Jumping Into Writing, Part Two

By Lynn U. Watson

My guest author blog post from Friday continues, today. The Mid-South Christian Writers Conference weekend event concluded with wisdom from keynote speaker, Bob Hostetler.  

An award-winning author and literary agent, Hostetler challenged attendees to consider these questions: Why do I write?  What difference would it make if I didn’t write?

His examples imparted serious wisdom. I typed rapidly as Hostetler spoke desiring to capture the essence of all he shared. I’ve included a tidbit of his wisdom. These are not direct quotes that follow, but close, I pray. . .

What if the disciple John had not written? John could have concluded that there were three Gospels already, and another one was not needed. What could he add they had not already said? What if no one reads it? What if no one cares. What if others laugh at him because he’s an old man doing this? But he didn’t. John said “yes.”

Because John wrote we have the beautiful words that open the Gospel bearing his name: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…” We have John 3:16, and the recording of Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in Cana. We know Jesus’ High Priestly prayer would have never been recorded. A rich treasury of John’s experiences with Jesus and His life would have been gone forever.

Similar things could be said if King David, Isaiah, and Solomon had not written. Think of lost poetry like the 23rd Psalm and deep prayers of David’s heart, the prophecies, and Godly wisdom. Beyond Scripture itself, what if men like Martin Luther, C. S. Lewis, Charles Wesley and Eugene Peterson refused to put to paper the words passionately burning in their hearts?

What if our stories are not written? What would the world miss? When we write for the right purposes, we share our passions and we touch the hearts of others. When we write for our readers, not for ourselves, we touch one life or many lives, but we have completed the task inspired in our hearts to be shared, and God receives the glory. When we write for any other reason, we work for wages far too low.

Our writing success improves (with eternal benefit) when we “fall deeply in love with our subject, not our words.”

As writers we face a solitary and often daunting task. But what if we don’t write? Many writing tips were shared in numerous workshops. I believe everyone attending the conference left at least a bit better equipped to put their words on paper.  

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Lynn U. Watson combines many years' experience in women's ministry, love of essential oils, and her passion for God's word to bring her readers freshly inspired encouragement for their walk with Jesus. Her devotional, The Essence of Courage, was recognized as a 'must read' by regional publishing industry leaders. Married since 1973, Lynn and Steve have filled their Bartlett, Tennessee home with handmade treasures and lots of love for family, especially their five beautiful (of course) grandchildren. Aromas of freshly baked bread often fill Lynn's kitchen. Jasmine, her tuxedo kitty, enjoys sleeping in Lynn's lap while she writes. Here is my website link: https://lynnuwatson.com/

Twenty Discoveries from a Writers’ Conference, Part Two

By Marilyn Nutter

In Part One of Twenty Discoveries from a Writers’ Conference, which appeared on Friday, I shared ten take aways I found after reviewing my notes and reflecting on my schedule and conversations. Part two gives my final ten.

1.      Join conversations at writers’ conferences. These may be a different kind of appointment. Don’t dismiss the possibility you might hear a nugget to encourage you or set you on a path. I had several at this conference, and the people don’t even know how they impacted me. And, be an encouragement to others. Share writing opportunities.

2.      Be a listener. I know what I know. I want to know what someone else knows.

3.      Position yourself to be a learner and be teachable. In John Mason’s book, Be Yourself, he writes “Remember, if you try to go it alone, the fence that shuts others out, also shuts you in.” 

4.      Accept criticism with discernment and humility. Know that it’s one person’s feedback. Perhaps that person can’t identify with your genre or topic or perhaps he is spot on.

5.      Take time to rest and refresh. We can’t run on empty.

6.      Trust God and wait on His timing.

7.      Identify my personal enemies: distractions, negative self-talk, zeal without prayer.

8.      Be thankful.

9.      Honor God by living His priorities for me-family, personally, and in writing.

10.  Partner with Him. He is the author and the one who has called me.

Conference takeaways are not necessarily a contract, request to send a proposal, or offer to guest post on a blog. I’m seeing it’s about learning who I am and who God wants me to become.  Number 20-yes, with courage and trust, “He will fulfill His purpose for me.” (Psalm 138:8a ESV) ###

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Marilyn Nutter is a contributor to magazines, on-line sites, and compilations. She is a Bible teacher, speaker for women’s groups, and serves on the women’s ministry team at her church. She lives in Greer, SC. Visit www.marilynnutter.com to find her blog and extraordinary treasures in ordinary and challenging days. Social Media Links: Website: www.marilynnutter.com LinkedIn: Marilyn Nutter Pinterest: Marilyn Marotta Nutter Facebook: Marilyn Marotta Nutter

CLIFFHANGERS, Part Two

By Marni Graff             

In continuing our talk on cliffhangers, let’s turn to Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, who calls cliffhangers “read on prompts.” He mentions nine different ways all of the above information can be utilized. I’ve adapted these and made minor changes but they reflect his system and clarify how to use this device by naming the categories.

