The Re-Write

By Sophia Barnes

I personally find that the most stressful part about being a writer comes after I’ve submitted my manuscript to my editor and have to wait for her feedback. It can be nail-bitingly tense, handing over my innermost thoughts and ideas for cross examination. So much time and effort goes into each book – we’re looking at three to four months of work now resting in the hands of an individual who’s going to comment on all of its flaws. But, the good part is that although I do dread my editor’s feedback, I completely trust her opinion and know that the story is only going to get better from here on out. Naturally, I always try to write that perfect book that doesn’t need a lot of extra work, but over the years I’ve come to realize and accept that doing so simply isn’t possible – at least not for me. For the most part, all of my stories have had scenes added and deleted, they’ve required more character development and sometimes complete plot overhauls.

In fact, the story I’m currently working on is going to get re-written from scratch. I just spoke to my editor two days ago – she was very apologetic and sweet on the phone – but the bottom line was that she didn’t like the plot at all. Now, I could argue with her and try to defend my story, but at the same time I appreciate her skill and can therefore see that she has a valid point. Plus, I would prefer that she finds the issues and points them out to me rather than that reviewers tear me to shreds once the story gets published. So, as depressing as it feels at the moment, I’m tossing an entire book (though I may be able to save the first chapter and a bit from the middle) and starting fresh. I’ve spent the weekend writing a new plot outline which I will present to my editor before I start writing again. During this process, I decided to go back to basics and look at how to create plot structure from an inciting moment to various stages of attempted solutions and complications that eventually lead to the hero’s/heroine’s dark moment and the final climax. This is the simple stuff that ought to come naturally, but sometimes a little refreshing can help clarify issues and help tighten the story.

The point here is that I have always found writing to be an ongoing learning experience. 

Sometimes, I get so lost in my ideas and characters and the direction in which I see them moving that I forget the simplest aspects of storytelling. In those moments, it’s good to take a step back and recognize that mistakes have been made.

Now that I see what those mistakes are, it’s time to fix them, because at the end of the day, the most important thing for me is to deliver a wonderful experience to my readers – an experience that fulfills the promise I’ve made to them with all of my previous books – the one that tells them what sort of adventure I’m about to take them on the moment they sit down and read my story.

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Born in Denmark, Sophie Barnes has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She’s lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian. She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor’s degree from Parson’s School of Design, but most impressive of all – she’s been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses. While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion – writing. When she’s not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading. She currently lives on the East Coast. Social Links: Website   FB Twitter - @BarnesSophie Blogger  Goodreads  Amazon Pinterest  

Sell Your Books–– Use Speaking Engagements

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

First, let me tell you, speakers are needed. Organizations, conferences, associations, corporations, events, ladies’ groups, church groups, these are just some of the places speakers are needed.

Back in the eighties, I had the privilege to attend a conference in San Diego, CA. and hear well known successful speaker Brain Tracy. He held my attention to the point I did not want him to stop talking and from the looks of the audience, they didn’t either.

When he did finish, people were standing in line to buy a complete set of his tapes. Yes, me too.

Listening to him, there was no doubt in our minds we could all be successful. His tapes were offering us that opportunity to learn from a pro. I wish I still had those tapes, but somewhere along the line they disappeared.

Not long ago I read this quote from him, “The reason why successful people are successful in speaking is because they have a burning message that they want to share, that people can really benefit from.” Aren’t you burning to tell people about your book? Aren’t you passionate about your book?

Before you tell yourself you are too shy to speak in front of groups, let me ask you a question. When your family gets together for special holidays, events, etc., do you have a problem talking in that group? No? Then you can learn to speak in front of other groups, providing you have a passion for the subject.

So now I ask you, are there some things you feel passionate about and want to share information with others? Can you tie those things into your book?

Sit down with your book. Make a list of the things that make your book interesting. Think about the current things going on in the world today, can you relate your book to one or more of those?

Make a list of what people ask you about being a writer. How do you come up with ideas? How do you determine where you will set your story? Are the characters people you know? Family members? Are you one of the characters? Where did the idea come from for this book? What is the world of a writer? There are many more questions, so think of some more and write them down.

Now out of those, come up with at least five you could build a 20 minute talk, a 30 minute talk, or an hour. Write the key points down.

