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Category: WordSowers Blog

Photo by Deb Heartscribeforhim

 

“I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.”
~Psalm 119:147 NIV
In years gone by my husband and I spent time in the woods. He liked to fish in the quiet early morning hours. I loved to sleep away from home. In the quiet, no husband and no phones, I took time to renew my energy—to spend time reading my Bible.
Often I used those hours at the campfire to write my weekly newspaper column, “Sunshine and Smiles.” By the time Gary filled the cooler with his mess of fish, I felt well rested, my spirit well nourished, my commitment for the week completed and ready for time to share coffee with him, my best friend.
Not everyone has time for a campfire, but everyone can make the opportunity to start the day refreshing their mind, body and soul reading their Bible.
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
~Psalm 63:1 niv
A lot of the US is in drought, a dry and weary land where there is no water; many souls are spiritually dry—come to the water—seek Him.
Prayer:  Thank you Lord for being our continual source of refreshment. For giving us moments of peace and quiet even when we don’t have the opportunity to camp. And thank you Lord, I never had to clean a fish. Amen
Some authors are plot heavy in their writing and others are into the characterization. The reality is, without both, your story will feel off balanced. Engage all of your reader and have both.
This week, peek into my writer’s library and discover 7 sources on Characterization.  Next week, look for more information on Plot.
Jeff Gerke’s book is easy to read. He talks about layered characters, the emotional journey, the three-act story structure that will sustain your character arc, backstory and who plot and character intertwine.
Draws on the Method acting theory that theater professionals have used for decades, this in-depth guide explains seven characterization techniques and adapts them for the novelist’s use. She uses examples from classic and contemporary novels show you how these techniques have been used to dazzling effect.
You’ll learn to:
  • Create characters whose distinctive traits become plot components
  • Determine each character’s specific objectives and motivations
  • Write natural-sounding dialogue rich in meaning
  • Endow your characters with three-dimensional emotional lives
  • Use character to bring action sequences to exuberant life
  • Write convincingly about any character facing any circumstance
Without goals, your story will ramble. Without motivation, your characters won’t be real(no one in their right mind would do THAT!). Without conflict there would be no interest – your story will flat line. Debra makes the concept of GMC easy enough for all to grasp and apply to their writing.
Have you ever been at a loss when it was time to name your characters? Have you ever wanted to name your characters based on what the name means? This book is for you. It contains a listing of names by ethinic background. Is your story set in the middle east? Choose an authentic name from their listing. Each name also has its meaning listed alongside it.
WARNING: Do not use this book to build stereotypical characters. Use this as a catalyst to get you thinking in the right direction. Some situations are easy enough to figure out by putting yourself into your characters shoes, but you don’t want all your characters responding the way YOU would to a situation.
Perhaps you don’t understand how someone who has a psychological disorder might behave (How do you walk in those shoes if you have never been there?). This is written by a psychologist who delves into the why’s of certain personality types and their behaviors. She has some answers for you.
WARNING: Do not use this book to build stereotypical characters. While Edelstein’s book delves into the character’s psyche, McCutcheon’s book looks to their actions.  
He has provided a character questionnaire to help you think through who your character is. He asks things you might never think you would want to know about your character. Most of it you will never pass on directly to your reader. But these background tidbits make for a fuller character.
You will also find a Character Thesaurus. A listing of different ways to voice what you want to say about your character. Words to use as you seek to show instead of tell your story. Instead of saying your protagonist is old, you might use descriptions like cadaverous, careworn, haggard or hair sprouting from moles.
Again, use this as a catalyst to find your own words in your own voice.
Part One: The internals including decription, monikers, setting, work and dialogue.
Part Two: The externals including attitude, her thoughts, avoiding assumptions, dreams, villians and a dossier you can fill out to help you pinpoint what you need to know about your character.
Part Three: Character and Plot. How to get where you’re going, conflict and violence, point of view, secondary characters, character change intertwining with plot and based on real-life events.
She includes a summary at the end of each chapter for easy review.

I hope you find a book that is helpful. Remember, if your budget is tight, see if your local library carries any of these. Do you have a different book in your library? Tell us about it and help us build a better resource list.