Impending disaster: Centers on an event the character(s) can’t ignore. A classic example is the detective knocking on the door. Maybe a river is flooding and everyone is in danger. But this should always precede a very dramatic part of your story. It’s a demand for action, or even an accident, some kind of happening that requires a response.

Dangerous emotions: A favorite of romance writers, this is the kiss or the almost-kiss; or maybe even the slap in the face! It heightens the emotional tension. Variations in other genres could be a mistaken identity revealed, or a gift that’s refused. Use it to communicate conflicting emotions when characters are attracted to each other and not acknowledging it.

Portent: I call this foreshadowing. Directly implies forthcoming or future action and conflict and is a hint to readers that something important is about to happen. A big plot change is coming, or characters are at a crossroads. Works great for building suspense at any stage of a book. I even used this on the cover of The Golden Hour, with its cozy, domestic scene of a roaring fireplace with a sleeping dog in front. Astute readers notice the discarded child’s toy in the corner . . .

Mysterious Dialogue: These are lines that let the reader know a character knows something is wrong. It can be a question between two or more characters, and may focus on the Who, What, Where, When and Why questions. “Why are you here?” she asked the police officer.

Secret revealed: This is a plot point given as a clue. Later in the work it will be useful to provide a supposed lead or shown to be innocuous; earlier on it is used to move the story forward.

Major decision or vow: Usually an internal commitment for action on the part of a main character. “I will avenge my sister’s death.” You can use this for the antagonist vowing to create mayhem or take revenge, too.

Announcement: of any kind, can be shattering event, an accusation, or even a statement of fact. “I hated him.” It can drive the story forward to a new short or long-term goal or plot complication. OR it can the reverse and work as a plot reversal or setback.

Reversal/surprise: A true reversal, when something appears to be headed one way and turned suddenly so there is a shift in the reader’s perspective. Maybe the supposed good guy kicks a dog, which reveal character and changes how he’s viewed. Or it can be a situation the reader expected to happen, and it doesn’t. Can even be a tranquil event that turns deadly.

Question left unanswered: This can be a true mystery or a missing object. Think of the old trunk in the attic the protagonist stumbles over and its contents raise questions. Or a character finds an old letter that gives information but not enough. This is good for increasing suspense and revealing a major clue. You can use it for a mid-book complication, or even to start the final climax.

I hope these examples will show how you can use cliffhangers to keep readers flipping the pages of your work. After all, that’s what we really want, isn’t it?

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Marni Graff is the Award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. The Nora Tierney English Mysteries feature American Nora living in England. THE BLUE VIRGIN received First Prize in the Mystery and Mayhem Award for Best British Cozy from Chanticleer Review and is set in Oxford. THE GREEN REMAINS takes Nora to the Lake District and murder follows and won the same award for Best British Cozy. THE SCARLET WENCH , shortlisted for the same award, finds Nora involved in finding the murderer from a visiting theatre troupe living amongst her and her son at the lodge where she’s staying. A copy of SW is in the archives of the estate of Noel Coward, as all of the chapter epigrams are lines from his farce, “Blithe Spirit” which figures in the action. The fourth, THE GOLDEN HOUR, debut July 2017. The entire series has also been narrated for Audible books by British actress Nano Nagle.The first Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery, Death Unscripted, is based on Graff’s real-life work as a medical consultant for a New York movie studio. Trudy has that job, too, but in her case, murder follows. This is the book P. D. James insisted Graff write and is dedicated to her. This book was named a finalist for the IAN Awards and is shortlisted as Best Mystery from Chanticleer Media. In progress is Book 2 in that series, DEATH OF AN HEIRESS. Graff is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press, an author’s cooperative based out of Baltimore, MD, and writes this crime review blog, Auntie M Writes. Also known as Auntie M, MK and Marnette, Marni grew up in Floral Park, NY. She currently resides in rural North Carolina, and lives on the Pungo River, part of the coast’s Intracoastal Waterway. Graff is the author of screenplays, stories, essays and poetry, in addition to the two mystery series. Her creative nonfiction was most recently seen in Southern Women’s Review,  Fine Line Anthology and, and Shelf Pleasures. Her poem about Amelia Earhart in an anthology of poems dedicated to the pilot that is on display in Earhart’s hometown museum. Marni Graff @GraffMarni   www.auntiemwrites.com

