Why An Author Should Try Pinterest

Social media plus platform is all the buzz these days. We, as aspiring authors and published authors, have many avenues to take in order to connect with a potential readership, gain knowledge, and "be known".
Right now, I am active on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The usefulness of Pinterest has been such a pleasant surprise when I once thought of it as a way to instill mommy guilt of all the crafts I was not doing with my kids.

For an author though, Pinterest is a great tool to have, and I will give you three reasons why you should get your own Pinterest account started today!

1. A "scrapbook" for research and brainstorming:

Whether you write Historical or Contemporary, SciFi or Romance, at some point in your writing you will need to look something up. Perhaps it might be the type of shoe a nurse might wear in your medical suspense novel, or the latest fashion trend for your young adult protagonist, or...the kind of fabric an 18th century woman would choose for her ball gown as she debuts into society. For me, my "Tudors" board has been the most popular as I collect information and research on the historical family centered in my current novel.

Pinterest is an amazing tool that gives you visual nuggets of articles, posts, and archives as you create your story world. And it gives potential readers a glimpse and anticipation for all the colorful things to come from your writing.

2. A "filing system" for writing craft/how to's:

The other day, I wanted to look up how to write a short story.  I know what the three act structure looks like for a novel, and I know the major parts for a story, but how does that look in a concise work of 5-7000 words? Pinterest is a fabulous place to look up a craft question and find dozens and dozens of links to blogs, websites, GRAPHICS (if you are a visual person, this is such a great thing...not only reading about the plot...but finding actual visual pieces that illustrate it is awesome). In our busy lifestyles, Pinterest gives you a quick and easy way to archive or "pin" your finds so you can return to them whenever you need that bit of knowledge to move forward in your writing craft.

3. A "bulletin" for building platform with different hooks about YOU:

The greatest thing that makes Pinterest a social endeavor, is that it gives you visibility in the eyes of potential readers. As an author, you can display images that give a sense of your stories, characters, and settings, like I mentioned above, as well as create boards to give an idea of what kind of person you are besides an author-- you become an ACTUAL person to a reader, allowing them a peek at your other interests. Basically, you are providing boards or pins that will hook a reader with that same interest as you...outside of the story world...and ultimately, they will feel connected to you in a realistic way. I am a stay-at-home mom and love finding pins and memes on parenting advice. Well, how cool is it to connect with other moms, like me, who might just also be interested in reading historical fiction...or even writing it? (Connecting to the writing community is just as important as connecting to a readership!) How great is it for a reader to know the story was written by someone who understands their season of life, or, for example, also likes to garden in their spare time? Pinterest can hook readers not just to your stories, but to your common interests, and they will see you as a person and not just as an author trying to sell a book.

Do you have any questions about Pinterest? Or maybe you already have a Pinterest account and have some great boards to share. If you do, let me know below! I would love to come browse your pins.:)

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written six historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken/

What Today's Writer's Are Thankful They've Missed Out On

From the wheel to modern technology, 

inventors have made our life easier.

Way easier!

Enjoy this walk through time from someone who has been there.

Photo Courtesy

Typing use to be a class offered in the junior year of high school (ish). Those heading for a secretary career learned the home row key. jkj jkj fgf fgf. Over and over. 

The first office clerk job arrived in time for the electric typewriter. The noise sounded nano seconds after the key was pressed, startling the typist until she grew use it. 

Photo Courtesy

The promotion arrived as the electric typewriters with memory hit the market. Wow! The secretary's speed increased exponentially. She rattled off a series of text with nothing happening on the paper. Then, like a machine gun, the words fired across the page. This was amusing.

The next promotion came in time to meet the computer. Secretaries had to adapt to not using the "carriage return." Adapting quickly, Word Perfect became a good friend. 


Let's freeze time for a moment. Writers had to submit all of their work on "clean" pages (no errors). Sheets of text were sealed in an envelope along with an SASE (self addressed stamped envelope). Without the SASE, publishers would not respond. Frequently, writers included postcards with text preprinted: ____ I have received (person's name) (manuscript title). The receiving person at the publishing house would hopefully put a checkmark in the blank and slip the pre stamped postcard back in the mail.

THERE WAS NO EMAIL!!

