Inspiring Places: Can a Place have a Pulse?

I was thinking about what I wanted to touch on for our Inspiring Places series and I stumbled across this gem... one of my early posts as an Alley Cat! Touched it up a bit and thought it was PERFECT!

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Think about your favorite books. Are you thinking of them? Am I going to have to ask you to close your eyes? Kidding. Sort of. J But what makes a setting work for you?

Is it just a vivid description of a place? I would say no. It’s not so much a picture you paint for your reader but a character that moves and breathes through the pages.

As I am a bit of a hometown girl (Go Cardinals!) my first several novels have been set in St. Louis. We are talking all season Midwest. No sandy beaches (Well, aside from the ones snuggled up to a muddy riverbank.) No backdrop of majestic snow-tipped mountains. Just the muggy, hilly, temperamental Midwest.

I mean, I love living here, but what about this seemly bland backdrop will make a good destination for a story?

Here’s my theory…

Any place that you can give a pulse will make for an engaging setting.

Now you may think I’m talking loco here. And most days I’m only one firm foot outside the loony bin, but just for a moment leave logic behind and embrace the idea of your setting coming to life like Frankenstein. It’s ALIVE!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

-Give your setting a personality or a temperament.

I always refer to my city as a girl because, well, she’s feisty, and completely unpredictable. We can have clear blue skies and daffodils peeking through the mulch one day and get pelted with ten inches of snow the next.

How does the weather affect your characters? How they dress, how they feel, how they react to stress? Where they spend their time? All these factors intertwine with the development of your hero and heroine’s journey through the pages. The temperament of the setting will play on the character’s emotions. And perhaps even their motivations.

Example: In my first book When Fall Fades both the hero and heroine are struggling with the weight of the past, with unfinished business of sorts that keeps them from embracing what God has for their future. So I had the story take place in the fall, except one where good old St. Louis is resisting the change. Clinging to those long, oppressively hot, unrelenting days of an Indian summer in wait of relief of autumn.

When the heroine finally surrenders this is how the setting responds:

And just then, the ever feisty wind kicked up. Leaves lifted from the ground in a funnel of confetti and her long, wild hair caught that first true gust of a cool autumn breeze, marking and celebrating the beginning of a new season.

*Boiled down here-when your setting is not just a background but a living entity in your story it enhances the journey of your characters.

-Give your setting a voice.

Okay, so lets be honest, the trees can’t talk. The wind doesn’t really whisper. A house might not really moan, per say. But when your setting becomes a character in your story, it does do these things. When you give your inanimate things a pulse, they become alive to the reader. That old house now carries a feeling beyond what you tell the reader it looks like. Maybe it’s tired. Neglected. Aching and battered from the harsh winter.

Maybe your characters feel the same way. 

Example: This is from book two coming out in 2016 called In His Grip. This clip is longer, and I trimmed some extra details since I'm quite lengthy today, but it doesn’t really need an intro…

With each step the weathered boards groaned the swan song of the weary, aging house. The aching sound beneath Finn’s feet resounded yet another failure as it shuddered through him.

There was so much to do. So much need. And Finn was certainly no hero.

The house served as a reminder of that.

The gutters were constantly spilling over from the clogging remnants of autumn leaves. A dusty black shutter had slipped loose during a storm and hung diagonally across an opaque window. Everything about the house seemed to sag—as if it were a vestibule for the forgotten.

            The screen door whined, the sound trailing away on the bitter wind as Finn rapped on the peeling red door. And when that door echoed a wail on its equally rusty, old hinges it revealed a compassionate Trisha Bolliver—looking as stressed and pained as the old, moaning house.

*Nutshell-Take liberties with your senses to give that place, not just a sound, but a voice. Make your place a person that interacts with your characters. Because while everything you say about your setting paints a picture, it can also tell its own version of the story.

This is your art, your story. The more life you give to that setting, the more alive the story will become. Make your reader fall down the rabbit hole and walk in your wonderland.

**We all have something to learn at each point in this journey. Simply having a teachable spirit can help you transform your stories from good to great. I am by no means an expert so it'd be so helpful to make this a collaborate effort. Any of you have tips you’d like to add on setting? Love to hear them!