Resonance in Writing Fiction, Part Two

By Grace Greene

This is the second part of my two-part post about resonance in writing and how it impacts both writer and reader. I hope you enjoyed the first part! Here’s the rest:

The day that Hannah Cooper (from THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES) showed up in my writing room, and I watched her throwing a pot on that well-used potter's wheel, suddenly, I was flooded with the memory of how that soft clay felt in my hands many years ago when I visited the pottery studio in Kentucky, and even before that in the art room in high school. I relived my own hands wedging the clay, centering it, shaping it with the wheel spinning and the clay resisting until the clay body yielded to the pressure of my fingers and began changing in cooperation with them. I remembered the satisfaction—the wholeness of it as a process from unformed clay to final glazed and fired creation.

As I thought about Hannah and what her life experience had been, I also remembered those winter nights in Kentucky where, after cleaning up the clay, the tools, the wheel, I’d gone out into the freezing night to return home. My hands, tender from those hours of shaping wet clay and washing up in soapy water, would crack and bleed during the short walk to my car. Before going to bed, I would cover my hands with Nivea cream and don yellow rubber gloves. I slept wearing those gloves so that my cracked and bleeding flesh would heal quickly and I could get back to working the clay.

While writing Hannah’s story, I remembered the clay and my hands working it, shaping it. I saw my hands, but I also saw Hannah’s hands. Her fingers were longer and slenderer than mine, and her nails were shorter. Even now, I feel the rhythm of that wheel at work, turning and turning, and I hear Hannah humming softly, lost in the act of creation, in tune with the song of the turning wheel. So, I heard Hannah’s voice and I wrote the story of her early life in Cooper’s Hollow, and of her returning there as an adult. There were difficult parts and lots of painful editing, but it felt like a privilege. In many ways, Hannah Cooper’s story resonated with me and I had no choice but to write it, and to gift some of my own memories to her story. When you read THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES you’ll recognize some of the story elements I’ve mentioned above.

My story. Hannah’s story. Different people, different stories—one real and one totally fictional—and I chased that resonance to the end until the book was finished. For the reader, the intersection of the finished book with their own real-life experiences completes the resonant journey. It is as if I have passed a dream or a memory—or perhaps even a small, newly-created world—to someone else via that story.

Story elements with the potential to resonate are almost limitless because it depends upon who’s doing the reading and the writing. Working with clay is one example of what resonated with me as the author writing this book, and I hope it will connect with some readers. Other elements in Hannah Cooper’s story—elements and details that may not have seemed especially important to me at the time I wrote Hannah’s story—may resonate more strongly with other readers. That’s why it’s all important—all the details and elements of our lives and our stories that resonate between us and connect us.

Happy reading and happy resonance!

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Grace Greene writes women's fiction and contemporary romance with suspense. A Virginia native, Grace has family ties to North Carolina. She writes books set in both locations. Please visit Grace at www.gracegreene.com and sign up for her newsletter there.The Emerald Isle books, BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS, are set in North Carolina where "It's always a good time for a love story and a trip to the beach." Or travel down Virginia Country Roads in KINCAID'S HOPE, A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER, and CUB CREEK and "Take a trip to love, mystery and suspense. Her most recent release is THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN and her next will be THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES was release on 9/5/17 BEACH RENTAL, her debut novel, won the Booksellers Best contest in both the Traditional and Best First Book categories. BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS were each awarded 4.5 stars, Top Pick by RT Book Reviews magazine.
Grace lives in central Virginia. Her Social Media links are: Website  Twitter  Facebook

How to Write a Book in Five Months or Less in Your Spare Time, Part Two

By Theresa Oliver

Part Two continues today from Theresa Oliver. Part One appeared on Friday, Feburary 3, 2017.

   

MY WRITING PLAN:

I decided to write two scenes per chapter, with each chapter between 10-20 pages. Then, I decided that I needed to write at least twenty chapters per book. At writing one chapter per week, I soon finished my book in less than five months.  And you can, too.  

