The Importance of Community when Building A Career

If I never get published or win a contest, I have not traveled this writing road in vain. The friendships and people I've found along the way have blessed me more than a contract could, I am sure (although it'd be super nice to have one.;) ) Honestly, and I am a pretty transparent gal, the friendships I've found as I build my career, are priceless.

That being said, I have also discovered how community makes me a better writer. Community is of utmost importance in this writing venture, and looking at what has come from the nerve to call myself a writer, and to build a business without a "boss" (except the big One above), I can see how important relationships are as I build my career. I'll try and share some things I've discovered that have me look back and realize how my interactions with others equip me, and them, for the rest of the journey:

RELATIONSHIPS OFFER DIRECTION: First, you've got to get the word out there that you are even writing. I was shy to mention the thing I blew off as a "pipe-dream" when I first started, but if you've written words and you've cast a vision, then there is no reason to hide this calling. The thing is, I can hardly think of a time when I've taken that leap and declared myself as "a writer"that some kind of direction, for me or someone else, hasn't come from it. Whether it be a comparable book suggestion to what I'm writing or a connection to the local author I had no idea about, community is an important  setting for this journey.

For instance, I sat in a Bible study the other day, with women I didn't know, and thought to myself, "I have nothing in common with these people...what am I doing?" And then, I mentioned my writing, and a gal spoke up saying her husband was hiding away his talent and didn't know where to connect. Of course, I was a fountain of words at that point--gushing about ACFW and the Genesis contest. If I hadn't been open about my calling, and if that gal didn't have the courage to speak on behalf of her husband, we wouldn't have seen the amazing serendipity of sitting together and watching plans unfold. Her husband entered the contest...and is planning on going to conference this year! And, I have a new friend who supports me in my own journey since she understands the calling to write.

RELATIONSHIPS OFFER TOOLS: This extends from my last scenario. Wowsers. Relationships with writers and non-writers are huge in discovering the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of the many tools that can be used for building your career. Yesterday, I learned the big scary (now, not-so-scary) world of website building--thanks to a casual conversation with a friend, but also the relationships I've made in networking, at conference, and my good ol' Facebook friends who are always willing to share if I ask.

When I first stepped into the world of writing, I found the best tools were critique groups through ACFW, a critique partner, and contest feedback. All the while, I was building relationships with others and discovering some best friends along the way. But if I was alone in this, and didn't have that support, I doubt I'd have a career needing tools at all.

RELATIONSHIPS OFFER MOTIVATION: This past weekend. I sat with two new-ish friends who are quickly becoming near and dear to me. And while we are each on different ventures toward a certain success (one friend is a health coach, and one is a direct-sales consultant), the encouragement, knowledge, and wisdom I received from opening up about my own dreams, revived my motivation for this not-for-the-faint-of-heart journey.

This is also how I feel after spending time with my AlleyCats who lift me up out of the deepest pits. And, it's also what I find after the end of another ACFW conference where I've surrounded myself with growing relationships and amazing people.

Please don't misunderstand me, I don't start relationships with the intent of finding what's in it for me. But because of the initial step toward community and friendship, I see the surprising fruit and harvest that comes from linking arms with like-minded people, both for me, and hopefully for them!

Do you have an example of a time when you "clicked" with someone and discovered help along the way of this writing journey?

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written six historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken/

Finish That Novel NOW!: Why Carrot & Stick Just Might Be the Way to Writing "THE END"

A few weeks back I had the privilege to listen to a well-known speaker in the field of education, Blake Boles. He works at Unschool Adventures, a company dedicated to creating meaningful educational experiences for teens. Some of these unusual experiences have been wilderness adventures, retreats of all sorts, and intense NANOWRIMO sessions where kids complete a novel in two weeks with mentorship help.

Blake Boles is the author of Self-Directed Learning and is a strong believer in building kids who direct their own learning. I was fascinated by his discussion on motivation which kept me thinking not only of my children's education but of my writing life.

Boles makes a strong and unsurprising case for internal motivation. He cited some fascinating current volumes which introduced me to some new thoughts on "flow" and "drive". I will be exploring how we might channel these concepts to enhance our writing life in future blog posts.

