Writing Imagery

Now-a-days, readers want excellent writing, but it needs to be straightforward. This makes it all the more important to place your metaphors and similes in appropriate places throughout your novel. If you have one metaphor after a simile after another metaphor...then you will slow down the reader and your story will sag with the weight of a word picture frenzy in the reader's overloaded mind.

Using well-placed metaphors and similes can 1) Anchor the reader to the setting and have them  connect to your character's situation, and 2) Emphasize high emotional intensity, as implied by James Scott Bell in his book, Revision & Self Editing.

Just as a poem begs to be memorized, a metaphor or simile create a memorable experience for the reader, and etches your story into their mind. I can think back on certain books and remember their well-placed metaphors and similes out of the entire 90,000 words. These tools grip a reader's thoughts and leave a “book”print in their mind long after the book is closed and put away.

Here are some examples from books that have printed on my mind:

Anchoring to the setting:

"If Broadway was Manhattan's artery, Five Points was its abscess: swollen with people, infected with pestilence, inflamed with vice and crime. Groggeries, brothels, and dance halls put private sin on public display. Although the neighborhood seemed fairly self-contained, more fortunate New Yorkers were terrified of Five Points erupting, spreading its contagion to the rest of them.” Wedded to War, Jocelyn Green.

Jocelyn uses the metaphor of the condition of the human body to not only emphasize the point of view of her heroine, an aspiring nurse, but she also gives such a vivid understanding of the setting that a reader could hardly dismiss this and move on without allowing the imagery to paint itself in their mind.

“Through the makeshift curtain that gave her some semblance of privacy, she could make out Captain Click's sturdy shadow like a locked gate barring harm's way.” Courting Morrow Little, Laura Frantz

This book is set in a time of unease and discord between the settlers and the Native Americans. This metaphor of Captain Click being a locked gate is appropriate to the point-of-view of the heroine who is a young woman traveling into hostile territory. This anchors the reader to the setting not only through the heroine's perspective, but gives the overall emotional climate of the setting—one of possible danger at every turn.

Emotional Intensity:

“The man who stared back was not a man he knew. The careful control bred into him since birth was gone. In its place he saw a fire-breathing dragon capable of murder.” The Duchess and The Dragon, Jamie Carie

The image of a fire-breathing dragon is placed at a time when the hero's emotions are high and his actions have culminated to a dreaded circumstance. Jamie Carie imbeds this metaphor in such a way that it maintains the momentum of the story but shows intensity of the hero's emotion.

“In the domestic cloud of dust and family, I too can forget the One who sees me, but in eucharisteo, I remember, I cup hands and all the world is water.

The well, it is still there.

There is always a well—All is well.

I choke out my son's name. His skin is transparent...glass. And he stares long, brims...quavers...falls. And I cradle him, the Boy-Man, flood over shoulders.” One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp.

Ann's moment with her son is filled with word pictures that emphasize the build to an emotional outpour. This book takes the use of metaphor to such a deep level, my heart stirs at every turn of the page.

Metaphors and similes can also unveil a writer's voice. Ann Voskamp does this amazingly well, not only in the example above, but consistently throughout the book. Depending on a writer's voice, these descriptive tools can be well-placed mirrors to the under-lying tone of the story.

Do you have examples of well-placed metaphors and similes in some of your favorite books? How about in your own? Please share!


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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

 

Writing to Wait

Wait. Wait. Wait.


We wait on that perfect idea. Once we are inspired, we wait to find the time to write the story. And then, we wait for feedback from our crit group. Sometimes you have to put it aside a bit and wait until you've had some breathing room before you jump back in. Once it's polished, you send out queries to a gazillion agents, and then comes the rejection. And you continue writing and sending, and then the real WAITING begins.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

I've never considered myself a patient person. Hey, I grew up in the age of instant gratification. Over the years though, I have had no choice but to develop patience. Through college, applications, job applications, expectant motherhood, impending moves...life is filled with waiting.
Unfortunately, my patience kind of ebbs and flows. Some days I set aside my anticipation, and other days, I strive, second guess myself, wonder if I have what it takes.

With much encouragement from my writer friends (ahem, Alley Cats), and a lot of prayer, I am trying to learn to LIVE while I wait. To not just sit here and let a million thoughts, a dozen “To do” items to increase my chances, overwhelm me and keep me from just plain old enjoying life in this process.

Okay, I'll surrender my words on this, and point you to a song that has given me hope in the waiting. What I like most about this song, is he doesn't talk about just sitting there and wait, but moving forward, serve, worship, LIVE in the waiting! Click on the link below if you would like to listen to it.

Endure the wait. Good things will follow!



While I'm Waiting by John Waller

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait


I will move ahead, bold and confident

Takeing every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
Do you struggle with patience? Has there been a time when you've been blessed in the waiting?


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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.

Hello Characters, Please Be Charming

Have you ever looked at your main characters and thought, "If only I could make you more interesting"? I know I have, especially when I'm writing the first draft and still trying to figure out all the quirks of my main characters.

