The Game of Writing is Won One Down at a Time!

by Sabrina Sentell

I am one of those ladies that love football. I was one of those band geeks in high school and college so I couldn’t help but be involved. Now my oldest son plays the game. Oh and I forgot to mention I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Roll Tide). Enough said.

Football is a big part of my life; therefore when I started thinking about how I could get my writing game better, football terms came to mind. When I am writing and having other people read it (be it editors, friends, etc.), I am playing Defense. I don’t want the other side to break through my line and advance against me because of something I have written. I definitely don’t want any penalty flags thrown either or points scored. I want to protect my lead. 

Then, I thought but how did I get that lead? What got me here? That is my offense-Me actually writing! This is where my writing game is weak. I need to be playing offense a lot more. So here are some of my game plans on how I am going to try to achieve more time on offense.

1.     

           Using the clock wisely-In football, if you are ahead you want that clock to keep ticking so you get the ball off right at the last second. On the other hand, if you are behind you want to snap quickly and get 1^st downs and completions that stop the clock. When writing, we need to be the same way. If we are ahead of our goals, we need to slow down and take assessments. We need to make sure it is our best work. If we are behind on deadlines and goals, then we need to break our goals down into small plays. The small yards can at up to points just as much as one big play. It makes you feel like you have accomplished more which gets you motivated.

2.      Controlling the ball and scoring-I am terrible about finding other projects I need to work on when writing. When you sit down to write and put that “ball” in your hand, you need to concentrate on getting to your goal whether it is editing, rewriting or starting a new piece. Work your game plan and do whatever it takes to get it there. Just remember the ultimate goal is the end zone (finishing your goal for that day).

3.      Protect the Quarterback-That’s you! Don’t allow those defensive players to stop you from making your play. Have a plan. If a distraction comes at you, be able to call another play. If you get sacked (if you have to stop and handle life), deal with it and then get right back on task. Don’t let anything keep you from your goal.

Sitting down to write is a discipline and just like in football you have to be trained and prepared to meet your opponents. As long as I know what keeps me from reaching my goals and make plans accordingly, then maybe at the end of the day, I will hear TOUCHDOWN SABRINA! 

________________________________________

Sabrina is a single mom to two boys who currently uses her English degree in her job.with RFMS in Tuscaloosa, AL. 


As a writer she has written for Lifeway's Preschool Worship Kid Style. She's known since high school she would become a writer when she was told she would one day writer the sequel to "Gone With the Wind". Too bad someone beat her to it.


During the fall, when she's not writing you'll find her cheering on her alma mater, The University of Alabama. Roll Tide!

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Never Can Say Goodbye

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

It’s always fascinated me how characters in movies and on TV don’t end their phone calls with any sort of “goodbye”.  They invariably say the last thing they’ve got to say and then just hang up.

In real life, hanging up the phone without a farewell would literally leave your other party hanging.  They’d think you got cut off, or spend the rest of the day wondering whether they’d said something wrong.

But in fiction, the real-world courtesy of a farewell only serves to bog down the dramatic works.  Consider the difference between these two phone conversations:

“How many bodies are there?”

“Three.”

It took Spangler a moment to collect the right words.

“Is one of them a redhead?”

“Yes.”

“I was afraid of that.”

Spangler closed his phone and reached for his coat.

Versus:

“How many bodies are there?”

“Three.”

It took Spangler a moment to collect the right words.

“Is one of them a redhead?”

“Yes.”

“I was afraid of that.  Okay, I’m leaving right now.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

Spangler closed his phone and reached for his coat.

The banality of a simple closing exchange is almost comical in comparison, since there are much more important things going on for anyone to engage in niceties.  Of course, if the characters are two lovers having late-night pillow talk via phone, a dreamy “Goodnight” is more than appropriate, and easily reinforces the mood.  Hopefully there are no bodies involved.

Hanging up the phone isn’t the only device writers use to end a conversation on the strongest note.  Scenes or chapters often end on a pivotal piece of dialogue, never miring in the rest of what would be anticlimactic verbiage.

Next time you see a character answer the phone, I think you’ll be amused at how unrealistically he or she ends the call.  But in drama it’s the way things are done, and it works.  We take it at face value because the characters do too. 

And, hey, as a writer, those unnecessary words add up to less writing you have to do, and less reading they have to read!  It’s win-win all around.

