The Creative Spark

How many romance novels have you read that went a little something like this?

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl make stupid decisions. Boy and girl live happily ever after.

Or maybe romantic suspense?

Boy meets girl. Someone dies. Boy and girl make stupid decisions. Boy and girl live happily ever after.

Or literary fiction, as I am all-too-acquainted with:

A lot of weird things happen. Then on a tragic note, the story ends.

Kidding! I'm sorry literary fiction writers--I couldn't resist! Let me just be clear that as a literature instructor, I have a deep appreciation for literary fiction!

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The question is, if so many of these stories are the same, how do you make yours stand out?

The answer, get creative! 

Think about your favorite characters and stories in books, movies, and even real life. Chances are, they stand out to you because they are unique and memorable. Strive for no less in your own stories.

So why don't we see more creative stories?

Because Creativity. Is. Hard. 

T.S. Eliot said, "Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity." And here's another great quote from Pablo Picasso: "The chief enemy of creativity is 'good' sense."

Sometimes, in the humdrum of loading the dishwasher and vacuuming the dog hair from the kitchen floor, we forget something very important.

We forget why we love to write.

Creativity ought to influence everything from the scene settings in our stories, to the tags we use, to the characters' quirks. Don't settle for a character who smiles a lot when she might really want to curl her pink-chalked hair and toss her kitten-heels across the room in fury!

So how do we stir the creative spark in the midst of every day life?

• Find a way to break from the routine. Go to a coffee shop, people watch at the mall, or be a tourist in your own town by visiting a garden or a quaint restaurant. Even if it's only for fifteen minutes a day, break your routine and see what happens.
• Stop listening to your anxiety. Ever been writing and heard this hovering voice in your mind... "That's not good enough." "Readers will think that's stupid." "A publisher would say this character is too quirky." When you're writing--and especially when you're writing that first draft--silence your inner critic. She can come and edit once you're done. Anxiety will kill the creative spark. Snuff it right out. All you'll be left with is the remnant of a smoky idea.
• Act out your scene. Yes, I know this is weird. But it makes a difference! If you're wondering how gravel sounds underfoot, walk across it. If you're writing about a woman throwing fist-fulls of sand into the air, find a beach. You'll be surprised what you can come up with when you put yourself in the same physical surroundings as your characters. Even a scented candle or setting-themed screensaver can do the trick!
• Always list multiple options. Whether you're brainstorming a scene setting or a plot point, don't always go with the first thing that comes to mind. Readers will expect the obvious. Instead, push yourself to come up with alternatives. Make a list of possible plot points, settings, quips, quirks, etc. You may stumble across an interesting twist for your story!
• Recognize that creativity knows no bounds. You can always go back and edit something out of your story, so when you're writing, give yourself permission to think big!

Have you found that creativity makes a difference in making a memorable story? How do you stir your creative spark?

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

Showing C.A.R.E in the First Chapter

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in my first speaking engagement as a writer. I lecture often in my job as a university instructor, so speaking on Autism or Speech-Language Pathology to a group of people isn't such a big deal.

As I was preparing to chat with a writer's group about the importance of first chapters, I thought of a cute acronym to go along with my teaching. (because it helps with memory, right?)

So - what keeps the readers reading in your first chapter?

Showing C.A.R.E. as an author. That's what!

C - Character relate-ability - If readers don't care about our characters in one way or other, they are less likely to keep reading. This doesn't necessarily mean that our characters have to be noble and righteous. It means they have to be relatable. An 'aha' moment of "I know how that feels" or "I've felt that way before", or "I've been there or done that" before. Somehow we have to relate.

So, if we enter the world of Narnia with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, a reader might can't relate to the fears of WWII or stepping through a wardrobe into a magical world, but we can relate to being scared of something (like the children were of the bombs dropping in London) or of being in a new place (like in the Professors house), and we can remember 'dreaming' of imaginary places. It's wonderful.

A - Arrest the Readers Attention - Within the first page (preferably) an author must grab the reader's attention. Beginning your story in the beginning is not the best place, usually. Beginning the story IN MOTION is vital. Fairytales of years gone by which started with Once Upon a Time and then were followed with a five page narrative about the poor lost girl whose life was miserable, aren't hooking readers' attention or curiosity anymore.

Example: How do producers hook viewers for a 1-hour weekly series? The first five minutes (or less) of the show (before commercial break) begins with some arresting development. A body drops from a twelth story window onto the car of the hero/heroine; a recap of last weeks' ending reminds us that the heroine walked in on her boyfriend kissing another woman. Somethng happens to grab our attention and hold us through that commercial break.