The next part is research, looking for places to give a speech. In your town, there are groups looking for someone to give a twenty-thirty minute speech. Look at the ladies organizations. They love having authors. Book stores, libraries, the list goes on.

Always remember to read an excerpt from your book, hold up your book, and give them an opportunity after your speech to buy one.

Old Familiar Friends

By Michael Hicks Thompson

I have no idea if any of those “How to Write a Novel” books (e.g., King’s On Writing, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft) or any others) taught this, but I’ve not read it anywhere; though, I doubt I’m the only one to offer it up.

I discovered a principle about readers. Simply by reading my manuscript through, page by page, word by word, dozens of times.

Here’s what I discovered. Readers need to encounter familiar friends (even foes) during the course of reading a novel. Why? Because readers need familiar characters to pop up throughout the story. Otherwise, their subconscious asks them, “Where’s that character, Freddie? I haven’t read anything about him for ten chapters.” Well, people don’t think exactly like that, but you get the point.

Think of it this way. If a writer brings up a character in the first third, that character will need to reappear again. Maybe even multiple times, depending on the size of the character’s role in the first third. The more description, dialogue, or substance an author gives to a character, the more that character needs to come back into the story. I had to re-write a major portion of my novel when I discovered that I’d simply written this one scene about a deputy on the Greenlee Sheriff’s Force.

She reached in her purse and retrieved a thin, silver-engraved box of cigarettes. She selected one and inserted it into a shiny black holder. Deputy Cox, who’d been leaning against the doorjamb, pulled a Zippo from his pocket, strutted over, and lit it. She smiled at him, tossed her head back, and blew out a smoke ring as big as my dinner plates. Cox grinned and dropped the lighter in his trousers, while Butch continued.

 And one page over, the Sheriff is telling Cox to take Tully Ivey back to the Grater house.

“Cox, I want you to drive Miz Ivey and Mr. Carr out to the Grater house.”

“Be my pleasure,” Cox said, spreading his cowboy legs, both thumbs wrapped around his belt buckle.

I had left Cox out for the rest of the story. Stupid me. But, it’s easy to do unless you look for such occurrences, and I did, after reading the doggone manuscript over a dozen times.

Leave out old friends, and you’ll leave your reader out.

Here’s what I did. I brought Cox back later, in a subtle way, i.e., not trying to connect his love interest in Tully Ivey, America’s most famous actress, but simply learning from her how Tarot cards work. Eerie.

Haven’t you read novels where a character came into play in the first third with a seemingly big set-up, only never to hear from him again? It happens all the time.

You see, it’s difficult to juggle a mystery novel. To keep the plot moving, the clues, the red herrings, the humor, the empathy, the struggle, yet be aware of every character’s role and their place in the story tell

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Michael Hicks Thompson received his masters degree in mass communication from the University of South Carolina, after an undergrad from Ole Miss. He started a one-man ad agency that grew into 87 employees in two cities, where he was CEO/creative director/copywriter. His firm, Thompson & Company won numerous national and international creative awards. He sold the firm in 2011, and now devotes his time to writing the Solo series. The Rector has already won several major awards. He's been a team member in Kairos' prison ministry for two years; also been to Cuba on door-to-door evangelism trips, and spoken at large conventions as featured speaker on the life of David ben Jesse. You can actually "See Inside" the DAVID books at www.shepking.com, or Amazon. Oh you won't want to miss the photo of Goliath and the Ark of the Covenant. Michael had both of them made for a book signing tour. His latest book The Actress has released.

Trans-Cultural Writing

By Tony Kail

As a non-fiction writer who has spent several years writing about various religious and healing cultures, I am reminded on a daily basis the importance of practicing transcultural writing skills. As a cultural anthropologist that provides training to medical organizations, I have become quite familiar with a specialized area of nursing known as ‘transcultural nursing’. Transcultural nursing focuses on learning about a patient’s culture and being able to provide effective healthcare while showing sensitivity and respect to the beliefs, customs and practices of the patient. The discipline also focuses on keeping communication open with patients while avoiding stereotypes and personal judgements that could affect patient care. These practices also translate to those of us who are researchers and writers that write about historical people, places and cultures.