There are many fine points of grammar that you can spend time correcting. As you learn to catch those problems in your self-edits, there will be fewer issues in your manuscript.
To give you a boost in the right direction, here are 6 tips to keep in mind.
Use strong verbs:
He strolled through the forest.
He walked through the forest.
He walked slowly through the forest.
Which is better? The first example is best because it shows how he walked. Using adverbs(third example) can easily clutter up your writing. If you choose to use adverbs, use them sparingly and make sure you cannot accomplish your purpose without one.
Watch the passive verbs:
The dog was hit by a car.
The car hit the dog.
The first is an example of passive voice. The action was done to the subject. The second sentence is stronger because the subject does the action.
Don’t use the passive on accident. Only use it to accomplish a specific purpose. For example, in mysteries where you do not know who did the action, a passive would be appropriate.  
There are several usages of verbs that weaken your writing- make it feel passive- without being passive voice and you need to be on the lookout for these as well. Tracy Crump offers an excellent explanation on the subject.
Watch out for clichés.
Don’t say something that has been around the world several times. When you find a cliché in your writing, pause and come up with your own unique twist. Something fresh. In your own voice.
Check for redundant/overused words.
There are times when a word is used repetitively (on purpose) for effect or to drive home a point. Typically, the same word over and over gets old and can drive your reader crazy. Break out the thesaurus. Use the RIGHT word. It will give your story zing.
Check for incorrectly used words. Don’t trust your spell/grammar check on this one.
There. They’re. Or their. Your spell check will say all is well. But how does it come across to your readers if you say: there going to the park, they’re dog ate the rat, or their is a party tonight? The next tip will help you catch these tricky spots.
Read your manuscript aloud before you pass it on. Listen for wordiness. Misused words. Places where your tongue trips over itself. These are all places to go back and work on.

Resources

Find a good grammar reference-a must have for your writer’s library.
What tips and resources have you found helpful?
You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
   when you make friends with Madame Insight.
Proverbs 3:13 (msg)

Recently Pastor Aman of an Arabic Christian church preached in our morning worship. A translator stood to his right, sometimes looking puzzled. Pastor Aman repeated his phrases and the translator would smile and give us his English version.

Before giving us his scripture for the day, Pastor Aman said, “One day I followed a taxi with a bumper sticker that said:

Don’t follow me because I myself am lost.”
 
What a great bumper sticker for writers. We need to choose wisely in whom we follow, Jesus first, author fan pages with wisdom and also good informational blogs. No matter the genre we write, we need to study God’s Word, and ask Him to guide our minds and fingers.
These Proverbs spoke to me today:
Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well…

No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
he’ll keep you safe and sound.
Proverbs 3:21-22, 25-26 (msg)
Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding me to guard my mind and soul. Thank you, too for the promise You will be with and guide me in all my ways. I only need to ask. Amen
We are going to spend a few weeks talking about the trees inside the forest. The small parts that often feel tedious to the creative brain. But they are necessary. The rules you must understand before you go breaking them in the glorious exhibition of your style.
If you want your medicine to be a bit sweeter, join a critique group. The fellowship and encouragement you receive will make up for the toil and sweat you must go through. And what you learn in the process of editing others’ work will grow you toward your goal by leaps and bounds.
For starters, I am going to recommend several books I have found to be helpful.
  • Contains exercises
  • Applicable to both fiction and non-fiction
  • Covers 7 grammar points
  • Used throughout your manuscript
  • Short and fun
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
  • Contains exercises
  • Focused on fiction, but parts applicable to non-fiction as well
  • Focus on grammar, does include some on elements of story
  • Although applicable to entire manuscript, focuses on first few pages
  • From perspective of what an editor will see that may turn him off to your manuscript immediately
Self-Editing forFiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
  • Contains exercises
  • Focuses on fiction
  • Elements of your story, not just grammar points
  • Easy to read and understand
The First Fifty Pages by Jeff Gerke
  • No exercises
  • Focuses on fiction
  • Covers elements of story
  • Great examples from the movies
  • Easy to read and enjoyable
All writers need to build a library of reference books. You will go back to them again and again. Consider purchasing one of these books or look around and find a different one that will suit your needs better. Do you already have a collection? If so, what is your favorite book covering some aspect of self-editing?
 
