Writing from the Heart

 Most of you know I'm an animal lover. So I'm going to start today's blog about writing from the heart with a story of something that happened to me last week.

First off, flash back to about three weeks ago. My husband and I were at an art show, and I (of course) wanted to play with the dogs that were part of an adoption event at the festival. One dog in particular stood out to my husband. The cute little puppy had humongous ears and was making this adorable talking noise because he wanted to play with the other dogs so badly. It was so cute--not really a bark or a howl, but really more like talking. After we left the festival that day, I came home and got online to see if I could find out more about the pup. Lo and behold, the little guy was at an animal shelter, and I knew I was in for it now. (If you don't know, the stats about animal shelters are that only about half the dogs and cats who walk into an animal shelter walk out alive. The intake numbers are so high that the shelters often have no choice but to euthanize.)

So I made a few calls, and I discovered that this puppy had already been at the shelter for three weeks, and they are technically only supposed to keep them SEVEN DAYS (can you believe that?!) before putting them down. Knowing it would probably be hard on us, my husband and I offered to foster this little puppy in the meantime while we tried to find him a good home.

This is Radar...

I know. The cuteness, right?

We already have two dogs, and keeping a third did not seem like a good option. But little by little, this puppy was winning us over. He is so smart and eager to please, and he has just enough Jack Russell that he kept us laughing. Our other dogs loved running around the yard, chasing him (well at least, the first few times!).

Each day, fostering became harder and harder.

Then, someone called. They'd seen Radar's picture on a local dog rescue website that had offered to help us spread the word about him, and he reminded them of their former dog. They are a nice retired couple, so Radar can be with them all day long, and they live right on the beach, where he can go for lots of fun walks.

The only problem?

My heart. Somewhere along the way, I had gotten seriously attached. We're talking, crying-my-eyes-out attached as we took him to his new family and walked back to our car.

I know some of you may be thinking I'm a bit too sensitive, and that he's just a dog. But the thing is, I think we have to guard sensitive hearts if we really want to write well.

So how does this whole anecdote about a rescue dog relate to writing? I'm glad you asked. :)

When life events happen, we have a tendency to shrink back from writing. We think, "I can't write about that." Or maybe even, "I don't want to write at all."

But perhaps those things are the things most worth writing?

The longer I write, the more I realize how inextricable my own life is from the lives of my characters. No, I don't mean they're all autobiographies of myself (although I think we all do a little of that!). What I mean is that the way I see the world, the things I go through, and the ways I feel, shape the experiences of my characters.

If we don't allow ourselves to feel, we limit the heart-level of our writing, and we cheat our readers in the long run.

Have you ever read a book and recommended it to a friend? More than likely, in order to give it high praise, you resonated with that story on an emotional level. And the best way to write emotion is to first feel it.

I've been teaching my literature students that meaning in stories is an interesting thing, because it first stems from an idea in our minds (or in the believer's case, from the Holy Spirit), then passes through the writer's own filters of personal experience, emotion, and interests, then goes through the reader's filters of the same, and finally is transmitted to the reader's mind. Communication really is an amazing process when you think about it.

But what happens when a step of that process is cut short? Part of the communication is broken. Part of the message gets lost.

We have to take care that as writers, we allow ourselves to feel, and then, even further, that we write from this level of our hearts. The best-written characters are those we can relate to for some reason or another. To write them, we must first know their hearts. And to know their hearts, we must first feel deeply about the issues in the world.

I once heard Janice Thompson say that when she first faced health trouble, she was miserable. But then God taught her how to write through the circumstances, and her writing became a joy (both to her and to readers-- everyone loves a Janice novel!).

Maybe you are facing a tragedy right now, a rejection, or the greatest joys of your life. Or maybe all that's on the horizon are the steady waves of the day to day emotion. Regardless, I challenge you to dig deeper into the chambers of your heart, and use these experiences as a ministry, to deepen the layers of your writing and to also deepen its resonance within readers' hearts. Readers what to hear about the rescue dogs of your story, even as they read the fictional one.