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes romantic mysteries with honesty and humor, sweetness and spice, and gritty reality covered by grace. When she’s not stealing moments at naptime to squeeze out a few more adventures in storyland, she’s chasing around two tow-headed miscreants (Ahem)—boys, playing dress up with one sweet princess baby, and being the very blessed wife to the coolest, most swoon-worthy man alive. Amy is a Midwestern-girl, a singer, blogger, runner, coffee-addict, and foodie. Her Sports Medicine degree is wasted patching up daily boo boo’s, but whatever is left usually finds its way onto the page with fluttering hearts, blood and guts, and scars that lead to happily ever after.

Check out her debut romantic mystery novel WHEN FALL FADES available now for $3.99!

Finding Your Voice The Artisan Way

Photo by imagerymajestic
freedigitalphotos.net

In my post two weeks ago, I wrote about The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus. This book is full of meaning and profound truths pertaining to the creative beings we are. In the second chapter, the focus is on finding your voice as an artist.

When you begin a new artistic pursuit, as in writing, sometimes you tend to imitate your favorite authors. You know what kind of books you like, so your words take on the flavor of those books. It's how we learn anything really, but at some point you must find your own voice. You must tell your own story your own way.

It can be difficult in finding our own voice because so many other voices crowd it out. We hear those voices that tell us we aren't good enough, we have no talent, we will never make it, etc. McManus says that, "what others think of us, what others have said about us matters, has power, only when it becomes what we think of ourselves and what we say to ourselves about who we are." Those words only have power if we let them.

McManus goes on to say..."The great battles I fought had little to do with the world of others and everything to do with the universe inside me. It was all about disarming the voices that made me less and taking responsibility for my internal narrative. A critical part of this process is listening to the voice that calls me to more."

Those voices that crowd our minds can keep us in bondage which hinders our creativity. "There is a direct relationship between those who live most free and those who dream most. Captivity not only steals our freedom but cripples our imagination." (Edwin McManus) So what is the guiding voice within us?

As believers the inner voice that shapes us is the voice of God. It is the voice that guides, shapes, and frees us to be who He created us to be. McManus says it beautifully..."We find our voice when we find his voice. It's here that we experience our most authentic selves and find our true voice. In the end every artist creates only art that reflects that inner voice."

The Creator of the universe created us in his image...as creative beings. But without his voice deep within us whispering his essence into our very soul, the words we put on the page are just that...only words. Our true voice shines forth when we listen to God's voice and live the story He guides us through.

"Our story is what we have to offer the world. So much more important than being heard is having something to say. Without a voice our words are just sounds." -Edwin McManus

So what is God's voice doing within you? Are you allowing Him to free you up to live the best story you can? Are you allowing His voice to crowd out the voices that stifle your imagination?

You can purchase The Artisan Soul by Edwin McManus HERE.

How blogging can help your novel-writing

In my last post, I talked about how short-story writing can improve your long fiction.

Today I'd like to discuss another form of writing that will help your career as a novelist: blogging.

Maybe you already do it. Maybe you've considered starting. Or perhaps it's not on your radar at all.

Here's why it should be.

1. Blogging will help you relax your voice
Us novelists tend to take ourselves a bit seriously at times. After all, writing a novel is a big undertaking. It's challenging and important and... and... kind of lofty. Right?

As a novelist shut away in our writing cave for months and years on end, it's easy to get wrapped up in the grandeur of the story we're spinning, and forget all about that little thing called the reader. And the problem is, if our storytelling voice becomes all lofty and self-important, we've lost most of those said readers from the get-go.

Blogging is different. There's a matter of hours between writing something and having it go live before a real-life audience: an audience who gives us immediate feedback on our work. Therefore, it's easier to write with said audience front and center in our writing brain. The result? A tone that is conversational, friendly, down-to-earth, and relatable.

Once you've been blogging long enough, you'll find that more natural, conversational voice finding its way into your longer fiction as well. And that's a good thing.

Blogging will help you strip affectation from your voice, simplify, relax, and keep things real.

Image by Ambro, freedigitalphotos.net

2. Blogging builds self-discipline
Blogging is like the stomach-crunches of the writing world.

Maybe it's not as exciting or glamorous as signing that big book deal, watching your novel climb the bestseller ranks, or any of the other delightful things we like to daydream about.

But it gives you a solid foundation as a writer. It requires you to be consistent and meet small, regular deadlines. That is great practice for one day down the track when you have deadlines set by a publisher.