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
A foot long word lover!
A few weeks back I read a post where Cec Murphey said, “When we try to correct sloppy writing we don’t have to become sesquipedalians (look it up). Say it in direct, easy-to-understand words. If we do, we communicate. Get it? We actually communicate with readers and they understand what we mean.”
I looked up Sesquipedalians. It means “given to using long words.” The Latin sesquipedalis means measuring a foot and a half.
In some of my first writing I used the Thesaurus to find extraordinary words. It didn’t take me long to understand that a foot and a half word stopped the reader mid-sentence and editors didn’t appreciate my efforts, either.
Scripture is written for the average reader to understand. Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1 is simple and direct.
PRAYER: Lord, you know writers struggle to find ways to keep readers reading. Help us to ask for your guidance and not be afraid when we submit an article. Amen

 

Writing can be an isolating task. In order to focus, we squirrel away in some out of the way place or corner in the house and attempt to defy the distractions.

To some degree we succeed or nothing ever would have been written. But a by-product to this isolation is often discouragement. Those around us may not understand the dance of characters in our head or the struggle to find just the right word.

Most people who don’t write don’t get that we HAVE to write. And as Christians it is our God given assignment and mission to pen the words He has placed on our hearts.

So how do we maintain equilibrium in the midst of such imbalance? How Do we keep our mind on the goal when frustrations set it?

Read good things. There are many good encouragement books and websites out there. I highly recommend Marlene Bagnull’s book,  Write His Answer, a bible study for writers. 

Hang around other writers who are writing and submitting. This holds you accountable and gives you hope that you can do it, too. 

Take a break. Enjoy life with those you love. Relationship triumphs words.

Improve your craft. Take a class. Read lots of books – about writing in general as well as fiction. Participate in a critique group. Write. Submit your work on a regular basis.

What ways have you found to  be encouraged? Do you have an idea not listed? Or a favorite website or book?

Before you tell people to come and see what you have, you better have something to show! And it better WOW them or they may move on and never come back.
For a writer, one of the best ways to ensure a dynamic product is to be part of a critique group. It is easy to make excuses not to join one. Activities demand our attention and time. But if you are serious about publication or just improving your craft for personal reasons, then consider what a critique group provides.
Support and encouragement. When you come to a table of writers you can know that everyone understands the work involved in producing your best piece. They see your work at its worst and still believe in you that you can make it better and they will push you to do that.
Everyone needs a cheering section. Someone walking beside you that is a step ahead of you on the journey allows you to see the possibilities  if you keep working at it.
Feedback/critique/edits. Another set of eyes on your writing offers an objective view of the quality. As a writer it is easy to be so enamored of the content we don’t see the work the form needs. And after reading our piece for the 100th time, we see what we expect to see and often miss things that need improvement.
Education/mentoring. A critique group is an opportunity to learn and grow as others around the table offer information and resources that they have discovered along the way. Members who are more experienced in one area of the writing craft can guide others in that area.
A grammarian can help those who excel at a plot, but have no clue what active and passive writing entails. Someone who excels at showing instead of telling can help the devotional writer bring his pieces to life.
Accountability. Knowing that others are going to ask if you wrote or submitted anything will help you to stay on the ball and be proactive about improving your writing craft.
For myself, I know without a shadow of a doubt that my critique group made the difference in my writing that was needed for me to pen a novel that a publisher would want on their book list. Without their help and encouragement, my book would still be sitting on the computer instead of awaiting publication.
My advice? Get thee to a critique group post haste!
Are you part of a critique group? I would love to hear about it.
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you what is best for you,
Who directs you in the way you should go.”
Psalm 48:17b (NIV)
 
It’s good to study successful authors. James A. Michener sold forty books. In reading “In Search for Centennial,” Michener wrote, “I am not interested in writing anything which does not concern me immediately and deeply, and if I do write I want to do so in a way that summarizes all the knowledge I have at that moment…I write in order to educate myself, to organize my thoughts, to discover the depth of my own convictions—” (pg 77)
I could have written the above. Those are my feelings and the sentiments of many of my author friends.
The only difference between Michener and those in my circle of authors is what is foremost in our minds. Michener traveled the world and wrote history—great history. Books we can gain knowledge from. The writers I know up close and personal are concerned deeply about keeping God focused and hope in some small way to change hearts and minds for Him .
Prayer: Father we thank you for the opportunity to write for you. Direct our paths today. Amen