Dan Pink's monumental study on Drive suggests that these are the most important elements of motivation:

1) Autonomy – the desire to self-direct our own lives.
2) Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters.
3) Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

In future posts I would like to explore all three of these and how we can utilize them specifically as writers. But first I would like to tackle a method Pink claims is outdated.

Carrot and stick: Let's face it we are motivated by rewards and punishments. Time-outs on the mat and stickers were the methods our Kindergarten teachers used to keep us in line and we haven't changed much in some ways.

If you're having trouble reaching a goal may I suggest you need two simple components:

Accountability:

This could be the adult stick method. Fear of embarassment, fear of failure, fear of other's opinions of us loom large in our minds.

Alleycat pal Casey and my own husband can receive a large credit for helping me finish my first novel. If you don't have a real-life pal to hold your feet to the fire, there are great Facebook groups such as #1kanhour where you can find virtual buddies to write at the same time as you.

External deadlines are another method of accountability. We can talk about internal deadlines later, but I'm choosing to focus on the "carrot and stick" method today. Each time I receive a book from Library Journal there is a stamped sheet inside the cover with my review due date. Emails with article assignments include the same. These provide calendar motivation though it may seem simplistic.

Another form of self-accountability involves temporarily removing something else from your life in order to allow time for writing. The easiest thing to remove in this stage of my life is sleep which is why I often find myself writing during the nighttime hours. That being said, removing facebook or a hobby from your life would increase your writing time.

Rewards:

Mercenary or not, I don't have a lot of extra cash for writing pursuits so I am motivated by payment. Since I try to use my writing money for further resources to grow me that check is even more motivating.

The last several times I've attempted to write a novel, I have ended between 10,000 and 20,000 words. Because of the stop-go flow of my life right now, nonfiction seems to work for me as it is easier to compartmentalize while still maintaining unity in the whole work. Yet to increase my word count my husband came to the rescue again.

You are blessed if you have a cheerleader in your corner. In this case my husband is my biggest cheerleader. He knows I am happiest when I can pursue my dreams so he has offered up a motivator. He has offered me the choice to purchase a covered bookcase I've been coveting for years or to attend SHE WRITES conference when I complete my book.


He knows me and my style of motivation as a ticket to ACFW helped me complete my first novel.

You can also utilize rewards and removals for short-term goals. I will take the afternoon to read a favorite book when I reach my word count for the week. When I hit 10,000 words I will splurge on a white chocolate mocha. I will DVR Castle and there will be no new episodes until I send my proposal out.

Have you ever utilized a carrot and stick policy in order to complete a project?

 

Julia Reffner is also a contributor at Wonderfully Woven and Library Journal magazine.

Don’t Forget the Old Goals in the New 2015

Happy New Year!

It’s filling all the corners of the internet. Greetings from friends and people you bump into at the grocery store. It’s clogging our social media and reminding us that this is truly a new year.

I can’t believe how fast 2014 has gone. Those who said that the older you get the faster time flies, weren’t lying as I always thought they might have been. But 2015 is here. This much has proven true. Have you entered the Carol or Genesis awards yet? If you haven’t, you really should. Let this year be the year you don’t procrastinate on your entry submission and keep the coordinators (aka: myself and Pam) from hyperventilating over the details. 

Have you laid out your goals? Picked your One Word? Set the New Year’s resolution?

Can I encourage you to do one thing with your new year?

Pursue your dreams.

Finish your goals.

Complete what you started.

We think: New Year, how awesome! Let’s start something new.

But what if instead of starting something new that—let’s be honest here—we most likely won’t finish in 2015 before May rolls around, we finished what we have already started.

Are you putting off the edits? What is holding you back? Insecurity? Fear?

Are you waiting to finish that book until the “right time”? I’ll be brutally honest: that time is never going to show up unless you carve it from the granite that is your schedule.

Are you holding off entering the contest because you’re afraid that your book isn’t good enough to make it to the finals? I’ll ask you this: what if it is? You don’t learn unless you put your best foot forward. And sometimes that best yes is simply hitting “enter”.

New Years aren’t just an opportunity for the freshness of new projects; it’s also the perfect opportunity to take a fresh start on something you’ve been dragging your feet about.

Never has motivation run so clear and straight as it does in the New Year.