Pepper wrote an amazing post last week on a similar topic after attending Susan May Warren's course at the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference. I loved her idea of interviewing your characters to get to know their deepest thoughts. What a great method to use to discover the lie your characters believe about themselves and how you can use that lie to shape the plot.

So let's say you've taken Pepper and Susie's advice, and you've peeled back those layers your main characters have. What is the next step? How do you convey those deeper levels in the story itself?

This is something I've struggled with in my own writing. My voice tends to be more humorous and lighthearted, so at times I have to really make a conscious effort to step back and add in those deeper elements to really hook the reader's emotions. So, I thought I'd make a list of strategies we can all take to really pull out those layers and convey them in our writing.

1) External structure should mirror your internal character arc. A great DVD set I recently ordered on this topic is The Hero's 2 Journeys by Chris Vogler and Michael Hauge. Try to make sure all your turning points allow us to see a change in your character's internal arc. Really use those turning points to ramp up the characters' emotion as well as the reader's empathy. On the same token, strategically choose turning points that will allow you to do this well. If your character is afraid of heights, put her engagement ring on the top of the Empire State Building. If she wants to be on Dancing with the Stars... well, you get the idea.

2) Be sure your characters' reactions are appropriate. Give your characters something to react to. Think of it this way: would you find a ten foot hole in the middle of the street? Probably not, unless the Creature from the Black Lagoon showed up. You might, however, find a small pothole. Your narrative is the same way. You can give readers little glimpses of that lie your characters believe, but be sure you give them a major moment in the plot before letting them fall into a giant emotional hole.

3) Use secondary characters (in addition to plot points) to generate emotion. Secondary characters are great because they give us a lot more leeway in what we can get away with, both with their personalities and subplots. They can make terrible choices or be hilarious, and these characteristics give us a lot to go off when adding dynamics to our main characters' story lines. So when it comes to secondary characters, be creative in how you develop their interactions with the leading ones. And also be creative in how you allow your main characters to react. Think of the friend who's in a bad relationship, the one who's too obsessed with her job, the one who's flying to Africa to chase a guy.

4) Above all use, follow your heart. Allen Arnold, previous VP of Thomas Nelson and now with Ransomed Heart, always emphasizes this point, and I love the blog he wrote on this topic recently. Though he, of course, uses much less frilly language than "following your heart" because, let's face it, that's kind of a southern belle thing to say. The point is, God has written certain ideas and themes on your heart and into your story. You might not even realize that yet, but they are there-- I promise-- just waiting to get out. These inspirational messages are unique to you, to your calling, and it's very important that you trust God to let that out. Your story matters. Your. Story. Matters. So let your characters show that truth.

On that same note, sometimes it's really easy to hide the deeper layers of our story because we are afraid of rejection. Rejection stings, doesn't it? And after a while, it can be really easy to hide behind all the critiques we've gotten over time. (Side note: surround yourself with people who encourage rather than discourage you when they challenge your writing.) But if we aren't willing to be vulnerable first to our characters and then to our audience, what kind of story do we really have? So be brave and believe in your calling. Some people might not like it or get it. That's okay. It's not their calling. And the only life you're accountable for living, the only story you're responsible for telling, is your own.

I want to hear from you! What are your thoughts? How do you deepen the characters in your writing? Do you have any questions or advice to share?

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Ashley Clark writes romantic comedy with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Just Tell Me, Already!

I'm about to break a rule. I'm about to give you advice that goes against everything you've ever heard. And no, it has nothing to do with cute shoes.

Here it is: sometimes it's better to "tell" than "show."

This past week, I've been reading the newest Karen Kingsbury book. If you haven't heard of Karen Kingsbury, then you probably aren't living in North America. She writes romantic suspense and romance, and let's just say she's a very successful Christian writer. And do you know what word I found in this book?

"Felt."

No. Joke. I can almost hear you gasp as you read this. How many times have you been told to never directly tell your readers about your character's feelings? To instead show the character gasping for air, leaping with joy, or choking back a sob? But you know what? This line really worked for me. And it's not just because it was written by Karen Kingsbury (although I will admit, that did make me feel more confident about writing this blog!). I've found the same thing to be true with other authors, like one of my all-time favorites, Robin Jones Gunn.

Let me tell you a little personal story. A while back, I got it in my head that I had to completely rid my writing of telling. I'd heard showing presented the strongest story, and that was that. So do you know what I did? I showed everything. And do you know what I was told by some of the people who read that manuscript? That my characters were difficult to connect with on an emotional level. I'm convinced the problem was, I was so focused on showing every little detail that those readers never knew what my characters were really feeling. And let's face it: a story where readers don't yearn for the characters is not a very good story.

Lest you think I'm suggesting you do a 180 and suddenly start telling your reader everything, don't worry--I'm not suggesting that either. I'm simply saying that sometimes telling does work best, so long as it's used sparingly and properly.

