail

If you've toyed with writing fiction for even five minutes, you know how to play the "What if?" game to juice-up your creativity. Today, author Norma Gail shares some tips on how to boost that creativity beyond the first "What if?". -- Sandy 

Norma: “Mom, what if?” My son peppered me with questions I couldn’t answer when he was small. Many of his ideas were impossible, but nurtured his creativity with Legos, Lincoln Logs, and a giant set of PVC pipe with connecting pieces with accessories called PipeWorks. Our house was littered with his creations, and his imaginary friend had a place at the table every night.

Fiction writers have a bit of the child in them. Ideas whirl through my head, compelling me to write them down. I wonder why someone decided to live out in the middle of nowhere. My practical, engineer husband says the wagon broke down, but my mind creates stories. Perhaps they had a wagon, but possibly it was a lone man on horseback, too weary to go on. Maybe the dead stump was a tree that shaded him on a hot day and he found the view to his liking. That dry creek bed may have held water. Altogether it made a home.

Creativity takes many forms, fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. In an age where vast sources of information are at our fingertips, each writer must find unique ways to communicate ideas a little different than everyone else. Most important is finding something you enjoy and can be passionate about.

Write often and on a variety of topics, allowing the words to flow with your inner editor turned off. Wait a day or two before editing. Look at how others put words together, and read out loud to hear how the words flow. Read other genres and get familiar with your thesaurus, a writer’s best friend for livening up your vocabulary.

Picture every detail of a scene using all of your senses. Use music or environment to put you in the mood for the scene. Remember how you felt in similar circumstances or talk to people who have experienced what you’re writing about. Watching movies or travel videos can help bring your scene to life.

Movies and television are full of ideas you can tweak to make your very own. Gather ideas from surroundings, the grocery store, airport, church, the outdoors, a shopping mall, almost anything can stimulate ideas or emotions your characters might feel. I found the idea for a scene from a fly fishing magazine my husband left lying open and a story he told me about one of his own fishing experiences. It turned out to be one of my favorite scenes.

Paying attention to people, your environment, and cultivating an awareness of your own emotions go a long way toward making your writing realistic and believable. Nurture your creativity by playing the “what-if” game. Fueling your imagination and vocabulary will make your writing creative and unique until it becomes irresistible to your readers.

© Norma Gail, June 23, 2015

Do you have a scene you struggled to imagine, or one that came to you in an odd way, that became a favorite? Any additional tips you can add for boosting your imagination?

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Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.

www.normagail.org

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170/ or 

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864 ?ean=9781941103173