Guest Poster Melissa Tagg: Do the Work!

I’ll never forget when Robbie showed up at the door.


Completely unexpected. Kinda bad timing. But oh, just the perfect moment…


Robbie’s pretend, by the way. :) And it wasn’t my door he showed up at, but Miranda’s—the heroine in my debut novel, Made to Last. And it wasn’t a perfect moment for her.

But for me as the author…oh yes. It was a delicious plot twist that took me totally by surprise. Non-writers don’t get it—how characters can go and do something we didn’t see coming. But writers know—it happens!

You’re trotting along in a scene and all of a sudden someone blurts out a line you didn’t plan or something happens plot-wise to surprise you.

It’s a little magical.


And, sometimes, a lot frustrating. As was the case when Robbie showed up.


Don’t get me wrong, at first I loved it. I remember getting giddy thinking about how fabulously that scene came together with Robbie’s sudden and unexpected appearance at the end. But an hour or maybe two later, it hit me: this little twist translated into a lot of work on my part.


See, Robbie wasn’t supposed to show up for a couple more chapters. I had it all planned out in what felt like the perfect timeline.


But noooo…he decides to show up several chapters early and throw off all my plans.  Suddenly my neat little plot spreadsheet didn’t work so well anymore. (If you need to pause here and gasp at the thought of me, Melissa Tagg, hater of Excel, willingly creating a spreadsheet, that’s okay)


And I remember thinking to myself: Well, I could nix Robbie’s appearance, go back to what I planned originally. But deep down, I knew that’d be a mistake. And I knew the only reason I was even considering it was because I was scared of the extra work it meant to the rest of the story.


But here’s what I learned once I decided to hunker down and do the work: It’s worth it.


It’s worth ripping out and tearing up scenes to get to the good stuff.


It’s worth hitting the “delete” key or slaving over necessary new words.


It’s worth messing with what once felt like a perfect storyline to get to an even better plot.


It’s worth digging through what we’ve got with a loose grip, open mind and crazy levels of determination to hit that story sweet spot.


Our stories are better for it when we refuse to be rushed, lazy or impatient during the revision process. Our plots are richer and our characters deeper when we battle through edits, surpassing better and reaching for best. When we stand up to the hard work, take a cue from Nike and just do it.


Even when it means a twist that goes against our plot chart or a scene we never planned on but that we know belongs.


And you know, if we want to veer off into the spiritual for a moment, there’s probably a pretty good life lesson here. God throws us plot twists now and then, doesn’t he? Fiddles with—or maybe sometimes even wrecks—our perfectly plotted lives.


And yet…isn’t it worth it? Isn’t it worth following the twists and peeking around the divine bends, doing the work of trust and obedience even when it’s uncomfortable…or just simply not part of our plan?


I think it is.


Definitely not easy.


But definitely worth it.


Have you ever been surprised by a plot twist that required lots of changes or rewrites to your story? Ever had a crazy life twist that changed your plans? 

Melissa Tagg is a former newspaper reporter and total Iowa girl. Her first novel, Made to Last, releases from Bethany House in September 2013. In addition to her homeless ministry day job, Melissa is also the marketing/events coordinator for My BookTherapy. Melissa blogs regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com.

From Prologue to Epilogue

from creationswap.com

Prologues are often thought of as a touchy subject for authors. Some like 'em. Some don't. I have read some fabulous prologues and decided to include one in my most recent story.

A prologue (Greek πρόλογος prologos, from the word pro (before) and lógos, word) is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information.
(from Wikipedia.com)

With a whole book-worth of story from beginning to end, when I then decided to include an epilogue, I had to narrow down several ideas ram-rodding in my head. While I understood the definition of an epilogue as stated below, I wanted it to have an exceptional raison d'etre  for my novel. It had to be as special as the story is in my heart.

An epilogue is a final chapter at the end of a story that often serves to reveal the fates of the characters. Some epilogues may feature scenes only tangentially related to the subject of the story. They can be used to hint at a sequel or wrap up all the loose ends.
(from Wikipedia.com)


My crit partner, Ashley, gave me a great pivotal phrase to base my epilogue intentions:

 

Bring the story full circle.