It’s important to note that on some weeks, I could write more, which was great. But if there was a day that I couldn’t write, I remembered my commitment to write at least one chapter a week and didn’t beat myself up over it. Since then, I have written six books with more to come.

BOOK DESIGN: Along with being a published author, I am also a teacher. When I was teaching middle school, I wanted to encourage my students to write and began researching ways to break writing down into digestible bites. That is when I found Fraytag’s Plot Pyramid, one of the best descriptors of how a short story—and novel—is written.

If you notice, here is how Fraytag broke down plot: introduction, rising action, conflict (not pictured), climax, falling action, resolution (not pictured), and denouement. It’s important to note that Fraytag said that three-fourths of the action happens on the left side of the pyramid, and only one-fourth happens on the right. After all, once the conflict is resolved, there is no story, right?

WRITING YOUR BOOK:

When you start writing your book, do not waste too much time on back story. Introduce your characters, basic plot, and conflict in your first chapter, and hit the ground running right away. Start your book off in the action. Give the reader enough information to get to know the characters, but do not linger there. You can give the reader the details of the character’s past as needed. Remember: your readers are on a need-to-know basis. As writers, we must hook the reader within the first chapter, or else why should the reader continue to reading?

It’s important to note that at the end of each chapter, the writer must leave a bit of a cliffhanger to keep the reader coming back for more. Only one sentence or two will do, but no more. This will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next, and will keep the reader turning the page.

Also, when you first sit down to write your book, do not worry about knowing every detail that will happen during the course of your book. When I sit down to start writing a new book, I know what will happen at the beginning, middle, and end, but only in points: point A, point B, etc., but the beauty of writing is in connecting the dots, using scenes to connect the points together into a cohesive book. So, don’t fret if you don’t know everything that will happen in your book right away. Trust your characters and let them lead you—but only to a point. It’s important for the writer to maintain control of the direction of his or her book. I always have a mental outline of my book, but if you are one to write out a detailed outline, then do it! Just don’t be governed by it. Use it as a writing plan, but don’t be afraid to deviate from it when needed … as long as you keep your book on track, headed toward your intended outcome.

CONCLUSION:

So, this is the strategy that I use to write my books and you can, too. You might think that it just can’t be this simple, but it is. The most important thing to do is to follow the plan and to do it. Don’t let the vision of writing a whole book intimidate you. Do for yourself what I did for my students: break it down into digestible bites, set a goal, then make a plan to achieve your goal—and stick to it! You can do it. Whether you are a seasoned veteran published author or a novice to the writing game, you, too, can write a book in five months or less in your spare time.

Happy writing!

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Theresa Oliver grew up in southern Indiana, across from Louisville, Kentucky, in Clarksville, Indiana. In her childhood, she fell in love with the power of the written word, a love affair that has continued her whole life. She moved to Florida, where she has lived much of her adult life. She attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, Tenn., and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree, News Editorial sequence. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, Early Childhood Education sequence, from Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Ga. She is currently a writer, a full-time teacher, and the owner of Write More Publications and TNT Author Services. However, her greatest adventure is as a mother of three beautiful boys. Oliver currently resides in Kissimmee, Florida, with her husband and children.

Facebook Advertisement Strategies: What You Need to Know, Part Two

By Sheena Mathieson

Tips on Getting Likes on a Facebook Page

Facebook Likes can be used to measure the exposure of a certain franchise, personality, or product. The more Likes a page has, the more people can see its posts on their news feed. Accounts that like your page become your Facebook followers and they are privy to the posts that appear on the page. This is why people are always promoting others to like their Facebook pages whenever they can. Part of proper Facebook management is keeping the content of the page engaging to the viewers. Here are some tips to get more likes on your Facebook page:

Keep your posts short and interesting. Nowadays, people scrolling through their news feeds have short attention spans and hardly ever read long text posts so make sure the posts are engaging and straight to the point.

Include colorful pictures that pique the interests of the visitors. Be particular with the profile picture and cover photo. These are the first things a new visitor will see on your Facebook page. In addition to the pinned post, this will help build a good impression to new users. Bright colors immediately grab the attention of the people when they scroll the timeline. Posting the related text in picture format would also help project your message in a visual way.

Witty and funny posts are likely to get Facebook Likes and Shares and will cause new visitors to check out your page and potentially subscribe to it, increasing your Facebook followers. Each time a user shares any of the content on your page, exposes your page to other users from the sharer’s friend list, which is good for publicity.