What about motivation for this thing you’ve come to dread you say? Thirty minutes a day on a project you loathe or simply tolerate will get you far if you concentrate only on that project for the sole thirty minutes. And you’re done. Move on to something you love or want to work with.

Provide yourself with rewards. A cookie, a chapter of the book you are dying to finish, an extra five minutes in a warm, soothing bath, an escape to your favorite coffee shop to people watch.

None of these things require money, but are things we often deprive ourselves of enjoying. Use this as fuel.

Old projects don’t have to take a back seat in priority to the projects you really want to work on, or vice versa. All you need is the determination to make this project happen.

See, New Years are fresh, beautiful opportunities. Yes, dream of the new idea, the next project, but don’t let the joy of starting something new, let you forget the thing you loved and couldn’t wait to start last year.

This could be the year that dream comes closer to coming true.

***This beautiful post brought to you by Casey Herringshaw saving Amy Leigh Simpson's hyde!

Why I Don't Write...But It's Why I Should.

By Ambro on freedigitalphotos.net

Why I don't write:

1. Every time I open my WIP, I remember the last rejection, the sting of those critical words, and wonder, can I ever prove myself better than that?

2. It hurts too much to write, because I fill with hope in the newness, and fear the pain of being dashed again.

3 The stuff of Life consumes my brain, and while I try to focus on the 16th century setting of my novel, my brain just fills with the 16 things I need to get done on my to-do list.

4. My heart's not right with God. It's just so beat up and bruised, how can I take pleasure in something as frivolous as writing?

5. I allow myself to believe the lies above, and forget...

THAT...is why I SHOULD write!

IT is the rejection and critical words that fuel my attempt to grow and write better.

It is the hope that grows, even if it seems dashed for a moment, it is rampant always with ever forward step. I haven't found hopelessness to take residence for very long, so why would I allow it to stop me from my dream?

Life will always throw a million things to do. It is the downfall of this busy culture. Taking time to pursue the stuff of my heart won't put a dent in all the time I spend in the busyness of life.

I find healing in writing. It's a gift from God, so why would He put stipulations on it? Only when I am happy and content with my walk can I write? No. It is when my heart hurts most that my writing shines with truth and emotion.

So what stops you from writing? Have you ever thought maybe that stumbling block is actually a place to dive off into your writing instead?

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written five Historical Romance novels, has an Historical underway, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one sheets, selling Jamberry Nail Wraps, and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check out her author page at www.facebook.com/dicken.angie and her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com 

Six Vital Questions to ask your First Readers

You have a polished draft, and now it’s time to get feedback before submitting to agents or publishing houses.

Those friends and family members who’ve been bugging and bugging you? (When-can-we-read-your-book? Are you finished already?) – finally you have something to offer them, in the hope of garnering solid feedback you can use.

So you hand the manuscript over, ignoring the tumbling free-fall in your gut and the sense that you’ve just placed your newborn child tenderly in the middle of an expressway.

Photo by imagerymajestic, freedigitalphotos.net

Then you wait for the feedback.

When it comes, it sounds like this.

“Oh, I loved it. I loved it so much.”

“You are such a talented writer.”

“This was a great story. Really great. Wow – just wonderful.”

Flattering? Yes.

Affirming? Absolutely.

Helpful?

Not so much.

The problem here is that most people you ask for feedback (experienced critiquers aside)… well, they know you, and they love you.

They will be kind.

Maybe they did honestly enjoy the book. They may have sensed that some parts were a little “off”, or not quite there, but either they haven’t thought through their response deeply enough to analyze exactly what was lacking, or they simply feel it would be rude to point out any deficiencies.

Generalized praise may make you feel good, but what’s the point if it’s not even a truly accurate indication of what that person thought? Remember, the purpose of engaging a first reader is to make your book better, not to make you feel better. (Click to tweet.)

You must give your first readers permission to give honest feedback.

Image by David Castillo Dominici,
freedigitalphotos.net

What’s more, you need to do this in a practical way. Don’t just say, “Oh, and please feel free to tell me what you REALLY think!” because the majority of people will be too polite to take you up on that. It’s like asking your best friend what she really thought of your 10-year-old daughter’s debut karaoke performance.

Yeah, it stank, but absolutely NO-ONE who loves you is going to tell you that.