Well, that’s it for today.  I hope this has been helpful.  See you next Tuesday!  Bye!

Strict-ly Business

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

The Association of American Publishers reported strong growth in year-to-year book sales in 2010. In 2010 there was $11,670,000 in sales marking a 3.6% increase versus the calendar year 2009. E-book sales continued to break records with a 164.4% gains for 2010. $11.67 Billion is an amazing amount of money for any industry especially in a time of economic challenges for most everyone. So the question might be what does that mean for each of us?

These large numbers should remind us that we are a part, whether large or small, of a major money maker in our nation. Our part may be as simple as one that purchases a book to read in our leisure time or as complicated as a writer, editor, agent or publisher. No matter our part we must remember it is a business.    

Many times we as writers get caught up in our emotions and feel what we have written is our baby. We want to nurture and coddle it but like our children we must let our work experience the world of publishing. It can be painful and emotional at times but it is a part of the business, the business that supports us and allows us the luxury of expressing ourselves in thought on printed page.

Many authors will tell you they seldom have the choice of titles. Many are great writers but aren’t the best at choosing titles. As a matter of fact each week I am anxious to see what the title for this blog turns out to be. Our editors here can be merciless. The truth is no matter the decision made by the “powers that be” I am glad to be a part of this wonderful industry. I must remember there are times it is “strictly business” and be thankful to be a part of it.

The First Cut is the Deepest

by Tamera Alexander

“If you love reading novels, don’t try to learn how to write them. It’ll take away some of the joy.” That’s what an author told me years ago, and while I’ve discovered that to be partially true, in order to learn how to write novels well you must love to read them.

In The Wizard of Oz the wizard tells Dorothy, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” But as writers, that’s precisely what we should do. Pay attention. In order to see how a novel works, we can’t merely look at the surface (read the story and enjoy it), we must dig deeper, down to the individual parts of the story that make it so enjoyable, so “unputdownable.”

One way I do that is through dissecting novels, separating them into pieces, or as Webster’s defines it, “exposing the several parts for scientific examination; to analyze and interpret minutely.”

Why should we dissect another writer’s book? Because we learn from others; we learn through imitation. As babies, we learn how to walk and talk from others. Then as we’re learning, repetition is key. We also dissect novels to improve the quality of our writing. Reading great writing only enhances your own voice. You’ve heard the phrase “iron sharpens iron.” And it’s true. The more we learn, the better writers we become.

Six factors to look for when dissecting a novel:

1.      Powerful openings
Roger Ailes in You Are the Message says, “We start to make up our minds about other people within seven seconds of first meeting them.” And it’s no different with novels. An average reader gives a novelist five minutes (or less) to hook them. Gripping first sentences and scenes are a must.

Consider these examples of great first sentences that complement their genre:

Sidda is a girl again in the hot heart of Louisiana, the bayou world of Catholic saints and voodoo queens. —Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (1996)

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. —Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner (2003)

Powerful first sentences and openings are a must.

2.      Distinctive Dialogue

As Anne Lamott shares in Bird by Bird, “One line of dialogue that rings true reveals character in a way that pages of description can’t.”

Authentic dialogue jumps off the page, not only in content, but in style and voice, and compels us to keep reading. Distinctive dialogue advances the story, provides insight into characters, and isn’t weighed down with unnecessary speaker attributions.

3. Balance of Narration
   In Stein on Writing, Sol Stein says, “Recognizing an individual author’s voice is like recognizing a voice on the telephone. Many authors first find their “voice” when they learn to examine each word for its necessity, precision, and clarity.”
   
   Voice is seen in the narration of a novel, certainly, and we can learn from that, but within that voice, how does the author use narration? Do they start chapters with narration? Do they mix it with dialogue? Do they slip in “dreaded” backstory? Which actually, when done well, can be a great tool.
   
   
4. Believable Story world
   “…so you build your story world––a moody, subjective bailiwick, brought to life so vividly with sensory images that each and every reader automatically finds himself transported there, no matter how limited his experience,” says Dwight Swain, in Techniques of the Selling Writer.
   
   How three-dimensional is the story you’re reading? Can you see everything in the setting? Is the author historically accurate? How do they use description?
   
   
5. Compelling Characterization
   “Great characters are the key to great fiction. A high-octane plot is nothing without credible, larger-than-life, highly developed enactors to make it meaningful,” says Donald Maass in Writing the Breakout Novel.
   