When creating an epilogue, I asked myself these questions and determined the answers:

1. What did my prologue set in motion that was reversed by the end of the story?

My prologue established the beginning of all my heroine's troubles. It marked the day when she was figuratively disowned by her father because of her mama's sin. My prologue set into motion a life bound by the shackles of sin. I dissect this throughout the story, bring about the perfect redemption found in Grace, and begin to turn it around.
So, in the epilogue, I know that, while the prologue set into motion the life bound by sin, the epilogue would reveal the characters' future in a life bound for Grace.

2 How in the world do I take my prologue and create a perfect antithesis to attain a treasure chest at the end of the character rainbow (arc)? :)

Besides wanting the characters to end up in a "dreamy" future (yes, I write romance), one that the reader will get to relish in their blessings and happiness, I needed to show the antithesis of all that occurred in the prologue to create an indulgent treasure chest for the reader.
So, I set the epilogue in the same place as the prologue, have characters enter at similar points doing similar things, but in a new lens of Grace and joy. While the boy might get the girl in the last chapter, the epilogue gives the chance to show their future family, something a reader might wish to see (I know I do!). To bring even more satisfaction, their future family takes over the old setting, the old scene established in the prologue, and creates an obvious fabric of redemption in the end.

• Example 1- Situational- In the prologue, the heroine, at four years old, hides and cries in the barn because her BROKEN father finds out the sin of his wife. In the epilogue, the heroine's four year old daughter runs to the barn in a game of hide and seek, squealing and playing with her cousin, only to be coaxed out by her own LOVING father and her redeemed mama.



• Example 2- Figurative speech

In the prologue, the heroine's mama's secret sin is buried deeper than "a harvest worth of crop", an appropriate
analogy since the setting is a farm in rural Texas.

In the epilogue, the heroine's mama is redeemed, and her blessings are more abundant than "a harvest worth of crop."

Using similar language in the opposite context will give power to your deeper theme and character arc.

Do you use prologues and epilogues in your writing? How do you "bring it full circle"?

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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.

What's Up the Street for Next Week?

Are you prepping your pitches?

Getting that elevator speech just right? The national ACFW conference is just a little over a month away and the time is creeping up fast!

One sheets getting done? Synopsis written? Proposal put together? Making the list? Checking it twice?

What's left on your conference to-do list? I'm still working on the challenging one sheet blurb and pitch. Takes a good bit of word-smithing to get that done! :-)

Share your list down in the comments!

What's up next week?

From prologue to epilogue, Angie shows the symbolism between your opening and closing lines on Monday.

Melissa Tagg, great friend of the Alley, will be guest posting on Tuesday. This girls always comes with loads of wisdom...and she's a debut author! :-)

Join our lovely resident Aussie, Karen, your hostess on Wednesday.

Ashley will be chatting about making your hook apart of every chapter in her post on Thursday.

Make a SPLASH with your pitch this conference season from Amy's tips on Friday.

Walking "Above the Clouds"

Last Saturday I "raced" over 6 miles. Uphill. Starting at an elevation of 7200 feet and ending at over 9700 feet.

The air is thin. My legs were cramping and contracting the first three miles. And I was pretty sure I should have hopped on the ambulance as it came down the mountain.

Racers only continued to pass me and I didn't look up near often enough to enjoy the gasp-worthy views.

Most of the race my mind was empty of all thought and processes, except getting. up. the. mountain.

The writing process is like our beautiful Steens Mountains.

It's a looooong hike.

And often times your legs are more sore than you think is possible to push them forward one more step. But the pain is greater in stopping than to just keep going.

Those first few miles of learning how to race, of pushing through the pain, seem like forever. Is it really worth the pain just to cross the finish line?

All your companions that started with you at the gun's bang are already yards ahead of you, climbing the hills as though they were mole hills. Some you've left behind, but it feels too much like you're the last one to cross the finish line as it only gets further and further away.

