Writing - A Love Hate Relationship by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

Over the weekend I looked back on my writing journey. By traditional standards I’ve not been successful. I’ve had one book published and countless rejections. There were times the rejections made me want to quit writing. Last year was an especially trying year for me. I reached a point where I wondered if I’d ever see another book published. I just wanted to give up. Thankfully, with the help of a few good friends I made it past that hurdle.

Oh, I still haven’t gotten another book contract, but I’ve made good strides and I have a different mindset now. Plus, I’ve had some good feedback on my writing. I placed well with two manuscripts I entered in a contest and I had a request for a full on a different manuscript from a publisher. Now all those things may lead to nothing and while they were nice affirmations I’d like to think I’d grown as a Christian and a writer. Maybe if I ignore the pity party I threw when I failed to get a request from a publisher and agent I REALLY REALLY wanted I can say I have. Let me tell you, that was quite a party. Bet you’ve never seen such an awesome pity fest. LOL.

On a whole the part of writing that made me hate it was when my middle sagged so bad it dragged the ground. Or when I was halfway through the book and all out of plot. Or when I needed to write 60 thousand words and the end came at 50 thousand. And let’s not even talk about the critiques that said your heroine is so mean she’d kick a puppy. Ouch! These are the times that make me want to bang my head against the keyboard. Let me interject a quick note here, I’ve worked hard to soften my heroines. They are no longer so mean.

But there are times I love writing! That moment when a new idea zings into my mind or when the research for a series becomes fun and exciting. When the middle of the book doesn’t sag and the glorious moment when I type THE END! Those are moments I love, but nothing is better than when I’ve typed a scene and I go back and reread it later and those are God’s words, not mine. Because I see His mercy in that line, an understanding He can offer, not me.

So while I still have my love hate relationship with writing, I’d have to say these days I love it far more than I hate it.

How about you? Do you have a love hate relationship with writing? What drives you to hate to write? And if you’ve managed to overcome the hate side and it is all love please share how you did it. I’d love to hear your responses so please leave a comment about your experiences.

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Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. 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 three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic, released from White Rose Publishing. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Writing Dialogue that Breathes by Debby Mayne

Debby Mayne

Dora here. Do you struggle with writing dialogue? I confess... some days are easier than others, so I appreciate these tips by Debby Mayne. Next week she will be back with three more tips to write compelling dialogue, so be sure to pop back by. Enjoy! ~Dora

One of the key components to a successful story is dialogue, so spend some time working on improving the skill of writing it. Most newbie fiction authors struggle with dialogue at first, but after you find the groove, you'll look forward to the next conversation between your characters. I've judged quite a few writing competitions, and one of the things that I look for is compelling dialogue.

In my opinion, strong dialogue is the foundation of a compelling, character-driven story. I use it to drive my plot, and the scenes typically flow much more smoothly when my characters take over. I've been amazed and entertained by what comes out of my story people's mouths.

Listen
Next time you're out among people, zip your lips and just listen. I'm the biggest eavesdropper out there, but I think it's one of the reasons my dialogue has improved over the years. Pay attention to various scenarios. A conversation between a mother and her daughter in the fitting room is quite different from a discussion between a husband and wife about where to go for their next vacation.

Use what you learn sparingly. 
Accents are wonderful to add to a story as long as you sprinkle them in. Don't overdo it, though, or you may lose your reader who gets bogged down trying to figure out what the character is saying. Most people have back-and-forth interaction with occasional interruptions. When writing dialogue, it's fine to add some of this, but remember that the written word needs to make more sense than a live conversation.

Small Talk
Some small talk is fine, but omit all but the most essential conversation that drives the story forward. When people greet each other, they often spend several minutes saying insignificant things that you should condense in order to hold your readers' interest. After a brief greeting among your characters, get to the interesting part.

Backstory
Avoid using dialogue to do a backstory dump. Having your characters rehash something that happened in 1985, simply to provide information for the reader, is a sign of someone who doesn't want to go to the trouble of working it into the story in a more natural way. Don't provide too much information all at once in dialogue. Leave your readers wanting more.

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Dixie Belle and Uptown Belles series Blurb 

In Dixie Belle, book one of the Uptown Belles series, sparks fly when Cissy Hillwood arrives in New York City from her Alabama hometown and meets her uncle’s fiercest competitor.

SERIES DESCRIPTION: In this fish-out-of-water contemporary romance series, three Southern belles living and working in New York City develop a friendship based on their fondness and homesickness for the South. Although they’re different from each other in many ways, they share a love for the South and faith in Christ. And they each fall victim to Cupid, one at a time and when they least expect it. At least they have each other for venting, laughing with, and…shopping.

Debby Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a slew of devotions for women. She has also worked as managing editor of a national health magazine, product information writer for HSN, a creative writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group, and a copy editor and proofreader for several book publishers. For the past eight years, she has judged the Writers Digest Annual Competition, Short-Short Contest, and Self-Published Book Competition. Three of Debby’s books have been top ten favorites by the Heartsong Presents book club. Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida received 4-1/2 stars and was named a "Top Pick" by Romantic Times Magazine. Her latest book, Dixie Belle, is the first in the Uptown Belles series published by Charisma House.