A story that reaches deep within a reader's heart must stem from deep in the writer's own.

Accomplishing what I call "heart writing" means taking fibers from the details of our own lives and weaving them in to the story. You may actually take something that happens to you and put it in the plot. I, for instance, usually like to include a rescue dog in my stories. Or on the other hand, you may take a more subtle approach. You may lace your own heart through the story by weaving in threads of details... the sound of horses neighing, the roughness of burlap, the stillness of the waveless sea. The important thing is, whether those fibers are big parts of the plot or small phrases in the narrative, the reader needs to feel what you feel.


It can be so much easier to write on autopilot instead of digging deep into our own hearts. Have you ever read a book that's made you cry? What book was it? How do you think the writer accomplished this layer of emotion in their writing? Has your own story every made you cry?

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Ashley Clark writes romance 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.

 

The 28-Day Challenge

“They were under royal orders, which determined their daily activity.” Nehemiah 11:23

You are under royal orders.

God has a destiny and purpose for your life. He has a plan that only YOU can fulfil on this earth. Many of you already know your purpose. (If you don’t, here’s a classic book that will help bring you some clarity.)

But does your purpose determine how you live your daily life?

Here’s some news for you.

God wants you to achieve your purpose.

If it’s writing – God wants you to write.

If it’s mothering – God wants you to mother.

If it’s leading others – God wants you to lead.

If it’s helping, encouraging, serving, teaching, whatever the case may be – God wants you to get the necessary training and skills and live it out to the best of your abilities.

For a lot of us, there’s a chasm between our life purpose and our current reality. Why? Because it’s easy to think of our dreams as something far-off and grandiose. Something we’ll get around to “one day.” When we seem unable to reach our full potential, it’s easy to blame the usual culprits – our current circumstances, our limitations, our finances, the abilities we were born with, or of course, our lack of time.

Image by digitalart, freedigitalphotos.net

Ah, time. We’ve all been gifted with the same amount of it. And how we use it is, of course, the key. The power to achieve our dreams doesn’t lie in the next self-help book or the next motivational speaker to pray over you at church. It lies in our daily habits.

It’s that simple. Your habits determine your destiny.

I love that verse I shared at the start from the book of Nehemiah, because it tells me that the little stuff matters to God. The daily routine, the things we do over and over again, day in and day out – that’s the seemingly unimportant stuff that shapes our destiny. And because we’re under royal orders from the King of Kings, our daily activity had better reflect our respect for what he wants to accomplish in our lives.

Oh, boy, am I ever preaching to myself here.

And here is exactly where a lot of us start to feel a bit defeated. The problem most of us have when we look at our lives is the dozen different things screaming simultaneously for improvement. So typically, in a burst of enthusiasm, we decide to make a drastic 24-hour turnaround in which we will overhaul absolutely everything in our life. We decide we’ll go from couch-potato junk-food-eater to organic vegan athlete overnight, pray for an hour a day, home-school our children Montessori-style while also teaching them Suzuki violin and studying on the side, de-clutter the house from top to bottom, volunteer at a homeless shelter, and while we’re at it, we’ll also write ten thousand words every day on our novel while doing one-handed push-ups.

Um… yeah.

Lean in a little closer and I’ll tell you a secret. This is important. It’s a secret that has the potential to change your life.

Are you ready?

Image by Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee
freedigitalphotos.net

Here it is.

If you want to change your life, focus on changing ONE THING.

Did you get that?

One thing. No cheating. Not three things, or even just two.

Start with one.

Do that one thing every day for a month. Chart your progress. (Try using a chart like THIS one.) If you miss a day, begin again. This allows you to truly master that habit and make it a part of your life.

Then, once you’ve successfully incorporated one new habit into your life for a whole month, the following month you can focus on changing one more thing.