You still don't believe me. I can tell. It's going to take a while to let go of all that hatred you've built up toward "telling." I might as well be suggesting you start writing in dialect or passive voice, right? Well, let me give you a few examples of where it might work best to use telling:

1) To skip through time or distance. Your heroine is taking a trip to Europe. If you show us all the steps she takes from the time she steps into airport security until the time she greets Rome, that is going to be borrrring. We have a hard enough time staying awake through airport security in real life. Sometimes it's better to give us a sentence or two of summary or telling, sparing us the details.

2) To help pacing. This point goes hand-in-hand with the last one, but too much showing can drastically affect your pacing. Speed through the scenes (or scene changes) that don't need that much emphasis by telling us what happens instead of showing every little thing. That way, when you get back to showing, we'll know we're supposed to pay attention.

3) To build emotion or have a "wowsers" moment. Ever read a book with chapter breaks that hooked you so well you just had to keep reading? Many times, books will achieve this effect by combining a description of emotion (often in a telling way) with a "showing" list of things. So imagine a chapter that ended this way:

Strands of hair stuck to her too-sticky lip gloss. She turned away from him, overwhelmed by the smell of her own perfume. The boning of her bridesmaid's dress jabbed her ribs, and in that moment, she knew.


She would never be the same.

Notice the way that last part is technically telling, but it ramps up the showing, taking it to the next level rather than diminishing it. You never want to use telling to cover up poor writing. You only want to use it when you already have the structural elements of the "showing" in place, to add another layer to those showing elements. When used well, brief snipbits of telling can give us a beautiful window into the character's world.

Telling is definitely a practiced art. You have to do a lot of showing before you earn the right to tell for a little while. But remember that the "show, don't tell" rule is really more of a guideline.

Have you been taught to "show, don't tell," and have you ever wanted to break that rule? Can you think of any examples from books that break this rule well? What are some other roles of "telling" we can add to the list?

Photos from http://slowwriteturn.blogspot.com/2011/02/show-dont-tell.html, http://www.zazzle.com/show_dont_tell_sticker-217558938852844858

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Ashley Clark writes romantic comedy with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog and herTumblr. She's also on Facebook and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Know Thyself - a Devotional to Battle Fear in Your Writing

For the past two months, I’ve been moving at speeds nearing overload. It’s been pretty crazy. From full-time work to five kids (with massive science fair projects) to a new house which needed some major cosmetic renovations, there hasn’t been a lot of time to write. It doesn’t make for a very productive wordcount…I can tell you that!


In the middle of all of this, there has been a struggle with my writing-calling. A struggle to even consider the Genesis again. A struggle to daydream about my wip. A real struggle to take my smallest moment of mental solitude and dance around the idea of ‘what if’.

Interesting enough, my fellow AlleyCat, Julia helped tag one of my main problems in her post last Tuesday.

So, I want to chat a little today about what FEAR does to our writing and how we can dissipate those fears. It really all comes down to KNOWING Thyself.

I’ve come up with 5 things that fear does.

1. Distracts – The first whispers of fear bring with them one thing for certain: distraction. It’s the little niggling of uncertainty just before the self-examination begins. This hint of fear begins the unhealthy spiral of distraction away from our creativity and writing-purpose, and if fed, will lead to #2.

2. Discourages – If we remain distracted by our fear long enough, the questions begin. Is this story really good enough? How can I ever write as well as Julie Lessman, Laura Frantz, Denise Hunter, Liz Curtis Higgs, or Robin Jones Gunn? I'm stuck in chapter 2 and will NEVER write my way out!

3. Distrusts – With comparisons comes distrust. We don’t ‘measure up’, so we begin to lose faith in our calling. The discouragement builds to such proportions it blinds us from the Truth, which then leads us to #4.

4. Distance- We distance ourselves from the Source of our calling and sometimes from the ones He’s placed in our lives to encourage us. It makes it easier not to have to face people who are going to ask us about our writing, so we don’t have to admit to our many failings (we’ve convinced ourselves of in numbers 2 & 3). We might also distance ourselves from our writing, making excuses to do anything else but open up that document. (Been here more times than I care to admit). At the very end of this long and painful battle, we fall into the pit of DOUBT.

5. Doubt – Am I called to write? Will I ever learn? Of course the judges made those kinds of comments! I’m such a failure.

Oh, how we listen too much to the wrong voice! What’s happened when we make it to this point in our 'fear downward spiral'? We’ve lost sight of something vital.

WHO. WE. ARE.

I don’t mean:

Single, white, female

Or

Middle-aged, married male

Or

30-something soccer mom

Nope – I mean even more intimate and foundational than any of those things.

We are God’s kids.

HE HAS CALLED US HIS!!!!

He has NOT given us a spirit of fear. He has given us the power of his RISEN Son – power strong enough to shake the dead, and that kind of power is much greater than any doubt.

So what do we do to battle the evil doubt monster?

Remind ourselves to whom we belong.

1. If we get distracted, we fill our minds with the truth of God. We were created for a purpose, and within the folds of that purpose is the call to write.

2. If discouragement comes, we build our COURAGE with the truth of Scripture. Romans 8:31-32, 37 “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, give us all things?...In all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.” Are you getting the hint yet? Who are you?

