What's Up The Street For Next Week?

Have you seen it? It's here, it's finally here! And I hope you brought your party horns and dancing shoes because The Ally has officially reached 200 followers!!! Any reason to celebrate right? And I say this a pretty good reason if I do say so myself. We have giveaways and a giveaway winner, so stick around.

We have been blessed, wouldn't you say? I can't write a celebratory post without reflecting on how far we have come and how blessed we are. In just a few short months the Alley has welcomed 201 other people that are just as hungry for writing knowledge (or win a good book, but hey, we won't be segregating here). We started out with five crazy ladies that had a message to share with the world and now our number has doubled to ten, who share the same faith and passion for the written word.

Now wouldn't you agree that we are all blessed? I can say nothing else.

So take a hat, blow a horn and tap your shoes to the beat of music you prefer. There is plenty to go around. Balloons and streamers and smiling faces, the Alley is festooned to the gunnel's and we are so excited to have you here. Thanks for making this a grand journey! May it not end here! :-)

Monday: Angie is your host today, sharing how to beat writer's block, garner inspiration and move fast the doldrums of painstacking writing fears.

Tuesday: Julia welcomes a guest to the Alley in Chris Fabry! Chris will enlighten and move us with his words on inspiration on what makes a writer.

Wednesday: Rejection Stinks...or Does it?? Sarah will explore this concept with her post today.

Thursday: Wendy talks about putting a belt around that sagging middle. No, not that sagging middle, the sagging middle of your story.

Friday: Secondary Characters, Friends/ Family and Sidekicks are the subject of Cindy's post on portraying great backup actors in your story.

Now I promised giveaways right?? Well here they are! Be sure and enter below in the comment section and tell us which one you would like to be entered for. Thanks for making the Alley such a great place to be! :-)

NewsStand

On Monday, Mary hosts award winning author, Lori Scott with a giveaway of one of her books on God Loves Kids

Casey's party starts TOMORROW! So when you leave the fun here, be sure and head over to her blog for the chance over a dozen prizes! And she is sure there is more, but she hasn't counted lately!

Also, check out Casey's sidebar for other contests that are going on at the moment.

On Operation Encourage an Author, stop by to say hello to Heartsong author, Darlene Franklin. A book is being given away too!

And the winner of Cindy Woodsmall's book from last week's giveaway is.... Amber!!!

Be sure and leave a comment to be entered in today's PARTY!  We love to celebrate here on the Alley, so bring a party platter, grab a cupcake and let the fun begin! :-)

Romancing the Blog - The *S* word

Yes.

We are talking about sex on the writer's alley today.

Any questions?

No, no, no, not like technical, high school health question stuff. (You can all say a big *phew* here!)

How about this question: How do we, as Christian writers, deal with sex in our novels?

I think we can all agree that a fictional detailed version of the actual act is a no-no. We can also, I presume, agree on the fact that the condoning of the act outside of marriage is a no-no too.

What we can, and should have, in our novels is this:

Sexual Tension.

For fun, I looked on the oh-so-reliable Wikipedia for a definition. (No, I did not Google it for obvious reasons!)

Here is what I found:

Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two people interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens.

It is a common feature of plot and characterization in works of fiction. This longing is often suggested by incidents of intimacy; for instance, when two people or characters are alone, are physically close, but desire is never explicitly expressed.

I LOVE this definition... it even mentions fiction novels! How about that! And for the Christian novel, where our characters, for the most part, are waiting until marriage to "consummate," this type of tension is normal and needed.

Without this tension, there is no romance.

Now, don't get me wrong. Romantic love isn't all about sex. But it is a part of it. And if the tension is absent from your romance novel, readers will be able to tell, and most won't like it very much.

What does sexual tension in a Christian novel look like?

This can vary greatly depending on the author, as well as the author's audience and publisher.