Are you getting this? Sure, it takes time to do it this way. But look at the end result. Do you want your habits to actually stick? Or do you want to continue down the path you’ve always gone - trying to change everything, and actually changing nothing?

So… are you up for a challenge?

Here’s how this is going to work.

1. Choose a habit

Choose one habit you’d like to incorporate into your life. It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it may seem to someone else. This is YOUR life, and small, consistent action is better than no action. Here are some examples:

- To write 500 words a day.

- To make your bed every morning as soon as you get up.

- To spend 15 minutes of quality time with each child, every day.

- To get up half an hour earlier to have a daily Quiet Time.

- To exercise for 20 minutes a day, even if it’s just jogging around your clothesline.

- To deal with an email as soon as you open it.

- To wash the dishes each night before you go to bed.

- To spend 15 minutes a day de-cluttering or organizing an area of your house.

- To drink 8 glasses of water a day.

- To make a menu plan and cook dinner every week-night instead of ordering takeaway.

You might look at that list and want to do all of those things, and more. But don’t be tempted to fall into that old approach.

Choose one. Just one. Chances are, your one habit might look completely different from the things on this list. That’s okay. Choose one thing that is meaningful to you, that will ultimately help you toward your purpose. One small thing you know you can accomplish.

2. Make a plan

You may need to plan your day into a routine to find the time to incorporate your new habit. My One Word for this year was ABIDE. With three preschool age children, I knew that spending time with God each day was not just going to happen. So I drew up a routine. (See left). Every day we have different scheduled activities, so each day is slightly different. But by following my routine, I have been able to stick with a quiet time every day. Once I had that down, I worked on my next priority – spending quality “Focus” time with my kids each day, one on one. This, too, had to find a place in the routine, or it would not happen.

Now that these two areas have become a habit, it’s time for me to carve out

time for my writing again. It’s taken me a while to find my feet with this after baby number three, but I know that it’s time. That will be my focus for this challenge. So, I drew myself up a star chart. I know, I know. I’m a nerd. I’m also a teacher. It’s a teacher thing. Why should our kids get all the shiny gold stars? 

3. Share the challenge!

None of us are born disciplined. It’s a state that goes against our natural inclinations. So why not share this with a friend, and get them to jump on board too? Let’s get some momentum going and cheer each other on.

When you comment on this post, your name will be entered into a draw for a $10 Amazon gift card. Tweet or Facebook this post, and you’ll get an additional two entries per share. Check back in two weeks’ time, and we’ll take stock together and see how we’re all going – and you’ll have another chance to throw some more entries into the hat. In four weeks time, we’re going to celebrate together as we look at what new habits we’ve incorporated into our lives. If you’ve stuck with your plan that whole time, I’ll double your entries. Then I’ll draw a winner.

Don’t you just love a bit of extra incentive? But you know what? If you take this challenge, you’re already a winner. It’s your life, and you only get one of them to use. Let’s choose to glorify God through our daily habits.

So, let’s get started. In the comments, why don’t you share the one new habit you’d like to incorporate into your life?

Instead of doing nothing about everything, do something about one thing.

You can do that. I know you can.

Who’s with me?

Karen Schravemade lives Downunder and likes to confuse her American friends by using weird Australian figures of speech. When she's not chasing after two small boys or cuddling her baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website and Twitter.

Supporting Your Writing Hobby: Why and How to Get Started in Freelancing

"If I had a million dollars..."

For those of us who aren't published, writing novels is not exactly a lucrative profession. (Let's face it, even for many who are multi-published).

Conferences
writing clubs
coffee to keep us up during the long nights of writing when everyone else is in bed
Godiva chocolate to salve us after those rejections
pens that your dogs chew up and your children hide
reams of printer paper
and the list goes on....

While you dream about becoming the next Ted Dekker, bills have to be paid.

That's where another hobby can come in handy: freelancing.

Build your one-sheet up step-by-step. This is the advice one agent gave on an email loop and reiterated in a conversation with me at the conference last Fall.

