Word Pictures by Jeanette-Marie Mirich

Jeanette-Marie Mirich

Writing descriptions that aren't too flowery and that invite your reader deeply into the story can be tricky. Our guest today, Jeanette-Marie Mirich, has some tips for painting word pictures that help readers experience the story setting with the characters. Read on! ~ Annette



Words have always been part of my life. My father, a poet, strung words together like a master jeweler creates a pearl necklace. Language came easily to me until this winter, when I was on a tour of the Holy Land.

As we walked where Jesus did, I was overcome with emotion. While roaming the Judean hills, words slipped through my grasp like fragile dreams. But I want to communicate the images that linger in my mind of the wilderness of desert, boats on the Sea of Galilee, and the massive rock where Masada broods.

How do I pass on this experience? There are several elements to bringing the world you’ve observed or created to others. I’ll share three.

1. Observation: A distant perspective. The journalist in a safe, familiar place.

I come to a landscape like a pirate scanning an island from his ship. He has studied charts and maps, and from a distance, he sweeps the inlets with his spyglass.

To prepare for our Israel adventure we read H.V. Morton’s travel book, In the Footsteps of the Master, Twain’s book, Innocents Abroad, maps, and scripture before setting foot on the Golan Heights.

When we arrived, thunder echoed above the churning Mediterranean Sea as January rain slanted down and filled the wadis with muddy water.

However, driving from the airport to our hotel, I couldn’t smell the rain. The feel for the land eluded me until icy rain trickled down my collar and the shrieking wind assaulted my ears. We want to pass that experience along in our writing.

2. Exploration: Drawing a reader closer to the environment. Get out of the boat.

My imaginary pirate reaches a tropical beach and when his/her bare feet hit the sand, s/he pockets the spy glass (or travel guide) to begin a more intimate experience.

The adventure of walking with Lucy into C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe captures us. Brushing the fur coats as we pass makes it real.
Standing at the site where the Lord sought refuge from the hordes of people that pressed on him, I wrote word impressions in a pocket notebook. I scribbled “buses, head-to-tail with their lookalike competitors, puffed black smoke” with a line for a poem.
The framework of our tale would be a one-dimensional backdrop if we failed to unearth the minutia that makes a place unique. I want to fabricate anticipation when designing a setting.

How careful research affects a writer's descriptions for the reader's benefit. #amwriting #amreading @MirichMarie

3. Discovery: Writing archeology or getting dirty as you excavate for hidden treasure.

That means digging into research. The sand on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is soft, the crystals curved and used for castings. The sand near Cannon Beach in Oregon is cream, gray, and cold. Its sharp edges grind into your toes and leave a gray residue. We, like Lucy, are pulled further in when our senses are activated.

From seeing the golden stones of Jerusalem as I enter the city (observation) to walking along the cobbled streets made smooth by millions of footsteps (exploration), I am drawing closer. When I cover my head with a scratchy scarf, finger my ragged-edged bit of paper as I weave my prayers into the sun-warmed wailing wall, I’m experiencing and discovering life.

Life, filled with textures and smells, eerie sounds of language, the taste of salt when we walk near the Dead Sea, and the sight of weeping pilgrims invades my writing, and I pray, the reader’s hearts.

Enjoy letting words reveal the sensory gifts God has given to draw readers deeper into your story world.

Your turn: Have you found a good balance for writing description that engages your reader's senses? What are your favorite methods?

~~~~~

The Last Roses

When Delilah Morgan sends a jaywalking deer over an embankment, her peaceful life takes a leap into chaos. As autumn winds howl, a phone call from Lyle Henderson, the man she loves but hesitates to marry, interrupts her misery.

The Last Roses, the second novel in the D.B. Burns mystery series, finds Delilah and Lyle encountering a trail of rumors, a break-in at Lyle’s remote cabin and mayhem as they traverse North Carolina from Piedmont to mountains. Life returns to almost normal in their small Kentucky town until an envious professor besmirches Delilah’s deceased husband’s character. Plans to clear her Harry’s name are hijacked by Delilah’s goddaughter’s kidnapping.

George Salas’ friends from his clandestine days arrive to seek the kidnappers. Will they find the trafficking ring and rescue Savannah Hudson before she disappears in the underworld of vice?

Against the admonition of the local sheriff, Delilah begins to interview families whose daughters have disappeared. Her involvement leads to her kidnapping and to villains intent on frying her like bacon.