As a writer it is important that we understand that writing about a particular culture means that we are taking part in the world’s dialogue about a culture. Anthropology teaches that we can be susceptible to becoming ‘ethnocentric’. That is trying to place our own prejudices and beliefs on someone else’s culture because we feel that our way of thinking is the only way of thinking. How can this manifest in writing? Suppose you are writing about a particular practice or religion that you personally philosophically disagree with. Our terminology can reflect bias feelings. For example, what if you perceived a specific practice as foolish but yet the practice is considered a valid way of being among members of a specific culture. Would you use terms to convey your belief? ‘Foolish’, ‘Weird’ and even more descriptive terms like ‘demonic’, ‘scary’ or ‘evil’ can quickly convey to your reader that you are less interested in being non-bias and accurate in providing historical data and more concerned about promoting a specific worldview. This is acceptable if you are writing for a specific religious or philosophical genre but it is very questionable when used in non-fiction or historical writing.

Another element that is important is that as non-fiction writers we need to realize that no matter how interesting our subject matter may be to us that it is someone else’s reality. Recently writing about the culture of hoodoo and African inspired rootwork history in the southern U.S. it could become very easy to get caught up in the imagery of the fascinating vintage products used in hoodoo and the pop culture representations of blues singers and mojo bags. However the truth is that the rootwork culture is a living culture with living practitioners. It is not practiced as a hobby or a game, but it is a traditional practice with a real historic lineage that had to survive through slavery and segregation in the South. 

This understanding affected how I performed interviews and how I communicated the stories of these practitioners. No longer were they anonymous shadowy characters but were real people. They were sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. While interviewing sources to obtain knowledge about a particular culture it is important that we show respect in our listening and our writing as in the practice of transcultural nursing.

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Tony Kail is a cultural anthropologist, ethnographer and writer. Kail holds a degree in cultural anthropology and has been involved in research of magico-religious cultures for more than twenty-five years. He is a cultural consultant for local, state and federal medical and public safety agencies on issues related to cultural diversity, religious culture and transcultural communication. His latest book is A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo:Rootworkers, Conjurers & Spirituals from The History Press. Website: www.memphishoodoo.com Twitter: @memphishoodoo

Enhanced

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

I recently was introduced to a lady that was wearing a green diamond solitaire ring. My interest in diamonds is weighed only by how large and shiny one is. But I have to admit this one was exceptional. Although not large by most standards, the color alone seemed to make the stone jump out at me. Enough so I had to ask the owner about it.

I was told it was a family piece owned by her mother. It was a gift from her father to her mother many years ago. Her father being in the oil business in Houston, Texas had the money to purchase such an extravagant gift early in their marriage. It weighed 1.999 carats and was mounted on a simple gold solitaire mounting. The character of the piece was carried by its green color. She said a recent appraisal by a gemologist in our area had revealed the stone was enhanced giving it the green color.

I had not heard of stones being enhanced but was told there is a process for all sorts of enhancements for the treatment of clarity as well as color. Clarity enhancements are done to remove or reduce any dark carbon inclusions or to fill any fractures in the stone. Removing the carbon inclusions is done by laser drilling with a surgical laser and soaking the diamond in sulfuric acid dissolving the carbon. This technique was developed in the 60’s. This reduces the visibility of the carbon and enhances the clarity. Fracture filling has been done for a few thousand years. In the beginning simple materials such as wax was used. Today there are secret formulas of lead based glass as well as silicone being used to fill those fractures and give continuity to the clear appearance of the stone.

As for color enhancements the colors are from radiation treatments of 4 various methods. The green diamond I was shown was known as a cyclotroned diamond. Cyclotroned diamonds have a green to blue green color and are treated only on the surface using gamma rays.  

All methods are known to gemologist and each of these enhancements can be seen by them when the stone is under a microscope. This is a known part of the diamond trade not often discussed with the purchaser but apparently determines the appraisal value of each and every stone. I can only wonder if the price of the stone is enhanced as well.

As writers we too enhance our product. Many of our stories have been enhanced in various ways to improve the appearance of our characters, settings or tales. Our little gems are similar from those dug from the earth. We may cut, polish, laser and fill to enhance the original. In the end our little gems, like the green diamond, may never be known as enhanced unless it is told. Let’s keep them guessing.      

  

       

Living Libraries

By Eva Marie Everson

As is true with most cultures, the South loves story. And she’s not above making some of it up.

Most Southerners can tell you about the history of their family—where they hailed from, how many fought in the “War of Northern Aggression,” who originally owned this piece of jewelry, or how that shotgun managed to make it back from the war.