Tips for When Your Plot Derails by Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers

It was a long weekend, and I was armed with a plan. Hubby was scheduled to attend a public event on Monday, and our precious grandkids would be picked up from their overnight stay around noon. 

That left an entire afternoon to curl up in my recliner and lose myself in a sweet romance. Ahhh...

My plan derailed, starting a little after midnight, when our three-year-old grandson snuck into the kitchen and sprayed heavy-duty insecticide on the floor, a product our son used to douse his clothes for his trip to Myanmar. I heard the little guy and got up to investigate. Twenty minutes later, I slipped back into bed and relayed what happened to hubby.

“That label has some strong warnings.” Hubby, being the hero that he is, got up and, after verifying the label, rushed back into our bedroom. “You’re supposed to rinse the affected area under cold water for twenty minutes. Then call poison control.”

We inspected the now sleeping boy for any unusual symptoms. Satisfied that he wasn’t suffering any ill effects, we crawled under the covers again.

Two hours later, another unusual noise had me bolting out of bed. What trouble was Little Man getting into this time? I was relieved that the culprit was my teenage granddaughter, using the bathroom. She doesn’t spend the night much at our house, so I waited to make sure she wasn’t afraid.

The toilet flushed, once, twice. Then a plunger rooted around in the bowl. “Meme, help.”

After a couple failed attempts to loosen the clogged toilet, I gave up and headed back to bed, intent on salvaging a couple hours of sleep. Little Man’s an early riser.

Not!

Reluctant to leave for work with two kids and a stopped-up toilet, hubby insisted on dragging out the plumbing snake. At three a.m.

Hours and five trips to Lowe's later, hubby surrendered the battle and I relinquished the dream of losing myself in a book. I flopped onto my recliner, drained, exhausted.

Has your plot derailed?

The next day, with renewed vigor and only one trip to Lowes, we had a new, working toilet. --->

As writers, we may start with a germ of an idea. Maybe it’s just that, a seed, or perhaps we’ve fleshed out the entire story into a synopsis.

What happens when that plan goes awry? Or our plot derails?

Pray. Ask God for wisdom and direction. In the wee hours of the morning, I was praying more to go back to bed than fixing the toilet.

Step away from the problem. In his haste to get it fixed, hubby kept attacking the problem, even though he was exhausted and worn out. Sometimes, it helps to take a step back, away from the problem. It’s the same for your manuscript. If your story derails, leave it alone for a bit. Take a walk. Rest.

Reevaluate. Hubby checked problem areas and attempted different solutions until he finally identified the problem. Do the same with your plot. Apply different scenarios. Ask yourself “what if ‘this’ happens?” Make a flowchart and continue until you’ve covered all possible situations. Then, implement a new plan to wrangle your story back on track.

Forge ahead. Armed with a new plan (just like hubby with a new toilet), step back into your story with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Give thanks. Don’t fret. Yeah, I didn’t get to settle back with that book like I’d planned, but you know what? God’s plan for that day was different from mine, and it was so much better because He allowed me to be the helpmate my husband needed and I got to spend time with him. Give thanks for the change of events. Trust that God has a plan for you and your story, even in the midst of your turmoil and indecision.

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9 NIV

What about you? Has your plot ever derailed? 
What steps did you take to fix it?

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After a humiliating breakup, best-selling romance author Teal Benning flees to Promise Lake to complete her current novel, minus paparazzi and flashing cameras. Suffering from writer's block and a broken heart, Teal accepts the offer of help from neighbor, Hunter Miciver.

Hunter longs to be more than the friend who picks up the shattered pieces of Teal's heart, but when Teal finds out his secret, will she see him for the man he is—a man of faith and devotion, a man who would cherish her for the rest of her days—or will she lump him into the same category as all the other men in her life, including her father?

Will Teal recognize when truth whispers her name?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her here on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Ask O Wednesday How Do I Weave Theme throughout Plot?

Happy Wednesday, my writing friends,

Today we finish up our three-part series on theme. In part one we mulled over how a well-defined theme boosts a story from a way to fill an afternoon to a life-changing experience.

In part two, we dove into how to find a theme by first uncovering what moves us and then having a heart-to-heart with our characters.

Now we’ll explore how to weave theme through plot. It’s so important!

Planning the Big Picture

As I plan my story's overarching plot arcs, the main pegs parallel theme. If my theme is forgiveness, for example, then the main conflicts reflect this. Perhaps my character was betrayed by her husband. My main plot points could be:

Act One: At least one or two major conflict scenes with her husband. The pressure heats up.

End of Act One: A big fight in which she declares she’ll never forgive him. Ever!

Act Two: The husband’s persistent repentance and patient love begin to win her over.

She finally admits she wants to forgive him but is afraid of being hurt. They share a tender, honest moment together.

End of Act Two: Something happens to make her think he betrayed her again, destroying any hope of reconciliation.

Act Three: The misunderstanding about the betrayal is cleared up, and she finally finds a way to forgive him.