The next promotion, office manager, started with the arrival of Windows. A miracle! No longer did secretaries have to completely close out of Word Perfect to open Excel or other needed programs. More than one program could be open at one time! Could life get any better?

Not long after, the computer techs installed email. I leaped on this one, learning every component. My boss asked me to teach classes. It took months to sell the idea to everyone in my building. "You could leave messages for the person even when they're in a meeting. You can have conversations and not have to worry about coming up with an instant response. It gives you time to think!" I tried everything. Sheesh!

Since then we've had Internet, Google, IPads, iPods, Skype, FaceTime, Pinterest, Instagram, and so much more! The list could fill pages. 

Writers can key their manuscript in many formats (my favorite is Scrivener). We edit what auto correct has messed up, and a few of our own mistakes. Attach the manuscript to an email, and voilà the agent or editor has the materials.

BUT this is old news!

Today writers can self publish their books in easy formats. Within days the book can be listed on Amazon. Marketing with social media. The advances are amazing.

Are we spoiled...or what?

I say this now. 

But be prepared to laugh at these minuscule advances ten years down the road. Someone like you will ask..."How did you survive?" ROTFL

God has blessed us by gifting inventors with ideas and the means to see the thought through to product. 

What current writing tool do you appreciate the most and why? 

Climb on board. Let's praise God for His blessings.

I can't wait to read your comment(s)

Photo courtesy for caveman: pixaby 

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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary writes young adult mystery/suspense Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids. She has finaled in several writing contests.

Visit Mary at her website, blog, and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

All subscribers to Mary's newsletter will receive a Christmas gift - her new short story 14 Mornings ’Till Christmas, an intriguing Christmas suspense/mystery. Based on real events in Denmark, Brice recognizes he has a memory issue and has to work around this problem while solving the mystery: who broke into his home and stole Christmas. Sign up at Mary's website.  Come enjoy a good story.

Juicy Words and Tasty Pages

 

Ever gobbled up a book? Obviously I don’t mean actually chewing up the paper and swallowing it down. Not the right kind of roughage. Trust me on this. What I mean is, do you remember a particular reading experience where you were almost literally voracious for the next line, and when you had devoured the whole story you were left sated and blissfully full?

Whether reading or writing, a storyline that satisfies is the ultimate goal of the journey. Some stories are snack sized and fluffy, others are a Thanksgiving feast you will feel long after the last bite. Some are simply a sweet treat and others are for sustenance. But I think we can all agree that a great story told poorly is like consuming empty, unsatisfying calories. What’s the point?

The words are not only the skeleton of your body of work but they are also the lifeblood, the muscle, the nerve endings, the skin, AND the cosmetics. Each one nourishes the body of the story while feeding the readers appetite. Word choice is so very crucial simply because your words not only ARE your story, they also give it its flavor. You might be thinking, right. Words+Plot+Paper=Story…. What is she getting at?

What I want you to ask yourself is….

How well seasoned is your story? How flavorful are your words?

Using lots of big, high-falutin, twenty dollar words can quickly get tiresome. You may have an exceptionally large vocabulary and like showing it off but more often than not this will slow and frustrate the reader. A good rule of thumb is to make sure your reader doesn’t have to stop and seek out a dictionary to figure out what you are trying to say. If they can’t draw meaning from the context you are using words that sour rather than stimulate your reader’s taste buds.

On the contrary, using only bland, basic language and descriptions can make a reading experience rather stale and uninvolved. And a bland meal might fill your stomach, but very few will be anxious to go back for seconds.

Whether I’m reading or writing, running errands or having a conversation with a friend I am always on the lookout for what I like to call “JUICY WORDS” to store up in my arsenal. These are not just terms that describe foods or reference our sense of taste. They are sensory words that are so flavorful, whether in tone or feel, meaning or cadence that they activate my senses and awaken my palate so I can almost taste them! Jeans might look buttery soft molded to lean hips. A cutting remark might swallow down like a breath of broken glass. A laugh could be effervescent. The wind melodic. There are so many liberties you can take to make ordinary words vivid and succulent and ultimately extraordinary.

And how do we do this? Simple. Befriend a Thesaurus! (The resource--My sons think this is a dinosaur!) Also keep a notebook handy to jot down a word or phrase that grabs your attention. Inspiration is everywhere!