The same is true for our writing.

R - Radiate a Sense of Place - Story Worlds are powerful places. From Middle Earth to Scarlet O'Hara's Deep South, to Dickens' London, or Brian Jacques' Redwall Abbey, place plays a big role in a reader's immersion into our stories. Downton Abbey is great for creating a sense of 'place' on the screen.

One of the BIGGEST reasons why fiction readers read is to escape their world or be entertained by someone else's story. Creating Story Worlds that do just that feeds the fiction reader's need, and makes them want to keep reading.

E - Emotions Draw Readers In - Relatability is one thing; An Emotional Connection is another. When the reader has an emotional response, he/she is usually hooked into reading more. If the response is caring, then great! If it's intrigue, good. If it is shock or fear (not my favorite ones, but some people like them), then they are more liekly to keep reading.

Jamie Carie begins her novel, Love's First Light, in the middle of the French Revolution with the hero's sister being executed. Emotional? Oh yeah! Mary Connealy usually begins her novels with the characters in peril. Emotional? You bet. Laura Frantz starts her novels off with historical beauty and depth of characters that create longing. Emotional? Definitely. And let's not forget humor! Like Janice Hanna Thompson or Deeanne Gist.

So, what do we need to do as writer?

Show our first chapters (and our entire books) a lot of C.A.R.E. and we'll really set the stage for a beautiful story.

Of the above 4 elements, which do you think is most important? Which one are you good at writing? Which one do you find most challenging?

Showing C.A.R.E. in Your First Chapter

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in my first speaking engagement as a writer. I lecture often in my job as a university instructor, so speaking on Autism or Speech-Language Pathology to a group of people isn't such a big deal.
But presenting about writing? Well, that was new. Fun, but new.

As I was preparing to chat with a writer's group about the importance of first chapters, I thought of a cute acronym to go along with my teaching.

So - what keeps the readers reading in your first chapter?

Showing C.A.R.E. as an author. That's what!

C - Character relate-ability - If readers don't care about our characters in one way or other, they are less likely to keep reading. This doesn't necessarily mean that our characters have to be noble and righteous. It means they have to be relatable. An 'aha' moment of "I know how that feels" or "I've felt that way before", or "I've been there or done that" before. Somehow we have to relate.

So, if we enter the world of Narnia with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, a reader might can't relate to the fears of WWII or stepping through a wardrobe into a magical world, but we can relate to being scared of something (like the children were of the bombs dropping in London) or of being in a new place (like in the Professors house), and we can remember 'dreaming' of imaginary places. It's wonderful.

A - Arrest the Readers Attention - Within the first page (preferably) an author must grab the reader's attention. Beginning your story in the beginning is not the best place, usually. Beginning the story IN MOTION is vital. Fairytales of years gone by which started with Once Upon a Time and then were followed with a five page narrative about the poor lost girl whose life was miserable, aren't hooking readers' attention or curiosity anymore.

Example: How do producers hook viewers for a 1-hour weekly series? The first five minutes (or less) of the show (before commercial break) begins with some arresting development. A body drops from a twelth story window onto the car of the hero/heroine; a recap of last weeks' ending reminds us that the heroine walked in on her boyfriend kissing another woman. Somethng happens to grab our attention and hold us through that commercial break.

The same is true for our writing.

R - Radiate a Sense of Place - Story Worlds are powerful places. From Middle Earth to Scarlet O'Hara's Deep South, to Dickens' London, or Brian Jacques' Redwall Abbey, place plays a big role in a reader's immersion into our stories.

One of the BIGGEST reasons why fiction readers read is to escape their world  or be entertained by someone else's story. Creating Story Worlds that do just that feeds the fiction reader's need, and makes them want to keep reading.

E - Emotions Draw Readers In - Relatability is one thing; An Emotional Connection is another. When the reader has an emotional response, he/she is usually hooked into reading more. If the response is caring, then great! If it's intrigue, good. If it is shock or fear (not my favorite ones, but some people like them), then they are more liekly to keep reading.

Jamie Carie begins her novel, Love's First Light, in the middle of the French Revolution with the hero's sister being executed. Emotional? Oh yeah! Mary Connealy usually begins her novels with the characters in peril. Emotional? You bet. Laura Frantz starts her novels off with historical beauty and depth of characters that create longing. Emotional? Definitely. And let's not forget humor! Like Janice Hanna Thompson or Deeanne Gist.

So, what do we need to do as writer?

Show our first chapters (and our entire books) a lot of C.A.R.E. and we'll really set the stage for a beautiful story.