   Are the characters memorable? Unique? Do they grow? Do they have believable flaws and virtues, and emotions? Do secondary characters add to the story without stealing the spotlight? Are characters’ motives clear and powerful enough to create and sustain conflict? 

6. Layering
   “…the main task of fiction is to give the reader a continuing emotional experience,” says Sol Stein in How to Grow a Novel.
   
   How big is the story? How many layers does it have? How many different POVs? Deep POV is often what separates a ‘good book’ from a story that impacts your life forever.

Now to grab a book––and a scalpel!

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers, along withFrom a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart (Timber Ridge Reflections series). Her historical romances—including The Inheritance with Thomas Nelson—penned in her style with deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville with Tamera's father, Doug. They enjoy life there with Joe and Tamera's two adult children, and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.

Connect with Tamera online at her website, blog, on Facebook and on Twitter.

They're Watching

by Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief

I thought of something very important this morning. Today is a new day. It’s my day. I can make it a good day or I can make it a bad day.  It will all be up to me. Regardless of what happens today, my attitude towards it will mean the difference between good or bad. 

Oh, I am aware that bad things do happen. I am also aware they happen to everybody eventually.  I think the key is how we handle those things. How we work through them. The attitude we have. Did we see the opportunity in it? 

We’re not alone; people will be watching to see how we handle those times. Will we walk the walk, and talk the talk or will we do a 360-degree turn around and sink down and down to nonfunctioning, or go into a ranting and raving mode or curl up and cry ourselves into a nervous breakdown?  We have many choices. I know for me that I would prefer to bring good out bad whenever it happens. It helps me go forward. What about you?

ACK!

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

Over the 15 years I’ve been online, I think I’ve done a pretty fair job keeping up with the acronyms of internet jargon. Way back when, I was the first on my block to know “LOL”.  (Just for the record, I have yet to use “ROFL”, because I never actually do roll on the floor laughing in real life and am all about truth in advertising.  I will, however, admit to typing the occasional courtesy “LOL”, suggesting that I’m laughing out loud when I’m really just Politely Acknowledging a Pun. But responding with “PAP” would sound disrespectful, so I stick with the old standby, LOL.)

I felt a little less hip to net lingo a couple of weeks ago when one of my clients emailed me to ask if I was available to help him record voice tracks of his children for an audio project. He ended his brief email with “LMK”. That was a new one on me. I almost wrote back, “Loud Mouthed Kids?” but I had the good sense to Google it first. 

Of course, acronyms have been in use long before the worldwide web. We’ll get it there ASAP. I need a little R&R. Elvis knew how to TCB.

And in business, the list of corporations better known by their acronym is endless. IBM, AT&T, NHL, UPS, NBC, AAA … each makes their full real name seem laborious by contrast, plus you can imagine what the companies save on signage.

All of which brings me to this: what if everyone’s first name was actually an acronym?

I’d like to share with you a mindbending little word game my friend Bad Dog and I often played while warming up for a brainstorming session (also known as lunch). It was creative fun with lots of laughs. A good name for this game is “Ack”, for acronym.

You simply take the first name of any person you know anything about – from a family member to a celebrity – and come up with what their name could be an acronym for.  

Examples:

MARK (as in Twain) = Missouri Author Regaling Kids

CONAN (O’Brien) = Comedian Ordinarily Noticed At Night

HANNIBAL (Lector) = Hungry Antagonist Nibbling Neighbors In Beans And Liquor

Obviously, the longer the name, the trickier it can get. But the real challenge is coming up with something fitting, having some measure of accuracy. That’s really the only rule; anything else goes.

As well as being an entertaining diversion, “Ack” enhances writing skills by forcing you to find the perfect words within a very specific, limited framework. I myself have found that it develops a readier ability to conjure up useful phrases at other, more important times. 

Additionally, if you use the names of people you know, you’ll be surprised how soon you discover what you really think of somebody. You hone in pretty quickly on those revealing key words. So you get a little free psychology at the same time.

I invite you to try this little word game, and truly hope you’ll enjoy it. LMK.

Green Means Go

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

What if you never left home until you felt certain all the traffic lights between your home and your destination were green? Don’t laugh! We do that every day in one way or another. Yes, we put things off while waiting on perfection to occur. There are two problems with this. One is perfection in one person’s eyes is not perfection in another’s. The second follows which is, and my apologies to my 9^th Grade English Teacher Mrs. Thurman, “ain’t no such thing as man-made perfection.”