Wanna play writers workshop? Do you dare put your words to the test? This could be lots of fun! Let’s see how tasty our pages are….

1. Post a line from page 7 of your WIP that you feel is the juiciest morsel you can find.

And/or

2. Then find another one that could use some extra spice and we’ll shake some seasoning on them. Let’s do this workshop style. Any and all suggestions welcome.

And don’t forget to check up on your stuff from time to time. Flip to some random pages and have a taste. Are you salivating?

Happy reading, writing, and editing!

 

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 

Amy Leigh Simpson is the completely exhausted stay-at-home mama to the two wild-child, tow-headed toddler boys, one pretty little princess baby, and the incredibly blessed wife of her hunky hubby.

She writes Romantic Suspense chalked full of grace that is equally inspiring, nail-biting, and hilarious. And a little saucy! Okay fine, a lot saucy. :) She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and now uses her Sports Medicine degree to patch up daily boo-boos. Her greatest ambitions are to create stories that inspire hope, raise up her children to be mighty warriors for Christ, invent an all-dessert diet that works, and make up for years of sleep deprivation. 

She is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, Inc.

 

 

Writing Imagery

Now-a-days, readers want excellent writing, but it needs to be straightforward. This makes it all the more important to place your metaphors and similes in appropriate places throughout your novel. If you have one metaphor after a simile after another metaphor...then you will slow down the reader and your story will sag with the weight of a word picture frenzy in the reader's overloaded mind.

Using well-placed metaphors and similes can 1) Anchor the reader to the setting and have them  connect to your character's situation, and 2) Emphasize high emotional intensity, as implied by James Scott Bell in his book, Revision & Self Editing.

Just as a poem begs to be memorized, a metaphor or simile create a memorable experience for the reader, and etches your story into their mind. I can think back on certain books and remember their well-placed metaphors and similes out of the entire 90,000 words. These tools grip a reader's thoughts and leave a “book”print in their mind long after the book is closed and put away.

Here are some examples from books that have printed on my mind:

Anchoring to the setting:

"If Broadway was Manhattan's artery, Five Points was its abscess: swollen with people, infected with pestilence, inflamed with vice and crime. Groggeries, brothels, and dance halls put private sin on public display. Although the neighborhood seemed fairly self-contained, more fortunate New Yorkers were terrified of Five Points erupting, spreading its contagion to the rest of them.” Wedded to War, Jocelyn Green.

Jocelyn uses the metaphor of the condition of the human body to not only emphasize the point of view of her heroine, an aspiring nurse, but she also gives such a vivid understanding of the setting that a reader could hardly dismiss this and move on without allowing the imagery to paint itself in their mind.

“Through the makeshift curtain that gave her some semblance of privacy, she could make out Captain Click's sturdy shadow like a locked gate barring harm's way.” Courting Morrow Little, Laura Frantz

This book is set in a time of unease and discord between the settlers and the Native Americans. This metaphor of Captain Click being a locked gate is appropriate to the point-of-view of the heroine who is a young woman traveling into hostile territory. This anchors the reader to the setting not only through the heroine's perspective, but gives the overall emotional climate of the setting—one of possible danger at every turn.

Emotional Intensity:

“The man who stared back was not a man he knew. The careful control bred into him since birth was gone. In its place he saw a fire-breathing dragon capable of murder.” The Duchess and The Dragon, Jamie Carie

The image of a fire-breathing dragon is placed at a time when the hero's emotions are high and his actions have culminated to a dreaded circumstance. Jamie Carie imbeds this metaphor in such a way that it maintains the momentum of the story but shows intensity of the hero's emotion.

“In the domestic cloud of dust and family, I too can forget the One who sees me, but in eucharisteo, I remember, I cup hands and all the world is water.

The well, it is still there.

There is always a well—All is well.

I choke out my son's name. His skin is transparent...glass. And he stares long, brims...quavers...falls. And I cradle him, the Boy-Man, flood over shoulders.” One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp.

Ann's moment with her son is filled with word pictures that emphasize the build to an emotional outpour. This book takes the use of metaphor to such a deep level, my heart stirs at every turn of the page.