It can be something simple like:

Luke sat in the chair next to Maggie, and when he stretched out his lanky legs under the table, his knee brushed her skirt, making her heart throb at a wild pace. (from Maggie Rose, by Sharlene MacLaren, my current read! Love it so far!)

Sometimes a simple, accidental touch can invoke tension.

Or it can be a little more pronounced like:

He walked faster.


He was a pastor, a man of the clothe, someone whom others looked up to and yet... He wanted to touch her, to fill her eyes with longing.


He walked faster, still.


He wanted her in every way that a man could want a woman. God forgive him.


This time he broke into a full run.

(from A Lady Like Sarah, by Margaret Browley, a book I highly recommend!)

I like this because here is a preacher, someone who should "have it all together" and even he is tempted. And what does he do? He flees temptation. A great lesson to learn! When the going gets hot... leave till you cool down. :-)

It's like chocolate. Wanting it isn't bad. It's having it that creates the problem. (i.e. my waist-line that refuses to recede anymore!)

Or, it can be very obvious like:


Jack's mouth found mine, and we fell against each other. It felt so good to be touching someone. Him. He rubbed his thumb over the button at the nape of my neck, the only button on my dress, but it didn't open. I pulled back his T-shirt from his pants and slid my hands up his back.


"No," He said, and shoved me away. "That's enough."


I slapped him.

(From Home Another Way by Christa Parrish, not an a-typical romance but an intriguing and thought-provoking novel that again, I highly recommend!)

I really liked this for a couple of reasons. First, he is a Christian and she is not. He is also a pastor. (Is this a theme?!?) There is some backstory that makes this even more interesting, but I'll not give that away. Second, he shoved her away like she was a hot potato. And she kinda was. Third, she slapped him. Now THAT is some tension, folks!

How much is too much?

This is a question I cannot answer for you (beyond what I mentioned as no-no's earlier).

Every author is different. Every publisher is different. And the audience for each novel is different. All of these 4 things play a huge part in knowing what is acceptable.

Personally, I use the M factor. My mom. If I'm so embarrassed by a scene that I don't want my mom to read it, then I know I've probably gone a little far. This won't work for everyone, but my mom and I have read Christian romance novels for a long time, and have very similar taste, so this is an instinct I can trust.

You'll also find many people VERY opinionated on the matter. Judges in contests can be opinionated (I've had a LOT of 'this wouldn't fly in the CBA' comments) but ya know what? So can reviewers. Francine River's OH SO popular and time-tested novel, Redeeming Love, has 18 one-star reviews. (It also has over 700 5 stars...) But one of the themes of those 18 low reviews (and probably some of the 2 star ones I didn't read too...) was the amount of sexual description in the novel. One even said, "This is pure, unadulterated porn."

Julie Lessman, another fav author of mine, also has some fun reviews as well. My favorite (from my brief glance through her amazon reviews) was one that said, "I find it hard to believe this was a Christian book," when the review almost directly above it said, "I am sorry I wasted my money on this book. I didn't realize that it was a Christian book. I started skipping over all the Bible verses and all the preachy parts about what God would want. It became just too nauseating, too much!!!"

There are quite a few others I could name, but suffice to say: YOU CAN NOT PLEASE EVERYONE.

The only one you should really worry about pleasing is God.

Discussion: Do you have any self-imposed limits on how to handle sexual tension aspect in your writing? Do you tend to like the sweet romance... or the more edgy? Any examples of authors who do a good job at creating this tension between characters without stepping over the limits?

What's In A Name?

When it comes to naming the character or novel, sometimes those great and infamous names just escape us. Or maybe we don't put enough stock in them.
A good name to stand on it's own feet, long after the book has been written, published and consumed by the reader, is a name that will stick in the hallowed halls of the reader's thoughts. A name that will conjure up an image of your story or the character that personified it.

A name has to match the character. It has to be orginal, but not so orginal that it is hard to remember. A name that is too "out there" will be just as quickly forgotten as an old and worn out name.

