Writing What You Know: Talents and Interests

During my writer's break this past month, I took on some freelance graphic design work. It was super fun for me, and a business venture I hope to maintain indefinitely. I LOVE creating something from nothing...or at least layering images, cutting and pasting, and creating a composition that tricks the eye to think it's a completely different picture.
It's kinda like piecing together characters, plot points, and twists to create my own unique story...even if the pieces are familiar to other stories out there, the final result is an original.

Today, I was in Barnes and Noble flipping through novels, reading back cover copies, and just getting a feel for all the stories floating around out there. I assume that some of the characters' trades, pasts, interests had something to do with the author who wrote them. I mean, I know that I will research something that's completely unrelated to me for a novel, but there is always a bit of "Angie Dicken" weaving throughout my stories. While I have yet to write a character with a graphic design bent, I have written characters that admire the stage (an old pastime of mine), who love to play baseball (my husband's favorite sport), or who love to immerse themselves in history (totally me).

It made me wonder what all YOU have as far as hidden talents, interests, backgrounds...besides your ability to tell a story.

So, I want to hear your pastimes. AlleyPals and AlleyCats what do you dabble in outside of writing?

Comment below!

Have you have written your interests into your story? Is there a talent you wish you had that you imposed on one of your characters? One of these days I'll have a character who sings beautifully...something that I will never attain! ;)

Have a great Monday!

*******************************************************************************************

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/

How to Put White Space Back in Your Life Part 2

Previously I had talked about putting white space back in your life. What writer doesn’t need just a few more hours every day to get everything done that they need to do to promote their platform, write their next book and not neglect the family?

It is possible to get all of the important things done in your 24 hours a day and by employing a few simple techniques you are able to organize and schedule many of your deadlines and requirements into time frames you can meet without resorting to procrastination and late night computer snuggles.

But what about social media? How do you harness that beast to work for you and not suck all of your precious writing time?

SPEND A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME PER DAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Once that time is up, turn it off. Be it 15 minutes or 30 minutes, make sure you maximize the time that you have and when you’re done, you’re done. Period. Be jealous of that writing time and don’t let social media suck it away.

DON’T JOIN EVERY MEDIA. Get good at one or two medias and spend your time studying up and building your audience on those sites. Once you’ve got those medias down or at least confident on them, add in a third and so on. This will keep your efforts concentrated without splintering your time and diluting your work.  Also: consider time you spend researching a social media part of this allotted time. You’ll be using this research to grow your platform, so don’t consider it wasted time.

USE A SCHEDULING APP. Schedule your social media updates through either a site like Buffer, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or on Facebook, its own scheduling program for fan pages. If you take an hour or so every week to upload and schedule great content, leaving room for spontaneity, you get to just visit later and interact with your readers, friends and fans. And each of these platforms has an app for your smart phone as well.

On Twitter, find a handful or so blogs that you like to follow or have worthy content and schedule tweets for their posts. You can do this easily using Buffer or Hootsuite. Be sure to tag these people as it not only grows your audience with great content, but also promotes them which they in turn see. 

For less than 10 minutes a day you can load your queue to keep great content rolling out all day long.

The big thing with social media is not to get sucked into it. Consider your research and actual social time on social media all part of your allotted time and work hard not to go over that. Platform building takes time and doesn’t just happen overnight, so limiting your time won’t hinder you—in fact it will do quite the opposite as you work to write a really great book which will someday help you continue to grow and build that platform.

So put some white space back into your life with these simple and easy to follow tips with your social media time. Give it a try and let me know how it goes in the comments! 

CLICK TO TWEET:

#Socialmedia wants to kick your #amwriting time to the curb! Kick back w/ these time saving tips: http://bit.ly/1OSlEki @C_Herringshaw

************************************************
Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in colorful Colorado where she gets to live her dream stalking--er--visiting with her favorite CO authors. 

'Tis the Season -- Holiday Books at their Finest!

I never really noticed a lot of "Christmas" books in past years. I've seen them before, yes, but this year, everywhere I turn there seems to be a Christmas book coming out!

It MIGHT be because my OWN first Christmas book means I'm paying more attention, but that's only a wild theory :-)

I thought I'd highlight some of the ones I'm seeing that look REALLY good and are definitely on my to-do list.

 

 

 

   

(uh, those last two were a little self-serving...I know!)

WRITING a holiday themed book was interesting. I had to get in the "Christmas" spirit in July, which was kinda funny since the hook of my book revolves around the heroine celebrating Christmas 365 days a year! It was, for me, a bit easier too, because part of the "theme" of the is pre-decided -- It's CHRISTMAS!

So what about you? Have you ever thought of writing a holiday themed book? Do you enjoy READING holiday themed books? Have your read any of the above books yet?? Any other christmas-themes novels/novellas you'd recommend?!?

I dunno, I'm just in the mood to chat CHRISTMAS today, so fa-la-la-la-la and ho-ho-ho!! 