3. If you begin to distrust yourself, trust in the One who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light! Proverbs 3:4-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” The One who never fails and is steadfast will make the way clear. He has called. He will equip.

4. If you feel the impulse to distance yourself, remember His GREAT love for you. So safe within his hold you will find strength, encouragement, and faith to fight against your fears. Hebrews 10:21-23 “and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” It’s all about HIS faithfulness! We have no need to run away, but we can find hope in His love and in the love our fellow writers sprinkle on us because they know Him too :-)

5. If we counteract all of those fears with the word of God, then (even if the doubt comes) we have all the truth necessary to counteract its influence. The powerful message we received in church yesterday was the story of Thomas, who declared that he needed to touch Jesus’ wounds to believe he had risen. What did Jesus say to him? “Stop doubting and believe.” Doubts may come, but through Christ we have the power to vanquish them with the TRUTH of his love.

Fear cannot win against Jesus. He’s conquered it all – so the next time fear starts to nimble at your mind and scratch at your heart, remind yourself WHOSE you are!

And the battle is over, before it begins :-)

How do you battle your fears in writing or in life? What words of wisdom or Scriptures encourage you to wage war against doubts?
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pictures courtesy of:
http://www.thechoicedrivenlife.com/seven-thoughts-on-prayer
http://eafromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-i-want-to-trust-in-you.html

How to Express Emotions in our Writing

Photo Courtesy

Back in the days when families gathered around the radio, great stories were told without visual assistance. Listeners had to see tears flow, the bellies jiggle with laughter, the blood fill an angry face through voice inflections, organs, and sound effects.

Expressing emotion over the radio teleported the listener into westerns where the Lone Ranger and Tonto saved the world, into mysteries where "Only the Shadow Knows," and into other exciting dramas and adventures. 

Any listener could picture the characters responses in their mind with clarity as a result of quality audio communication (for the day). Oddly enough, most listener's pictures differed.

Radio stories have an advantage over visual media in that it allows the listener to interpret an emotions based on their own prior knowledge. I must confess, I pictured Whit's End and Whit completely different from the Odyssey Videos! I liked my image...then again, my daughter had yet another image. (Odyssey is a Christian children's radio series by Focus on the Family). Who was wrong? No one.

How can we create scenes that project a clarity to each reader,

enabling him/her to paint vivid, independent pictures

yet each fully accurate?

A few weeks ago, I attended a My Book Therapy Monday bleacher chat class taught by Beth Vogt. her topic: Emotional Layers. During the session, Beth recommended we keep an "Emotional Journal" to add color and life to our writing.

The task:        Record a time when we experienced a given emotion.
The purpose: To capture the essence of the emotion for use in our writing.

One week later I attended a funeral for a beloved family member. I wrote in my Emotional Journal:

The experience so tore at my being, I could not speak. Tears poured in a deluge and a torrential storm ripped through my veins. Every hug from a family member or friend only brought more tears. Sorrow added an unbearable weight to my heart already void of consolation. Not one word came forward to form a sentence in my mind. As for comfort? Not a flicker. I couldn't stand. I couldn't sit. I couldn't sleep or eat. I could only cry...because I didn't know whether this beloved person went to Heaven or not. 

When at last I could record sorrow in my Emotional Journal, I realized the task was greater than I first imagined.

I recalled the family member's husband, the children, grandchildren and friends. People of different ages, genders, relationships, each having their own response.

I expanded the assignment filling pages with responses from the myriad of ages, genders, and relations. Here is one I included:

The third grade grandson playfully laughed at Grandma's home before the funeral. He sat with a watchful eye during the service. But when he stood with the older grandsons as a pallbearer he wept...uncontrollably. His light skin faded to a paler hue. With red swollen eyes, he held his grandfather's hand and walked with him to the reception hall and there they sat silently looking down at the table. Not a word, yet so many. A few moments later, he looked up at his grandfather then ran off to play.


The new task I gave myself for my Emotional Journal was not not only to write down my response to an emotion, but also the responses I observe in others; after all, my characters will differ in age, gender, race, creed, relationship, and etc.

I also chose to include my own varied responses from different ages, settings, and relationship for the emotion. My description storehouse for emotions has multiplied exponentially.

Now it's your turn. Briefly relate the experience: "new."  It can be from any time in your life, any place. Let's see how "new" can affect others differently.
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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Castle Time: Hooks

I love watching Sherrinda's tweets on Monday night between (central time) 9 and 10.

Even if I'm not able to be watching Castle (perish the thought!) I can always feel the tension from her tweets.

Usually it's something like, "HOLY COW!! _________________ just happened! AHHHH!!!"

And it's usually during a commercial break.

I can just picture spunky Miss Sherrinda. jumping up and down on her couch, yelling at the TV, "HURRY UP, stupid commercial, who needs Covergirl Makeup or insurance or a dumb car at a time like this?"

Because there is something Castle always does an amazing job at.

It HOOKS you.