Writing articles is a great way to do just that. You may even find, like me, that fiction isn't the only type of writing you love. I've discovered I also love writing devotionals, reviews, and articles to encourage.

So how do I get started?

First, look at your career and any degrees you might have. What areas do you have expertise in? What certifications or special skills do you have?

This is a quick and natural fit for writing articles. You already have the credentials necessary to market yourself. Maybe its an area you obtained a bachelors in, but don't use on a daily basis for your job. You still may have some expert knowledge that others may be interested in.

My degree is in Secondary Education with a Master's in Elementary Education. I didn't work in these areas, but instead worked as an assistant librarian for a small Christian college, a job that I enjoyed. For instance, my library position has helped me in the book reviewing realm, where I review for a publication primarily subscribed to by librarians.

Next look at any other proficiencies, especially related to your hobbies.

Aside from writing, what do you do in your spare time? Maybe you've taken all the cooking classes available from your local Wegmans culinary center. Do others drive from miles around to look at your garden each spring? What do your friends ask you about? Do you have a secret skill, perhaps even an unusual one?

What do you research in your spare time? What facebook pages do you "like"? Do you ever look at blogs (not writing related)? If so, what type? What sections do you gravitate to in your local library?

A look at your facebook pages, blog feeds and google search records may be good indicators of topics you can write on. Perhaps you have watched every Star Trek episode ever made. There's a market for that.

Now make a list of specific topics based on your general interests and talents.

For instance, I have a master's degree in elementary education and now use this as a homeschool mom and teacher to two elementary students. A natural area of interest for me is homeschooling.

So let's start here. As a former assistant librarian, I can combine the two areas for some ideas that might work for me:

Since my daughter is currently interested in horses, I could write about using literature to teach a unit study about horses for the elementary level.

Here are some other topics I could write about:

teaching students library research skills
using writing circles in the classroom
how to create rubrics for grading your students' writing
using the Dewey decimal system to organize your own library

Be general and then work your way down to the most specific skills. Think about what you do from day-to-day. If you are the mother of eight children, others may value your advice on toddler temper tantrums or where to find the best deals on cloth diapers. Do you coupon? Share your advice on where to find organic produce at the best prices in your city.

Location, location, location.

Where do you live? First of all there are unique markets to your area. Think of those magazines you see in the supermarket, your local newspapers, locally-based websites. What is unique about your area? What special attractions do you have in your state? If you are a hiker, what are the best places to hike in your area? Think specifically of your interests and how they relate to where you live. What is great about being a spelunker in Kansas?

What are some specific topics you can write about?

Now that you have your list, stay tuned for the next episode where I will share some sources for freelance markets.

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for Library Journal, The Title Trakk, and Christian Library Journal.

Our Publishing Plan, or HIS?

I've often wrestled with justifying this journey to publication because I am writing for God....if I don't do it as an offering to God, then I am selfish and vain. So, by acknowledging the gift of writing is from Him, I must seek publication for Him. It seems noble, right? A noble reason for publication—to do something for God.

What if the Truth is the exact opposite? What if all the plans I've made for God...using the writing gift to become a published author and do something for Him, while noble in itself, is exactly what God doesn't want from me? What if, all my planning has stopped me from resting in God, and if I would just calm down and give Him the reigns, His plan for me is so much better?

What would this do? Would it stop my striving and force me to wait upon the Lord? Because, who in all humility would suggest that their plan for God is better than His plan for us?

In my recent Beth Moore Bible study, David: Seeking A Heart Like His, Beth brought to light this idea as we studied 2 Samuel 7. David is finally at rest with his enemies subdued, and his kingship in place. Yet, he begins to perseverate about living in a palace while the Ark of the Covenant is placed in a tent. David thinks he must build a house for God. A noble quest, right? The Lord comes to His prophet, Nathan, and declares, in Beth's paraphrase, “David, you won't build a house for Me. I'm going to build a house for you.”