*************************************************

Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, A Side of Faith and A Side of Hope. AND nnow the author of A (kinda) Country Christmas! She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

How Every Word or Action is an Opportunity

Every moment is an opportunity.

A second could save a life.

A single conversation could lead someone to Christ or at least plant a seed.

One word can paint tens of emotions and communicate far more that the spoken utterance.

One action can soothe a soul or break a heart.

Everything we do reflects who we are and what we stand for at that moment. I added the last phrase because we change over time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Recently, a friend said she has mornings when she takes her dog outside to do his business while still wearing her pajamas. A lot can be seen in these words. Clearly she feels comfortable in her neighborhood. Her neighbors are friendly and show the same level of comfort. She has a busy morning with hubby and children.  

Recently, this same friend received copies of her new release on her doorpost. I am confident the neighbors quickly learned about the delivery before she said a word and celebrated with her. 

A lot of meaning can be conveyed with only a few words or actions.

For writers this concept has two applications:

1. Our writing.  

    

Writing tight is a phrase we've all heard. (If you would like to learn more about this topic let us know in the comment section. We're here to help.) The difficult part is to find the perfect balance. We are not asked to write cryptically, or to wax eloquently. Write tight means convey the action or dialogue with only the essential words. Use each word as an opportunity to move the story forward.

A key to finding the essential words is to provide layers. The first page should let us know basic traits of the main character. 

Refrain from long passages describing the character's physical and inner character. Just write the basics. Over the course of the book, consistently reveal more about the character to round them in the mind of the reader. There should be points when sentences like this convey much more than the words on the page:

Ralph pushed past her leg as she stepped out the front door. The leash yanked her hand forward spilling a few drops of coffee from her cup. She hadn't taken the time to change out of her pajamas. Couldn't. Ralph's whining at the door meant there would be a mess to clean within seconds.

From these few sentences we know a lot about the dog, the character, and even her neighborhood. Snuggled between appropriate paragraphs, this example could even appear on the first page and paint a picture of the setting and the character without using a grocery list of details.

2. Our marketing.

Social media is an easy place to get caught up in expressing our views, jump on bandwagons, vent, etc. 

When on social media, caution is crucial.

The difficult component of social media is we can't see to whom we're speaking with and they cannot hear or see us. 

Our words can easily be misinterpreted. Another person's message can have a completely different meaning than we think.

Misunderstandings. Sigh. 

Our first priority as writers of Christian Fiction is to keep God first. This does not mean to be a wimp. John the Baptist stood boldly for his concerns. What this means is choose your battles. Know that everything you say and do will make a difference in your writing ministry.

One person saw a photo of a sunrise I had posted. Months later the person messaged me, I haven't seen a sunrise picture from you lately. I had made a connection. A good connection. One that caused the reader to seek me out and send a message. This is what we want to do on social media. 

We are not there for ourselves.

We are engaged in social media to make good connections with God's people. Once the connections are made we can then minister to them through story.

Our posts. Our every presence. 

Is marketing

What we are truly marketing is seen in

Our posts. Our every presence.

How has something you've said, done, or written open an opportunity door?

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

 *******************************************************************************************************

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. Sign up at Mary's website.  Come enjoy a good story.

Grace for the Finite & Infinite Waiting

When I was first working on my brand as a pre-published author, I wanted my tagline to have something to do with the wait-and-see moments of life. Do you know the ones I'm talking about?

When all the pieces of the puzzle are in place except for the last one,

and all you have to offer is a mess of edges that don't line up. 

When you've done everything right and given all you have to give, 

but it's in someone else's hands now. 

When the minutes and hours crawl toward
a seemingly elusive square on the calendar. 

We've all been there. It's hard, isn't it? Really hard sometimes. While I went a different direction with my tagline to better represent the whole of my stories, the people who are in the thick of the waiting, they're my people. The ones who are always on my heart.

In the publishing world, there are different kinds of waiting. There's the long, open-ended silence after pressing Send that has no finite end. Even months later, you're still keeping one eye trained on your inbox and regularly checking your junk folders just in case.

Or, there's a giant date looming over your head. Pending contest results or a deadline or a big conference that could decide the future of your book. In some ways, knowing can be worse. I may or may not be that girl whose phone experiences multiple phantom buzzes on the day contest results are coming in. Who turns Mean Writer Bear when I believe a call was from a contest coordinator and not from my mom asking for a recipe.

But writing has taught me the beauty of the wait-and-see. That peace can be found even in a blank white holding cell before the decision is made.

When the answer was no, in those first seconds of shock and disconnect, I found myself craving just one moment of that blissful unawareness -- the same naivete I'd been wishing away minutes before. And when the answer was yes, I couldn't help but stop and revel in that contrast between before and after everything changed.

I know it's hard, being where you are. But try not to take your waiting for granted, dearling. Prepare yourself as much as you can so you won't be caught off guard, but don't let exhaustion and resignation steal your joy.