Nearly every Southern adult in their sunset years can tell you about surviving the Great Depression—wearing potato-sack clothes, working rows of cotton and endless tobacco fields. Difficult as they were, these were the best of times, they’ll tell you. Times when families sat in front-porch rockers and talked.

These are the folks I call “living libraries.”

Too often, as I try to recall something one of my parents or grandparents told me about such-and-such a time, I also realize there is no one to verify that story fragment I no longer remember.

When Aunt Snook snuck off to marry the soldier, was her dress cobalt blue like her eyes . . . or chocolate brown like her hair? And did they sneak off because her daddy didn’t approve . . . or his mama?

Writing The One True Love of Alice-Ann (Tyndale House Publishers, April 2017), a story set in World War II, began with a remembrance of a tale told to me by neighbors, now both deceased. He had been shot down in the Pacific and survived. But she had been told he died.

This led to the “what if” all novel writers live for.

What if, I thought, she had met another man? What if she fell in love with him, only to discover her first true love hadn’t died at all?

To set the novel during WWII came without question. But my knowledge of that era was sadly limited mostly to what I’d seen in movies.

My parents are deceased, but they have living siblings. I found my aunts and uncles excited to share their stories. (They had been children during the war, but they remembered the years well.) As it happened, one of my maternal uncles owned a book that recounted the taking of nearly 300,000 acres of private farmland in five Georgia counties by the government to build Camp Stewart, today one of the most vital Army posts in our country. “They took a good deal of Granddaddy Kicklighter’s land,” my uncle said, “and he had a stroke.”

Literally. He had a stroke.

That went in the book.

My brother remembered our paternal grandmother—a tenant farmwife—telling about German and Italian POWs held in Bulloch County who helped tend the land alongside them. “They were nice,” Grandma said. “And said we were kinder than their own countrymen.” And that went in the novel.

Our grandmother died in 2000, but her youngest child shared memories of swimming in the pond after long days of farming . . . and that went in the novel too.

As I worked on the manuscript, my brother called to tell me the Bulloch Historical Society had located the land where the POW camp once stood. The reporter had interviewed 101-year-old Naomi Neville, who remembered cooking for the prisoners who worked her late husband’s peanut farm.

Turns out, he had been the cousin of my maternal grandmother.

I devoured the article.

In addition to reaching out to living libraries, I read books from brick-and-mortar libraries. I viewed documentaries and films. I studied advertisements and articles from a bygone era.

And, in the end, I had a novel I’m quite proud of.

But I’m fearful because we’re losing the oldest members of our living libraries. Soon enough, we will be a part of the volumes on the shelves.

Perhaps we already are.

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Eva Marie Everson is the award-winning, bestselling author of over 30 fiction and nonfiction titles. She is the president of Word Weavers International, the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, and a popular speaker across the US. Her latest work, The One True Love of Alice-Ann, releases in April 2017 from Tyndale House Publishers.

When in Doubt

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


While browsing Facebook this weekend, I came across this exchange:

Linda: There are days, like this one, when I want to shred my manuscript and throw my computer in the pond. It'll happen someday. I'll toss everything and take up basket weaving.

Kathleen: That just means you're a writer.

Linda: You mean other writers want to throw their computer in a pond?

This amusing dialogue (which I've been granted permission to share) was between authors Linda Yezak and Kathleen Y'Barbo.  And each of these successful writers make a good point:

1) You know you're a writer when you get frustrated with your writing.
2) Every writer gets frustrated with their writing.

Frustration and moments of doubt, however, don't stop Linda nor Kathleen. Linda Yezak's latest novel The Final Ride just won First Place in Christian Fiction by the Texas Association of Authors. And Kathleen Y'Barbo's vast catalog, including last week's re-release of Not the Marrying Kind, would easily fill two shelves at Barnes & Noble.

Looking through the 1.8 million book titles on Amazon, or reading the success stories of other writers, it would be easy to question our own value to the writing community. We sometimes forget that the struggles we face are the same ones shared by every writer.

"We learn from failure, not from success," said Bram Stoker.  It is quite an achievement when we've honed our craft well enough to recognize when something doesn't meet our standards.  Especially something that we've written.  The ability to distinguish wheat from the chaff in our own writing is something most novices can't do, dazzled instead by the joy of simply getting words on a page.