It makes you hate commercial breaks... And at the end of seasons... when the main character gets shot (seemingly) dead...

That's what we want for our books too.

We want to grab the reader's attention and make them hurry through potty breaks, eat with a book in their hand, and read until their eyes cross at 2 in the morning when they have to be up for work at 5.

When they get to the chapter end, you want to entise them to read "just one more chapter."

But how do we do that?

A few ideas:

Leave the reader on an inhale. I think about this every time I end a chapter. My goal is for the reader to take a sharp inhale of breath when they read the last sentence. Don't explain a thing. You build, build, build through the chapter, then KABLAM something happens and end of chapter.

Leave the reader with emotion. Leave the reader crying, or jumping for joy, or scared. We don't like to have unfulfilled emotions.

Leave the reader with a sense of foreboding. Even a subtle illusion to "something might be coming" is enough to perk the reader's interest enough to turn the page to see what that something might be.

Really, it boils down to one thing:

Leave the reader wanting more.

This applies not only to chapter ending hooks, but to our novel as a whole. Until the end, when we reach our satisfying conclusion, our readers should always be wanting more of our characters, more of the story.

Discussion: What are some methods you use to end your chapters? Some recommend to automatically chop the last paragraph off of your chapter ending... agree or disagree? Any examples of good chapter-ending hooks that you've read lately?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and a contemporary romance author. She recognizes that life can be frustrating and just plain not fun sometimes, but believes that laughter and smiles can make the not-so-fun a little better! She blogs about the amazing things God has been doing and her journey as a busy momma of 4 and caregiver to a daughter with a rare congenital heart defect at http://reflectionsbykrista.blogspot.com. She is also a contributor at www.wordservewatercooler.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner, and her debut novel, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, releases in September 2012.

Writing When It Hurts

Writing a novel is alot like the cliffs notes of a book.

All the important stuff - but in a condensed version.

There has been a lot of tough stuff going on for a lot of people lately, and I've been thinking about how our stories parallel life in so many ways.

As writers, we help people understand one of life’s basic truths.

They are not alone because bad stuff happens to everyone.

Whether in this century or the last, we could quote what the preacher said yesterday. “Manure happens.”

Definitely.

Was he talking about gardening? Cattle farming?

Nope – he was talking about ‘the fruit of the Spirit’.
Anyone else lost by that correlation?
 Let me explain:

Life is full of stuff- good, bad, amazing, horrible, shocking, transforming…stuff, but the stuff that has a tendency to ‘grow’ us the most, is the strategically placed trials God allows into our lives.
The manure, so to speak.
God cultivates kindness, goodness, gentleness, patience (I always cringe when I type that word) – through our suffering. We grow.

(The picture to the right is of quadraplegic, painter, singer, speaker and Christian author Joni Erekson Tada)

As writers, this news shouldn't surprise us. We throw manure at our characters from the first chapter to the last. Piles of it.
Why?
Conflict makes a good story, of course – but suffering builds character.

Trouble has a way of refining us, digging to our core and showing what we’re really made of and who it is we truly trust. And ya know what?

I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask why.
It’s okay to scream to heaven and wonder what He’s doing up there.
It’s okay to show your weaknesses, pout, and shudder from the fear of what might happen next.

God isn’t surprised by any of our reactions. He made us. He knows.

So the question isn’t really ‘why does bad stuff happen’, but ‘how do we grow from the bad stuff that does happen?”

Perspective changes everything. The lens through which we view our circumstances directs our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Our POV, if you will.

I know we’ve shared a lot on this site about our dear Alley Cat, Krista, but her journey for the past year with her daughter, Annabelle, has been an example of perspective and faith. I’m sure she’d tell you that there were plenty of times when she felt like screaming to high heaven, when she questioned why, when her heart cried ‘how long’, but within the weak moments, God grew elements of strength that the rest of us may not have yet.

I don’t know how you deal with the bumps and bristles of life, but I’ve found comfort in the fact that there is purpose in them. When trials and hurts come into our lives, we usually respond in various ways. Here are a few of the positive ones:

1.       We slow down
2.       We reflect
3.       We gain perspective
4.       We find the light
5.       We grow from the moment

Besides the spiritual aspect of growing more like our Creator, we grow in other ways too. As writers, working through our own wounds, trials, and disappointments adds spine to our stories in ways other things never could.

I can assure you that the way I describe the emotions involving death is a lot different than before I lost one of my best friends in October (my grandmother)

But...I don't want or need to experience first-hand all the heartaches I put my poor characters through to write about them - I will say though, the deeper our pain, the deeper our growth, and from those deep wells of emotion we can write.

Great things usually come out of struggles. In fact, look at this nation! Today we celebrate Independence Day - a day carved in American history after years of conflict and pain.  Would we have a day like this to celebrate or be as proud Americans as we are, if we hadn't fought for this liberty? If it hadn't cost us something?

Writing can be great therapy. By putting our thoughts, feelings, wounds, and praises on paper, it slows us down so we can reflect on them. As Christians, it gives us time to gain a proper perspective and find the light of God’s grace in the middle of the pain. Out of our writing, reflection, and soul searching, we grow more like Jesus.