The instinct to preserve the feelings of a friend runs very deep.

On the other side of the equation you have zealous Aunt Harriet, who is a whiz at spotting punctuation errors and spelling slips, and will tell you with relish that you used the wrong form of the word “you’re” on pages 39, 117, and 248.

All of which is well-intentioned, but equally unhelpful. There’s simply no use doing line edits with a fine-tooth comb if your plot is fundamentally flawed and a third of the book has to be rewritten from scratch.

To elicit the truly helpful responses, therefore, you must dig them out. Ask specific questions. This achieves three things:

      1.     It helps the reader focus on the big picture.

      2.     It helps him/ her be analytical about what worked and didn’t work, and why.

      3.     It gives him/her practical permission to give specific feedback.

What questions should you ask? Keep it short and simple.

Here’s some I’ve used.

1. Did the characters’ actions ring true? (Did you understand the motivations behind what they did?)

2. Which parts felt slow or lost your interest?

3. Were there any parts that didn’t make sense to you?

4. What are the strongest and weakest aspects of the book?

5. What (if anything) took you by surprise?

6. Did you find the ending satisfying?

Face-to-face questioning is confronting, and people will shirk from total honesty. A better approach would be to print out a one-page sheet with spaces after each question, and give it to the reader with your manuscript. Your readers will take this responsibility quite seriously. It’s validating for your first reader to know that you truly desire their thought-out opinion, not just a pat on the back and a bit of ego-stroking. 

By asking specific questions, you bypass the emotional pressure of thrusting your newborn manuscript into a friend’s arms and asking with breathless hope, “Do you love it as much as I do?”

Do your book a favor, and get some REAL feedback.

Have you ever done this? What questions would YOU ask?

Tweetables:

Is your first reader telling the truth when she says she loves your book? Find out here. (Click to Tweet)

Six vital questions to ask your first readers: (Click to Tweet)

Do your book a favour, and get some REAL feedback. Here’s how: (Click to Tweet)

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she mothers by day and transforms into a fearless blogger by night. Her popular creative home-making blog, A house full of sunshine, reaches over 20,000 readers a month. She's a Genesis finalist for women's fiction and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

A Writer's Heart Experience

www.freedigitalphotos.net by Vlado

The valleys. The mountains. The small (and sometimes, few) peaks of victory. Just like an athlete or marathon runner must check her heart's condition physically to be sure health won't hold them back on the next venture, we as writers must continually check our hearts to be sure we aren't wrongly motivated by expectations, that we are fully expressing our heart, and that we are using it for what it was created in the first place.

EXPECTATION- Yours or Others?? Are you driven by the constant questions from family and

www.freedigitalphotos.net by hyena realty

friends: Are you published yet? How's your book going? Why aren't you published yet? Sometimes, I realize all my anxiety at any given moment is because of the latest “Well, I loved your story, I can't believe it's not published yet,” or “Why is it taking so long?” It gives me a little nudge down the road of make-something-happen...and then I usually find myself striving for something that's out of my control.

Remember to always check your expectations against those of your well-meaning friends and family. If you've been around here long enough, YOU know that it is a long road...that it has lots of silent intermissions...that you can only do so much and then just brush your hands clean and start on the next book. It's okay to expect, but be sure your expecting isn't weighing your heart down along the way.

www.freedigitalphotos.net by Pakorn

EXPRESSION- What's really in your heart?? Get those emotions out. Write to Emote! Sometimes, you might not get to express the truth of your heart's condition at the moment depending on the particular project you are working on. You might not always write something like the “book of your heart”...and that's okay...EVERYTHING you write is a stepping stone to something greater. So if you are writing something less heart-tugging to you, be sure you are pouring your heart out somewhere...blog, journal, start your next heart story on the side. I find that when I pour my heart out somewhere...EVERYTHING I am writing is better for it!

www.freedigitalphotos.net by markuso

EXULTATION-Give it to God. Daily!! Hey, your heart was created to praise HIM first and foremost! How can you be sure your heart is in the right place when you sit down to write, if you haven't connected with the One who is planting those story seeds in your soul? Connecting with God has always given me fertile ground to create my stories with a fresh breath of His Spirit. And that is by far one of the greatest things to experience on this heart journey!