Like with feelings, I do think we need to avoid cliched names. A name that has been used too frequently will be lost on the reader, where they won't even remember it enough to write the review. (and this has  happened to me)

A name has to have a meaning behind it. Maybe not the literal meaning, but it has a resonsance to it that means something to you and the character. If you decide to go with a literal meaning, it is good to think of how that name represents your character. For example: Mary means bitter. Is your character bitter about something? If not, you might want to consider some other name. It doesn't have to be mentioned in the story, it would be best if you didn't, but I know that when I hear that name, I often think of someone who has a "bitter" quality to them

Religion, ethnicity, nicknames, these can all play into the resonance of your character's name.

The same can be said for titles. You want a title that will grab the reader's attention, since that might very well be the first thing that they see. Aside from the cover, that is one of the biggest attention grabbers your book can produce. And since the best way is to learn by experience (and since I am terrible at naming things), I wanted to share some titles and character names that I think are truly memorable.

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz is a book that I believe says a great deal not only in the title, but also the name of the character. Because she is so memorable, Morrow Little is a name that sticks in my memory. But the title also grabs the reader. Courting inplies to several men who are looking at this beautiful young woman. But once you read the book, you realize it really isn't about men seeking Morrow's heart, but God. Chasing after her to show her His love for her.

The PJ Sugar series by Susan May Warren, I believe is brilliant! Talk about a name and personality to match. Because while it is great to have a stellar and memorable name, it will go nowhere without a personality to back it up. You can have the greatest name, but if your character is under developed, your story and name are going to fall flat on it's face without a leg to get back up on. So while it is important to pick the perfect name for the perfect character, it is also equally, if not more so important to build that memorable character. Because a memorable character can take an ordinary name and make it extraordinary.

PJ is a tomboy character so the nickname is perfect. It personifies her and that along with character traits, make her larger than life.

The characters in this book are simply marvelous, but I want to focus on the title for this time around. A Passion Most Pure. It says a lot, don't you think? It implies the romantic passion that accompy the woman and man on the front cover, but the pure part it what sparks the interest in readers. You don't often here of pure passion, so to see such a title makes me want to pick the book up off the shelf. The same goes for the other two books in the series,  A Passion Redeemed  and A Passion Denied, speaks very highly of what you are going to find within the pages of the novel.

A truly good title will give the reader a glimpse into the world of the book. Because like it or not, much of the first impression of a book comes from the title and cover. When we pick up a Love Finds You book, we expect a love story and not a murder mystery. When we pick up one of Julie Lessman's Passion books, we expect a romance because of the title in and of itself. Think carefully when you title something. Don't let it be evasive, let it have a meaning that intrigues the reader.

I just had to include this novel, because I love this book so much. The Frontiersman's Daughter, who can forget the story and a lovely name like Lael Click? Even after several months of finishing this book, I can still see her name and face in my mind. To be able to build a character around a name or vice versa is simply stunning.

And my favorite of favorites novel title is The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry. Talk about a title the says so much and yet so little! It immediately sparks an interest in the reader, how can a stranger be familiar? And with a story to back it up that sweeps the reader away, this book is truly memorable on every single count.

There have been so many memorable character names in the history of fiction.

Anne Shirley

Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Watson

Scarlet O'Hara

Tom Sawyer

Huckleberry Finn

Silas Marner

Atticus Finch

Oliver Twist

Jo March

Mary Lennox

And the list can go on and on.

What is your opinion of names and do you have more to add to my list? There are so many more out there!

Dazzling Obscurity

As fiction writers we enjoy mixing words into a scrumptious story that entices readers to read our books again.  Our books are dog-eared, worn, passed on to friends, and resold.  What makes best sellers as enticing as Jacob's stew?

I recently chose to enter a historical fiction contest for tweens.  I facebooked a few of my former students and asked what part of history intrigued them.  They chatted for a few days then messaged me back, "the Civil War." 

Great topic, maybe.  A bit overdone. How could I write anything fresh?  