A few months back, one of my favorite author/lecturers spoke to a crowd of fellow writers.  She revealed the insecurities she's had to overcome, including that of speaking in front of a live audience. If she had simply given a great talk (which she did), we'd have been impressed.  But we respected her even more because she shared her vulnerabilities. The entire audience immediately bonded to her as fellow victims of self-doubt.

It's nice to know we're not alone, and that even in frustrating moments we're honoring a grand tradition of all the writers who, like Stephen King, laughed in the face of rejection slips and even stuck them on a nail to impale them. Don't lose your battle for want of a nail.

Follow the advice of Rise Up and Salute the Sun author Suzy Kassem: "Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will." Can that attitude help you succeed?  Undoubtedly.

Quirky Sources to Add to Your Characterization

By DiAnn Mills

I live and breathe story—most writers do. And we’re always looking for ways to ensure our characters and their predicaments are exciting and unique. Some of the places we look can be a bit . . . different. But the exploration is worth it.

Here are a few areas in which I’ve found ways to add idiosyncrasies to character, plot, dialogue, setting, emotion, narration, body language, and symbolism. You might find your next plot twist there too.

Coffee, Tea, or Milk?

I admit my characters drink coffee. Usually black. But what about a tea drinker? What brand? Sugar or cream? Use a tea bag or steep the leaves? Visit a shop that carries tea and check out the buyers. You’ll find all sizes and ages. What if your character is a milk drinker? Whole milk or two percent? Your character could despise coffee, tea, is lactose intolerant and drinks only lemonade.

Grocery Store

Everyone needs to buy food, and most of us develop habits that stick throughout life. Does your character smell the pineapple? Squeeze a head of lettuce? Always buys two of each kind of fruit. Only selects organic products? Despises vegetables and replaces them with green apples? What about your character’s choice of candy—from gummy worms to dark chocolate? Does your character save the dairy and bakery department until last, or does the ice cream always melt by the time he/she gets to the checkout line?

Habits

Observe what is going on the next time you’re at a hair or nail salon. Women can have some crazy habits regarding their hair, fingers, and toes, everything from color to style. What about a woman at a hardware store searching for nails or plumbing supplies? Open up a character’s closet. Is it organized and tidy or a train wreck? Study those people at a family reunion. Who resembles whom and what mannerisms make them distinct?

Pets

Who doesn’t love a devoted dog, cat, or horse? Does your character have a hamster that keeps the owner up all night? A pot-belly pig that’s housebroken? An obnoxious parrot?

Mall Walkers

I used to think the only mall walkers were of the seasoned citizen variety, but not so. I see women pushing strollers and men joining them. Some of the walkers window-shop, sip coffee, chat on the phone, make sure they don’t work up a sweat, and (my personal favorite) pump their arms and legs as though heading for the Olympic gold.

Water Park

Preferably in the summer because the writer will want to participate in the fun. This is another place to snap a ton of pics. Who zooms down a water slide? Who’s the man who doesn’t want to get wet? Who’s there to show off his/her body? Who could care less how he/she looks—those enthusiasts just want to have fun.

Workout Facility

Sometimes this can be compared to a zoo. Need I say more?

Zoo

What about a character who has a snake, parrot, iguana, or monkey pig for a pet? Tour your zoo. Take pics. A few of the animals might resemble your characters.

Distinct details about our stories can be found anywhere. Search out for real people in real situations. You never know what you might find.

How do you find distinct characters?

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DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall. DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. Her latest book Deep Extraction releases, today. DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com

Designation and Discipline: Doing It All

By Dana Chamblee Carpenter

Have you ever seen those water works exhibits they have in most children’s science museums? It’s a pretty simple system—a single source of water flowing into a larger basin that has slots where kids insert in plastic pieces of varying sizes and shapes to block the water or redirect the flow. While they play, a calm settles on the children, their faces relaxed but determined, and they grow quiet in the intensity of their focus. If you dare to play yourself, you learn why.

Most of us lead very full lives these days, juggling roles at work, as a partner or spouse or a parent, shouldering our social obligations and community work. For those of us who write, trying to squeeze an extra role into the midst of all the others sometimes feels impossible.

I used to think about it like juggling balls or spinning plates—if I worked fast enough and clever enough, I could do it all. But then the balls fell and the plates broke because, beyond my control, some part of my schedule changed, or because I got tired running from one plate to another and gave up.