~~~~~

“Have bags will travel” should be the motto of Jeanette-Marie Mirich’s life. She moved twenty-two times before settling in her first home. An Oregonian by birth, Jeanette has swum in the Ligurian Sea, collected shells and sea glass along the Indian Ocean, Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean Oceans, Straits of Malacca, Gulf of Mexico and the Andaman Sea. Her peripatetic lifestyle is courtesy of the U.S. Air Force and her husband’s medical training. Passionate about needs in the third world after living in Thailand during her husband’s deployment, she has accompanied her husband on dozens of medical mission trips. Mother of three, Grammy to thirteen exceptional grandchildren, she travels from her Kentucky home to an Oregon cabin, scribbling poems and short stories as well as writing novels. Connect at https://jeanette-mariemirich.com/ or on Facebook or Twitter.

Story Styles and Themes by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

So, it seems 2018 will see the release of my 30^th book. Wow – no wonder I’m so tired! LOL! I bring up this milestone because, as is often the case when I go all introspective, a realization struck home when I reviewed my book history.

This time the realization centered on themes and styles and how, over the course of my publishing career, my storytelling has tended toward recurring themes as well as the development of characters and circumstances that capture my ever-changing heart and I hope and pray capture the interest of my readers as well.

I noticed many of the books I’ve written tended to include redemption as an overriding arc. My characters grew from a return to—or confrontation of—life circumstances that had led them to a chasm they needed God’s help to bridge. The stories were all unique, but the message remained universal: Homecoming. No matter what had tripped them up, God’s door never closed.

Several other books I created featured settings, occupations, lifestyles, that appear glamorous (being a personal shopper for high-end clients at Harrods, being the crown-princess of a fairytale land, or being a country music legend).  I’m a total fairytale/princess girl, so it was fun to take those worlds and view them through a different lens. Certainly, there was glamour, and I loved writing about tiaras, ball gowns, and State dinners as well as my favorite spots in London and Florence…but digging deep revealed something entirely different, and challenging. The fantasy worlds we might dream of are far from perfect, and my characters learn to live and love within that truth.

Themes, settings, and characters that appeal to me make their way into my books, and this upcoming milestone book release has made me wonder. What are some of your favorite book themes? What characters appeal to you the most? What settings? Let’s talk about it, because, at the end of the day, we’re not just writers, we’re readers as well!

Blessings, friends, until next month!

~~~~~

Amy Monarch is a tireless volunteer at the Dupont Rescue and Recovery Center, an establishment for the destitute founded by her mother. There, Amy has kept her identity a carefully guarded secret. She is actually Princess Amelia Marguerite Louise DeLaGrande of Remeth. Working at Dupont offers the opportunity to serve in blessed disguise.

Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.

But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?

~~~~~

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laude her work as “Riveting,” “Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.”

Her Christian fiction debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding Home. 

Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. You can connect with Marianne at www.marianneevans.com.

What's a Little Research? by Ginger Solomon

No matter what genre you choose to write in, you can't get past the facts, or researching them. Today, Ginger Solomon provides her experience with researching before she steps into the story. -- Sandy

Ginger: When I first started writing, I didn’t think there would be much research in writing contemporary novels. Boy was I wrong! To write about anywhere other than where I have lived, I have to research roads, traffic, weather patterns, and much more. There are also local euphemisms and preferred foods. Sweet tea, a southern staple, will not be served in the north. And I’m sure there are northern preferences that I don’t know about since I’ve never lived anywhere but the south.

