Writing When It's Physically Hard

We never know what to expect in life. We can roll along without a care one day and find ourselves shattered the next. Even during times of physical hardship, writers can have obligations to fulfill. Lillian Duncan is a writer who has faced physical difficulty and written through it. I asked her:

"You've suffered with recent illness. How did you find the desire to sit at the computer and complete your books? What worked for you and how would you advise someone who might be going through the same thing?" - Sandy

Lillian: Life is about habits. After more than fifteen years of writing almost every day, it’s a habit! And just the way you don’t quite feel right when you don’t brush your teeth, that’s the way I feel when I don’t write.

It was quite the shock for my husband and me when I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors considering I had no symptoms. We went to our camper with our dogs and I slept when I felt like it, took walks with the dogs,  and ate marshmallows every night!

Out of habit, I took my laptop with me.

At the time, I was working on Betrayed, which will come out some time this year. While my husband was out fishing, I would write.  Most of the story was finished and it only needed editing and polishing

As I said, writing is a habit for me. It’s something I do because I love it. It’s fun for me. It gives me pleasure.

And I really needed some pleasure at the time—the marshmallows helped but the writing helped even more.

My best advice when you find yourself struggling with a serious illness, is to go to God for advice. If you feel a sense of peace about continuing to write, do so. If writing gives you anxiety, then take a break. 

Each person and their circumstances are different. What worked for me won’t necessarily work for everyone.

If writing makes you feel better, then write. If writing feels like an intrusion, then don’t write.

I felt good physically until early December when my complications set in. Some people (like my sister) thought I was pushing myself and she was absolutely right.

But it had taken me more than seventeen years to get my career to this point, and there was no way I was going to let my brain tumors win. So, I kept writing as much as I could.

Some days it would only be an hour, other days not at all.

God blessed me by giving me complete retirement this year (of course, I didn’t think it was a blessing at the time), but it shows that God always knows what He’s doing.

~~~

Lillian Duncan writes suspense novels with a hint of romance. She believes books can be entertaining and uplifting at the same time. Along with novels, she writes devotions forChristianDevotions.us. 

She lives in the middle of Amish country in Ohio with her husband and menagerie of pets, including four parrots, a Jack Russell Terrier and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that she's thinking about renaming Clifford--since he continues to grow and grow and grow... 

She's been a speech-language pathologist for over thirty years. Most of those years were in the Cleveland Municipal School district where she worked primarily with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. 

As a  writer, speech pathologist, and an educator, she believes in the power of words to change lives, especially God's Word.

How Can a Writer Find God's Guidance?

Gideon threw down a fleece when he wanted confirmation of God's direction. We do this in our own lives sometimes. Today's creativity post features Paula Mowery and her experience with seeking God's direction. I asked her:

"As a Christian writer, you say you came to be published by throwing down a fleece. Will you explain what you mean by that statement and why you felt a need to take that action? Is this something you have done in creating all your stories? How is it different (or is it?) from sending up a prayer before a writing session?"  - Sandy 

Paula: Twelve years ago I left the teaching field – public school – and entered the homeschooling world. As my daughter matured and became more of an independent learner, I started to write again. I had always been an avid reader of Christian fiction and found I had lots of story ideas of my own.

The more I delved into writing Christian fiction, the more I felt God’s leading through the themes that emerged. A friend read some of my stories and encouraged me to seek publication. At the time, I laughed off the thought of ever being good enough to do such a thing.

God kept prompting me, so I searched for learning opportunities and found ACFW. Taking the advice of the authors there, I began small, writing an article for a national magazine. I submitted it and then I waited.

God continued to give me stories. I wrote as fast as my little hands could write. But, still I wondered if these stories were for just my friends or was I to pursue publication.

Finally, I prayed that if God wanted me to pursue publication, He would give me a sign so I could know for sure.

The next morning when I checked my emails, my article had been accepted. It was as if God said – yes, I want you to publish, but you have more to learn. Keep listening.

A few months later, I submitted my novella, The Blessing Seer, to Pelican Book Group. When I pressed the send button, I prayed: “Lord, if this is to be published and this is where you want it to be published, let the story touch someone.”

Several weeks later, I opened an email from the editor at Pelican in which the first line read: “This story so touched me.” I bowed my head and cried. God had answered clearly.

God doesn’t always answer as blatantly as that. Sometimes I have to wander and experience and learn. Sometimes, He gives me insights, and I have to get back out of bed and write them down.

But, I can say that I pray for God to lead me in writing my stories everyday. I pray for wisdom to know when and where to use them. I haven’t laid out any more fleeces to Him. That was my way of discovering a major decision on the path to take. I will warn anyone who might pray a prayer and lay out a fleece that you should be ready. When you pray a prayer like that in surrender, hold on for the adventure God has in store!