For writers, giving up isn’t really an option though. We write because we must, because we have stories in our heads and hearts that need telling, because we have characters who need to be alive.

So how do we do that good and necessary work in the midst of all the other?

We become like the kids playing at the water works. We recognize that there is a single source for what we do in a day or a week, a finite amount of energy and time. We first pay close attention to keeping that well of water full. Rest, reading, play, exercise, meditation—whatever fills you up must be a priority. Nothing can flow out of an empty well.

And then, we must realize that we don’t control the circumstances around us so much as we navigate them.

Like the child building a wall to direct the water flow, I can choose where to direct my energies. In the morning, I want my energy to flow into my writing. Doesn’t mean I won’t get interrupted by one of my kids or have to deal with a service call or a student, but if I’m thinking about myself like water, directing my energy where I want it to go, those issues I can’t control are merely momentary distractions, obstructions I can swirl past like a river runs around a rock.

Because I am fluid but focused, I move past the distraction quickly and get back to writing. And, when it’s time, I redirect my energies to other roles—parenting or teaching. When I sense that my well is getting dry, I stop to do the important work of filling it back up again.

A sense of calm empowerment settles on me like on the faces of the children at play, and the noisy clutter of a busy life falls silent in the intensity of my focus.

And then the words come.

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Dana Chamblee Carpenter is the author of The Devil’s Bible, the sequel to Bohemian Gospel, a supernatural historical thriller which won the 2014 Killer Nashville Claymore Award and which Publisher’s Weekly called “a deliciously creepy debut.” Edgar Award nominee and author of Bliss House and The Abandoned Heart, Laura Benedict says, “Look out, Dan Brown. Dana Chamblee Carpenter is the angels' new champion in the timeless battle between darkness and light. The Devil's Bible is not just a book, but a shining, vibrant tale for the ages—told with history and heart—that will have readers both weeping and cheering not only for brave Mouse, but for all of humanity.” Carpenter’s award winning short fiction has appeared in The Arkansas Review, Jersey Devil Press, Maypop, and, most recently in the anthology, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold Blooded. She teaches at a private university in Nashville, TN where she lives with her husband and two children.

The Not So Invisible Bronte Sisters

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

The Bronte Sisters lived in a time when women had no rights and their fate rested in the hands of their fathers, male siblings or husbands. I would not have been well suited for that era. 

As a reader, I was familiar with the Brontë sisters’ famous Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights books. I never knew much about the authors past those works until I watched the PBS Masterpiece drama, To Walk Invisible. 

I viewed the movie with much anticipation. I was excited to learn more about these women. Yes, it focused on their troubled brother and showed just how at risk they were had they not been published, generating a much needed income. After all, their body of work evolved from their very real circumstances. It drove me to find out more about these sisters. 

The movie revolves around young adults Charlotte, Anne, and Emily, the surviving of five sisters. Two of the sisters succumbed at the ages of 11 and 12 to tuberculosis after living in a boarding school. There is a scene in Jane Erye where the protagonist's best friend, Helen, dies while they are in school. 

They kept their success as authors a secret to protect their only brother from the truth. Their brother, Branwell, wanted to be a writer but was easily distracted by an affair with the married mother of one of his students. This led to his downward spiral into unpaid debts, alcoholism, and drug addiction. His sisters and widowed father endured. They somewhat enabled an increasingly difficult and toxic relationship with Branwell. As Emily states in the movie to her father, we agreed to write under our initials as the "Bell Brothers" so we would not hurt our brother; "It would be like rubbing salt into a wound." 

The trio never intended to reveal their true identities. The movie title, To Walk Invisible, is a quote taken from a letter penned by the Charlotte. However, an event required Charlotte and Anne to travel to London and meet with their publisher. The sisters' pseudonyms were male, but readers had their doubts. In a twist of fate, they began publishing under their actual names around the time their brother died. 

Prior to this movie, I knew very little about the Bronte family. Clearly, the Bronte Sisters' realities are woven into their works of fiction. I see shades of their widowed father and Branwell in the two books I've read. 

The Brontes lived in Haworth, Yorkshire, in the north of England. I was delighted to see the movie show the bleakness of treeless moors. Carriages covered in mud as were the horses and ladies' skirts that dragged the ground. In one scene, the grayness shows Charlotte walking into town in what appeared to be a chilly, windy and drizzling rain. The movie captured the era and settings as found in the Bronte sisters' books. 