What if I begin to look at my goal of publication, not as “building God's house (or kingdom)” but as God building a place for me in His kingdom? So if the publishing isn't happening yet, maybe, just maybe, He's still carving out the path?

When we truly receive this writing journey as a gift from God, there are a few things that should happen to surrender our plans and let Him take over:

We “Relinquish Control”: When we are the receiver, we don't have control over when we receive the gifts. How many times have I strived to bestow the gift of publication upon myself? How many late nights do I spend tweaking this and that, and deciding, “maybe if I enter this in ….or maybe, if I develop this scene exactly according to their guidelines...then maybe this will be my break!”

When we relinquish control of our plans to achieve the next step to publication and surrender to God's great plan for us, then we have the ability to submit to Him, walk this journey according to His commands for us, and just plain old rest in the fact that He's with us!

We REST in our Appointment: David was suppose to rest. After fifteen years of running from Saul, God's promise of the throne had finally happened. And what's more, his enemies were at bay. But David couldn't rest for long—and God set him straight. It wasn't about what David would do for God, but what God would do for the line of David. And David finally gets it when he says in 2Samuel 7:28-29:

“And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever...”

As Christians, we also have God's blessing through the Resurrection of Christ:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

Beth pointed out in her study: "We already have the blessing!" And as writers, we already have the gift! Now, let's rest in knowing that, and wait upon the Lord to plan for us abundantly.

“But those who wait on the

Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with

wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be

weary,

They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Give God the Glory: Even though we receive a gift from God, He ultimately receives the Glory. So while I might have thought it was the other way around—that my giving my gift back to God through publication will bestow His glory, that isn't right at all.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17

Just as God gave us a gift to write, His plan to reveal that writing to the world will come in due time. It's all about His gifts to us...not the other way around.
God wants to give good things to His children, and maybe if we completely trust Him, His good things might just AMAZE us! Could David have ever thought that his son would have the awesome honor of building God's temple? And furthermore, that his very bloodline would bring forth the complete atonement for sins for the entire world, through Jesus Christ?

HOW MUCH blessing came forth when David switched from his plans for God, to trusting God's plans for him!

I hope I can do the same, and rest and wait for His amazing plan to unfold! How 'bout you?

*pictures from creationswap.com 

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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?

Ready for some MORE New Releases???

When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad

Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

Stress Test by Richard Mabry

Heiress of Winterwood by DEBUT Author Sarah Ladd

So What's happening at the Alley this week?

Join Angie on Monday as she discusses Our Publishing Plans, or His? - and how writing and publication can be a part of God's gifts in your life.

Tuesday - Julia talks about freelance writing in her post How to Support Your Writing Habit

Wednesday - Do your emotions impact your writing? Ashley is going to talk about Writing from the Depths of Your Heart.

Thursday - Ready for a challenge? Karen has a 28-day challenge for you on how to have a more disciplined life. Stop by for a chance to win an Amazon

Gift Card.

Friday - Ready for a snicker or two? Check out Amy's post entitled The Plank, Pimple-picking, & Preachin' to the Choir."

Do you have a book from this list you'd like to read? They all look fantastic, but I'm really excited about Sarah's debut!

The Soft Middle ~ Guest Post by Susan Reinhardt (and giveaway!)

While chocolate will always be my favorite, I reach for hard candy when I have a cold or tickle in my throat. Since I'm an impatient eater, I end up biting and chewing this type of confection. One day, I came across a yummy caramel with a soft center. At the point when I wanted to "be done with this thing already," the creamy goodness stopped me in my tracks.

Writing has the same effect on me. I need to take my time and learn my lessons. But, oh how I want to bite down and finish this task. Where is that soft center that keeps me engaged in the process? I'm so tired of revising, re-writing, and editing that I could scream.

Then, a non-fiction editor accepts one of my devotionals. An agent and two authors urge me to stay the course. Ah, the soft middle! A word of encouragement keeps me interested. Maybe if I stick with this writing long enough, I'll succeed.