But then the three mile mark hits and your legs are used to the fast forward motion.

Your arms start swinging harder and your pace picks up speed. You're learning how to do this. You've got this and you can see the next mile marker around the next bend. The challenge of it all isn't quite so daunting.

Four miles. You're actually picking up speed, but still focused on putting just one foot in front of the other. That's all that matters. Not who is passing you. Not who you are passing. It's just one foot in front of the other.

Mile five hits and only 1.2 miles are left. Wow. This is the peak. You really can do this. There is a certain euphoric high that hits right about here and nothing much seems to matter but continuing toward the finish line.

Then you round the corner and see...see the finish line way, way, way up at the top of the final .2 miles. The hardest climb yet. The kind that pulls at your calves and tightens your muscles. You're nearly bent over and no hard swing of your arms is going to bring you up that much faster. But the spectators are cheering you on. Yelling to push forward. To make it. To finish STRONG.

And nothing else matters but crossing that finish line with everything you've got. You made a goal. You finished it. You made it.

With the writing life, the end result isn't often crossing that finish line. The finish line just moves toward a new goal, but don't we all have those mile three moments when we don't feel we can make it anymore and have to break through the pain and just keep going? We all have those moments when we crest that final long rise and see the big hill up ahead of us.

Maybe it's learning POV. Or character arc. Or marketing.

Or saving money for that big writing conference.

Or pushing send on a proposal.

My mom, finishing the race strong!

Or getting a book into publication.

It's a big hill.

People are passing us by, taking that big hill as though it were nothing, finishing before us. It's hard to watch everyone else getting to our goal before we do. But the time we are taking to climb those preceding hills are making us stronger. Preparing us for that final hill that could take all energy out of our legs and drain the air from our lungs.

Some walk (or run) at a faster pace than us. We can't sit and compare--as easy as that is-- to what others are doing better. It's an individual journey. An individual race. And our greatest competitor is ourselves. Embrace the battle from within and defeat the lies threatening to muddy your journey.

Because the finish line is just up ahead. And you're getting closer with every step you take.

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people. 

YOU HAVE TO BLOG! (or do you?)

My Blogging Story

When I started on my writing journey, blogs were this fantastic up and coming "thing". If you wanted to be IN this whole writing thing... OF COURSE you had to blog. ALL agents and editors look at that. For fiction authors, it was the ONLY way to get a platform/following if you will.

So... I cracked my knuckles and started a blog.

And rejoiced at my 5 hits a day. I mean... come on. Those were FIVE PEOPLE who were reading what I wrote!

Eventually it grew to about 20 a day, give or take, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

I blogged about writing and about parenthood and The Bachelor and kissing and romance and a variety of stuff.

I started avidly following other blogs and commenting, spending WAY too much of my day doing so (time that really should have been spent writing...), to try and drum up a few more followers on my blog.

And... it worked. A little. I think I had about 30-40 hits a day by that time.

Then this very sad thing happened. We found out that the sweet little baby I was carrying... baby #5 for us (including sweet Abigail who went to be with Jesus super early) had a heart defect. Only half of her heart was formed.

So she took over my blog. Blogging came much less about numbers and much more about sharing my heart as we went through the journey. Writing my raw feelings and having to express in writing what was going on was therapeutic for me. I NEEDED it.

Then sweet Annabelle was born. And my blog became a way to let people know how she was doing and how to pray for us.

Needless to say, my numbers increased, but at that point, I didn't care nearly so much. I wanted my baby to live. That was all I cared about. And on many days, that looked very questionable.

My numbers REALLY increased when fellow heart-parent, Matt Hammitt (lead singer of the Christian Band Sanctus Real) linked to my blog from his blog devoted to his and Sarah's sweet son, Bowen.

I had over 3000 hits that day.

The number didn't hit me so much in blog terms... (okay, maybe a little...) but the knowledge that 3000 people read Annabelle's story and were actively praying for her that day... during a time that was very touch-and-go.... was humbling and amazing.