Of the above 4 elements, which do you think is most important? Which one are you good at writing? Which one do you find most challenging?

The Future of Hope-Filled Fiction, Part I

Big house mergers such as Penguin and Random House.

"Realignment" of Christian fiction houses (i.e. B&H).

E-book only originals.

These are just a few of the factors changing the face of Christian fiction in the past year.

Blogs such as Books and Such (the agency who represents Krista and Karen) and Chip MacGregor's blog (he represents Amy), as well as the magazines Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal (and their websites) are great places to go to find our more about what's going on.

Library Journal devoted space in its recent November 1st issue to the changing face of Christian fiction and I was thrilled to be asked to contribute an article on 2014 trends in Christian fiction.

I interviewed associate publishers, acquisitions editors, public relations directors, and a few authors to learn more about what we can expect for the upcoming year.

As a writer, I was encouraged and excited about what's upcoming. We're always hearing about what a challenging time it is to be an unpublished author, but we are writing in a time when Christian fiction is changing and morphing into something new and different.

Yet still it is retaining that HOPE-FILLED quality that makes it distinctive.

Here are some upcoming releases I'm excited about because I think they represent some new directions in Christian fiction:

1) The Fight by Luke Wordley:

Wordley is a self-published author whose book will be rereleased by Tyndale. In a female-saturated genre, it is refreshing to see more books geared toward a male audience. It deals with the theme of anger in men. The Wish by Jake Smith  is also a novel men as well as women might enjoy with its baseball theme and an issue-oriented theme (bone marrow transplant).

Significance: It is encouraging, although it is still rare, to see more self-published authors being discovered. Also, it is fantastic to see more books being geared toward the male readership, who are more likely than the average population to read ebooks.

2) Auschwitz Escape by Joel Rosenberg:

Rosenberg's latest is a significant departure from recent hits. A New York Times bestselling author, his themes are as fresh as today's headlines and noted for eerily accurate prophetic detail. This is also a great example of how a "genre jump" can fit well into an author's brand. His books are about unpacking world events heading toward the end days. Rosenberg's books have featured the nation of Israel and the prophetic significance of the Jewish people. So with a Holocaust novel he has jumped from contemporary to historical, yet written a book that fits perfectly into his unique brand.

Significance: Not only is this is new novel from a well-known name, but it demonstrates making a genre shift while still maintaining a unique brand.

3) The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine:

E-readers have allowed a more mainstream audience to pick up Christian fiction. With the vast number of free books available through Amazon, B&N, and Christian Book Distributors many new readers are discovering the Christian fiction genre. The morals and values are very appealing to these readers who desire a less heavy-handed (as they view it) approach to theology. Perrine's series, compared to Jan Karon's Mitford series, have humor, take place in a charming small town and feature a sweet church-centered romance.

Significance: More cross-over novels are releasing and are easier to find in this electronic heavy market. These books can be "shelved" in various places to cater to those who might never find their way to a traditional bookstore. Can your book be marketed into this market?

4) The Hatmaker's Heart by Carla Stewart:

Downton Fever has been hitting the U.S. shores with a vengaence. A number of novels releasing in 2014 will have 1920s settings. I've pegged Carla's in particular because: a) serious big time cover love, 2) focus on costumes has always been a part of the Christian market but the new focus on elegant eras such as the 1920s and the Regency era bring out the beauty of wonderful clothes. I'm noticing costumes on book covers seem to becoming more and more lavish and I love it!

Signficance: Downton Abbey has given the always-popular costume drama an extra surge and there is a particular draw towards eras with fabulous clothing.

5) A Season of Change by Lynette Sowell:

Amish and the circus? This is not your mother's Amish, the variety has increased in recent years. Readers typically pick up these novels looking for tales of simpler times and peaceful settings. Sowell's novel also takes place in the community of Pinecraft, where some electricity is used. Readers don't expect an Amish story to take place on the beach.

Significance: Amish fiction seems to be here to stay but it is undergoing its own evolution. Cross-genres such as mystery are becoming more popular. Some Amish books now contain significant departures from what we expect and even show characters leaving the Amish. The Amish angle just isn't unique enough, readers need to find ways to add twists to the typical Amish story.

6) Never to Live by Just B. Jordan:

The first significant fact about this book is that its author is only 17 years old. Its a psychological mind-bending fantasy. Jordan represents a growing market among teenagers in particular. Large numbers of young adults attend seminars such as One Year Adventure Novel (hosted by Jeff Gerke) to learn to grow in their craft. Because a vast majority of these writers are pursuing the speculative genre, fantasy may play a stronger role as these teenagers become adult published authors.