 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
 Savannah and I have found a treasure house, well actually, a Goodwill Warehouse where all the goodies are in bins. You need to dig to find something. Find things I did.
Baskets, stuffed animals, a shelf—exactly what I wanted for outside—and books.
“Grandma, you really want that book about James Michener?” she asked. She wrinkled her nose at the torn book jacket.
“Wait till you see inside,” I said. “It’s the story of how James A. Michener wrote Centennial.” That didn’t mean anything to Savannah, but I remember the book and the NBC 25 hour mini-series well.
Born in 1907, Michener grew up during the depression. About 1937 he started thinking about a western saga; it was 1972 before he put his thoughts on paper. He hired John Kings to help with the western history and Tessa Dalton for photography. For a full year, the trio with Michener’s wife traveled gathering data.
Kings wrote In Search of the Centennial, my suburb find, in response to requests from Michener readers for an insight into the man. My interest isn’t in Michener the man, but Michener the author. The years he spent writing one book, the many people he met along the way, and the laborious editing. The labor he poured into everything he wrote, the precise preparation, and the sixty books he read before he put pen to paper about the west.
Prayer: Father, may we dedicate ourselves to whatever our task might be, whether we write a history book like Michener, our true life experiences, or a novel. May we be committed to make every word be pleasing unto you. Amen
A funny thing happened on the way to writing this blog. I could not upload a new profile picture. No matter what I tried. What did I learn? Sometimes, Facebook has glitches. And sometimes you just have to wait a couple of days. It took about 3 days of waiting and now I have a brand new picture!
Photos, Likes, Notes, videos and events come with the fan page. You have tabs for 12.
 
 Only 4 are visible unless you click on the little arrow to the right of the tabs.
 
After all the app boxes drop down, click on the little + in the upper right corner of the blank app box to see what is available. There are also some more choices under “find more apps.”
Otherwise apps are tricky to find. There is no central cataloguing system to find them. The best way I know is to look around at other pages and find one that you like. Click on that tab and somewhere on that page you should find a button to click to get the app for your own page.  Unless it was a custom app. Click and follow the directions to load it to your page.

Once your apps are loaded, you can customize the look. You can rename most of them, add your own photo for the tab cover and rearrange the order of them (except for photos-  the tab shows the last one that you uploaded).

To make changes to your tab, click on the little pencil in the upper right hand corner of the loaded apps(after you have dropped down all the tabs). If you want to change position, click on the app you want it to switch with. If you want to change the name or picture, click on edit settings.
Under edit settings, to change the name, type in what you want it called and your set. To change the picture, click on change picture. On the next screen, click on change and it will take you to another screen where you need to follow the directions to download the picture you want used as a custom tab. 
For sizing and cropping, use whatever photo editing software you have on your computer. The picture must be at least the minimum size referred to in Part 1 of this post. If it is too big, then Facebook will tell you when you try to download it. Adjust accordingly.
Please share what you have been learning in your Facebook experience so we can help each other grow in this area.
“I will say of the Lord,
“He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:2 (NIV)
The fireworks nearby sounded like many bombs going off. One after another, they exploded. The noise frightened Paddy dog. When I saw his fear I thought of the countries at war where people live with gunfire day and night. Children who grow up under terrorizing threats against their families or maybe they have lost their parents to enemy fire.
What about our US troops fighting for our freedom? Not everyone is in a war zone, but they live for months and sometimes years in another country, deployed away from their family and friends.
And what about our wounded military who have returned from Iraq, Afghanistan or maybe even a peaceful country, their bodies mangled or their family in crisis? My heart is both sad and glad. I hurt for those who don’t know our American freedom. I am glad for those of our country who willingly serve that we might celebrate our freedom.
Prayer: Father, may we continually remember those serving our country at home and abroad. Lift them in prayer often. May we remember you are our refuge in times of trouble, our fortress, our God in who we can trust. Amen.