Be Yourself

Writers need a constant reminder to be themselves. So, here’s today’s reminder. 

Peter Leavell

Be yourself. 

Why write a novel, short story, or bit of publicity that isn’t you?

A few days ago I was chatting with a fellow author. I’d been feeling low and my creative juices weren’t flowing. Her reply was insouciant. “I’ve seen your Facebook posts. You’re trying to make people happy instead of just being yourself. You’re a goofball, normally. That’s what we like. Just be yourself.”

Truth—I wasn’t having fun.

The feeling of I must please acquisition editors or sales boards will hate this can change a happy attitude to one of frustrated servitude. The feeling had given me a bad attitude.

And then I overhear a conversation between editors—I’m tired of getting the same tired writing and stories, over and over.

Be yourself.

Of course, I’m taking it for granted you’re still hitting the books to become a better person. And I trust your relationship with Christ is forever growing.

If you’re not doing those two things, consider being someone else who does, because bettering yourself is important. Besides, they’re having more fun.

WARNING: There is a fine distinction between being yourself and connecting with your reader. You can't just write whatever comes off the top of your head and hope for the best. Your writing must be understandable. I took ten years learning to write so readers could understand my point.

There’s only one you. Why hold back the pleasure of getting to know you?

What’s a Writer to Do? by Melinda Viergever Inman

Melinda Viergever Inman

Recently I made a decision that many writers are contemplating. Maybe you're one of them. After researching, mulling, and head scratching, I've decided to independently publish my next novel and utilize crowdfunding to both promote and fund it. My Kickstarter campaign runs this month.

If you're new to publishing, you may not be aware of how rapidly our industry is changing, almost daily. When I contracted for the publication of my first novel, a major shift in attitude toward indie publishing had just occurred.

A bestselling Christian writer had just launched his own self-publishing company, first aiming predominately at writers who had been trained by his Christian Writers Guild. It was as if a bomb had exploded.

At his writers' conference a few days after his announcement, every agent, editor, and publisher asked me - a writer at the conference - if I also planned to self publish, as if this were now the expected norm. They all encouraged it.

Everything had changed.

Between 2011-2013, it was estimated there were 1 to 2 million books on Amazon. By the time my novel reached publication in early 2014, there were 8 million books on Amazon. That is an enormous glut, if you're an unknown writer promoting your first book.

As I considered this market, often completely overwhelmed, my autoimmune disorder worsened. And as I talked with my readers, I became even more acutely aware of their needs. I spent a lot of time crying, feeling hopeless and frustrated for them and for me.

Even if you're completely healthy, this writing world may prompt you to feel the same. What's a writer to do?

We must remember this: God is still God. None of this surprised him.

He created humanity to work and to create. Innovation brings change. Therefore, change is a mark of the image of God within mankind.

With change come challenges, which have always simultaneously inspired and plagued creative people. This time in literary history is similar to when the printing press was created, and everyone's words could garner a hearing if they were willing to embrace a new writing world.

As I prayed and considered, the Lord brought encouragement from unlikely sources, including strangers (now friends) I met on ACFW Group boards and social media. Simultaneously, the Lord impressed upon me his deep love and his gentleness with the speed at which I can now work with a chronic illness. He gave me hope in him.

Eventually, my way became clear. The decision was made easier by the fact that my publisher, a small traditional house, will be providing the editing and design, as well as the distribution connections for my indie project. I love my publisher, so his creative input made this even more enticing.

My decision is unique to my health, my personality, my savvy publisher, and my readers. Another significant consideration was the fact that I've already been published traditionally. This was a very personal decision. What was right for me may not be right for you.

Our God is innovative, and so are the brilliant human beings he created. You are one of his marvelous creations! As a writer, he designed you to tell his stories.

My encouragement to you in this crazy publishing world is that the Lord will help you to make these decisions. He will lead you. No matter how he directs, he will get your stories to the market he has planned for them.

God is sovereign over all. Never forget this.

Refuge

Refuge

Nudged toward evil by Satan, Cain 's hard-hearted hubris results in Abel's murder and Lilith's broken heart when he is banished, splitting the family and propelling mankind toward ever-increasing violence as their siblings seek revenge. Crushed by what he's done, Cain runs, certain he's destroyed Lilith, his parents, and the entire family. With Satan hounding his every move and no idea of the forces arrayed against him, can Cain ever find God after he's committed a sin of such magnitude? Can he ever be forgiven?

Melinda Viergever Inman was raised in the tornado capital of the U.S.—Wakita, Oklahoma, of "Twister" fame. There her parents met. There her roots were sunk in a storytelling family. During years of relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots and ran from herself and from God. A journey of trial and heartache brought her home again. A prodigal now returned to her secure foundation, she writes with passion, illustrating God's love for wounded people as he makes beauty from ashes. Refuge is her first novel. Melinda shepherds women in church and in prison ministry and writes inspirational material on her biweekly blog at http://melindainman.com/blog/. With her family she is involved with Mission India, rescuing orphans and providing theological and job training for impoverished students— http://rimi.org/.

You can learn more and connect with Melinda here:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melinda-V-Inman/189731601076470

Website: http://melindainman.com/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelindaVInman  

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melindavinman/  

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MelindaViergeverInman/posts/p/pub

 

Sandwiches & Writing by Susan Tuttle

Image compliments of MorgueFile 

I was making a sandwich for my kids the other day (an occurrence that doesn’t happen often) when it hit me…writing is like sandwich building. I’m not sure how I missed it before.