~~~

Paula Mowery is a pastor’s wife and a homeschool mom. She has always been an avid reader of Christian fiction. She began writing in the area of nonfiction creating three Bible studies which were self-published. However, she crafted fiction stories which she shared with friends and family. When one of her readers encouraged her to pursue publication, she joined American Christian Fiction Writers, learning more about the world of fiction. Her debut work of fiction is a novella published by Harbourlight, a division of Pelican Book Group – The Blessing Seer. Learn more about Paula at her blog – www.paulamowery.blogspot.com. Read more of her writing in her monthly columns on www.christianonlinemagazine.com.

Have you ever thrown down a fleece with regard to your writing? Did you specifically say, "Lord, if you want _____ to happen, let ____ happen? (I have.) What were the results?

Writing Through Interruptions

Sometimes you can't find those large chunks of writing time, or maybe your office is in the middle of the your home's flight path with little ones (or maybe an occasional big one) soaring through your space. How do you find those minutes to be creative and accomplish your daily word goal? I asked Darlene Franklin:

"You're in a living situation in which interruptions are constant. What is one way in which you maintain your concentration in order to fulfill contracted deadlines?" - Sandy

Darlene: I work in small increments. That’s the key.

For instance, last week I aimed to write 2,000 words a day. That many words will take me at least two hours—two hours I am unlikely to remain uninterrupted.

So I take those 2,000 words and break them into four 500-word segments. I plan to take a break after each 500 words, to go to my second goal for the day (proofing 32 pages of a final galley proof. I also break that into segments, of course.

I break those 500 words down further. Depending on how distracted I feel, or how many interruptions I expect, I write 500 words in 2-3 increments. I can usually write 200-300 words without interruption; but if times are bad, I’ll go down to 150 words if I have to.

Writing 2,000 can seem overwhelming. Writing 150 words doesn’t threaten me at all.

I keep track of those small achievements on a spreadsheet. 169 words written; 1831 left to go. 374 words written; 1626 left to write. Soon I’ve reached the halfway point, and the numbers left to write go down.

That way, when I’m interrupted for a meeting, or someone needs to speak to me, or I have to respond to an email, I just pick up where I left off. Okay, so I didn’t write 150 words, but only 134. I’ll just make my next two goals (to reach 500 words) a little bigger.

If I could plan on 500 words in half an hour, or a thousand words in an hour, I might do more writing—but breaking it down means I meet my goals and my deadlines.

~

Award-winning author and speaker Darlene Franklin lives in cowboy country--Oklahoma. Oklahoma has the benefit of being the home to her son, his wife, and their four beautiful children. Darlene loves music, needlework, reading and reality TV. She currently resides in a nursing home, which has become a place of blessing. Connect with her on her blog: http://darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com/

If you're a slow writer like me, it can take all day to make a word count goal. What have you found to be helpful in meeting your goals when chaos reigns around you? Have you tried Darlene's method of using a number of small goals - eating that elephant one chunk at a time?

The Case of the Misplaced Modifier

Part of creating a publishable story is getting the grammar correct. 

(We'll pause a moment to let my critique partners stop laughing. One, two, three...okay.)

Donn Taylor collects professional writers’ lapses into misplaced modifiers. While his collection is hilarious, it's enough to make any writer run to the computer to desperately search through their own work. To save myself (and you) the embarrassment of being part of his collection, I asked him the following questions: 

"What is a misplaced modifier and how do writers guard against them? Can you give some examples of your favorites?"

Donn: In normal English usage, a modifying phrase refers to the noun or pronoun (or sometimes verb) closest to it. A misplaced modifier occurs when the modifying phrase is placed away from the noun or pronoun the writer intends it to modify. The results are always confusing, but often ridiculous:                     

Looking in through the window, the new sofa could be seen.

This construction places the sofa simultaneously outside the window looking in and inside the building being seen. Physicists tell us this is probably possible with subatomic particles, but they have not yet extended that theory to sofas.

This kind of misplaced modifier usually occurs when the writer begins the sentence thinking active voice and, after the comma, changes to passive voice. The most common cures are to give the modifier something logical to modify or to change the modifying phrase to a dependent clause:

Looking in through the window, I saw the new sofa.

or, When I looked in through the window, I saw the new sofa.

Writers should find their misplaced modifiers during proofing or revision. The cure is always to rewrite the sentence so that the modifier is placed as close as possible to the word (noun, pronoun, verb) it modifies. With that lesson learned, let’s enjoy some prime examples that somehow crept through the editing process in novels from first-line CBA publishers. (I leave to my readers the process of moving the modifier to a logical place or rewriting the sentence to establish logic. I will content myself with a few sardonic comments.)

“[A] man in grey slacks and a blue blazer holding a walkie-talkie waved at them.”

Comment: Those sports jackets get more versatile every day!

“Taking his first step, the slippery surface caused him to fall flat on his back.”

Comment: Surfaces that walk? Must be Sci-fi.

“Standing up slowly, a wave of vertigo swept through him.”

Comment: Would things have been worse if the wave had stood up quickly?

“Having come straight from the airport in the clothes they’d worn to travel, his query made sense.”

Comment: Remarkable! Casually dressed queries rarely make sense.