Metaphors and similes can also unveil a writer's voice. Ann Voskamp does this amazingly well, not only in the example above, but consistently throughout the book. Depending on a writer's voice, these descriptive tools can be well-placed mirrors to the under-lying tone of the story.

Do you have examples of well-placed metaphors and similes in some of your favorite books? How about in your own? Please share!


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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous 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 cultures. She is an ACFW member and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

 

Setting that Sparks the Senses!

 A lifetime ago, I graduated with a Degree in Landscape Architecture. One thing we were taught to incorporate in our designs is a thematic experience that would engage the senses. Whether it be the use of a site line to direct the somber view of a memorial, or aromatic plant material to provide pleasant smells in an outdoor tea room, the senses were always considered in our landscape designs.

As writers, this is also true for the setting. Using the setting to spark the senses is a crucial tool for active participation of the reader. It transports them into the novel, and ultimately, into the character's mind. If we miss the opportunities to utilize the setting in an active way, then we've missed the chance to connect readers deeper to the story and characters.

Here are some examples of instances in three of my novels with very different settings. I first give an attempt without the use of senses, and then the actual section with the senses incorporated.


Rural Hunt County, Texas: 

Without senses:  When she stepped off the bus, the white steeple in the distance stirred bad memories in her mind. Even now, after many years, she was reminded of her awful childhood every Sunday.

OR:

The odor of exhaust offended her, but not nearly as much as the pointed steeple growing closer in the distance. She could almost smell the bleach used to scrub the church and make it shine. The scent of that place was clearer in her mind than the exhaust haze she had just stepped through. She was assaulted every Sunday with the stench. 

Using her sense of SMELL gives enough implication  at her internal struggle affected by the external surroundings without just saying the setting had a negative effect.


The Coal mines of Utah:

Without senses: The coal mine began to cave in. 
"Run Jack!" Stavros yelled. He ran through the mine amidst the commotion. Rocks fell everywhere. He covered his mouth and nose to keep from inhaling the dust. When Stavros stepped into the daylight, he wept. 

Jack was gone.


OR:


When the moan turned into a loud crack just behind and above Stavros, he whipped his head around. “Run Jack!” But a rocky clatter of tumbling rock muffled his words. 

Stavros covered his face with his arm and began to crawl away. He looked back one more time, into darkness and rubble. The ceiling had collapsed within seconds, a puff of dust pushing Stavros to continue on and avoid breathing as much as possible. He moved faster, drowning in powdery breaths. 
When the light of day seared his eyes, and the crisp air soothed his lungs, Stavros fell to the ground and wept. 

 Jack was gone.

The coal mine setting becomes the enemy for the hero. The senses of SOUND, SIGHT, TOUCH, and TASTE heighten the intensity of the struggle.


The Peruvian Amazon Jungle: 

Without senses: I ran through the jungle, determined to reach my destination. When I reached the pool, I jumped in. But as I came up, I noticed the beautiful man upon the rocks, just above the falls. 

OR:

I ran through the vibrant foliage like a monkey running from a hungry jaguar. The thick forest air glazed my skin with its moist kiss and lingered long enough to induce an anxious thirst for the waiting waters. I wiped the beads from my eyes, the hair from my cheeks. Fingers of light summoned me through two large ferns, and I heard the gurgle of the falls spilling into the pool. Brushing through the fronds, I came to the most familiar edge of our sunlit pool, and slipped my whole body into the water without a second blink or a gasp for air. The swimming mirror delighted my skin. My previous thoughts were left on the side of the bank. I indulged in the pure quenching of my body's heat, nothing else entered my mind. 

But as I came up to fill my chest with air, I nearly choked on my anticipated breath. All the thoughts laying on the bank jumped up and took hold of me again when I saw the beautiful man upon the rocks, just above the falls.

The setting is crucial to developing the character in this story. Because she is a native, she has a unique relationship to the land, so engaging the senses of TOUCH, SOUND, SIGHT, and TASTE, enhance the importance of the relationship.


Wanna share a snippet from your own stories? If not, do you have a setting in mind that you would love to explore with your senses?

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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous 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.

A Writer's Greatest Tool

Writers live life with a perpetual question swirling through their minds. It is a question that draws deep from the well of creativity and reaches out to grasp the winds of inspiration. It is a question that builds the bones, and then breathes life into stories.