You see, first you take out the bread. That’s the framework of your story. It’s the bones you’ll be building on. This is the place where you decide what type of story you’re about to write—romantic comedy, thriller, historical; novella or novel—who your characters are and where this story is taking place. Honestly, this is where I can find ways to procrastinate the most. I love visualizing my characters and naming them. I can get lost thinking of the perfect setting or finding pictures of look-alikes online and pinning them. But while Pinterest boards are really cute, they’ll never be enough to satiate a reader. You have to add meat.

Meat. The thick part that sustains your audience. What’s the plot? In that romantic comedy, what’s going to keep the two leads apart? In the thriller, who’s your big bad and why? In the historical, are we dealing with a great moment of the past or are you creating a new one in an amazing old city? The meat is where you dig in and brainstorm your story. You discover the theme and overarching story question. You know what motivates your characters, what conflicts will arise, and how they will be resolved. Then you put it down on paper. This is where the rough draft happens. The story begins to take shape, and you get the important stuff down, but it’s not very exciting. No one wants just a meat sandwich.

It’s time for the flavor. Like swiping on mayo or spicy mustard, perhaps adding pickles or jalapeños, this is where your story really starts to shine. You add those little traits that make your character unique. Something they always say or a habit they can’t break. You flesh out the setting, adding color and depth to each location. Deepen the five senses, making sure you hit at least three per scene. You add beats and pull tags. Drop the overused sayings and replace them with fresh words. Sometimes these last layers take the longest, but they’re where the sandwich goes from ho-hum to delicious.

So where are you at today? Are you pulling out some bread, in the meat stage, or adding the flavor? Better yet, what’s your favorite part? I’m finishing up the meat of a story and ready to head into my favorite part—the flavor. Anyone else?

Hoping your sandwich building is producing something tasty today!

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.

A Thing of the Past: Finding Inspiration from Objects by Susanne Dietze

Where do writers come up with their ideas? Need a writing prompt? Author Susanne Dietze gives some insight into how she came up with her idea for her debut novella. -- Sandy

Susanne: I’m a museum nerd, one of those who loves strolling through exhibits, reading plaques and, on occasion, taking photos of displays (when allowed) so I can soak up every juicy detail of whatever it is I’m admiring. One look at a landscape, snuff box, dress with panniers or potpourri vase and my imagination goes bonkers. Who used the item? How did they feel about it?

Sometimes, that’s how the germ of a story forms. Connecting to Things (for lack of a better word) has set me on paths of research that have molded my stories—including my historical romance novella, Love’s Reward, from The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection.

In that particular case, a hundred-year-old pencil sketch on tracing paper caught my eye and got me thinking.

The premise of my novella required my hero’s involvement in competitions—both professional and personal—which take top priority in his life until a rival offers a reward for the capture of his heart (the only safe female in town, of course, is a charity-minded miss whose only designs are on the hero’s wallet).

Finding a personal contest for my hero was easy, but I wasn’t certain about my hero’s professional challenge. I wanted him to be an architect with a goal, such as winning a commission or a local prize. However, I didn’t know much about his field in the 1800’s. Rather than start looking for articles on the subject, I first peeked at Ebay and Google Images to get a glimpse of architecture tools and buildings from that era.

That’s when I stumbled upon some pencil and pen-and-wash architecture submissions to a global contest held in the 1890’s. (The copyrighted submissions can be viewed here.) In 1896, mining and real estate heiress Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother of media mogul William Randolph Hearst) granted a gift to the University of California, Berkeley, allowing it to hold an International Architectural Competition to determine a master plan for the campus’s buildings and grounds. Over a hundred architects from all over the world competed for the honor.

I was enraptured by those submissions and could imagine my hero busy with his own proposal—and my story fell into place. I had a time and setting for my novella (1896, in Hearst’s San Francisco), data on how architects worked in the 1890’s, and a conflict with much higher stakes than I’d originally planned—all inspired by a Thing I’d seen online.

Ironically, I fictionalized the Hearst Competition as well as the name of the university for my novella, but I felt confident knowing there was a historical precedent for events in my story.

Not everyone is a visual learner, like I am (some of us are auditory or kinesthetic), and not all of us write historical fiction. Nevertheless, looking at Things related to our stories is a form of research that can add depth and detail to our works-in-progress. Whether it’s found in an illustrated guide (even ones for children!) or a site like Ebay, Things can be used to help guide our investigation—at the very least. At best, a writer might find the item sparks the imagination.

And a Thing of the past becomes a vibrant part of a living story.

Do you have a favorite treasure passed down through your family?

~~~~~

Susanne Dietze is a pastor’s wife and mom who began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today she writes in the hope of encouraging and entertaining others. You can visit her on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

LINKS FOR BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Most-Eligible-Bachelor-Romance-Collection/dp/1630588768/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414622240&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=most+eligibe+bachelor

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-most-eligible-bachelor-romance-collection-erica-vetsch/1120363323?ean=9781630588762

Christian Book: http://www.christianbook.com/eligible-bachelor-romance-collection-historical-novellas/erica-vetsch/9781630588762/pd/588762?product_redirect=1&Ntt=588762&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

LINKS FOR SUSANNE:

Website: www.susannedietze.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanneDietzeBooks

Blog: www.susannedietze.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SusanneDietze