One of the most common areas in which we look for green lights in writing is editing as we go. Instead of writing our blog, short story, or novel we edit it. We look for errors in grammar, sentence structure, plots, character building and the like as we write. Instead of completing our train of thought and then edit, we constantly interrupt it with the thoughts of perfection. I have seen some write as if their piece was to be used as an example of the perfectly written work for generations of writers to follow. Again pardon me Mrs. Thurman, but “chances are it ain’t gonna’ happen.”

The same is true for marketing. What appears to be the perfect marketing plan for one author may not work at all for another. That plan that appears to be perfect was most likely successful after many yellow lights and red lights got in the way. It seems to be perfection now that we are hitting more and more green lights as we go but we still have the occasional yellow and red.    

Preparing the perfect marketing plan is a great idea but you must put it into action to see if it works. If it doesn’t work we must be able to recognize the fact it doesn’t and adapt accordingly. Slow down at the yellows, stop at the reds and continue on with the greens. By the way the reds can be tricky. Abide by the laws and watch for the cameras. There is a reason you need to come to a stop so do so and think about your next move.

 

What keeps you from leaving home? What are the green lights, perfection, you are waiting on? Identify them for what they are (excuses, procrastination, nerves) and pull out of the driveway. Before you know it you will be cruising along and thinking everything is green.

Trick or Treat?

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

With four children still living at home, our house is lively every October 31st. We load up on ghoulish fare such as Swamp Soup and Boneyard Breadsticks before the kids gather truckloads of sugary wonder from our neighbors. They may yell, "Trick or Treat" but are presented with treats not tricks.


Have you ever seen a Twitter account with a gravatar that could shock Lady Godiva?


Have you ever visited a blog with a sweet name but sour posts?


Have you ever graced a Facebook page with a "like" only to be appalled by lack of tolerance and snap judgments by the page owner?


Social media is filled with plenty of tricks who claim to be treats. 


This week as we add another brick to our platforms, let's make it a true treat. No tricks up our sleeves.

Procrastination

by Teri Johnson

"Procrastination is the bad habit of putting of until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” - Napoleon Hill

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young

“Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today's duties put off until tomorrow give us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time.” - Ida Scott Taylor

 “Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin.” - Victor Kiam

“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” - Wayne Gretzky

Really – there is nothing bright, energizing, positive, or exciting about this word.

…PROCRASTINATION

Yet we allow it to hang around. Well, I do – maybe I shouldn’t include you, unless you are with me, are you?

As writers, this character trait becomes a stumbling block if we allow it to manifest itself.  I came face to face with it while I was writing my book, Overcoming the Nevers. It was so glaring I needed to write about it in chapter seven, Transformation:

“One of my defects of character is procrastination. This is no secret; I’ve wrestled with it for a very long time.  …I put things off.  I find it ironic that “procrastinate” is a verb, which indicates it’s an action word, when the word itself means to defer action.

Unfortunately this trait can result in missed opportunities and emotional weariness. Williams James says, “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” When we procrastinate, we are not taking the appropriate action that we know we need to take. We carry thoughts about what we should be doing in our minds. Our thoughts turn into lies and mis-beliefs, and we start to feel that we aren’t good enough, or that we have failed, which is self-sabotaging. We carry the stress of the unfinished business on our shoulders, which drains us and holds us back.

How do I know this? Because I’m experiencing the effects of procrastination through the writing of this book.  …There have been many days I’ve wanted to stop and not move forward. I’ve pushed back deadlines, rationalized excuses and wasted many good writing days by allowing every distraction to creep into my life.

The tapes that continuously play in my mind are I am not a writer, I’m in over my head, this is too hard for me. What I would rather do are the things that I know how to do, like coach a client through a life obstacle.  …I would rather do things that are sociable and fun, like visit with a friend over coffee or go to a movie. The last thing I want to be doing is something in which I don’t feel confident – something that is extremely hard work – something that is refining me to the core and forcing me to dig deep into the depths of my soul.

Fear is the root of my procrastination. Fear of failure. Fear of what others might think. Fear of judgment. Fear of success; what happens if this really takes off, what does that look like? In all the significant areas of my life where I’ve allowed procrastination to set in, I can see that the core of not taking action is fear.”