(And the best thing about it is that HE is with us all the way. He sends His hands and feet, through other Believers, to comfort us and give us strength)

Did you know that more writing time was spent on the last week of Christ’s life than any other part of the gospels? For example, the book of John is flying along chatper by chapter and then…boom – we slow down once Jesus rides into Jerusalem. The pacing is slower. There are more descriptives. God is drawing attention to an important part of the story, helping us experience it with the disciples.

It’s a powerful writing tool. When your character is struggling, emphasize the moment by slowing down the pace. If God used it, then it must be a good one J

What else do we learn from suffering and the Bible? Well, it’s what any good novel shows.  A main character struggling through adversity and growing from it in the end. The Bible is peppered with examples. Wounds, adversity, poor choices, calamity, persecution, temptation… for both heroes in the faith and the every day ‘women at the well’, there is a story of growth through pain.

Hmmm…..sounds like life.

Manure happens.
We grow from it – as people and as writers.

I wrote a poem after a miscarriage because conversations just weren’t powerful enough.
I started a novel born out of pain and it became a beautiful way for me to deal with a deep wound from my childhood. Cathartic.

If nothing ever happens from my words in print, it was enough to write them for my healing heart.

You see, if you haven’t figured it out by now – writing is more than just a hobby, it’s a calling. We take emotionless words on a page and bring them to life for broken hearts? And sometimes the reader who needs them the most, is the one who wrote them.

You are not alone. Your words are not empty.

Take up your pen….and write.

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pics courtesy of http://www.personal.psu.edu/set5099/blogs/english_202c_technical_writing/technical-description.html
http://alwaysnewmistakes.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/the-one-thing-every-entrepreneur-needs-to-have-hope/

Heroes: Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul

Heroes: Mind, Heart, Body, and Soul


HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!

Romance, flowers, chocolate, music and….

Heroes!

(and one of my Movie-FAVORITES is in the pic)

Oh yeah!

I know, I know – there are some GREAT posts in cyberspace about the perfect hero.

To get a yummy taste of a few go here or here.

But I want to examine a few specifically. A few heroes from novels and what makes them heroic. Generally, there are four basic pieces to a person – including heroes. Three of them are intricately woven together, and the fourth, well it’s just for eye-candy.

So…where to begin?

Let’s start with the most obvious trait: Body.

Most heroes are handsome, let’s admit it. There are rare occasions when a hero isn’t super-gorgeous, but 90% of the time, the physical appearance of the hero catches the heroine’s attention in some way or other. Whether his eyes, his hair, his smile, or maybe even his voice, there is something that first sparks interest in the heroine.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes –

Tabitha had never seen a man with such beautiful eyes. The rich, deep brown of coffee, they sparkled with pinpoints of gold light behind a fringe of lashes that would have made them feminine if not for his strong cheek bones and firm jaw. The powdered hair, ridiculous as it was in Seabourne, created a striking contrast to the dark eyes and sun-bronzed complexion.

Beautiful description isn’t it?

How about this one.

For Pete’s Sake by Linda Windsor

Ellen loved taking a guy out of his four-wheeled cage and putting him on two wheels with nothing between him and the abrasive paving. It separated the men from the boys. And Sinclair was definitely a man. He’d leaned with her on the curves in the road and kept her from wobbling all over creation like stiff, first time riders tended to do. And that rock-hard chest under his silk shirt and business suit was definitely that of a manly man.


Still, she’d never been held quite so…whole-heartedly.

Notice that physical characteristics are the first signs of interest. Most of the time in fiction (and in life) this is the case, but as we all know – it’s only a package. What’s on the inside is what matters most – and that’s true for stories too.

Mind – Heroes are smart, savvy, quick witted. They may be ‘stupid in love’, as Julie Lessman says, but there is something else about them that shows their particular intelligence. Usually it comes out in their profession, but sometimes it can be their smarts in handling their women :-)

Sharpshooter in Petticoats by Mary Connealy

He pulled back, only inches, his intense eyes and stubborn jaw filling her whole world. Made her want. Made her feel. “I’m taking your children out of this fortress tonight. You can come with me or stay behind.”


Made her crazy. “I won’t let you.”


“You can’t stop me.” He fell silent and waited. A big, tall stack of pure stubborn…


When she didn’t respond, Tom set her on her feet, turned, and stalked toward the house, as if he planned to pack the three children up and take them without her permission or company.


She reached for her rifle and grabbed…air. Looking down by her right hand where the muzzle was always waiting, she realized, it was gone. Looking up, she saw Tom carrying it.


“Looking for this?” He raised his arm high so the gun was silhouetted against the starlit sky.

Smart man :-)

What about a man’s talent? Audra Harders describes it like this in her debut novel, Rocky Mountain Hero.

Gabe’s fingers danced along the neck of the guitar as graceful as the hawks she’d seen the other day soaring through the air. Gabe hummed and picked at his guitar. His eyes closed, he appeared in complete worship.