UPDATE:  I stuck with it, and guess what? My novel, The Moses Conspiracy, is now published! Here's a short book blurb:


A trip to post-terrorized Washington, D.C. in 2025 and a buggy accident in Bird-in-Hand, PA set in motion evets that expose a diabolical plan to destroy the Christian community. Ellie and John Zimmerman find themselves embroiled in a life-threatening investigation, fighting a shadowy enemy.

Convinced it's now safe to visit D.C., Ellie and her firstborn, 8-year-old Peter, travel to the nation's capital. Both mother and child make an effort to enjoy the sights, but they're unprepared for the challenges they face. Her nightmares come true when she and Peter are separated.

Writers: What's your "soft middle?"

Readers: Have you ever taken time to express your appreciation for someone's writing? Do you

not only recommend their books to others, but also let them know you're spreading the good word?


You can find Susan at Christian Writer/Reader Connection, Facebook, and Twitter. The Moses Conspiracy is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobobooks.

To enter Susan's giveaway head over to this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win her novel and a $25 Amazon card! (U.S. Residents only)

Alley readers!

Be sure and leave a comment about YOUR soft middle and what you're doing to make it stronger and be entered to win a copy of Susan's ebook!

Time Management 101

I can't believe I'm having the audacity to write this post.

But I guess those who fail at time management.... teach time management?

Or, probably better said, those who have failed at it so many times knows really well what NOT to do!

Distractions are everywhere these days.

.


.


.

Oh, sorry, just had to check Facebook real quick.

What was I saying?

Oh yeah. Distractions are everywhere these days. From day jobs to kids to spouses to Facebook to Pintrest to Twitter to <<>> to crazy things like eating/sleeping to GREAT things like volunteering and church work.... life can be overwhelming some days.

So how do we manage our time so that we can hit that all important word-count goal if we want to be a successful writer?

Honestly, I've read a billion blog posts in my days about how to manage your time in order to write. And all of it is good advice. I've tried making a daily goal, I've tried scheduling a time and trying to protect it. I've tried turning off Facebook (well, I tried and failed...). I've tried leaving the house and going to a coffee-shop. I've tried to take advantage of the little bits of time I have by writing for shorter spurts like during a lunch break or while waiting for an appointment to start.

I've also tried managing the "non-writer" time in my life better too. Tried to put my family on a good schedule. Tried to limit Facebook/email/online time to a specific time/time limit every day. (I, um, failed at that.) My kids are REALLY tired of Mommy's schedules that end up going in the trash a week later.

Nothing was this magic key for me that solved it all.

Because I still struggle daily with how to manage my writing time.

This is turning into a pretty hopeless blog post, huh... but then again, I warned you from the get-go that I am FAR from an expert on the matter.

Here is the thing that I'm realizing, though. The thing I want to share with you, what I feel like God is laying on my heart to implement into my own life, and maybe, just maybe, it might help you too?

No schedule will be perfect. Doing these tips we read are all really good and perhaps even God-sent at times. But no one thing is going to work for everyone at every time in our lives. Life for ME is totally different than it was, say, 2 or 4 years ago. What worked for me then does NOT work for me now. And what doesn't work for me might be the perfect advice you need.

So there is value in being flexible and testing methods to see what WILL be beneficial.

But there is one thing that does NOT change. Ever.

And that is Jesus. Through all the sifting sands that is this life, through all the times that I get so frustrated about not having enough time or not being able to write like I need to, God puts his strong hands on my cheeks and lifts my gaze to meet his shining, love-filled eyes and says, "Keep your eyes on the prize, my love. Remember WHY you do what you do, and follow ME."

Its amazing... because when my eyes are focused on Jesus.... my feet tend to stumble less. My schedule seems to be a little more easy to handle... words tend to flow better out of my heart.

So yeah... that is my odd, unconventional time management tip for the day.

When all else fails (and maybe even BEFORE all else fails...) follow Jesus.