I hope waiting helps you never forget where you've been. And that you always remember that waiting is part of your story, so nothing is stopping you from writing it.

When you find yourself in the blank white holding cell of waiting, put some paint on the walls and decorate!

---

Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Writing Dialogue with Purpose

Ever just been WOWED by a scene in a book? Maybe the descriptions bloomed with detail, the characters flickered to life, or the plot gripped at your heartstrings like candy in the hands of a 3 year old.

Or maybe…

Something in the dialogue captured you and deepened ALL of the above.

Ever read a scene like that? Where dialogue opened the door to deeper characters and plot?

Well, it happens right here in the story of The Samaritan Woman.

A few important things to note:

1. This is one of the longest scenes in the book of John
2. The pace slows considerably (to draw attention to it)
3. Jesus talks to a WOMAN
4. Not only THAT, he talks to a SAMARITAN WOMAN
5. AND…. A woman with HER kind of background (VERY taboo for a single, Jewish, righteous sort-of-guy)

Hmmm….

Do you think John is trying to get our attention here?

Jesus defies convention to get to the heart of the matter. He’s more concerned about PEOPLE than popularity.

Because, God is in the business of rescuing his kids – especially the ones who know they are broken. Outcasts…searching.

This woman had been searching for love for years. Five husbands later, she still hasn’t found it. She’s parched. Dry. Thirsting to death for a love that will never satisfy.

Ever been there?

Then Jesus comes and offers her the one thing her heart truly needs. Real love. Living water. The heart’s only thirst-quencher.

It changes her life.

What about the writing tip?

The dialogue for this story teaches us some important techniques to use in our own writing.

Make each phrase count.

Don’t spend your time placing a conversation into a place where you don’t need one.

Move the story forward with dialogue

Similar to the first one, dialogue should move the story forward. Create more depth. Gives us more understanding about the characters and plot. We learn more about Jesus through this conversation. He doesn’t mind defying conventions to heal a wounded heart. He seeks out the destitute and broken instead of waiting for them to come to him. He is not afraid of the hard questions. He is confident of who He is and His purpose.

And it transforms the woman’s life. As it changes ours.

Make it realistic

The conversation isn’t ask a question – answer a question.

It’s more realistic, with questions going unanswered, redirections, changing the subject….

All the things that happen in natural conversations are the things that help make our dialogues more realistic.

Pick up a Bible and read John 4 from a new perspective – as both an author and a seeker of Living Water.

Your thirst for answers, refreshment, and satisfaction is sure to be quenched.

What are some tips you use to keep your dialogue realistic and with forward momentum?

Freebie Friday: A Tradition of Giving!

Traditionally Freebie Friday is when I vet Amazon’s kindle store and give you the links to what’s currently free and worth your time! (or at least looks that way!) Well, today I’m breaking tradition but offering a gift… so someone will still get a freebie, no false advertising here.

Christmas is right around the corner! As an adult (and parent) it’s easy to start seeing this mad dash between Thanksgiving and Christmas as a season of spending. We spend and yes we give but the stress of finding the right gifts for that ever lengthening list of people to shop for becomes a little bit less about the joy of giving that gift and more about getting everything bought and wrapped and under the tree before (ahem) Santa comes.

But there’s something special about giving a gift that we miss this time of year simply because gifts are, well… expected. Whether big or small, when someone surprises you with a gift it’s hard not to get that swell of meaning in your chest. That touch of gratitude and reaches down into the part of you that sometimes feels over-looked or forgotten or unappreciated. Just like spontaneous flowers are better than Valentine’s Day roses any day, a gift from the heart wins against that luxury price tag. Hands down.

Now, nice things are lovely. But not when they come wrapped up in obligation. At least. Not to me.

Just yesterday my husband made a point to tell me about the barista in the Starbucks drive-thru who gave him a free cup of coffee when he tried to cancel his order because he’d his forgotten his wallet. I still remember the bagger at my grocery store pulling a dollar out of his pocket for the used VHS Star Wars movie my son was mooning over that required cash when I’d only brought in my debit card. These were random acts of kindness, and not elaborate or expensive, but the spirit in which the gift was given was something special. Something I longed to capture and emulate in my everyday giving. Whether it’s a hand drawn Lego man picture for my son’s lunchbox or a quick love letter under my husband’s keys, I’ve found it matters very little what the gift is and very much what the unexpected gesture means. It’s buying a great book for a friend just because it might brighten their day. That is the tradition of giving I want my kids to see. A generous heart behind every ribbon.

So on this unconventional Freebie Friday I want to bless someone with a gift simply because it blesses me to be able to give. And all you need to do is leave comment about your favorite Christmas tradition to help get us in the spirit. I’ll draw a winner who will get an e-book bundle of Alley Cat New Releases! (I'll announce the winner and how to collect your gift in the comments on Sunday night! So check back!)

 

Hope you have a blessed Christmas season! Give with your whole heart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

<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 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!