Significance: Everyone loves the fairy-tale stories of self-published authors who become discovered or young talents, Jordan fits the bill. Speculative fiction is also very popular not only among young adults who read but also those who write and as such we need to pay attention to this genre.



Do you have any books you are anxious to read that are releasing in 2014? What makes these books unique? I'll return in a few weeks with more thoughts on trends based on my research.







Julia Reffner loves to write when she can find an empty spot and five minutes of silence. She writes and reviews for Library Journal, a trade publication with over 60,000 subscribers. She is a wife, homeschool mama to two littles and lover of all things book-related.

Social Media Etiquette by Edie Melson

The social media universe has developed into a world with it’s own ways of interacting, and its own rules of social media etiquette. Stumbling around this brave new world is exciting, but it can also lead to some embarrassing moments. Today I’ll share some tips to help you acclimate to this new online society.

Facebook

When to LIKE , COMMENT or SHARE on Facebook: When you read a post on Facebook you have three options if you want to interact. 

The First is to LIKE the post. When you click on LIKE, Facebook will register your user name and the fact you liked it. This carries more weight with the Facebook EdgeRank Algorithm than just viewing the post, but not as much as commenting.

The second option is to COMMENT. This carries the most weight with Facebook and will give you the most engagement with others seeing the post. BUT, and this is an important consideration, it will also include you in all subsequent conversations. This means that if you get email notifications on Facebook, every time someone else comments on this post, you’ll get an email about it. If it’s a popular post, that can mean twenty or more emails in your inbox. So think carefully before you comment.

NOTE: You can opt out of a conversation (what Facebook calls post interaction). But if you choose to do that, everyone in the conversation will be notified that you opted out. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s always good to know.

The final option is to SHARE a post on Facebook. This takes a copy of the post and pastes it on your page. When Facebook pastes the post, it gives you the option of deleting the name of the person you got the post from. Doing so is bad form. Not quite as bad as plagiarism, but it is in the neighborhood.

·       So LIKE a post, when you want to let people know you agree or enjoyed it.

·       COMMENT if you don’t mind becoming part of the ongoing conversation.

·       SHARE a post, always giving credit to the original poster. 

When to Hide a post, Hide a person, or just UNFRIEND them: 

HIDING a post will make that particular update disappear from your timeline.

Hiding a person can keep that person’s updates from showing up on your timeline. This is a good option if you don’t want to offend someone.

NOTE: To do either of these, click on the gray arrow on the upper right of the specific post

UNFRIENDING someone basically says you don’t want to have any interaction with that person. Depending on how many friends you have, this may be noticeable, especially if you interact regularly at work or socially. 

NOTE: To do this, you’ll need to visit their FB page, hover over the FRIEND button and choose UNFRIEND from the drop-down menu that appears

·       So HIDE someone who’s annoying.

·       UNFRIEND someone you don’t mind alienating. 

http://www.libertynews.com/2013/07/ifieverseezimmerman-trends-on-twitter-as-violence-spews-into-the-streets/

Twitter

When to RETWEET and when to REPLY: There are two ways to answer someone on Twitter, RETWEET and REPLY. And there are specific times to use each one.

A RETWEET, is a repeat of the tweet sent. This is used when you want to share a tweet with your followers. For instance, if I saw a tweet about how to avoid getting embarrassed on Twitter, I’d retweet it to my followers so they could learn too. I also use it to share good news about others.

A REPLY, is an answer to a tweet that’s been sent. This is used if someone asks you a question on Twitter. It’s also used when someone else mentions you on Twitter. It’s a way of saying thank you. It’s considered a very bad instance of bragging to retweet a mention of yourself. For instance if someone tweeted about this post, I’d REPLY and say thank you.

·       So RETWEET if you see an update you want to pass on to your followers.

·       REPLY when someone mentions you or asks a question.

Social Media in General

When is it acceptable to HOG THE STREAM? The short answer is …NEVER! Hogging or Spamming the stream, means posting several social media updates in a row. This can be on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. You can do this inadvertently by engaging the AUTOMATIC updates available on some ancillary programs like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, or Buffer.

This option of automatic updates claims to identify when the largest amount of your followers are engaging on social media and update at that time. Unfortunately this can often result in multiple updates sent one right after another. This can leave you labeled as an irritation or even banned from certain networks. I recommend you avoid any automatic scheduling options to avoid this.

So schedule the times when you send out your social media updates and don’t post them one after another. Spread them out.

·       First, so you don’t irritate anyone by Hogging the Stream.