3. Blogging will improve your productivity
Sometimes the best thing for a story block is to switch writing gears and hammer out a blog post. It's an easy and immediate style of writing, and it'll give you the satisfaction of completing something - which is a great antidote to frustration.

Besides, the more you write, across all genres and platforms, the quicker you get. Wanna be a prolific writer? Start blogging. Your output will increase overall, because it has to.

Before you know it, ideas start flowing faster from brain to fingertips, and you're all limbered up and ready to dive back into your story-world.

4. Blogging will help you find and connect with your audience
This flows on from the first point. Blogging puts you in touch with readers - right now, without having to wait for some "maybe day" in the distant future.

Publishers want to see that you have a platform. We all know how essential that is in today's marketing climate. There is no better time to start building a platform than before the book deal.

Wait till afterward, and you've probably left it too late.

When you blog consistently and strategically, you are building a tribe of people who are interested in what you have to say.

And after all, that's what every writer wants, isn't it?

To have a voice, and someone to listen.

Do you blog? If so, why do you do it, and how do you find it helps you as a writer? 

If not, what are your reasons for not blogging? Is it something you'd consider?

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I'm a novelist, not a blogger! Why novelists should have a blog, & how it'll help your writing: Tweet this

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

Voice- Clear, Crystal, Distinct in the Din

Photo Courtesy

With so many books on the market, how can you make your story stand out? What makes your story distinct, special, the one readers will want to come back and read again?

What can cause readers to want to read more of your works?

Far above the need for an interesting plot and good characters is: you. 

Your voice is crucial and among the most important qualities to hone, because once you've perfected your voice, readers who have enjoyed your previous stories will pick up a second book penned by you, disregard the title, and delve into the pages. 

It's true!

For this reason, your story must be the real you in terms of voice. You can not be an imitator of other authors. You can learn from them, take a component and make it your own, but you can not be an imitator.

Allow me to entertain you with this example:

Max Lucado's book, The Song of the King, is a story about three knights who compete to marry the princess. To win, each knight must venture into the dreaded Hemlock Forest, face any foe along the way, and exit the woods using the path leading to the palace. The first knight who reaches the palace wins the right to marry the princess.

To help guide the knights on their journey, the king promises to play a distinct song on a flute. By listening for the king's song, the knights will know the correct path to travel. Each knight is also given one helper of their choice for the journey.

After many days, only one knight emerges from Hemlock Forest and stumbles to the palace grounds. Barely able to speak, he is given food and drink, proclaimed the winner, and granted the right to marry the princess.

When asked about his journey, the wise knight said he and the other two knights entered the forest and immediately heard the king's song. But as quick as his music sounded, other flutes played from behind every tree. The fastest knight didn't know where to run. The smartest knight couldn't understand which sound to follow. Even the knight who came out of the woods first admitted he had been confused as to which sound to follow. 

The wise knight, though, had asked the king's son to be his helper/guide, knowing the son could also play his father's song. The knight listened to the son's tune and quickly learned the difference between the king's music and the imitator's attempts. Thus he followed the correct sound.

While this story clearly teaches a spiritual truth, we can also use the same truth in our writing. 

God has give us our voice. He has given us our story idea. As we learn the writing craft, He provides good examples of writers for us to learn from. 

But there comes a point when we must separate from other authors, listen to what God has put in our heart, and pen those words.

When I taught third grade, my students wrote stories that imitated movies or events from their lives. The boys and girls filled their pages with basic sentences filled the page. They learned to move the story from beginning to middle to end but their words lacked a voice.

However, when I asked the children to tell me a story, their faces brightened, their bodies moved to illustrate their words, their voices rose and fell adding dynamics. Their whole personality was engaged in relating the event. This version of their story had life, it was vibrant, compelling, easy to be engaged in. This was the young author's voice.

Following the rules by writing a good plot, characters, setting, theme, etc in the story is not good enough...the manuscript MUST also have you.  

There once was a group of authors who chose to conduct an experiment. A single plot line was given and each writer had to write a story centered on that idea. When the stories were read at the next meeting, the writers were amazed at not only the broad range of stories, but also the distinct, identifiable voice found in each manuscript.

Let's give it a try. 

Using your life experiences, preferences, tastes, etc., compose a very short story using these ingredients:

Short man
rabbit
city park
smoke
robbery
vendor
female marathon runner
zucchini

Don't take long to think about it....don't bother editing. Simply throw the ingredients in your mind's pot, stir then pour it out in the comment section.