Straighten out those expectations, pour out your emotions, and fill up with Him who gifted you with this calling!

What do you struggle with most? Expectation, Expression, or Exultation? How do you handle it when you feel unbalanced?

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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.

A Tangled Plot Structure

I am on the road today and have had a slight change in today's post. I will be posting about villains next time.

If you've not seen Disney's newest movie, Tangled, then go out and rent it. In fact, buy it. It's one of my FAVORITE Disney movies! And the hero is one of the top Disney hero's EVER!!!
One thing that makes this movie such a good story, is that the plot structure follows a very nice arc. For your reading pleasure, I've plotted out Tangled - so get ready for another LOOOOONG Pepper-post.

Let's start off with motivations, and then we'll get to the plot.

Rapunzel External Goal: See the Lights

Eugene’s External Goal: Wealth (get the crown)

Rapunzel Internal Goal: Where does she belong?

Eugene’s Internal Goal: Someone who will care about him for who he is; meaning

 Set up the plot – who, what, where

An old woman who desires eternal youth steals an infant princess whose magical hair can provide it.

Over 17 years later, Flynn Rider, a handsome thief, steals a crown belonging to the ‘lost’ princess.

2. Hero’s motivation – what does your protagonist want?
Rapunzel wants to see the ‘lights’ that always come out on her birthday, but she’s never left the tower in which she’d been raised by her ‘mother’.

Eugene (Flynn Rider) wants to be wealthy, so he’s stolen the lost princess’s crown with two other thugs.

3. Begin the hero’s quest – “I’ve Got a Dream”

Rapunzel wants to see the 'floating' lights that come out on her birthday every year so she asks her 'mother' to take her. It's her first step toward reaching beyond her tower into the world. (this could also be #4)

4. Change the hero’s direction

Eugene (Flynn Rider) tries to escape the king’s men and in the processes hides within this mysterious tower, only to find that he’s wrapped from shoulders to knees in a chain of golden hair. To make matters worse, his prized –crown is missing.

Rapuzel makes a deal with Flynn: Escort her to see the lanterns and she’ll give him back the crown.
(this could also be viewed as when Flynn & Rapunzel stop working against each other, and begin to work together to save each others' lives)

5. Challenge the hero with problems

Eugene and Rapunzel are chased by two thugs, the king’s men, a hilarious horse named Max. Gothel and the two thugs who are after Flynn join forces.

6. Change the hero’s status

I LOVE this part – because there is an obvious change to show the status change in this movie. While on the run from the king’s men, Rapunzel saves Flynn’s life – in turn, he rescues her, but then they are both trapped in a cave that is filling with water.  Flynn shares the secret that his name is really Eugene Fitzherbert and Rapunzel shares the secret that she has magical hair. They escape, she heals his wounded hand with her magical hair, and a ‘connection’ is made between the two of them. Status? He starts calling her Rapunzel and she starts calling him Eugene. There’s a new motivation beginning. Romance & connections start to happen...and of course, a Disney duet.

7. Give the hero tougher problems
Eugene/Flynn  realizes he’s got to end the manhunt from his former thugs, so he leaves Rapunzel to return the crown to them. Unfortunately, they’ve learned of Rapunzel’s amazing power – and are working for Gothel- they capture Eugene, tie him to a boat, and make it ‘appear’ that he’s running away from Rapunzel with the crown. Heartbroken, Rapunzel returns to her mother and her life of insecurity and imprisonment, only to realize that SHE is the lost princess and Gothel has been the enemy all along.

Eugene’s boat floats directly into the castle, where he is arrested and set to hang at dawn.

 9. Let the hero suffer maximum angst
With the help of some hilarious ‘thugs’ and a horse-with-an-attitude, Eugene escapes from the noose and sets off to find Rapunzel. When he climbs to the tower, he sees Rapunzel tied up and gagged – and then he is stabbed by Gothel. Gothel plans to leave him there to die, but Rapunzel promises to give up her freedom, if Gothel will let her heal Eugene. Just as Rapunzel gets ready to heal Eugene, he reaches up and cuts her hair – freeing Rapunzel from her promise and eternal servitude, but losing his chance to live. When the magic hair is cut, Gothel’s years catch up with her. She rapidly ages. Mortified she falls from the tower window to her death….and Eugene dies in Rapunzel’s arms.