It is the question of "What if?".

When it is time to start a new story, brainstorm a part of the plot, or even hear a news story that plants a seed of a story in your mind, you begin to ask the question....what if?

What if...

• a young woman is held captive in a convent?
• the young woman escapes, disguised as a boy?
• the woman is beaten along the way by ruffians?
• the woman is saved by a handsome knight?
• the the handsome knight is on his way to her father's castle for a tournament?
• he takes her on as his squire (thinking she is a lad), promising to give her safe passage?
• she falls in love with the knight?
• her gender is discovered when she is injured in a fight?

These are just a few of the questions I asked while brainstorming my first story. A story starts with a germ of an idea. When you ask "what if", you can find many different directions that your story can go. When you are brainstorming a story idea, try to think of as many different ideas as you can. Having my heroine's gender discovered at the very beginning of the story would have made it an altogether different story. The tension would be stronger, but then my hero would not have been able to get to know my heroine the same way as he did while she pretended to be a boy. 

The question of "what if" is a powerful tool for the writer. Get a pen and paper out and start your list of "what ifs". You might even try a mind map, branching off in different directions...wherever your "what ifs" take you. See what you can come up with.

Better yet, let's experiment and see what we can come with. I'll start and you come up with a "what if". Let's see what kind of story we come up with through our commenters today. 

What if a woman was in an airplane, about to skydive for her 30th birthday, when she discovered that Gerard Butler (or whatever cutie-pie you would like to envision) was sitting next to her?

***What is your "what if"? Or what is your favorite writing tool for brainstorming?

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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.

It's All About the Kiss

Let's start today with a prayer. "Dear Lord, please don't let my grandma find this post and read it. Amen."

Now let's move on to the topic at hand. For the last week and a half here on The Alley, we've been talking about our favorite romances and what we love about them. Well, when I think about what I love in a good romance, four things come to mind.

Humor, snappy dialogue, compelling plot, and good kissing.

Oh come on, don't give me a hard time for that last one. You can't tell me you read a romance for the intergalactic time capsules and alien abductions.

When we follow the journey of two people falling in love, we want to see a little lip-locking, doggoneit. We want to see a kiss that sizzles through the pages, that evokes passion. (Can I get an "amen", Julie Lessman?)

So I thought it'd be fun to look at two of my favorite romances and analyze the kisses. Ahem, I meant analyze the writing of the kisses, not the kisses themselves.

First up, Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge.

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I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder. "I should go."

"Jayne--"

Levi reached for my arm. The feel of his hand stopped me in my tracks. "Everything will be all right," he said, and with the utmost care he caught one of my tears with his finger.

And then, as far as I can tell, I kissed him.

On the lips.

It was just a little kiss, more like a brush. At least it started that way. It started as the tiniest nothing, but Levi wrapped his arm around my shoulder and the kiss deepened. I responded; he tasted like cookies and cream and smelled like cedar. My hands dug into his hair.

This is nice, I thought. I had stopped crying, focusing my attention on Levi and that moment until a single thought entered my consciousness.

Shane.

I stepped back, ending the kiss and disentangling myself from Levi's inviting hold.

------------------

Three things I love about this kiss:

(1) It's unplanned. We can feel Jayne's surprise as she kisses Levi and then her rationalization as the kiss continues.

(2) Use of the senses. Jayne and Levi have just gone out for ice cream, thus the cookies and cream reference. Don't you LOVE that? And he smells like cedar. Good stuff!

(3) Conflict that ends the kiss. I love how Hillary takes us through Jayne's thought process, how much she loves the kiss and then *bam*, she remembers her boyfriend Shane. Um, yeah, talk about some emotional conflict.

Whew, let's take a short breather after that one. You're gonna need it before you read the next. Okay, ready?

The next one comes from Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh.

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His face is once more singular, and a crooked smile is in place that makes him look surprisingly boyish. "Perhaps not 'strictly business,'" he murmurs.

Does he mean what I think he means? Holding my breath and his gaze, I feel his hand leave my shoulder and trail my collarbone to the base of my throat. Though my lungs urge me to splurge on a refill, I'm too afraid of losing the moment. Air or no air, it's perfect just the way it is.