I asked my husband, who must have read every Civil War book in print, if he knew any obscure fact.  He smiled. "I read somewhere that the Battle of Gettysburg happened because of a pair of new shoes."  Perfect. I set out to prove it.  

I drove to used book stores, libraries, waded through my husband's collection, researched my high school daughter's AP US history textbook, and of course, read numerous sites on the Internet to gleam every detail and point of view offered on this topic.  Conclusion:  yes, the confederates gathered in Gettysburg because they heard there were new shoes and boots. Unfortunately for them, the Union also happened that way.

I wanted to picture the city of Gettysburg at the time.  Most maps included the battlegrounds, but I wanted the town proper.  Days and days of research later, I learned the booming town of Gettysburg had only ten streets.  

My last question wrapped around one I had mistakenly woven into my story before gathering proof. Several resources implied, a couple downright stated there was a shoe factory in the town.  I contacted the chairman for Civil War studies at Gettysburg University.  Sadly, he said Gettysburg did not have a shoe factory, the rumors were incorrect.  Gettysburg was the "Detroit of the time. It had a carriage factory."

I'm glad I spoke with him before submitting my work!  I tweaked the story, put in the carriage factory, and left in the Confederates desire for shoes.

Obscure details make our stories fresh.  The unexpected detail will catch the reader's eye, hopefully that reader is an editor.

BUT readers expect to find truth in fiction.  Abraham Lincoln can't cut down cherry trees, and St. Valentine cannot deliver Christmas packages.  Readers notice if a story states or illudes to a person or event incorrectly. 

I'd like to mention a few more resources and methods to find the obscure detail in my next post. Until then, what obscure detail did you find and/or write into your WIP?  Don't forget to include those trips to UK, Africa, etc! 

NaNo Land VS The Looney Bin

Many of you know I've taken on the challenge of writing 50,000 words this month in the NaNoWriMo Challenge. National Novel Writing Month. A month of early mornings--or late nights, whichever the case may be. A month of wracking your brain for plot and characterization during the day so that when you get a chance to put fingers to the keyboard, your story can fly. A month of insanity.

I'm sure a challenge like this is a piece of cake for someone who...
1) has no children
2) doesn't work full time
3) doesn't belong to a church that they are involved in
4) doesn't have a puppy who needs to be on ADHD meds
5) doesn't do holidays...Thanksgiving is coming up--who planned this NaNo, anyway?
6) basically, doesn't have a life.

So how am I doing?  Let it show you what I've done so far. (check out my NaNo Stats here)

Nov. 1 : 1785

Nov. 2 : 344

Nov. 3 : 2503

Nov. 4 : 1534

Nov. 5 : 433

Nov. 6 : 2364

Nov. 7 : 1835

Nov. 8 : 530

Total: 11,328

You need to write 1667 words a day to complete (and win) NaNoWriMo. I am behind. I now need to write 1758 words a day to complete my mission. It's do-able.

What I've learned thus far from this NaNo-y experience:

1. I do have time in my day to write. I had thought I couldn't find time, but you know what? I am very clear headed at 4:30 a.m. with a large...um, LARGE, cup of coffee in hand.(the additional sugar from the tons of hazelnut creamer is a plus)
2. You do need a big supply of caffeine on hand. Whether it is coffee, tea, a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper from  Sonic, caffeine is a huge part of navigating NaNo Land.
3. Support from the family is a plus. One day my husband cooked supper while I pounded away on the keyboard after work, trying to catch up after a lousy word count the day before. Yeah, I know, a husband who cooks...sorry for those of you who don't have that tool.
4. I need to go to bed earlier. I need my sleep. Period. If I'm going to get up earlier, I need to go to bed earlier. This is a bit of a challenge with nocturnal teens in the house, but they understand this crazy journey I'm on, and have let me be. (FYI, my husband is on call if a parent is needed.)
5. There are many people doing NaNo and can be a great support and encouragement. Just look on Facebook, Twitter, NaNo's forums...there's lots of people doing this same crazy challenge who can sympathize and encourage you. At work yesterday, a 5th grader came up to me and said..."You're doing NaNo, aren't you? I am too!" Woah! I didn't know there was a "Junior NaNo" going on! Way cool.
6. If I don't make my word count, it's not the end of the world. I'm not going to be carted away by the NaNo police if I don't win NaNo and get my 50,000 words in. The deadline is enforced by me. I can be as hard or as lenient as I want. The point is writing everyday, a habit I am trying to develop.