10. Change the hero’s direction
Just before Eugene dies, he confesses to Rapunzel that “You were my new dream.” And she tells him the same thing. Their motivation had changed.

11. Give the hero new hope

When Rapunzel’s tear drops on Eugene’s cheek, a glowing light swirls around them. Could this be a miracle?

12. Achieve a win/lose conclusion
Her tear heals him. Flynn wakes up, and with his usual swagger, says “You know, I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.”

13. Tie up the loose ends
Rapunzel’s reunited with her real parents – who had been searching for her all 18 years. All the thugs have their stories, Max (the horse) has a happy ending, and, of course, Eugene and Rapunzel live happily ever after too.

Questions for you:

If you’ve seen the movie, what are the characteristics that make the hero and heroine endearing? Eugene is a selfish thief afterall – why is he so darn likeable?

From the first scene with Gothel, what characteristics does Disney portray that ‘hint’ she’s not as good as she seems?

Are there any other movies you’d like to see ‘plotted’? Would you modify my plot structure for Tangled at all – remember, some points can be seen from different perspectives by different people J

Plotting with Disney - The Song of Longing

Did Disney’s news yesterday freeze you with shock? Frozen has become the largest grossing animated film of all time – even more than Toy Story! I was shocked. Sure it’s a cute movie, but THAT cute? Clearly I’m not ‘cool’ enough to get it – though I do recognize great storytellers when I hear/read them.

Disney is known for its GREAT stories, amazing characters, brilliant voices, fantastic secondary characters, marvelous animation, and, of course, stupendous music. In fact, you could plot a book from the pattern of songs through Disney’s movies.

So…

That’s what we’re going to do. Using the basic elements of Disney songs in a 3-part series (particularly from the ‘princess’ movies), I’m going to talk about the ‘melody’ of story structure. (I might have to slide in a fourth to give us that ‘happily-ever-after’ part. It wouldn't be Disney without it J

The basic three ‘songs’ we’re going to discuss in the 3-part series are:

The Song of Longing

The Song of Hope

The Song of Conflict/Antagonist

(and I’ll probably throw in a happily-ever-after part in here too) J

So, today, let’s talk about Disney’s Song of Longing.

It’s a staple for almost every Disney movie out there. If you don’t believe me, here’s a list of a few.

Some Day My Prince Will Come (Snow White)

When Will My Life Begin (Tangled)

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella)

I Just Can’t Wait to be King (Lion King)

Belle (The song when she’s walking through town and their talking about how weird she is J

Out There (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Reflection (Mulan)

Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid)

Do You Want To Build a Snowman (Frozen)

What do all these songs have in common? Each and every one of them is strategically placed in the story to express the main character's deepest longing.

Whether it’s a prince, the ‘lights’, an adventure, legs, self-discovery, or a deeper relationship with her sister, all of these songs express the main character's heart’s desire.

And YOUR story needs to express that too.

If your character doesn't have a longing and goal, then it is difficult for the reader to relate to her and stick with her to the end of the book.

What does your hero/heroine want? What does she dream about? What does she ache to obtain?

Usually there are two desires – an external and internal one. Many times one will directly relate to the other.

Let’s use Cinderella, for example.

External desire: Get to the ball

Internal desire: Have someone love her and take her away from her heartache

Clearly, these two are related since she wants to get to the ball to meet someone who might sweep her out of her glass slippers and into a wedding gown. In her song, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella sings:

“In dreams you will lose your heartache. Whatever you wish for you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday – a rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” The song expresses her deepest longing.

What about Mulan?

External desire: Keep her father from fighting/fight in her father’s place

Internal desire: Discover who she really is

Yep – both are intricately related to each other. She discovers who she is, her worth, while taking her father’s place in the battle. In her song, Reflection, Mulan sings “When will my reflection show who I am inside?” CLEAR indication of her heartfelt ache.

One more?

Tangled?

External desire: See the lights

Internal desire: Self-discovery and freedom

Through the monotony of her song, When Will My Life Begin, we hear her desire for something more meaningful than what she’s always known.

Does it make sense? The songs reflect something much deeper. The beginning of the story and the heart of the hero.