Though his gaze has yet to flicker, his head lowers toward me and I feel his breath on my lips. I part them and, in doing so, sip air enough to sustain me through what's sure to be the kiss of a lifetime.

Nick doesn't disappoint, though he surprises. Rather than demanding, his mouth lightly covers mine as though to test it, and he doesn't press me to the floor.

With a murmur, I curve a hand around his neck to draw him nearer. He deepens the kiss, the intensity of which causes me to startle. And my foot to strike the credenza. A moment later, the remaining books topple.

Leave it to Adda...

------------------

Whoa, mamasita! Are you breathing right now? 'Cause I'm sure not. I should clarify for Grandma's sake that the comment about the floor is because they took a tumble prior to this clip. (So don't tsk tsk, Grandma, okay?)

Here's what I love about this kiss. Tamara gives physical details that put us in Adda's skin...his hand trailing from her shoulder, along her collarbone, to the base of her throat. She could have just said, "He moves his hand to my neck." But no, she takes it one step at a time to make us feel the agony and tension right along with Adda. (I wish I could show you all the tension buildup before this clip because Tamara masterfully builds it throughout the entire chapter.)

Then after his hand shift, Tamara punches it up even more by making us feel Adda's tight lungs. And the kiss hasn't even happened yet! By the time they do lock lips, we're dying for it to happen, and it delivers the passion we expected.

-------------------

So what does all this kiss talk mean for you as a writer? It means you need to study the books you love, analyze them to find the triggers that put you in the characters' skin, and don't be afraid to make the reader feel the romantic tension. They'll thank you for it!

Do you have a favorite kiss from a novel or a movie? What made it memorable?

*Kiss photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Black Friday: What's on YOUR list?

 It's 2 a.m.

Some of you are still snug in your bed... blissfully unaware of the chaos.

Others of you are turning off your alarm and searching for your tennis shoes and jeans in the dark, trying not to wake your spouse who thinks you are an utter moron.

Still others of you are in a sleeping bag. On the sidewalk. Outside Best Buy or ToysRUs.

Me? Well, I'm not sure what I'm doing yet. I'm writing this a week earlier and my plans are unclear. *Usually* I'm a 4 or 5 a.m.er. Not crazy enough to camp out, but just a touch of lunacy where I do get up an insane hour to go get a few good deals.

It's the thrill of the hunt. The ability to say, I woke up early, I saw, and dad gum it I GOT IT! This year, well, this year sleep is more valuable than normal. But so is money. I'm still tossing around my plans. We'll see.

Because yes, it's Black Friday, folks. Gotta love it.

So as we turn our thoughts toward Christmas and gift-giving, I thought I'd give ideas to add to your list.

This is...

The Writer's Christmas List.

1. The NOOK Wi-Fi eReader. Best Buy Black Friday: $99.99
2. MacBook. Best Buy Black Friday: $999.99 plus $100 gift card.
3. Limited Edition RED WII!!! (Seriously, we sit around writing all day, this IS A NEED! Red stimulates... uh, brain cells so we can write better! Yeah!) -- Best Buy Black Friday - $199.99
4. 26 cubit feet French Door Stainless Steel Refrigerator - Only $1799!!! We need food people... Subsidence! And a nice pretty fridge to keep it in and hang all our rejection... er acceptance letters!
5. Canon EOS 60D SLR Camera! Holy Cow, this thing is a MUST HAVE for all your research trips!!! Or even when you're in the mall and spot that PERFECT hero figure and need to snap a few pictures. Careful to be discreet thought. No need getting arrested for stalking... Only $1299.99!!!
6. Karaoke anyone??? ToysRUs has one for sale for $49.99!! A GREAT way to unwind after a hard day of making our character's lives miserable!
7. Starbucks gift card. A no-brainer. Even us non-coffee drinkers can enjoy this... great hot chocolate too!
8. Apple 8GB Ipod Nano -- Target has them for $145 with a $15 gift card. Music is a great way to calm down and get in the "mood" to write. Totally a tax write-offable gift too, right?!?
9. TomTom GPS -- $79.99 at Target. A must have for all those car trips to conferences and book-signings and writer's groups!
10. And the top thing on EVERY writer's Christmas Wish List -- A 6-figure advance book contract.