When my fellow Love in Mistletoe Springs authors and I decided to set the story outside of Seattle, WA, I knew I had some research to do. I had the opportunity to visit the Seattle area, but it was after we’d already turned in our stories. It wouldn’t have changed my story much, but I actually got to walk through SeaTac airport—which my heroine has to do—and see how things looked there. I could have added a few more airport specific details.

My fellow authors laughed at me when I asked them if they wanted a copy of my moon and weather calendar. Having never been in that part of the world before, I didn’t know anything about their weather. It’s part of my book preparation to know what the days are like. Is it going to be hot and sunny, or overcast and cool? Turns out most days in Seattle are overcast, though not necessarily cool. Of course, that wasn’t the case while I was there. Both Saturdays (one before and one after the cruise my husband and I took) were sunny and warm. I typically type in the location and the time of year and get a general overview of what the temperatures and precipitation could be like, and then do whatever fits within those parameters. Www.accuweather.com shows a month at a time.

I also like to chart the moon. If the year of the book is not specific, I pick a recent year and use it. I need to remember if they’re outside at night one week and the moon is full for their first kiss, then the next week, it can’t be fully dark, unless the moon is covered by clouds. Here’s the place I use: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/moonphases.html. This allows me to pick the year and gives specific dates for each phase of the moon.

As a seat-of-the-pants writer, these are just a few of the things I do to prepare myself for the story to unfold. After I get all of that down, I jump right in. 