Let your voice be heard:)

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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, is honing marketing and writing skills, 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

Your Voice Released

A block of stone. 

A blank canvas.

A clean sheet of paper.

What life is filled in such empty spaces! 

As writers—or artists—life brims from such untouched media. And once we dare to place our chisel on the stone, the brush to the canvas, the typed word to the paper, we begin to create the vision first developed in our hearts.

If you've ever walked the hall to the famous statue of David by Michelangelo, you first pass by his "Prisoners"--blocks of stone unleashing  human form in a dramatic, raw fashion.

Michelangelo once said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to find it."

Photo of Michelangelo's Prisoner by Avital Pinnick on Flickr

 As if the bodies are emerging from the block, Michelangelo's imitation of man is whispered on the surface. Not completely finished, not refined nor perfected...but the art becomes a foreshadow of the greatness in what lies ahead—the near-perfect statue of David.

As writers, we often hear judges or editors mention the word, “voice”, and sometimes it seems like a tricky thing to attain in our efforts to craft a story well. If we look at voice in three stages, we might begin to discover the releasing of our own voices:

FIRST CUT: It's messy to cut into stone. Imagine the ugly divots and the shards of marble splayed upon the floor. But Michelangelo knew his direction--to set the statue free. He continued to chip away. Remember, in those beginning stages of a first draft the words might not come easy, but you must continue to write and rewrite, chip away at the blank stone, and release your voice through your unique story.

Photo at Wikimedia Commons

RE-CREATE: Most stories have something in common with other stories, life in general, or universal themes. If we are going to connect with our reader at all, we must have “familiar” in our stories. But don't let “familiar” trump “unique”. Michelangelo didn't create a new form, but used the God-given human form to create art. He sculpted the ordinary human body in a unique way.

Our voice is sculpting the human condition in a unique way.

LIFE: The voice of the writer breathes life into the blank page. It gives the story its pulse. When a writer has grasped their voice, their story becomes one to marvel at, just like Michelangelo's statues.

When your voice continues to grow, your story will fill with life.

Just as the statue of David is a vision the viewer will never forget, your finished manuscript will boldly declare its voice in the heart of your readers.

Have you discovered your “voice”?
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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.

Writing a Strong Opening Chapter

We've all heard how important opening lines, opening pages, and opening scenes/chapters are. I think somewhere back in the beginning of my writing journey, I didn't believe it. I thought...nah, if I write a good book, it shouldn't matter if my first seven paragraphs are about the weather or have a little - okay, more than a little - back story.

But after writing several books, critiquing several books, reading tons of craft books and articles, entering contests, judging contests, querying and all that, I've realized that when "they" say those openings are important, "they" aren't kidding.

So what helps make strong opening pages?

A Hook

Yep, this one is first because it's probably one of the most important. An opening hook makes a reader/agent read on. That very first sentence or paragraph can say a lot. It sets the tone for the story. So be sure to write one that makes the reader sit up and take notice - and then read on. That's your big goal - to make the reader read on.

Sympathetic Characters

Readers, just like us, want to relate to our characters. So how do you do that?

Give your characters a goal, present an obstacle to that goal, give them a strong belief in that goal. With that foundation in mind, trying also giving them a fun or unique quirk, something that shows their vulnerability, and make sure you really get into their heads.

Various Writing Styles

Withing your first several pages, you're going to want to show you have a good grasp of various writing styles. Good dialogue, smooth description, varied sentence structure, and deep POV. If you can, try to include as much variety as possible so the reader doesn't get bored.

Be Succinct! Make Sense!

Don't take a lot of time to say what you can say in a short amount of time. In other words, brevity is good! You don't need an entire paragraph of description (yes, this will vary depending on genre) or a page of back story. Also, don't put in so much that the reader is confused. Stick to one conflict and make the reader want to know more.

Show Your Voice

This is going to give you that extra edge. This is what will differentiate a good manuscript from a great one. Giving the reader a sense of your voice will show them that you're confident about your story, and engage them to keep reading.

That's a lot to do in just a few pages, right? But sometimes that's all you have to show an agent, editor, or reader what you've got.

And don't forget, these are just guidelines to get you started. Whether you include a few or all of them, your number one goal is to get the reader to continue reading.