We can dream right?!?

What's on YOUR Christmas list this year? Go ahead. Dream big. (Just don't get your hopes up...)

How a CPA Writes a Novel (Because I Know You're DYING to Know!)

Did you know it's entirely possible for a book to be written in an Excel spreadsheet? Okay, all you pantsers, stop snickering at me. I'm serious.

Since Pepper shared her writing process last week and Julia has been talking about storyboarding, I thought I'd share a little piece of my writing process today.

When I first started writing novels, I stumbled upon Randy Ingermanson's website Advanced Fiction Writing. At the time, it seemed like a coincidence. Now after meeting Randy, I know it was all part of his greater plan to take over the world. :)

He's known for this thing called the Snowflake Method of planning a novel. Since I like order in my life, I lapped it up like a thirsty dog, only without the loud slurping. When I got to the part where he talked about outlining scenes in Excel, I knew I'd found my place (can't help it...I'm a CPA).

From that point forward, I started outlining my books and scenes in an Excel spreadsheet. For each book, I have columns with the date of the scene, the chapter number, the POV character, a summary of the scene, the word count, the plots/subplots (more on that in a future post), and more. For every version of my manuscript, I have a separate tab in Excel.

I even created a tab where I track my daily progress. I have a line for each date and I log the time I spend drafting, editing, etc. Then I have a column where I track my scene goals for each day. So if I'm starting the editing process, I might have Scene 1a on Monday, Scene 1b on Tuesday and so on. I refer to my word counts on the other tab to help me gauge how many scenes I can complete each day.

Now I know this method wouldn't work for everyone (All you pantsers have glazed eyes right now. Am I right?), but I think it's important to track our goals and progress somehow. Before I started this process, I wandered aimlessly without a real target. But now that I treat my Daily Progress tab like a time clock, it helps me stay focused.

Does the idea of using a spreadsheet to plan a novel scare you? How do you stay focused on reaching your goals?

*Keyboard image: br3akthru / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Minutes image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Debunking the "It's MINE, Don't TOUCH IT!" Ideology

Me! It’s mine! Don’t touch it!!

That seems to be the pervasive force behind the bulk of writers in today’s newbie industry. “It’s my baby.”

You are really going to hate me, because today I am going to debunk this theory and why it causes so many writers to stifle themselves in a corner and refuse to grab hold of any editor or agent’s words of advice.

When I was writing my first historical novel (what do I mean first? There was only one!) Anyway, when I was working on my HF novel, I hired a wonderful lady, Tiffany Colter to edit it for me. We spent hours poring over my poor prose and weak dialogue. At one point early in the process of working together, I hired her for a phone consultation. And because I had heard it so often, I said the first words that popped into my head “It’s my baby and it is hard to hear tough, mean things said about it.”

I paused.

What? My baby? I sat back and stared at the computer screen. Was I crazy? I could barely stand this story, it was stale and trapped in the middle of a busy intersection. No manner of prodding from me was going to get it to move.

No. This was most definitely NOT my baby.

And forgive me, I am going to be mean and then get nice again: that is problem with many writers. Especially…. new ones.

Okay, are you still here? I am really sorry, but I do believe that we seriously need to step back from our own rose colored glasses and look at our writing and this topic objectively.

I will not deny it, it is hard to have someone look at your work and tell you it needs…. well…. work. It can even sting because words on the screen can often come across as much harsher than in real life. And often times we need to get away from those words and well, if you are any of the other ladies here, eat plenty of chocolate or if you are ME go pig out on a jar of carrots. It is much healthier! O-kay, we won’t go there right now, that argument has already hit the loop, don’t want to start up World War III here-- again.

Seeing the overflowing red ink that stains the computer screen in the form of comments is hard and uncomfortable and the suggestions will not always need to be headed, take it with a grain of salt, but don’t throw in the sweetener in just yet and the spices to cover the bitter taste. You want to see what needs to be fixed in your manuscript, but let’s face it. Adam and Eve sinned and nothing has been perfect since. I know, it stinks, but it is true. None of us are perfect and though we would like to think that our manuscripts are without their faults that is a gross understatement.