So…back to you? What is your hero/heroine’s deepest longing? Can you tell us an internal and external desire they have? 

Let us know….or list one of your favorite Disney “songs of longing”?

Proposing Motivation After A Writing Break

I settled into my chair on Saturday, excited to jump back into writing after a long writing break. As I got restless in the break, I took some time to consider what I would write, and that I would start soon. It seemed a bit daunting at first, since the last writing I had done was extensive proposal writing, which, for a fiction author, isn't an easy task. But the exercise of proposal writing might have just helped with ending my writing break by giving me the motivation I needed. And in hindsight, I took some very similar measures in setting up a proposal to say "farewell" to my writing break.

There are many elements that go with proposals, but for today's example, I will expand on three objectives of a proposal. Proposals reveal your story and what it's about to the agent or editor, giving them a thorough glimpse at what's in store (and hopefully excitement!). Proposals also give you a chance to outright state the take away value of your story, the very essence of why you wrote it in the first place. And with great importance, the proposal should prove your ability to write, and the passion for telling this specific, unique story of yours. As I began to plunge into writing again, the same three objectives of a proposal seemed to help stir up motivation for ending my writing break:

1. Reveal the Story: Or in this instance, REFRESH myself to the story in my heart. While a proposal gives the reader a thorough look at the story, an author beginning up again after a break will need to look at their story with fresh eyes. I read all the chapters I had written, went through the synopses (and the proposal), and reminded myself of what it all looked like in my daydreaming.:)
2. Take Away Value: We've heard it stated time and again: "Why did you write it? What's the take-away value? What will a reader gain from reading this story?" And that is important to hash out in a proposal. An author ending a writing break, needs to define their purpose for writing what's on their heart. This is essential to motivation after a writing break. It takes that passion driving you to "pick up the pen" once again, and tunnels it through with purpose. And once I have a reason, I can't help but race toward the goal!
3. Prove your Ability: How you write in a proposal should convey that you can write in the first place. And we all know, authenticity goes a long way with today's reader. To write, you must be connected to your own heart, and for us Christian writers, to God's spirit to write with excellence. The best way to begin to do this after a writing break is to journal or write blog posts. Pour your heart out on paper or on your blog to get connected again with passionate prose. This doesn't mean that your rustiness won't show through a bit when you actually get back to your story, but it will give you ample foundation to start...and a little bit of assurance that you have what it takes!

Once you get going on that story, remember to take a first draft mentality...don't worry about it not pouring out right away, and don't edit! Just let your juices flow again. Risk bad writing for excellent writing as you go! Just keep writing!

Have you ever struggled to start up again after a writing break? What helps motivate you?

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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous, mothering 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 historical cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

Hitting that Word Count...No. Matter. What.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

**reposting of an earlier post**

Word count

Possibly the most two hated words in all of the writing profession for those days when the words... Just. Are. Not. Flowing!

Every word feels like having a finger nail pulled, a stitch tightened in your skin without pain killer, wisdom teeth being extracted while being WIDE AWAKE. Ahhhh!

Save me from word count!

90,000 words, that was the goal for the recent WIP that I finished just last month. There were times when I would look at my counter and go, "3,200 MORE?? It was 3,2001 just a few minutes ago!"

Word Processor can be your greatest asset or your worst enemy and I think we all have those days.

Below are 10 tips to help you conquer that writer's block of word count. These are proven (for me), they work (for me) and I wouldn't have gotten my novel done without them

10: Pray over your words. Most won't be kept, you might delete them moments after writing them, but they are words. God will give you the inspiration, you just have to believe and trust that He will.

9: I want you to not for one second think that this novel will never make it. Tell yourself it will be the next #1 New York Times Bestseller. I did. And who knows, it just might be. The point it, don't dwell on what needs to be changed, just enjoy the flow of words. It will help immensely.

8: I know many of  you are working writers or stay at home with your kids. But have you ever noticed how quickly 100 words can be written? If you single space your pages, it is only about one paragraph. Do you know how fast 100 words adds up? You would only have to carve 10 spaces out of your day to write 1,000 words.  While the kids nap, during your lunch break. While supper is cooking, while your mother in law rants on the other end of the line about her next door neighbor's howling cat. It is faster than you think and I bet in the few minutes you find, you will get more than a 100 words written.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

7: Carrots, lots and lots of carrots! I am serious, it is my think food. For those days that the words are locked up tighter than a drum, rejoice over every 100 word count. Reward yourself, read a chapter in that book you can't stop thinking about. Stand up, stretch, grab a carrot stick, spend just a minute or two away from the screen. Then go back and write another 100.

