Catch the Eye of Your Reader

You have written a blog post, article, devotion, etc. Now, a great photo is needed to catch the eye of the reader and keep the interest going. How do you choose your photos?
There are various sites where a photo can be chosen and uploaded to the computer at no charge. Some of these sites are awesome.

I have used those photographs in the past and probably will use some again. Right now, I have decided to take photos with my phone and use those. My own personal photos. No worry about using a photo that is not authorized.

I must admit. My photos are not always the best. A learning process in photography is a new hobby for me. The occasional blurry photo, the wrong lighting or a plain boring picture can be found on my phone and computer. Yet, I will keep trying.

Think about blogs and articles you read online or in print. Is there always a photograph? Does the photo catch your eye? Are there bright colors or an image that touches your heart? Have you noticed if the photograph has anything to do with the message of the writer?

This time of year, I see many images of Nativity scenes, mangers, stars, the night sky and various drawings of Jesus. I am pausing to wonder how the author chose the photo.

A photo can draw a reader to your message. A photo can also cause a reader to turn away or put aside the message and move on to another one.

A photo can draw a reader to your message. #seriouslywrite @mimionlife

How do you choose photos? Do you take photographs with your phone or camera? Share ideas and notice the photos in blog posts and articles.

Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Melissa Henderson

Melissa Henderson is a writer of inspirational messages through fiction, non-fiction, devotions, guest blogs, articles and more. Her first children’s book, “Licky the Lizard” was released in 2018. Some of her passions are helping in community and church. Melissa and her husband Alan moved from Virginia to South Carolina in 2017 to be near son, daughter-in-love and first grandchild. The family motto is "It’s Always A Story With The Henderson".

Website and blog : http://www.melissaghenderson.com
Amazon link to "Licky the Lizard"
Facebook : Melissa Henderson, Author
Pinterest : Melissa Henderson
Twitter : @mimionlife

The Discipline of Writing and the Fear of Failure by Olivia Rae

One of the toughest things about becoming a writer is discipline. We all know a book doesn’t write itself and no matter how much praying we do, the words don’t always come. I have been writing a long time…well, sort of. I spent the first five years of my writing career talking about writing, researching, taking classes, attending conferences, perfecting my first three chapters and a synopsis, but I never finished a book.

I used to blame my lack of productivity on my day job, my family, my dog, the neighbor’s dog, anyone and anything, instead of myself. Slowly, but surely all the writers in my critique group became published authors, while I kept on pretending that someday I would write a great book. Even after publishing six books and having four other manuscripts looking for a publisher, I still struggle with sitting down to write.

Often what keeps me back from writing is fear of failure. I’m a sensitive sort and every time someone gives me a bad review or a rejection letter lands in my inbox, I crawl in my closet (literally) with my favorite candy (right now it’s black jelly beans), but the key is: I always crawl back out. And that’s the answer. God says in the Bible we should not fear anything. Not everybody is going to love me or embrace what I write, but that’s okay. If you put yourself out there you will be rewarded. Maybe it’s becoming a contest finalist, an email from a fan, a publishing contract or a hug from your hubby or kids. Whatever it is, remember your talent is a gift from God. So use it!

Tips on how to finish a book:

1. Keep a log of how many words or pages you write each day.

2. Set a goal and tell someone who can hold you to it. (i.e. I will finish this book or these many pages by…)

3. Carve out a writing time each day and stick to it. (Start with a half hour and work from there.)

4. Exercise (Yes, taking a walk or doing a few sit ups gets the blood flowing and the brain working.)

5. Remember, writing time is not plotting, research or marketing time. You can plot a new book when you have finished this one.

So stop reading this post and go write!

P.S. I’d love to hear your favorite writing strategy, email me at Oliviarae.books@gmail.com

~~~~~~

Olivia Rae is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary inspirational romance. She spent her school days dreaming of knights, princesses and far away kingdoms; it made those long, boring days in the classroom go by much faster. Nobody was more shocked than her when she decided to become a teacher. Besides getting her Master’s degree, marrying her own prince, and raising a couple of kids, Olivia decided to breathe a little more life into her childhood stories by adding in what she’s learned as an adult living in a small town on the edge of a big city. When not writing, she loves to travel, dragging her family to old castles and forts all across the world.

Olivia is the winner of the New England Readers’ Choice Award, Illumination Award Bronze medalist, Buyer Best Book Award Finalist, a Kindle Book Award Semi-Finalist, I Heart Indie Award Finalist, and Grab Me Award Finalist. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Contact Olivia at Oliviarae.books@gmail.com

For news and sneak peeks of upcoming novels visit:

Website: Oliviaraebooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliviaraebooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliviaraeauthor
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/olivia-rae
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2yn4lnH

The Art of the Research Trip by Liz Johnson

 

Hey writers! Annette here. Have you ever taken a research trip for a book? Many years ago, I did before I realized I'd be writing about that location. Author Liz Johnson joins us today to share some tips for being intentional on such trips. Enjoy!

 The Art of the Research Trip

by Liz Johnson

 

Of all the treasured parts of the writing process, perhaps the most illustrious and misunderstood is the research trip. To the outsider it looks like a vacation

But the writer knows a research trip is more of a mad dash to pick up every detail to infuse her novel with as much flavor as possible. As novelists, we also know that our job isn’t to write travel books. We’re not looking for the major streets or merely the address of that popular restaurant our character will frequent (of course, it’s important to get those kind of details right too). On research trips we’re looking for the things that make our stories come alive, the sights and sounds and tastes that immerse the reader into our setting.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting Prince Edward Island, the setting for my new series and home of Anne of Green Gables, several times. On my first trip I was so excited to be there that I missed some great opportunities to dig into the island. To help you avoid my mistakes, here are my top five tips for a successful research trip.

1. Talk with the locals. Of course, this is much easier if you speak the same language they do. But however you can, interact with them. An unexpected chat with a local teenager, who was manning the school house at an historic village in PEI, taught me that the University of PEI in Charlottetown is on nearly every student’s post-graduation agenda. It’s a small thing, but it adds some flavor when I mention that one of my characters didn’t even consider attending UPEI. You never know what locals will say and what ideas it might spark for your story.

2. Pick up some of the language. Maybe it’s foreign, maybe it’s not. On one of my trips I asked one of the servers at my bed-and-breakfast if she knew how far it was to a particular tourist spot. She said it was about twenty minutes, and I asked her how many kilometers that was. (I was feeling pretty proud that I remembered Canada uses the metric system.) “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m from the island, and we measure distance in time.” It was such a strange and wonderful discovery—that locals don’t generally reference distance by measure but by time—that I immediately plopped the idea into my book.

3. Pay attention to all your senses. Plugging in sense memories will make your reader feel like she’s not only in the story but in the very location you’ve discovered.

4. Put yourself in your character’s shoes. Is your character a native to this location? Or is he a visitor? If the latter, your character’s experiences might mirror your own. Is she a local? Is the town’s history old hat? Have her friends moved on leaving her alone in this place? Ask yourself these and other questions and see if you don’t view your surroundings with a fresh perspective.

5. Take loads of pictures. It’s easy to believe that you’ll remember. That you’ll remember the name of the road, the color of the trees, the location of the historical building. Chances are, you’ll forget. So take pictures, and take notes. You’ll appreciate it when you’re ready to put all these pieces into place.

No matter how you approach a research trip—if you get a chance to go, I hope you’ll take it and make good use of it.

Have you ever been on a research trip? Where would you like to go to research your next book?