NaNoWriMo is not for everyone. It is difficult to write that many words a day when life is full. But NaNo is a great tool for those who need a little push to get writing. It's been great tool for me in finding a writing time that works. If I'm going to be serious about writing, I need to just write, regardless of the job and other responsibilities. NaNo is helping me do that. Sure, there's a bit of insanity involved, but then again, doesn't every writer have just a touch of craziness? We wouldn't have it any other way, would we?

Has anyone ever done NaNoWriMo? If not, how do you stay motivated to write each and every day? 

Questions to Ask about Your Novel from Steven James

Well, it’s one thing to meet an author in the halls of ACFW, or in a workshop, but it’s a whole lot nicer to join an author for lunch. No surprise there. One on one attention and good food too.


Well last Wednesday I had the opportunity to join thriller writer, Steven James, for lunch at a nearby café. We don’t live too far away from each other, and though he’s in the middle of a deadline, he set up a lunch meeting at a wonderful little coffee house just down the street from where I live.

If you don’t know…

Steven James is a prolific writer of all sorts of books, both fiction and nonfiction, but he’s most well-known for his Patrick Bowers Files thriller novels. INTENSE. Books like The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight…all leading up to his most recent one, The Bishop. AHHHH! That book kept me up at night. Whew.

Besides that record, he’s also a charismatic presenter at Christian Writers conferences, as well as churches, universities, schools, and storytelling festivals. This guy stays busy. He has a great sense of humor and a heart for teaching. You can find out more about him at http://www.stevenjames.net/

So…back to MY story.

During our conversation, Steven gave me a few pointers. I thought you guys might benefit from them too. Questions to ask yourself while you create and write your novels. Here are a few of the first tips:

- In the beginning of your novel you are making promises – promises to alter the lives of your characters in some way.

- During the middle and end of your novel, you’re fulfilling those promises.

What does that mean? Well, what you set up in the first few chapters are your promises to the reader about ‘what’ is at stake, what do your characters want, what might keep them from getting what they want…those sorts of things.

Through the middle and the end of the book, we make those promises become reality.

Keeping that in mind, each scene should be a minor ‘alteration’…or altercation :-)

Scenes should not be written JUST to take up space in the book. For example, let’s take a REALLY popular movie scene…hmm….

Okay, sorry, but I’m going to use Pride and Prejudice. (STEVEN JAMES DID NOT USE THIS EXAMPLE) LOL.

And let’s take the ‘movie’ version – Kiera Knightley and Matthew McFadyen.

First scene: New neighbors, a rich, male, and (happily) single neighbor- of COURSE in want of a wife.

- Alteration? Sure. Women who had no prospects, suddenly DO.

A later scene – Lizzie and Mr. Darcy’s first meeting –

- Alteration? Oh yea! Lizzie’s somewhat indifference to Mr. Darcy turns into complete annoyance when he ‘slights’ her.

Readers want promises of danger and anticipation. Promises of CHANGE, and that’s what needs ot happen in each scene. A change inwardly or outwardly – but change that moves the story forward.

So what are some questions to ask yourself while you plot or write?

Here are a few Steven tossed out at lunch:

1. What is the reader thinking, hoping for, questioning, or feeling at this point in your story?

2. Have you ended the scene in a way that is unexpected but also inevitable?

3. Does your chapter/scene move the story forward?

4. Are the characters acting in a way that is believable for them?

5. Is there a way you can make your characters situation worse?

Last thing.