How about you? What do you do to prepare for your story?

~~~~~~

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her youngest four, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of any genre. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes regularly for two blogs.

Blurb for Love in Mistletoe Springs:

The Mistletoe Springs animal shelter loses their grant, endangering the lives of countless stray dogs, cats, even birds and turtles. The community attempts to save the shelter by running a Christmas in July fundraiser. Groups of volunteers scramble to get all the details together while managing their personal lives. For ten people, love gets in the way. 

Blurb for Mr. Christmas and Miss Scrooge:

Mitch Silverton agreed to be in charge of decorating for the fundraiser. And he needs his boss, Margaret Holberg, to donate her family's vast array of decorations to make the day unforgettable. BUT... She's not sharing. Christmas is not a holiday she wants to celebrate in July, and saving the animal shelter is not high on her list of important things to do. He wants her to share more than the decorations. He wants her heart. Will he succeed in changing Miss Scrooge into Mrs. Christmas?

Buy Link: Amazon

Those Good Old Classics by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

Confession time.

Up until recently I wasn’t much of a fan of classic literature. I read the Spark Notes for A Tale of Two Cities in high school, have forced my way through one Jane Austen novel (please forgive me Austen fans—if it’s any consolation I loved Katherine Reay’s Dear Mr. Knightley), and have been known to steer my kids away from Robinson Crusoe in lieu of Harry Potter. I feared the longer descriptions and smaller amount of dialogue in a classic read might ruin my children’s enthusiasm for books.

I recently picked up a copy of Johnny Tremain in order to immerse myself in the setting of my latest novel (Revolutionary Boston). I decided to give it a shot with the kids as a read-aloud. I ignored the temptation to skim over some of the longer descriptions and plunged in, even throwing in a few voices here and there to keep their attention.

It wasn’t long before I realized I didn’t need the voices. My boys loved the story—more so than other, recently published books, I’ve read to them. I found myself enraptured with the story also. Yes, there are some words I wasn’t certain how to pronounce, there were longer descriptions and the dialogue is not as plentiful as Harry Potter, but something about it drew them—and me—into the characters, the time, and the story.

It’s a beautiful thing when that happens, and I pondered why that was so. I have to admit, I think one of the reasons the story captured their attention was because of the longer narrative and vivid descriptions. We were invested in Johnny, liked him despite his flaws, and cheered for him as he found purpose with a crippled hand.

I wondered if some of these characteristics of classic literature that I often avoid can actually make a story stronger. I wouldn’t have felt such a part of Revolutionary Boston without the detail to setting. I wouldn’t have been invested in the character’s relationships if it wasn’t for the time the author took to draw them out, sometimes in longer narrative.

And so I battled with myself. As a writer in the modern world I’d learned not to get too wordy with description and setting, to have plenty of quick dialogue. And as we all know, show don’t tell.

I’m not arguing with these teachings. They are true and relevant to the modern reader. But reading Johnny Tremain made me think I could also learn something (many things!) from the author. Maybe sometimes I shouldn’t be in such a rush to gloss over setting description. Maybe I don’t have to feel pressured to have so much dialogue on each page. I don’t think it’s a formula, but I am convinced that reading some of the classics will make me a better writer. Because at the end of the day, beautiful writing unfolding an enthralling plot is a pleasure to read.

What are your thoughts? Do you read the classics? What is your favorite? Do you believe you are a better writer by spending time in them?

****

Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.

Scene Setting Tips by Gina Holmes

Gina Holmes

When I began writing novels, description was not an area of strength for me, and setting was just a place to plop my characters. Fast forward ten years and my publisher compliments my upcoming release with a “You can smell the salt in this one.” DRIFTWOOD TIDES (releasing this September) is set at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. You can’t set a book a place like that without readers expecting a richly painted scene. They want to feel the cold ocean foam on their feet, feel the grit of sand between their toes, hear the seagulls circling above, see the cotton candy colors in the sunset . . . and yes, smell the salt.

1. The best way to learn to master setting is by reading other books that have done just that. One novel that sets the scene better than maybe any other book I’ve read is To Kill a Mockingbird. Here’s one example of the masterfulness of her scene-setting:
   
   “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop, grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.” You don’t get better than that.
   
   
2. Go feel the roses.
   
   It might go without saying to go to the place you are setting your work, but I’m going to say it anyway. Close your eyes and listen, first to the obvious sounds: sirens, traffic, subway, whatever. Don’t stop there. Listen for the underlying background noise: car doors slamming, the flutter of pigeon wings. Listen beyond that to the softer noises until you’ve made note of all the sounds the setting has to offer. When your eyes are closed and you’re noting a particular sound, before you open your eyes, try to guess what you’re hearing.
   
   While writing DRIFTWOOD TIDES, I sat on the beach, closed my eyes and heard what I would have guessed to be a sprinkler system rapidly firing. I knew it couldn’t be, but that’s what it sounded like. It was actually the sound of chirping cicadas and the sprinkler system description was something I was able to use to describe that sound in the book.
   
   You can do the same close your eyes technique for smell and touch too. Write down as many descriptions and comparisons as you can while they’re still fresh in your mind.
   
   
3. If you can’t go there, visit vicariously. Watch movies set where your book is, take lots of notes.
   
   
4. Observe the details. One little trick that brings fiction to life lies in writing in the little things that we take for granted. Not just the sandy beach, but the water that fills a footprint left in the sand… watch how it’s absorbed back into the ground and the tiny bubbles that pop up right before it does.

You get the picture. And if you do it right, so will your readers.

Have you read any particular authors that make their settings real? What do you do to help you set the scene?

Driftwood Tides
by Gina Holmes

Gina Holmes writes about flawed people living in a flawed world with the help of a perfect God. She's a two-time Christy and ECPA Book of the Year finalist as well as winner of the INSPY, Inspirational Reader's Choice and Carol Award. Her third novel, Wings of Glass was named among the best books of 2013 by Library Journal. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter or her website.

DRIFTWOOD TIDES
He made himself an island until something unexpected washed ashore.

When Holton lost his wife, Adele, in a freak accident, he shut himself off from the world, living a life of seclusion, making drifwood sculptures and drowning his pain in gin. Until twenty-three-year-old Libby knocks on his door, asking for a job and claiming to be a friend of his late wife. When he discovers Libby is actually his late wife’s illegitimate daughter, given up for adoption without his knowledge, his life is turned upside down as he struggles to accept that the wife he’d given saint status to was not the woman he thought he knew.

Together Holton and Libby form an unlikely bond as the two struggle to learn the identity of Libby’s father and the truth about Adele, themselves, and each other.

The Relationship Between Character and Setting by Meg Moseley

Meg Moseley

Hey writers, Annette here. Our guest today has some great tips on categorizing your characters and how that relates to setting. Enjoy!

The Relationship Between Character and Setting

Meg Moseley

“Oh, no,” you say. “Blech! Not another checklist. Not another character chart, another formula for plotting.”

No, I just want to throw some ideas around. They’ve sparked new life and fun in my brainstorming and my writing, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.

It starts with deciding which of these three basic categories my protagonist falls into when I imagine him in the story’s setting:

1. Newcomer. He’s a recent arrival. The new kid on the block, he might be welcome or unwelcome. He might want to be there or he might not.

2. Resident. Whether or not he’s a native, he has been there a while. He’s on familiar turf, but it’s not necessarily a pleasant home. A prison can be a home, too.

3. Returning. He’s back after an absence. He has elements of a newcomer, elements of a resident, and other elements related to the ways he and the setting have changed since last time he was there. A “reunion story” often includes someone who’s returning to a specific geographical setting.

Now, how does he relate to his setting? What is his role there? The identities listed below aren’t necessarily tied to his personality, occupation, or social status, and they aren’t necessarily literal. He doesn’t have to be in jail to feel like a prisoner; he doesn’t have to be a soldier to invade a place.

These identities won’t all work with all three of the basic categories above, as you’ll see if you play around with them. No doubt you’ll come up with other identities too, but this starter list might get your creative juices flowing. If you have a protagonist in mind, which of these words describes his role in the setting?

a. Invader

b. Defender

c. Messiah

d. Crusader

e. Prisoner

f. Refugee

g. Peon

h. Ruler

But there’s a third element. Let’s say we have a Refugee who’s a Newcomer to a particular setting. Will he find a warm welcome, animosity, or mere tolerance? What is the setting’s attitude toward him? Is it…

A. Hostile. A hostile setting seems to hold the most promise of good story conflicts. It doesn’t need to be a literal war zone to be a battleground for your characters.

B. Neutral. It doesn’t have to be bland. It’s a setting that could go either way, and that can create tension. 

C. Friendly. Sounds safe, doesn’t it? But a cozy setting can be a good breeding ground for conflict too. A character who thinks he’s in a safe place is a prime target for hidden dangers or betrayals.

When you brainstorm with this concept, the categories are fluid and the possibilities are endless. Try 1-c-A or 3-d-B or some brilliant new combination that isn’t on my list. Have fun!