What is it for you? What allows procrastination to creep into your life?

When we identify the root, mine was F.E.A.R {False Evidence Appearing Real} – we can take action appropriately to change.  We can invite accountability into our lives to help us move past, move forward, to overcome!
_____________________________________________

Teri is a writer, speaker, and sought-after personal growth expert. Her unique strategies have helped transform the lives of her clients, enlightening, guiding and motivating them to achieve even their most deeply desired goals.

She is the President and Founder of Keeping It Personal, a company that specializes in self-development training and discovering your life purpose. She facilitates her clients, who range from executives to hard working stay-at-home moms, through, “The Ultimate Journey”, a course focused on unpacking self deception, to freedom from old destructive behaviors, discover and develop their truth, goals, and most importantly, accomplish them. Through her mentoring and life coaching, Teri’s clients have found personal growth and joy allowing them to improve relationships, decrease stress and anxiety, and move forward in their business and personal life, and more.

Her book, Overcoming The Nevers, is now available! You can learn more about Teri and her book by visiting her personal website. Be inspired daily by signing up to receive The Daily KIP…a little nugget of truth she writes at Keeping it Personal.

Teri is social! Meet her on Facebook here and here or on  Twitter 

Is Your Glass Half Full?

by Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief

PRO’S                                                                                     CON’S

Glass Half Full                                                                        Glass Half Empty

Good things happen to me.                                                     Bad always happens.

I look for good things.                                                            I know bad is coming.

Our thinking process is truly a marvelous instrument. We have it finely tuned to be a magnet in all areas of our lives.

This instrument will produce lack or abundance for us. We make the choice every day, many times during the day. From the time we get up until we go to bed we make choices.

If we choose to think negative and lack, that is exactly what we will draw.

However, if we choose to think abundance and positive thoughts then we draw them.

Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves is “what do we really think we deserve in our lives”?

I hope our answer is we deserve good, positive and abundant living.

And You Can Misquote Me On That

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

Okay, film buffs.  Which of these famous movie lines is misquoted?

“Me Tarzan, you Jane.”

“You dirty rat; you killed my brother.”

 “Play it again, Sam.”

“If you build it; they will come.”

“Luke, I am your father.”

As you may already be aware, they are all incorrect. Despite their familiarity, none of these phrases were ever spoken in those exact words. Close, perhaps, but no cigar. 

Ready for a couple more? These come from the pages of literature:

“Elementary, my dear Watson.” (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never penned this, though Sherlock did finally say it in a movie.)

“Money is the root of all evil.” (Without the key words, ‘The love of money’, its meaning is completely altered.)

Inaccuracy notwithstanding, time and repetition have made classics of these phrases. I would guess a fair share of the movie misquotes are the result of impressionists turning a phrase which becomes the new standard. We’ve all seen comics on Johnny Carson delivering a shifty-shouldered, “You dirty rat”. And the much wordier “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By’…You played it for her, you can play it for me!” just doesn’t play the same in front of a Tonight Show crowd.

Despite the occasionally tattered retelling, these are only a handful of the countless quotes which have stood the test of time to become part of our vocabulary. Does it ever make you wonder if the author had any idea it would become a legendary line as they were writing it? Can you imagine the thrill of having a moment when you’re crafting dialogue and thinking, “There’s a line that will go down in history”? I know that’s an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The phrase that pays is as different as each movie itself. The following have nothing in common other than they reveal a huge revelation in the plot:

“I see dead people.”

“Houston, we have a problem.”

 “It’s alive! It’s alive!”

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

“I’ll be back.”

“You can’t handle the truth!”

We can never predict what words are going to click with the public, but it is apparent that movie lines which do become classics are typically uttered by charismatic main characters; heroes and villains whom readers believe are capable of expressing the wisdom of the ages. (With the possible exception of the unidentified lady diner in When Harry Met Sally who said, “I’ll have what she’s having.”)  (You must admit, though, she was pretty charismatic in her own right.)

Only time will tell if the protagonist in our novel will deliver the next famous quote. But it does behoove us to give each line of dialogue more than a passing consideration. When putting what might become classic words together, it may help to remember short and sweet is the stuff dreams are made of.

For it doesn’t get much simpler than the jungle man’s actual quote, which was merely:

“Tarzan. Jane.”