Well done PBS Masterpiece. If you watched the movie did you find yourself wanting to re-read their books? 

Self-Image and the Writer

By MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Years ago, when I first began writing professionally, I stumbled on a simple secret that literally changed the course of my writing career. The secret was this: A writer will never achieve success beyond the level of his or her self-image.

Self-image—or the way you see yourself--is, perhaps, the single most important factor in a writer’s quest for success.  Self-image has everything to do with how we think. And how we think has everything to do with writing success.

I’d like to suggest seven keys to help you program your writer self-image for success, not failure:

Key #1—When negative thoughts about your writing ability assail you, refuse to entertain them.

When I was a fledgling writer, my internal conversation went something like this:

NEGATIVE VOICE:
“Who do you think you are calling yourself a writer? Everything you’ve written so far has been rejected. Why don’t you give up before you make a fool of yourself? After all, it takes special talent to be a writer, and, unfortunately, you don’t have any.”

ME:
“Yes, I guess you’re right. If I really had talent, editors would be clamoring for my work. After all, rejection slips don’t lie. I’m just not cut out to be a writer. I may as well quit and do something else.”

That negative voice sounded very convincing, especially after I had just received yet another rejection slip. But when I realized I didn’t have to listen to that negative voice, I began taking the offensive against it by applying key number two.

Key #2—Replace all negative thoughts with positive ones.  Nature abhors a vacuum. As you sweep negative thoughts out of your mind, you must replace them with positive ones or the negative thoughts will return with even greater force.

So, when the negative voice challenged me, I began talking back to it. I would say, “I am a writer! Not only am I writer, but I am also a successful writer.”

An amazing thing happened: the negative voice backed off.

Key #3—You will eventually believe what you repeatedly hear.  The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10: 17). Whatever we hear often enough, we will eventually believe.  So, make sure you are hearing the right things about your writing.

Key # 4—Your mind is the original computer. What you program into your mind is what will show up in your life.  Program your mind for success.

Key #5—You create your writing future with your tongue. Your tongue is the programmer of your mind. The words you speak set the course of your writing life. So, watch your mouth!

Key #6—Visualize yourself as a successful writer. Define what writing success looks like to you. Then picture yourself achieving that success.

Key #7—Affirmation without action is dead. You can speak all the positive things you want about your writing, but if you don’t back up your words with action, nothing will happen. 

So, there you have it!  Seven keys to achieving a self-image that will result in writing success.

Now, use your keys!

____________________________________________________________________

Dr.MaryAnn Diorio is a widely published, award-winning author of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.  Her latest novel, A Sicilian Farewell, is Book 2 in The Italian Chronicles trilogy. MaryAnn is also a Certified Life & Writing Coach who works with writers to help them achieve their writing dreams. You may reach her at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com or at www.maryanndiorio.com. This article is based on Dr. MaryAnn’s popular booklet, Self-Image and the Writer available on Amazon.

                                  

What Does Your Reader Take Away?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

As an author, when you are writing a fiction book, do you think about what you want your reader to take away from reading your book?

I know authors want the reader to enjoy their books and buy other books they write.

But dig deeper. Don’t you want them to step into the world you’ve created, get to know your characters, one by one. Do you want them to identify with the main character? In the story, the character will be making many decisions that affect their life and the lives of others. Don’t you want your reader immersed in the story? Readers become involved and think to themselves, “Oh that’s good, at least they made the right decision in this case.” Maybe they will relate so much they will talk to your character, saying, “Why did you make that choice. Now you have messed up that relationship. I wouldn’t have done that.”

You see, when your reader goes deeper into your book, and gets to know your characters, and finds themselves relating to them, they are then invested in the book; and in you as an author.

Isaac Asimov, an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. Well known for his works of science fiction and popular science wrote about 500 books in his lifetime.  Many of his books were made into movies and TV shows like: I, Robot in 2004 with Will Smith; Nightfall in 2000 with David Carradine; Bicentennial Man in 1999 with Sam Neill and Robin Williams; and Probe, a TV series in 1988 with Parker Stevenson. Asimov said, “It is the writer who might catch the imagination of young people, and plant a seed that will flower and come to fruition.”

We never know when something we write is going to plant a seed or help someone with a decision they’re struggling with.