~~~~~

A May Bride

A May Bride releases next week.

Ellie has prepared for her wedding all her life . . . but she has forgotten the most important part? 

Ellie Martin, a country girl living in Atlanta, has dreamed of a traditional wedding all her life—a wedding just like the one her younger sister is planning back home. Even though Ellie is realizing her dreams in the big city as an up-and-coming real-estate agent, she’s missing a key ingredient to her plans for the future: a groom.

Then Ellie meets Gray Whitby—at a wedding of all places. Gray is handsome and fun, and he sweeps her away in a whirlwind romance. In a matter of months, Ellie knows Gray is “the one,” but her mother isn't so sure, judging Gray to be the freewheeling type, like Ellie's runaway father.

When Ellie jeopardizes her own future for the sake of her sister, Gray feels like he'll always be second to Ellie's family. Can Ellie and Gray find their own way together amidst the demands and perceptions of others or will their romance end before it has truly begun?

~~~~~

 

As a little girl in California, Meg Moseley used to pretend she was a novelist while she pounded the keys of her grandmother’s typewriter. The author of A Stillness of Chimes, Gone South and When Sparrows Fall, Meg lives with her husband near Atlanta and never stops dreaming up ideas for contemporary fiction. Her newest project is A May Bride, a novella coming from Zondervan on April 22, 2014.

You can connect with Meg here:

www.megmoseley.com