For me, writing that catchy hook is one of the hardest things to do in an opening. What's something that challenges you when writing opening pages?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.com

Catching A Vision, Part 2: The Big Picture Behind the Book

For part one of this series, I talked about the importance of vision in our lives when it comes to fulfilling our callings. Today I want to take things to a more specific level and apply some of these same concepts to each book we’re writing.

Have you ever been in the middle of writing and realized that you no longer really know what your book is about? Sometimes this realization can be frustrating, as we realize we’ve gone down too many rabbit trails and haven’t stayed focused to our key plot points. Other times it can be exciting because we know we’ve stumbled upon an even greater idea than we had originally.

But either way, there’s something about that first draft that’s so disheartening. It’s flat out hard to write, really. Putting the words on the page for the first time can be exhilarating when we get to an exciting scene, but most of the time, it’s painful! The creative side of our brain is flittering to action with different ideas, while the critical side keeps saying, “Uh, you might want to throw in the towel on this one. Have you actually read anything you’ve written so far on this WIP? Because it stinks.” Have you been there? Raising my hand right now because I know I have!

When we face these moments of what I would call the discipline of writing--where it becomes something we stick with because we are committed, even if our first-draft words are kind of terrible—it’s so important to keep our vision in mind, because that’s what keeps us going.

You can either use these bullets as you plot your book, before you even begin writing; or as you edit, working to pull out the most important aspects of what you’ve created. Ultimately, remind yourself that the story God has put on your heart will not write itself. Unless we all sit down consistently and get the words on the page, the only person that story is impacting is ourselves. And that’s a selfish way to use our gifts, really. So here are several ways to help you stay encouraged and keep a big-picture approach to your book, so that on the days you feel like giving up, you can remind yourself why your story rocks, and why you wanted to write it in the first place.

Vision for Ministry

One of the easiest things for me to lose sight of is the spiritual thread of my books, which is ironic because it’s also the most important element to me. It can be so easy to get caught up in the details that we begin to see our WIP’s  as simply a practice for editing. Spend some time daydreaming about your future readers. Imagine it’s your book people are reading on the beach, or the in airport, or in bed at night before they go to sleep. How would this change the way we are writing? Don’t be afraid to allow your calling to empower your writing. That’s the way it’s meant to be.

Vision for Plot and Characters

Sometimes it’s easy to get so fixated on the knitty-gritty that we neglect our characters’ hearts. I know I talk a lot about Robin Jones Gunn’s writing, but one of the reasons I love her so much is because she does this in her stories. She makes readers really care about the characters, so that when they experience transformation in their lives, we experience the same thing. Checking your dialogue tags for repetition and paying attention to what characters are wearing can only go so far if we don’t have a heart for the characters to begin with, and for us to feel that way, we need to really be aware of their big-picture journeys.

Vision for Tone and Voice

God has gifted you with a voice.  In my own writing, I find it so much more difficult to write in my natural voice when I feel shut down for some reason. This is particularly the case if I’ve received some overly-harsh criticism, or if I’ve allowed doubts to flood my mind. Another thing that can affect tone is the fear of what other people will think. Should I wrote an Amish novel, for instance, because those certainly seem to be selling! If we’re not careful, we become more consumed about market than we do about vision. The ironic thing is, most bestsellers actually do so well because they are unique. So be conscious of genre conventions, sure—but don’t write to the market, or you’ll always feel as if you’re missing the mark. If we aren’t writing in our sweet spot when it comes to the voice and tone of our novel, we’ll never really feel as if our vision for the book has been accurately portrayed.

How do you keep your vision for a large project? Do you ever find your vision for a story waning when you begin to feel discouraged?

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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.

Is Your Voice Shouting?

Are you stylish? I'm not talking about what's in your closet, but about your narrative style. In Donald Maass's book, The Fire In Fiction, he writes about the importance of a writer's voice - how you tell your tale. He points out different ways to make your voice "shout out".

GIVING CHARACTERS VOICE - This doesn't mean just taking their dialogue and dialect and making it different, but it means their outlook...their take on life. You need characters who have a unique way of looking at things, without becoming cartoonish. Their opinions need to be heard, however different it is from the norm. Sometimes we make our characters "safe", when we really should let them be real.