~~~~~

About Liz Johnson: By day Liz Johnson works as a marketing manager, and she makes time to write late at night. Liz is the author of nine novels—including her latest, The Red Door Inn (Prince Edward Island Dreams, book 1)—and a New York Times bestselling novella. She makes her home in Nashville, where she enjoys exploring local music, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories of true love filled with heart, humor, and happily ever afters. Connect with her at www.LizJohnsonBooks.com or www.Facebook.com/LizJohnsonBooks.

About The Red Door Inn: Marie Carrington is broke, desperate, and hoping to find sanctuary on Prince Edward Island while decorating a renovated bed-and-breakfast. Seth Sloane moved three thousand miles to help restore his uncle's Victorian B and B--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart. He wasn't expecting to have to babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her.

The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just two months will take everything they've got—and they have to find a way to work together. In the process, they may find something infinitely sweeter than they ever imagined on this island of dreams.

Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block by Rosemary Hines

Rosemary Hines

There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting at your computer with deadlines looming and no words flowing. Here are a few ideas for overcoming writer’s block that I shared recently on my author page.

1. Take some time to step back and reread the whole story you have written up to this point. Sometimes that process ignites an idea that will ignite the flow again.
2. Get alone with your main character and interview her. Ask her why she is getting stuck. Where is she hoping to go next with her life and what is holding her back? Ask her to share her innermost fears with you as well as her hopes and dreams. Give her time to open up to you. Maybe she is in need of a visit from someone who will encourage, motivate, or inspire her to press on. Maybe she's needing to be jolted by a life altering event that neither of you expected when you began writing her story. My guess is that if YOU are stuck, it's because SHE is.
3. Think of a captivating scene that would draw the reader into the text (scary, tense, exciting) and put your character in the middle of that scene. As you begin to describe the scene and her reactions to it, she may begin to tell you the next chapter herself.
4. Set a timer. It’s amazing how limiting your writing time can actually help increase productivity. Make it short, like 5-10 minutes. During that time, write from your stream of consciousness as you think about your character, story, or the process of writing itself. Knowing you won’t have to sit there staring at the computer screen or yellow pad for hours can really open the floodgates. Even if you begin with something simple like this example: “I have no idea what to write, but I’m going to keep going until the timer rings. As I think about my character, I wonder what keeps her up at night. Does she have the same worries about ________ that I have right now in our family? Does she ever think of escaping and running away? If yes, where would she go?”
5. Step back from the manuscript and clarify/define the theme of your story. Especially in Christian fiction, we have an obligation to consider the message we are communicating. When I taught writing, I always had my students begin with a theme or life lesson readers could take away from their stories. The world can offer stories with ambiguous themes or pure sensationalism, but we are called to a higher bar of using our words to communicate Truth. Your story might be stuck because the theme or life lesson has not yet been defined. Give specific purpose to your character’s journey and the path will become clearer.
6. Get some fresh air. Take a walk alone with God. Check in and make sure your relationship with Him is up to date and intimately connected. As you walk, open up and share with Him your roadblock. Then be observant. Look at the amazing intricacy of creation surrounding you. The God, who made it all, dwells within you and desires to speak through you in your story. Sometimes we get so consumed with the writing and the deadlines that we forget to draw our inspiration from the Author of Life.

About the Author

Into Magnolia

Rosemary Hines is the author of the Sandy Cove series ~ contemporary Christian fiction with a message. She taught writing at a secondary level for fifteen years and has been published in such magazines as Signs of the Times and Woman’s World. She and her husband live in California where they enjoy spending time with their children and two new granddaughters. For more information and other helpful tips, you can follow Rosemary on her Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/RosemaryHinesAuthorPage and visit her on the web at www.rosemaryhines.com