6: Format your page. When I wrote my last novel, I did everything in single spaces. For some reason it just helped me feel like I was writing more. I wasn't concerned about page count, just words. I loved seeing those single spaces of nothing but words filling those pages.

5: If at all possible try to find a quiet place to write. With summer upon us, that might be easier than during the school year. And just enjoy the words. If you aren't what is the point of writing, I mean really?

4: I would suggest not reading any writing books during this time. It will just make you think of everything you need to change, instead focus on the words. Who cares if you have to go back and delete? Who cares if those words never see the light of publication? If God gave you this story idea, than write it! Anything else is a disservice.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

3: Unplug the Internet and move far, far, far away from that deadly temptation. It will steal your writing time and suck away all enthusiasm and desire to write. When I get ready to write, I bundle my laptop and move to my bunkhouse outside, away from all electronics. It does wonders for my word count.

2: If music helps you enter your story world, than by all means plug some in and let it sooth your writer's mind. The inspiration to write my novel was a few select songs by Sara Evans. I listened to those six songs over and over again. And it put me in the mindset to think about my heroine and her situation.

1: Set a deadline for yourself. My deadline was to be done my birthday which is the middle of July. As that deadline loomed closer and closer, all I could think about is, what if I didn't make it? It pushed me to write more, to have creativity flow and (that along with prayer) worked wonders for hitting that deadline. In fact I got it down by the middle of June. : ) But I also say that don't stress if you don't hit that deadline. Summer is still a time to enjoy, so enjoy it and don't worry if that word count isn't hit. You want your family to love your writing, not resent the angst it throttles around your loved ones.

That is my strategy for hitting your word count. It works for me and hopefully something will give you insight to help you as well. I would love to hear what you do to help hit that word count.

**I'll see ya'll when I get home from work tonight!!**

Member of the Rejection Club? Share For A Chance At Krista's New Book!

Last Friday I got a membership into the coolest club ever. The Rejection Club. Yes, indeed, I received my very first rejection from a publisher. I'd submitted my requested manuscript in December and knew the wait would be a long one, so I hadn't been feverishly checking my email.

When I checked my email during my lunch break at work on Friday, I saw the name of the editor in my inbox and knew. I knew what it was and I was okay with it. I opened up the email and read through what I thought was a fairly nice response. They told me what was lacking and what was needed for their line, and I was totally okay with it - well, after a little pouting. And do you know why?

I've learned a few things along the way.

Almost everyone gets rejected. Even famous authors receive rejections. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter was rejected 12 times before a publisher took it on. Stephen King had hundreds of rejections before he sold Carrie. Sol Stein was rejected 99 times before he sold. Even Julie Lessman received 45 rejections before selling. If you receive a rejection letter for something you have submitted, you are in good company.

Rejection can be a motivator. While you may fall into the depths of despair at the arrival of a rejection letter, once you recover, your determination to move past it, writer better, and show people you have what it takes will motivate you like nothing else. You can do it!

Receiving a rejection means you are brave. You betcha I am brave to put my work out there to be read, judged, and rejected! Here's the thing. You can't get THE CALL for publication if you never submit your work. It takes courage to hit that "send" button on your computer and let discriminating eyes peruse your work. So yes, receiving a red stamp of rejection on your manuscript means you are brave to the umpth-degree.

So you see, entrance into the Rejection Club is an honor and I embrace it with joy! 

Because I feel so strongly about this wonderful milestone in my life, I am giving away a copy of our Alley Cat Krista Phillip's debut book, Sandwich With a Side of Romance. It won't be released until the fall of this year, but I will pre-order it and it will be shipped to one of our lucky commenters. I will use random.org to pick a winner, which will be announced on the Weekend Edition. *U.S. residents only, sorry. 

So answer this question for me.... How many rejections have you received? If you aren't a writer, tell me a time when you have been rejected (job, boyfriend, etc?).

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.