DETAILS AND DELIVERY - Maass asks why we avoid making a hero really different. He says, "Even the most ordinary people have a life that's unique. The details that make it so are a secret source of what critics glibly refer to as voice." Details are important. They give a story life and a voice. The way you state things, or the way your character speaks, gives your story its voice. It can be through syntax and/or details of what they say, do, or feel.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF RELATING STORY - Writers need to choose beforehand which POV and which tense to write from. There's no right or wrong way, but whatever you choose, you need to go deep into it. Make the character real, flaws and all.

I think VOICE is such an elusive thing. While I don't think your voice can be manipulated, I think Maass has some good suggestions for making your voice come through loud and clear. His ideas give a spring board to amplify your writing and letting you ....the real you...be heard.

It's not just the words that make a writer's voice unique. It's all the little things like details, delivery, outlook, original perspective, opinions, etc, that make an author's voice shout out.

I haven't found my voice yet. Not sure how I would go about finding it, other than just writing alot. I still feel like I am just getting started in this journey. I feel I am still whispering...afraid to speak up.

Do you think you have found your voice? Is it shouting yet?

*Reposted from a 2009 post on Sherrinda's personal blog.

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

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

A TV Guide Approach to Hooking Your Reader

Ever read those little TV Guide blurbs? When I was little, I used to love flipping the television to the TV Guide channel and watching all the shows scroll past. I think it’s because I’ve always liked to know all my options. :)

Some of those blurbs have made me wonder, “Who wrote this and what in the world were they thinking?” Ever had that moment? Last week I saw a Boy Meets World episode that had recovered on my DVR (yes, I still watch Boy Meets World) and the caption was, “Corey and Eric find lingerie in their mother’s bowling bag.” Seriously? First off, who came up with the idea to make a whole episode out of this? Secondly, please tell me there’s something else going on in the episode! And perhaps most embarrassing of all, I actually remember this episode from when it first aired! So clearly something about it was worth remembering.

A well-crafted blurb will make you tune in to something you would’ve never otherwise considered watching or reading. A cupcake baking marathon under water with only Reese’s pieces, butter and squash as the ingredients? What channel is that on? A reunion of the old ABC Family Night casts? Sign me up! Don’t laugh—you know this has happened to you too!

So how do we use this power of interest to our advantage when it comes to catching the attention of agents, editors, and even, eventually, readers? I’m glad you asked. To help with this question, I’ve made a list of things to ask your book. These should apply to all hooks you might need to craft, whether they be pitches, query letters, or even proposals.

1) What do my characters have to lose? What are they most afraid of? If we’re only reading/hearing one or two sentences, we need a reason to worry about your characters. “A baker is robbed at gunpoint while icing sugar cookies” is a lot more interesting than “a woman pursues her dream of becoming a baker.” Because we all want to know . . . what happened to the cookies?

2) What rhythm, voice, and tone do I want to achieve? One of my favorite examples of this point is Kristin Billerbeck’s Spa Girls Series: “Three Friends. One Spa. And an infinite amount of oversharing.” See how she gets straight to the point with only a few words and how her voice really sparkles? If you’re working on a pitch, query, or proposal, you have a very limited amount of space to show off your unique writing voice. Use every little bit of that space to your advantage! You want to pick words, tones, and rhythms that are “you,” because you’re selling your voice every bit as much as you’re selling your plot.

3) What are the most important elements of my story? Often, editors get a bad rep for being grouchy, but let’s face it—you’d probably be cynical yourself if you were getting thousands of e-mails a day with queries like, “Sandra struggles with a broken ankle on her twenty-third birthday, but when her cousin twice-removed challenges her to a hockey match anyway, she runs into the cute cashier she saw at the grocery store three days before, and sparks fly as he helps her redo her bandage.” When you walk into a library, a book has to prove to you that it’s worth reading, right? Think of your own work in the same way. Pull out only the most important and interesting details. There will be time for all that other stuff later.

What do you think? Do you have any hooks you’re working on that you’d like to share with the group for feedback? Can you come up with some examples of hooks—television or literary—that work well? I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

*Bird photo from http://davidpowersking.blogspot.com/2011/03/aspiring-advice-pay-attention-to.html

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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 time. 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 and her Tumblr. She's also on Facebook and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Is Your Voice a Full Symphony...

Or does it blend in with the choir.

Voice can easily take a good book and make it memorable.

Or lack of attention to voice can make a well-plotted novel seem humdrum.