 “Adorned in mostly homemade ornaments, its pine scent mingled with the kitchen aromas.”

Comment: Adorned or unadorned, the scent still smelled. But at least it was sociable.

“Hidden away in the cabin, my mind continued to wander.”

Comment: Confined to the cabin, it couldn’t wander far.

But some of the most ridiculous examples come from local newspapers:

The governor shot the coyote that he said was threatening his daughter’s puppy with a Ruger .380-caliber pistol.

Comment: The coyote had his teeth on the trigger.

                        The [injured] dog was discovered by an oilfield worker wrapped in a towel inside a white trash bag.

Comment: Oilfield workers have strange tastes in clothing.

The principle to remember: Keep the modifiers close to the words they modify. In revising and proofing, look for misplaced modifiers and move them to their proper places.

www.donntaylor.com

Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he completed a PhD degree at The University of Texas and taught English literature (especially Renaissance) at two liberal arts colleges. His novels The Lazarus File and Rhapsody in Red have received excellent reviews, and he has also authored Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond. His new book is another suspense novel, Deadly Additive. He is a frequent speaker at writers' conferences such as Glorieta and Blue Ridge. He and his wife live near Houston, Texas, where he continues to write fiction, poetry, and articles on current topics.

Links to his books are on his Web site: www.donntaylor.com. Other links: www.facebook.com/donntaylor and www.facebook.com/authordonntaylor.            

Is checking for those misplaced modifiers a part of your editing process? What are some of the funniest grammar goofs you have found in print? How would you rewrite the above examples?

Pinterest 101 for Authors

Today is a marketing day on Writer's Wisdom Wednesdays and we're looking at Pinterest. For this post, I went to writer Nicole Miller with my questions, because working with social media is Nicole's niche.

Nicole, you have social media knowledge and use it in your day job. You’re also a big believer in writers participating on Pinterest. As writers, we’re taught that there needs to be relationship in all our social media posts so we won’t come off sounding like one big advertisement. What types of boards and pins do you find most effective for writers, and what ratio of balance should a writer have between personal and professional boards? What kind of boards or pins might be considered undesirable?”

For most authors, the mention of a new social media platform strikes fear straight into the heart. So my first rule in considering new social media outlets is considering: Is this something I enjoy? 

If you don't like using the platform and are participating because you "have to," it will come across that way. If you're not genuine, engaged and consistent, there is no need to even bother. Trust me, you'll be happier in life for it.

But for those who have dabbled in Pinterest, the online pin-board for images and videos that easily lets you comment, like or "repin" items, you probably knew right away whether or not you were into it. 

As writers, Pinterest offers you a way to visually display your plot locations, character influences, published books and even recipes inspired by or from the book. This is a way to bring your words to life. 

Create boards and pin items that resonate with you, your novels, your interests. There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but a general rule of thumb for authors would be to have a board for each of your published novels, topical boards (historical time periods), books you love, other personal interests (cooking, decorating, photography, etc.) 

Pinterest is also a powerful tool for your own story creation and brainstorming. The outlet offers "Secret Boards" that are visible only to you until you decide to publish it. This allows you to draft a manuscript without giving away too much.  

For examples of fiction writers using Pinterest well, see Jody Hedlund (http://pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/) and Tricia Goyer (http://pinterest.com/triciagoyer/). An example of a nonfiction writer/blogger using Pinterest to engage with his audience is Jon Acuff: http://pinterest.com/jonacuff/. These writers also do a good job of interacting with other pinners and posting their own content.  

Quick Pinterest Tips: 

1. Always properly attribute your pins. If you pin from a website (including your own) then the pin will always link back to that page. 

2. Keep to the social media 90/10 rule. Spend 90 percent of your time engaging in conversations, re-pinning, liking and engaging others, and less than 10 percent of the time promoting your own work.

3. Consistency is key. A handful of posts a week will pay off more so than a hundred posts at one time. 

4. Make things pretty. There are free photo editors (http://www.picmonkey.com) and quote generators (http://quote4fun.com/create/) at your disposal. Take a quote from your book or add words to an image to make things more enticing to "share."

5. Be genuine. Be interesting.  

Pinterest generates a vast amount of traffic and taps into a small, highly engaged audience of pinners who could fast become your readers. So take a deep breath, check out the platform, sign up, install a "Pin it" button into your browser and pin away! 

***

Nicole Miller is a social media coordinator by day and a historical fiction author by night. Catch her daily "Confessions of a Former Rodeo Queen" at http://www.nicolemillerbooks.com. Yes, she really was a rodeo queen. In spare moments, she consults small businesses on social media marketing and runs Miller Media Solutions, http://www.millermediasolutions.com. Follow Nicole on Pinterest: (http://pinterest.com/nmillerbooks/)

Thanks, Nicole! I've found Pinterest a bit addicting and can be on there for hours. What about you? What kind of writer boards have you set up on Pinterest? What kind of boards attract your attention? Do you have any of those...shhh...secret boards? Any questions for Nicole about Pinterest?