Over the next year or so, my numbers stayed humbling high--high for ME that is. Like 15k visits a month, give or take.

Eventually, after 308 days in the hospital, 4 open heart surgery's later including a heart transplant at 8 months of age, Annabelle came home for the first time. And after some bad turns, she finally started to improve.

And with her improvement, my numbers dropped to a much more "normal" range. Yet they remain much higher than previously.

Lately, I'm trying to find a semblance of normal in this new life I've been given. I dropped from 3 to 4 times a week blogging to 2... or 1 on really crazy weeks. And I'm trying to focus my time more on my family than my blog. Balance is key. Yet I'm still invested in making it work. I still LOVE to blog and love to share my heart with people.

Blogging Lessons I've learned

1.) Blogging with the sole purpose of building a platform for a writer is not a great idea. It doesn't work. Your MOTIVATION is not where it should be. It's like writing a book just to make money. Chances are you'll be disappointed on both counts.

2.) A SUCCESSFUL blog has a purpose. A need to fill. And that NEED is what your motivation needs to stem from. Some people, like us Alleycats, blog to encourage other writers. Our heart is connect with writers and be able to foster an environment where we can learn from each other. Others have a niche they love... crafts or coupons or DIY projects or birds or a time period in history or politics or poetry.... There is a long list of potential purposes.

3.) BE UNIQUE. There are a TON of writer's blogs out there. 5 years ago when I started... there was a decent number, but it has EXPLODED since then. Everyone heard the "edict" like I did... and started a writers blog. Because that's our specialty, right? Writing? If you are going to start a blog for writers, you have to find a niche... a need that no one else is meeting (or that you can meet better.) If you don't... it's a waste of time. If you are going to do a craft blog... there are a TON of others out there. How is yours different? How can yours be unique?

4.) IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU! Oh, this one is hard for me. Because I am SO SO SO guilty of this on my blog. My goal on my own blog though, is to help women learn to find "joy" in the journey of life by sharing my own experiences, my own struggles. I try to be as honest as I'm allowed to be online, and show the VALUE in finding JOY. But... I know I tend to be "my family" centered too much. The "masses" don't always want to hear about YOU... unless you are a celebrity, of course:-) Write something for THEM.

5.) YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Honestly? I feel like the fad of blogging... as a whole... is wearing off a bit. Maybe this is just me who feels this way. I have no numbers to back me up. I still believe in blogging though. I love mine, and I LOVE The Writer's Alley of course, but I find more people connecting on Facebook and Twitter and limiting their blog reading time than before. Did you know The Writer's Alley has a Facebook page??? Yup, we did that JUST for you all! We all stalk it at various times throughout the day, so if you ever want to connect more real time with us, or just want to chat, COME SEE US!!

The deal is... if you don't have a blogging purpose... if you don't have a unique angle... if you have no desire to put the time, effort, and (if you wanna make it look super good) money into it... your time might be BETTER spent building your platform elsewhere.

But if you just want to blog for YOU... to have a fun outlet to get your thoughts out... with no care about who reads it or if anyone reads it... then go for it. Just make sure you manage your expectations and know your goal.

6.) If you know a famous person with a ton of followers who will link to your blog... buy them chocolate or something. (just... mostly... kidding!)

Discussion: Do you have a blog? If so, what's your purpose? Or are you thinking about blogging at some point and just haven't found your sweet spot? Any blogging questions?? Let's chat blogging!

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance. She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner.

How to Discipline Your Writing

Isn't it amazing how we find the time or make the time to do the things we truly want to do?

*                                                  *                                           *

We also find the time and strength to take care of tasks we don't necessarily want to do but are convinced the importance of completing the project outweighs our mood and physical needs.

For example: Some of us are parents. The 2:00am feeding certainly doesn't cause us to leap from bed and cheer--until we gaze at the beautiful baby in the crib.

Some of us have moved. Our muscles scream about hauling the twentieth heavy box of household items --until we step over the threshold of our new residence.