I recently listened to Kaye Dacus' workshop on Voice from ACFW's 2010 conference. Dacus lamented the fact that much of CBA fiction is beginning to sound the same. Sure, we've followed all the rules to a tee. But perhaps the cost has been too high, as in some cases we are losing our voice, our very distinctiveness. It is an excellent CD I can highly recommend.

 (Oh and by the way, if you haven't done so, be sure to read Kaye's Writing Series Index. Its chock-full of great writing advice on nearly every topic imaginable).

I had recently finished a book that had disappointed me. The writer had seemed to follow many of the rules we have learned about through countless writing books. Keep it fast-paced. Avoid passive voice. No adverbs. Show, don't tell.

I talked to my husband and finally found out what was troubling me. There was nothing that made this book unique. This book could have been written by anyone in my mind.

Recently I read another book by an author, Chris Fabry, who I think of as an armchair author for me. After reading several of his books I feel like I'm getting to know his voice as a writer and there's a comfort in that.

Another author I have recently read is Ginger Garrett. Her genre and style of writing are quite different from Chris', but she has a distinctive voice of her own that I love reading. Garrett is a storyteller who serves as a familiar travelogue on journeys through biblical lands, or early American history. She immediately captures my attention.

Another favorite of mine for voice is Laura Frantz. She is one of the rare historical fiction authors who has mastered the voice of the time period she writes in. Her beautiful prose is old-fashioned in a way that uniquely distinguishes her.

A common MFA in Creative Writing exercise I'm told is to imitate your favorite authors' styles. While I have no doubt there is value in this exercise...let's remember we're not called to be the next Willa Cather, L.M. Montgomery, or whoever else it is we admire.

Let's not forget that we can offer what no one else can...our voice.

Who are your favorite authors when it comes to voice? How would you describe their voice? Or how would you describe your own voice?

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 The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.

Do You Know What Your Genre Is?

I’ve been thinking about parallels between story-telling and gardening. Both topics are fodder for a multitude of how-to books, workshops and classes. Both writing and gardening can be frustrating sink-holes that eat time and money, or they can reward us with beauty, exhilaration, and maybe even a little monetary gain.







God Himself has dabbled in both endeavors. He’s a God who planted a garden in Eden, and He’s a God who told stories about intriguing characters—the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the widow who wouldn’t stop pounding on the judge’s door in the middle of the night.






If there’s one lesson I wish I’d known when I first started writing, it’s that it pays to do your homework before you dig in. Part of the homework is discovering your natural bent. Each plot of land has a particular type of soil, a certain exposure to sun and wind, and terrain that’s right for some plants and wrong for others. We wouldn’t plant alpine flowers in a cornfield any more than we would plant corn on a rocky alpine peak.






A writer with a lyrical voice should write in a genre that allows room for lyricism. A writer who enjoys crafting intricate plots should find a genre that supports intricate plots. It’s not that there are right or wrong genres; it’s a matter of finding a good fit. And once you know your genre, you’ll still need to find just the right story to write.






A few years ago, I was e-mailing back and forth with fellow author Sherrie Lord when I was trying to figure out what the Lord wanted me to write next. Sherrie said: “I think He wants you to write what you want to write.”






I love that idea, but there’s also the concept I shared with another friend who was contemplating starting a book. I told her about a fig tree that I grew in a pot in our house in Michigan. For several years, the thing hardly grew, but when we moved to Georgia and I planted it outside, it took off. It even developed an offshoot, so I divided it into two fig trees. (That happens with plots sometimes, too.) The trees were in the perfect location, and they flourished in the sun and the abundant rainfall.






I started getting excited. Finally, after five years in Georgia, I saw the first tiny green figs. My long-awaited harvest began to ripen, and I could hardly wait to taste sweet, delicious figs.






But even when they were fully ripe, they weren’t very sweet. They didn’t have much flavor. They were just . . . okay. No matter what we did to those trees, and no matter how strong and healthy they were, they could only produce bland, semi-sweet figs. All that time, I’d been nurturing the wrong variety of fig tree.






If only I had done my research.






It takes a long time to write a novel. I don’t want to nurture those pages for months or maybe years, and then realize the fruit can never be more than just okay.