Sharing and relating trending posts to the subject matter is also a way of using popular topics to draw more attention to your Facebook page. As these posts have a huge number of views and hits every day, capitalize on their popularity by relating these posts to your content.

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Sheena Mathieson is a content writer from Kentucky. She understands the essence of making excellent content that suits the needs of every business especially when it comes online marketing. She can spice up your marketing campaign with the content she writes. Her social media links are Twitter, Facebook, Linkin: and Website, 

The Ghost is Alive and Well, Part Two

By Peter N. Dudar

I wrote SPIDERS after my father died.  Before Dad passed away, I was a strict disciple to the notion that in the ghost story, ghosts are NEVER the antagonist.  I believed that the ghost’s role in such tales was to be the catalyst to a mystery; that they were a loved one to be avenged (Hamlet’s Father), or a tool to expose some terrible wrongdoing (Straub’s Ghost Story).  I’d always felt that a true haunting came with the protagonist having to delve into deep psychological darkness in order to uncover the truth to these hidden mysteries.  I felt that authors that used ghosts as antagonists were doing the genre an injustice, as they were reducing the ghost to the same realm as the vampire, zombie, and serial killer (and I can recall with great clarity and frustration an argument I had with a colleague that Freddy Krueger of the A Nightmare on Elm Street series was NOT a ghost, although nowadays I’m not so sure I was correct).  Beyond that, both literature and Hollywood were producing new, scary works that also prescribed to this opposing view of ghosts as antagonist.  Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box was a significant critical success, with the ghost of Craddock McDermott stalking the aged rocker Jude Coyne and his girlfriend Georgia.  The film world was turned upside-down with Japan’s image-laden Ringu (The Ring) and Ju-on (The Grudge), both of which featured ghosts that not only had mysteries, but also had an insatiable lust to torment the living. And a tidal wave of knock-offs came crashing behind them.

I don’t consider this to be a bad thing.  Far from it; I found the ghost story to be exciting again.  But not just the ghost story in itself, I found the new surge of fan appreciation to be invigorating and inspiring.  Heart Shaped Box was not just an intense, break-neck story…it was an homage to the myth and legend of rock ‘n roll.  The Japanese films and their Americanized reboots were steeped in dark tone and atmosphere and upsetting imagery.  Even the faux-documentary films like Paranormal Activity were scare-inducing thrill rides.  It was just that I was a stubborn cuss that wasn’t ready to change my perspective about what I thought I knew best.

WHERE SPIDERS FEAR TO SPIN has a ghostly antagonist.  I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my perspective on the ghost story changed after my own father’s death.  After all, the ghost of Andrew Mills IS a father and IS out for his own personal revenge, rather than expecting his daughter Theresa to solve any mysteries and avenge him so that he can rest in peace.  The book is, by extension, my own personal coming to terms with my father’s death, even if my Dad’s passing has absolutely nothing in common with Andy Mills.  With this story, I wanted to take on a fresh perspective…something I had not examined before but needed to do so to cope with my own loss.  This book is chock full of dark, disturbing imagery and tone.  It revolves internally with death and afterlife and the shadowy spaces in between.  And at its core is a redemption tale, which continues to fascinate me.  I think my father would have liked it.

And therein lays the key to the ghost story; that perspectives change.  Even though children will always thrill and shriek at campfire ghost stories, even though horror films will find new ways to expose supernatural occurrences, even though we horror writers will invent new characters to haunt and be haunted, our understanding of death and how we feel about it will never be satisfied.  Ghosts were not meant to be metaphors like their monstrous brethren of vampire, zombie, and serial killer.  Ghosts are intimate reminders of our own mortality.  Ghosts are US in the future tense, in a future that is unpredictable within a landscape of darkness and uncertainty.  Ghosts are the conflicts we create for ourselves when we turn off the lights and imagine what death will hold for us.

…and in the darkness, all things are scary.

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Peter N. Dudar is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of A Requiem For Dead Flies, Dolly and Other Stories, The Angel of Death, and Blood Cult of the Booby Farmers. His short fiction can be found in numerous anthologies and online fiction sites.  He currently lives in Lisbon Falls, Maine, where he continues to write fiction, a film review column for CinemaKnifeFight.com, and his own personal blog, "Dead By Friday", on WordPress.  Dudar is a member of the New England Horror Writers, and hosts a writers group called The Tuesday Mayhem Society.  His latest book, Where Spiders Fear To Spin, will be released on June 1st through Books and Boos Press.