The intent of our heart should be to always make something better, even when it hurts us.

Because when it comes right down to it, the story we have written, once it leaves our hands, does not become a part of us. In some ways it is like a child, as that is must be freed into the world to stand on its own two feet. And yes it does hurt the parent when they hear that their baby is being damaged, but just like with children, at a certain point the training wheels have to come off and you have to let ‘er glide on their own.

No great work of fiction ever languished in the drawer of babying. It was brought forth and honed and perfected until it shone.

Because in the end, this willingness to separate yourself from the hard work and sweat and tears you have put into this manuscript will have to land on an agent or editor’s desk and they will either love it or hate it depending on which side of the bed they got up on, and when it comes back either rejected or marked up with plentiful changes, you as the writer, need to be able to see that the person on the other end of the red pen is not murdering your baby, but making it stronger. There is a big difference and I think all too often, we only see the former and not the latter.

Being a person who is easy to work with and is always willing to learn no matter how difficult the lesson may be, is someone an editor/ agent wants to work with. If they have to fight you every step of the way, because “you’re baby” had its feelings hurt, they aren’t going to want to work with you. And in the big picture, this really prepares you for readers, who I am sure from your own experience of writing book reviews or reading them, can be ruthless.

So right now, throw out the ideology that is your baby, and view it as a project, a craft that needs to be honed and perfected, only through hard work, sweat and maybe a few tears. Nothing good ever comes easy.

So, do you agree, disagree, are you hurrying to your blogger account to stop following the Alley? Making a note on your calendar to NEVER return on Thursdays? Go ahead, tell me, so I can go cry that you didn’t like my baby. : (

A Writer's Organizational Tool: The OneNote

Kaye Dacus turned me onto a wonderful organizational tool that is  perfect for writers.(Check her link for more pictures on how she uses this tool.) It is Microsoft Office OneNote. If you have Microsoft Office 2007, then you have OneNote. Basically, OneNote is like a Ring Binder with dividers. You can build a notebook for your current WIP and organize the pants off of it!

I am including a screen shot of my notebook section for my book, If My Heart Can Speak.

You can see in the tabs at the top center that I have set up sections in my notebook titled NOVELS. Each section is a book I am working on or have ideas for. I have my book, If My Heart Could Speak, opened up and I have selected the page CASTLES to show you. Each section can have many pages (tabs on the far right). I have set up pages for my synopsis, my main characters, my search on castles, and one on clothing. (If I was just beginning this story, I would add pages for the minor characters, plus other areas of research. But since this is a finished novel, I am not going back to do all the work of working up all the pages.)

Here are a few wonderful things OneNote can do:

• When researching, you can send a whole page or part of a page directly to OneNote. Ctl +P and your page is sent to an unfiled note in OneNote (which you can move to any section or page).
• You can create tables and charts directly on a page and then send it to Word or you can email it. (good for tracking characters within scenes)
• You can send Power Point and Excel directly into OneNote (which is really handy with the cool Casting Book I've been creating).
• While you are working in a different program or surfing the web and you want to jot down a note, you can pull up a side note by either pressing the Windows logo button + N or clicking the N(OneNote) icon button in the task bar. You may take all the notes you want and it automatically files it in the Unfiled Tab (which you can move anywhere in OneNote and label it).
• If you have a smart phone, it can synchronize with the OneNote on your computer. 
• You can create hyperlinks from any page, anywhere, and put it in your notebook page. You can create lists of your favorite research pages, your favorite photos, anything really.
• You can insert any full color printout in any file type that your computer will print by selecting File, then Print, then Send to OneNote. 
• You can attach files to any page in OneNote. Say you had a character chart in Word. You could click and drag it into your Page for your character. It then has a little icon on your page that you can double click on to see the  character chart. 
• You can also do a word search in your Notes to find all pages that refer to main character. 

These are just a few of the excellent things this program can do. What I love about it is I can collect information and files of many different types and store them all on one page! I have part of a web page for research, pictures from my power point casting book, a link to another web page,  and my character chart icon by my pictures. Everything is at my fingertips. 

Doesn't that get you excited about getting organized in your writing? I love finding tools to help me get my thoughts together. 

What great tools do you to organize your WIPs?

Sherrinda