Especially when a writer is contemplating a new project, it’s time to think, to pray, to be quiet before the Lord. I still think Sherrie’s right; we have freedom to write what we want to write. God doesn’t dictate our choices, but we need His wisdom to guide our freedom so our fruit will be sweet and full of flavor.

Meg Moseley is still a Californian at heart although she’s lived more than half her life in other states. She formerly wrote human-interest columns for a suburban section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and home schooled for over twenty years. Meg enjoys books, travel, gardening, her three grown children, and motorcycle rides with her husband Jon. They make their home in northern Georgia

Self-Editing Checklist: Voice and Viewpoint

If you've been following along in this series, hopefully your scenes are taking shape with purpose and consistency. This week we'll take a look at voice and viewpoint. So without further ado, here are Points 4 & 5 of my self-editing checklist.

#4 - Is my own voice coming through, or is it contrived? Yes, this is the ever-elusive issue of voice. Everyone says it's the first thing editors or agents notice in a manuscript. I'll admit I was skeptical of this until I became a contest judge this year. The unique voices really did stand out above the floundering ones. But how do we know if our own voice is unique?

While it can often be an intangible thing, a good test is this. Have a friend read your work and tell you if they can hear you saying it. I've noticed this phenomenon with my blogging buddies. Ever since I met them at the ACFW Conference last year, I can hear them speaking the things I read on their blogs. That means it's true to their voice.

For more ideas on developing your voice, check out Cindy's post from a couple weeks ago, as well as these posts on Katie Ganshert's blog. (Awesome stuff there!)

#5 - Analyze the viewpoint. Are the characters too perfect? Are you portraying them as real human beings with real-life struggles? For those who write Christian fiction, is there any Christian lingo or jargon that could be confusing?

This point could spark a whole debate of how much "Christian" a Christian novelist should put in their books, but that's a discussion for another day. The key to this point is knowing where you stand on the spectrum, knowing where your target publisher stands on the spectrum, and then staying within it.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Work through some of the voice exercises in Cindy's post and on Katie's blog, then read your scene and listen for your authentic voice. Analyze the viewpoint in your scene and make sure it falls within your target publisher's viewpoint (and yours too!).

Have you discovered your voice? What are some tricks you've used to discover it? How closely do you pay attention to the viewpoint of your novel?

*Microphone photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

**Glasses photo by dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Scoring a Well-Rounded Manuscript: Voice

For many of us, time and practice help us become better writers, and more knowledgeable of the craft. We learn and get critiques and study and write, write, write, to help improve each manuscript. And we discover over the years that there are certain elements we want to include in each story to make it as well-rounded as possible.

I like to look at it like the game of bowling. Yep, scoring a well-rounded manuscript is like scoring a strike. Your goal with each roll of the ball is to knock down each and every pin, just like your goal when you attempt each new story is to encompass the most important elements of fiction or non-fiction writing and get it into your story.

These elements include everything from plot to characters to sentence structure. But today we're going to talk about Voice.

I see Voice as the lead pin. It serves that position well because, in order to score a strike, you need to hit this lead pin. It touches the rest of the pins necessary to score well. Similarly, in writing, Voice touches and makes an impression on the rest of the story in order to accomplish your goal.

So what is Voice?

It's your own unique writing style. Your vocabulary, the tone in which you write, your style, sentence length, etc. All these things are part of Voice.

How do you know your Voice?

Ask yourself these questions:

What style are you drawn to when you read?
What entertains you and inspires you to write?
What comes naturally to you when you put pen to paper?

And how else can you determine your own unique writing signature?

Try:

Journaling or blogging
*What comes out naturally, whether more poetic or more staccato or something else, is typically the writing style that's going to suit you best and sound unique to you.

Free writing or a writing prompt
*Use a writing prompt, like a set scene, or even a picture, and free write about it for around ten minutes to see what comes out.

Experiment
*Practice and try new things. Experiment with styles, POVs, tenses, and even with genres if you're just starting out and not sure where you fit (humorous, literary, etc.) in fiction or non-fiction.

Let others in
*Allow others to read your work. Sometimes you have a very distinct voice and don't even realize it.

I'd love to hear how you all discovered your voice or if you're still experimenting, so please share in the comments.

Also, this is the final day of our Giveaway Party! If you'd like to win a copy of Denise Hunter's Surrender Bay, please leave your e-mail address in the comments. Winners will be announced tomorrow.



***photo by battlecreekcvb