Do you see how each plot point revolved around forgiveness? Subplots and external conflict work their way in, but forgiveness underlies and motivates the main forward thrust of the story.

Scene by Scene

Once I get the big picture done, I start writing. Yippee! But before my fingers fly, I create a chart for each individual scene. (Some writers forge scene charts for the whole book ahead of time, I create it just before I write the scene. It’s up to you.)

In the scene chart, I always (always!) make sure to include an element of theme. Even if the scene doesn't involve a major conflict, a hint of theme resonates. This builds consistency and expectancy.

Let’s go back to our forgiveness story. In the midst of a relevant scene, I might include a short snippet of a child forgiving my protagonist for stepping on her dandelion bouquet. Or maybe she sees a dude cursing out a store clerk for getting his order wrong; or hears a song about reconciliation. These little bits all point toward forgiveness.

Since I’m passionate about my theme, I long for it to ring out in every scene. I prepare for this in my scene charts.

Ban Rabbit Trails

I try my darnedest to toss out any plotline that doesn’t prop up my message. Theme gets blurry when too many other ideas encroach on it. I keep my focus on clearly communicating this one idea that has so moved me, and stay with it. That’s what I love about books with awesome themes, so that’s what I try to do.

How do you incorporate theme into your stories? I’d love to hear!

God bless and happy writing,

Ocieanna

Where Do You Get Your Ideas? by Lorena McCourtney

Lorena McCourtney is one of my favorite mystery writers because her characters are so real. She doesn't use superheroes. No, they are ordinary people who use their faults, weaknesses, and faith to get extraordinary results. Her uplifting stories always offer a bit of hope to flawed readers, like me. Today, I'm thrilled to share with you how Lorena gets the ideas for her uplifting books. ~ Angie

It's probably the question a writer is most frequently asked. Where do you get your ideas?

The basic answer, of course, is that ideas are everywhere. Just reach out and grab one. But it's easy to pass over a good idea unless you have an idea of how it may fit into a possible story. For this, I use what might be called a Circle Concept. It's simply a circle, with five essentials lined up around the edge. Plot. Characters. Setting. Theme. Title. An idea may enter at any point in this circle.

SETTING: We live in southern Oregon, and I love beachwalking on the coast. That's where the idea entered my Circle Concept. Write a book or series with a coast setting. Several times I've seen signs on the beach warning of dangerous "sneaker waves" that seem to come out of nowhere and just rise higher and higher on the beach. But greater than an actual ocean wave sweeping in seemed to me to be a life event that struck like a sneaker wave. This led into the plot. What kind of event could really devastate someone's life. Death? Infidelity? Divorce? Illness? I picked infidelity and divorce. So then my main character became a woman confronted with those problems – and, because I write mysteries, a murder. But note here that the original idea that became the series, The Julesburg Mysteries, wasn't a murder but simply a setting.

CHARACTERS: As a woman growing older, I've sometimes had the feeling of becoming more and more invisible. So, this idea entered at the "character" point on my Circle. Ivy Malone is an older woman, feeling invisible. She's become quite popular, using her "invisibility" as a sleuth in The Ivy Malone Mysteries.

PLOT: This is probably the most common entry point in my Circle, often coming from the news. For my most recent book, "Dying to Read," this came from hearing about all the well-educated, experienced people who've lost a job because of the economy, and then simply can't find another one. A plot then arises out of wondering what does this person do then?

TITLE: Yes, I've done books that started with a title simply popping into my head. I find this useful because it seems to give focus to a story. "Sometimes a Lady" was one, and it was easy to build a story around a woman who was sometimes a lady – and sometimes wasn't. But I've also become resigned to the fact that what strikes me as the perfect title may not hit an editor the same way,. But even if a title gets changed, it has served its purpose in sparking a story to go with it.

THEME: Many writers says they don't really see the theme until they're well into a story, maybe even at the end. I've usually had a theme in mind earlier on. Themes for me often come from some Biblical verse that, even though I may not have particularly noticed it before, suddenly reaches out and grabs me.

About Lorena (in her own words)
I grew up in various small towns in eastern Washington, and I started trying to write when I was in the fifth grade, usually horse stories. I sent them to magazines, but they were not impressed with my "talent," and sent them right back. My interest in horses continued on through a university degree in agriculture. (Which I can assure you is not a particularly useful education for a fiction writer – but, of course, I didn't know I wanted to be a writer then.)

Some of my most popular books have been the lighthearted Ivy Malone Mysteries, about an older woman who finds she seems to have aged into invisibility. And invisibility can be a rather handy asset for a sleuth. The first book "Invisible" is currently a free download on Kindle, Nook, etc.

"Dying to Read," my current release (and 42nd book altogether), is Book #1 in my new Cate Kinkaid Files series.

Connect with Lorena on her website: http://www.lorenamccourtney.com/

About DYING TO READ
Cate Kinkaid, desperate for a job, goes to work as an assistant private investigator. Her first assignment is supposed to be easy and uncomplicated, no danger or mayhem, definitely no murder. Instead she finds herself up to her elbows in Whodunit ladies, a paint-blobbed hunk, a deaf white cat – and killers.