Beautiful.

Many times our heroes have specific smarts. Sherlock Holmes is the ultimate example. He certainly wasn’t part of a romance (though the notion of a novel like that is spinning through my head), but his brilliance defined him. Each hero shows his knowledge. How does yours?

Heart – the compassion, tenderness, protective-instinct, determination, ROMANCE, and spirit of your hero. There are SOOOOO many examples, but let me just share a few.

From Laura Frantz novel, Courting Morrow Little


“Are you missing home, Morrow?”


Thoughtful, she met his steady gaze. “No…I’m missing you.”


He came to her and rested his hands on her shoulders, tipping her head back so that cold moonlight spilled into her eyes. “How can you miss me when I’m standing here beside you?”


“I-I don’t rightly know,” she said, feeling she’d stepped off a safe path onto perilous ground. “Aren’t you…missing me?”


His handsome features turned perplexed. “You think I…” …


Gently he framed her face with his hands and brought her head up. “Morrow, you’re mourning.”


Mourning. A startling realization stole over her. He was telling her he wouldn’t touch her so soon after Pa had passed, that she needed time to grieve….


“Yes, I’m mourning,” she said, softly. “I believe I’m mourning you.”


A flicker of surprise played over his handsome face, but his gaze remained steadfast….


“Morrow…are you sure?”


The tender question touched her. “Never surer,” she answered.


Gently, like they were about to dance, he took her in his arms, and she felt a wall within him give way.

Whew…isn’t that scene so lovely. Passion and tenderness all rolled up into such a short amount of space. Oh dear, I do so love that story.

Shall I turn up the heat even more? No one does it better than Julie Lessman- let’s look at a short scene from A Hope Undaunted.

Massive palms slowly grazed the side of her arms, as if he thought she might be chilled, but the heat they generated made her feel anything but. In fluid motion, they moved to her waist, the gentle caress of his thumbs all but stealing her air. His blue eyes deepened in intensity as he leaned in, and his husky voice made her mouth go dry. “Let’s face it, Katie Rose,” he whispered. “I don’t want ice, I don’t want water, and I definitely don’t want chocolate.”


She caught her breath when his words melted warm in her ear.


“I want you…”

And before the air could return to her lungs, his mouth dominated hers with such gentle force, it coaxed a breathless moan from her lips, heating the blood in her veins by several degrees.

WOOOHOOOO!! Hot!

Last, but definitely not least, is Soul

As Christian writers, our worldview should come out in our stories – whether overtly or woven into the pattern of our novels. Soul is a part of our characters, and seems even more beautiful in our HEROES.

One of the most beautiful novels I’ve ever read which shows the spiritual aspect of the hero is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Here’s a short scene from the book to show how his faith influences his behavior.

It was growing colder and they needed to return. They dressed in silence, both tormented, both trying not to be. She came to him and put her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him, as a child would looking for comfort.

He closed his eyes against the fear uncurling in the pit of his stomach. I love her Lord. I can’t give her up.

Michael, beloved. Would you have her hang on her cross forever?


Michael let out a shuddering sigh. When she lifted her face, he saw something in it that made him want to weep….


Lifting her, he held her cradled in his arms. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He closed his eyes. Lord, if I give her up to you now, will you ever give her back to me?


No answer came.

Read the book to discover the answer.

There you have it. The essence of a hero.

Tell me about your hero? Body, mind, heart, and soul.

Emotion- Its Rawest Form

The smell of the place was a combination of old and new- of old pews, dry paper hymnals and Lysol cleaner. The flowers overflowing at the altar sent off a sickly sweet smell that cloyed in my nose and stifled my senses. I didn’t like it. People slowly flowed into the church, first passing by the large poster board filled with pictures, memories snagged from the passage of time and given credence to a life well lived.

Family congregated in a back corner, not a smiling face among them and at the tender age of seven years old, I wasn’t sure what my response should be. A smile seemed inappropriate, but tears weren’t clogging the back of my throat. It hadn’t hit me yet with the speed of an empty freight train- sure to come later. I tugged on Daddy’s arm, trying to get his attention.

“What hon?”

“Daddy, I want to kiss Papa goodbye.”

His eyes softened and he put a hand on my shoulder, a hint of moisture wetting the corners. He cleared his throat. “You bet you can. We’ll do it after the service.”

The front pew was so close to the casket covered in the pink and white flowers. The smell was overpowering. I hated the scent- unidentifiable it left only a bad taste on my tongue. They were not symbols of beauty, but vestiges bearing the memory of loss.

The service closed, the moment had come. Apprehension churned in my stomach. What would it be like? My hands turned sweaty in Daddy’s grip and my heart thumped in my ears as he guided me through the departing throng and to the casket. I couldn’t see in. The dark oak of the wood gleamed under the lights. I knew Papa wasn’t really in that box. His body yes, but Heaven had gained a wonderful man. Jesus, please tell him how much I love him.