Steven made a GREAT point about NOT writing too many similar scenes. For example, since he writes thrillers, his books are filled with action – but too much of the ‘same’ type of scene will cause the reader to mentally yawn. So he doesn't overdo chase-scenes, because he wants the scene to really COUNT.

For us romance writers, we have to be careful not to have the SAME type of kissing scene, or ‘near’ kiss scene.

It’s kind of like this:

The first bite of chocolate is always the best – each consecutive one is more expected and less tantalizing – but the FIRST is the one that tingles the senses.

Same thing applies for scenes.

Have you made promises in the beginning of your novel?

Do things start out well, but then your characters’ lives alter?

Do you have some ‘screensaver’ scenes in your novel? Pretty to look at, but just take up empty space?

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

There are changes in the air here on the Alley.

And it is not just the nip causing the leaves to change coats.

Do you have a tissue handy? Here take one of my mine. There, are you ready?

The Sunday posts for finding up what is coming next week are a thing of the past. Yes I know, a tear just dripped from my eye too. And that is not the worst of it, the Special Guest Saturday feature is a thing of the past too. So I hope you read yesterdays, because that is our last one.

BUT, I have good news to to go along with that bad news. What's Up the Street for Next Week is getting moved to SATURDAY! And the occasional guest that will wow us with their wisdom will now be any day of the week that one of the Alley authors wants to invite them.

Here, use my trash can for all those soggy tissues, because there is no need to cry!

So, what's up the street for this coming week, take a peek... (yes I'm a poet and didn't even know it)

Monday: Pepper just finished a class with author Steven James, stop by to find out what she learned with her post: Questions to Ask About Your Novel with Steven James

Tuesday: What could be crazier than trying to write 50,000 words in a month?? Sherrinda give us the inside scoop on writing during NaNoWriMo month with her post: NaNo Land vs. The Looney Bin

Wednesday: Mary takes us on a journey into the obscurity and adding the proper details to our fiction. To avoid Abe cutting down a cherry  tree or St. Valentine delivering our Christmas packages, Mary gives advice on where to find these Dazzling Obscurities

Thursday: What's in a Name? Casey takes some of her favorite book titles and character names and shows you what makes a stand up and stand out memorable character.

Friday: Krista continues her Romancing the Blog series with shhhhh, don't use the "S" word. Don't worry she will keep it family friendly. But when is enough, too much? Don't miss it!

NewsStand

Have you heard the news?? Casey's blog, Writing for Christ is turning one year old!! And to celebrate she is holding a MASSIVE party for an entire week! Check it out with giveaways from authors, Lynette Eason, Sandra D. Bricker, Myra Johnson, Karen Witemeyer, and so many more!! But she doesn't want to give away all of her secrets, so check out her blog for contest details and a chance to win a preparty prize!!

And while we are the topic of giveaways, check out Casey's Facebook Jewelry Page for a chance to win one of her bracelets in the month of November, just "like" the page and you are entered!

Mary has celebrity guests during the month of November on her blog, including author of the Adventures in Odyssey series, Paul McCusker! Don't miss it on God Loves Kids

Pepper continues her series on Words Seasoned with Salt Fall into Love (wonder what she will be doing during winter...) with author Audra Harders, Jody Hedlund and Tammy Barley.

Sherrinda is giving away Second Chance Brides by Vickie McDonough tomorrow on her blog. Don't miss out!

Krista has a new button to share with you. Be sure and nab it for your blog to remember to pray for her precious princess, Annabelle.



<a href="http://reflectionsbykrista.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/zz97/WriterforChrist_photos/annabellecloseup-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

And this week's giveaway is for a signed copy of Cindy Woodsmall's The Hope of Refuge. Leave a comment to be entered, winner announced in next week's weekend edition.

This is it folks, the last Sunday edition for the time being. We hope you will like the new schedule, we are pretty excited about it ourselves!