What causes a miner to ride the elevator down the shaft until it reaches tunnels far beneath the earth's surface every day for years?

Why did Jesus allow himself to be beaten and hung on a cross for crimes he didn't commit?


All of the above required an inner drive to complete the task. And the inner drive demands fuel. In each of these cases, love was the fuel motivating the task.

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There are, of course, the days and tasks in which the inner voice doesn't win no matter how much it nags. Dishes, laundry, paperwork, phone calls, etc get put on hold for tomorrow. In this case, the inner voice is hungry, tired, apathetic, discouraged, distracted, and etc. Who cares, the work can be done tomorrow.

Dallas Williard, a godly speaker, recently had a conversation with a man at a conference. The man said, "I can't stop getting angry with my wife, nothing works." 

Dallas answered, "Go home and tell your wife you won't get angry with her any more, and if you do, you agree to give $5,000 to the charity of her choice."

Talk about motivation! 

*                                                  *                                                  *

As Christian fiction writers we say God has called us to write. We write because we love to write. Yet days flitter by without a word being written. What has happened to our inner drive? Our passion. Our calling?

Here are some suggestions to feed our inner drive a high grade fuel strong enough to disciplines our writing:

*Start every day with prayer.

*Meditate in God's word before writing. Choose a verse that is especially uplifting for you and  post it by your computer. Feel the power of God's love strengthening your drive.

*Fully prepare yourself for the calling by:
  taking a class or doing a self study to learn the craft
  setting aside a specific time to write-grow the length of time as you improve
  plot/plan the next scene before writing-feel the emotions of the scene in your heart
  get to know your characters intimately-laugh, cry, roll your eyes at and with them
  brainstorm ideas with other writers to deepen the plot-hermits idea vats can run dry

*Make morning and afternoon goals, daily goals, weekly goals, annual goals. Be specific and make the goals reachable. Not too difficult, not too easy. Modify the goals as you succeed and improve. Challenge yourself to improve, lengthen, submit, edit, and etc.

*Write.  Honor your Father who is in heaven by writing. Send His message of love through the same venue Jesus used to communicate: story. 

Friend: I challenge you today to make a goal, one that is stronger than you may have had last week. Write your goal in the comment box. Let's encourage each other.  Rise up...Write for Christ.

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photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee

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 contemporary and romance Christian fiction 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

Relentless Love

Many of you have read the unforgettable novel, Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. It is the retelling of Hosea and Gomer from the Bible. It is the story of a sacrificial love...a relentless love.

In the story of Hosea and Gomer, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and Gomer is the lucky one. They marry, have children, and Gomer is unfaithful. She runs off and carries on with other men. She leaves the security and love of Hosea and returns to her old life of sin. But God tells Hosea to go after her; to taker her back and love her. This love is the love God has for us.

Even though Gomer married Hosea and had his children, she wasn't really "present" in the marriage. She did not commit to Hosea. She did not work on the relationship. She just went through the motions. Sometimes we are guilty of the same thing. We go to church and sing the songs and say the prayers, but really our heart is far away. We just go through the motions, week after week, doing our duty without investing ourselves, heart soul, mind, and body. What we need is the kind of love God shows us through Hosea.

We need a sacrificial love. Real love is not always easy. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes we are disappointed. But real sacrificial love is the kind of love we are called to. This kind of love is worth the effort, because the fruit it brings is abundant and there is great power in it.

We need a relentless love. God loves His creation and draws it to Himself. He is not after condemnation. He is all about restoration and renewal. No one has run too far from the Lord to be restored to Him. This is the kind of love God wants us to have for Him. He wants us to hunger and thirst for Him. To long for Him. To desire Him above all else. He wants our love...a relentless love.

It's this kind of love that truly makes the world go around. We may write romance and happy endings, but we must always remember the wooing of God's great love. He is the lover of our souls and the One who writes the best love story of all.

So tell me, what do you do to remember His relentless love? How do you work on your love for Him? Or, who in your life shows you God's love best?


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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife 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.