Daddy lifted me up and I got my first peek into the casket. He lay so still. Never again to be the first at the screen door to greet me. Never to kiss my cheek with his gristly gray mustache. Never to feel his loving arms around me. I leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead.

So cold. So waxy. It wasn’t how I wanted to remember Papa. The scent of the tight space about me filled my nose with a strange scent, one I couldn’t place and would always hate.

My loss, Heaven’s gain, but now years down the road, I would not trade that kiss, that moment of goodbye for all the world.

Years down the road I found out what that smell was- the flowers about his casket. What I had always thought to be something from the funeral home to prepare his body for burial, was really the scent of the flower chosen to grace his casket. From that day to this I cannot smell those flowers without thinking of Papa’s funeral. And I can’t stand them.

Emotions fill our lives. Grief, joy, anger, the entire gauntlet. When we sit down and give our characters the emotions they crave, where do we draw from for those realistic emotions?

From our own experiences.

I am sure most of you know this already, but it is hard to look back on such moments and drain those feelings and put them onto the page. Our characters will live them and though it isn’t often the same experience, we have to remember all over again. It is often a trialing journey down that emotional memory lane.

Writing that about the funeral of my grandfather is one of the hardest things I have written, though granted it has gotten easier with time. But to relive those emotions all over again is difficult to say the least. I was nearly crying as I wrote this.

You won’t realize the depth of your emotion until you start writing. During a class once I wrote this same thing, only not in as great a detail. I was sobbing from the core of my soul and couldn’t finish reading it aloud. It was embarrassing in a room of complete strangers to not be able to cease sobbing, but the writer in me knows that such a moment is golden.

The same isn’t just for grief, but also anger or extreme joy. Brandilyn Collins says in her book, Getting Into Character that you don’t have to be a murderer to think like one. (and this is certainly an extreme case). She gives the example of as you sit down to read a good book, a fly begins to buzz. You shoo it away. It persists, darting against the glass of your window and distracting you from the thoroughly enthralling world of fiction. Annoyance burns in your gut which grows to upset and from upset to pure revenge as you hunt out the fly swatter and attack the innocent fly. It lies in a pile of broken wings and black body. Satisfied you are return to your book…only to again hear the buzz, bitz, bitz of the cousin of the fly you just assassinated.

Emotions aren’t something to be feared or shied away from. They add the emotional layer to the story that every book needs to give it impact and a way to connect with your readers on a visceral level. You have to relive them to pull from them. Which is why writing is like “sitting down to the computer and slicing open a vein”.

It is frightening to put ourself on the page. We are taking something near and dear and asking someone to judge it. But your reader will have the most impact from it. They will feel as if the book was written directly to them- because though they might not have lived through that same event, emotions are universal and everyone has experienced grief, anger, fear, love, joy. It is the author’s job to advocate on the part of the reader and let them relive those emotions. Your book will have more power for it.

Have you read a book recently that had gut emotional impact?

Rudolph, Is that You?

Children love being enraptured in the magical stories that come with Christmas. I was one of those children who craved to BELIEVE for as long as I could. I liked the idea of a plump old man delivering gifts all across the country to the point of weary fatigue. I liked how he jumped down chimneys, scattered gifts and reunited with his crew of reindeer to head to the next house.

All this to say, my imagination was as ripe as a ripe could be.

My dad knew this. He knew each of us his four daughters lavished in the stories that surrounded Christmas.

And this is why for years on Christmas Eve, after we’d changed into our nightgowns and downed the last of the shrimp and eggnog (his spiked, ours not), he’d sneak outside. Unbeknownst to us he’d propped a ladder on the side of our house so he could hoist himself up on the roof.

Meanwhile, me and my sisters gathered with my mom by the fire and occasionally we’d look above the fireplace and make jokes about the deer head fastened to the stones there, decorated with a bulging red clown nose. Inevitably one of my older sisters would demand us all to hush. We’d grow still as the down of a thistle (what is the down of a thistle anyway?).

And then we heard it. We always heard it.

Stomping and clomping. Deer hooves. Of course!

My mom would hustle us to bed, insisting Santa must be preparing to visit. I never thought much about how the bearded man was going to make it beyond the raging fire in the fireplace. A child's imagination is a crazy thing. My imagination didn’t require me to problem solve—only dream that night.

On our way upstairs, my sisters and I would huddle and giggle. Rudolph made it. Those were his footfalls we heard on our roof. It made for a near impossible transition into dream world. Instead, I often stayed up chatting with one or more of my sisters (on the other end of the house, while Santa was hard at work and hopefully sporting flame resistant clothing).

Why does this Christmas memory stand out above so many others?

We lost my dad this year. He was a successful businessman. He had many friends and knew how to command attention from everyone in a room. But I don’t remember those things as much as the goofy things he did. He loved to be silly with us. He, like all people had his shortcomings, but once I understood his way of connecting with me, I grew to appreciate him all the more.

Rudolph on our roof is one of my favorite Christmas memories. So what if it wasn’t really Rudolph. My dad made me believe it was. He gave me that and as goofy as it might be, I’ll forever have it.

*photo from flickr