·       Second, so you reach people who are on at different times of the day. 

These are just a few of the worst blunders for social media. I’d like to know what social media faux pas you’ve seen and which ones irritate you the most.

Bio: Edie Melson is the author of four books, with two more due out January 2013. Her popular blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month, and she’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been updated and re-released as Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. She’s the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy and the social media director for Southern Writers Magazine. She’s also the Senior Editor at Novel Rocket. You can connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

What's Up the Street for Next Week?

It's November!!

 

A season in which we celebrate Thankfulness!

And since it's November 2nd, do you have 2 things for which to be thankful?

I know our sweet AlleyCat, Ashley Clark, does.

Besides having an awesome family that supports her, THIS month she's celebrating the release of her first short story.

Do you see that 'thankful' face :-) Guideposts releases A Cup of Christmas Cheer with her story The Christmas Thief taking PRINT!!

We are thrilled and thankful to celebrate this with her!!

So, what else is going on this week!
More FABULOUS NEWS!!

Monday, the fabulous Edie Melson will bring some of her social media-savvy to The Alley.

Stop by and join us for more fun, news, inspiration, and information next week on The Writers Alley.

Have a fabulous weekend...from our Alley to Yours.

Targeting Love Inspired? Get the Insider Details from Autho Mindy Obenhaus

Casey here: I love Mindy Obenhaus. One of the nicest ladies you'll ever have the pleasure to meet, Mindy has been a friend since the first time I met her. A past Carol Award Coordinator, now a debut author on her way to win the very award she used to coordinator (I'm absolutely sure of this fact :-), I've invited her here today to share about her journey with Love Inspired. LI is one of the lines that acquires more debut authors than any other in the CBA. Mindy gives some great tips below! And btw, be sure and check out her debut novel. A sweet LI story if ever I've read one. :-)

Target: Love Inspired

So you want to write for Love Inspired? Me too! I can't tell you how excited I was the day I got THE CALL from Melissa Endlich. It was a dream come true. And while that call may have been the fulfillment of one journey, it was just the beginning of another. For starters, I suddenly had deadlines. And I'd signed a contract, which meant no more procrastinating.

From the beginning of my writing journey, Love Inspired was my target. Why? Because it's what I read. Still there were things that slipped right past me until my editor pointed them out.

The first one was like a "duh!" moment for me. I don't know how I could have missed this, but I did. So, in case you're having a blonde moment like me, LI wants both the hero and heroine's point of view in each chapter. You might have hers, then his, then hers again, then his again, so long as each POV is represented in the chapters.

LI wants the hero and heroine to meet, or be on stage together, in the first chapter. And we should know each of their story goals by the end of that chapter. Story goals are not the same as their dream. Story goals are what they want that they can potentially achieve during the course of the story.

Then there's that dreaded conflict. Conflict is what drives our story, but our characters need both internal and external conflict. Internal conflict is usually what's holding them back from love. In my September release, The Doctor's Family Reunion, the heroine's internal conflict was that the hero had betrayed her a decade ago. How could ever trust him again?

Another note on internal conflict. Be sure that whatever is keeping your hero and heroine apart is real, not simply a misunderstanding or something that can be cleared up in a conversation. The internal conflict has to play into that push and pull throughout the entire story until the characters realize they can't live without the other person regardless the cost.

External conflict is what's going on around them that keeps them from achieving those minor goals of each scene. In the same story, my heroine has inherited her grandfather's Jeep tour company. And while she's worked with him for years, she wasn't familiar with all aspects of the company. Suddenly, she's battling payroll, computer crashes, a fire, and a nasty rival. But it's those external conflicts that drive the story forward. As Donald Maass is fond of saying, think of the worst thing that can happen to your character in a scene, then find a way to make it happen.

Finally, if you want to write for Love Inspired, you need to be teachable, flexible, and willing to listen. When I got that call, Melissa said she liked my story, but it still needed work. I had to make some tough changes but, in the end, they made it a much stronger story.

Thanks, Casey, for inviting me to join you at the Writer's Alley. It's been fun. I hope your readers, especially those targeting Love Inspired, will be able to glean some valuable information.

Mindy Obenhaus always dreamed of being a wife and mother. Yet as her youngest of five children started

kindergarten, a new dream emerged—to write stories of true love that would glorify God. Her debut novel, The Doctor’s Family Reunion, from Love Inspired Books released in September. When she’s not penning her latest romance, she likes cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her grandkids. Learn more about her at www.mindyobenhaus.com, www.facebook.com/authormindyobenhaus, or https://twitter.com/MindyObenhaus.