E.G. Bella's Blog, page 19

Blog With Character Tag

Happy Friday!

A couple of weeks ago, I was tagged by Jordyn Hadden over at Indie Edits with J for this character-centered blog tag! And as an author who loves characters, I was thrilled for the excuse to talk about some of my own, haha. Thanks, Jordyn!

Here are the rules:

Thank the blogger who tagged you, and leave a link back to their blog. (See above)Leave a link back to the creator of the tag. (Same person – Jordyn created this!)Answer the questions honestly. Tag 3+ friends to do the tag on their own blogs!

And now on to the questions!

Who’s your favorite character you’ve ever created?

Ah, I always say that picking a favorite character feels like picking a favorite child. They’re all so real to me, and I’m very fond of all of them. But for the sake of choosing one, I’ll say that Captain Gideon Gills from Cabin Girl is very high on the list. And he’s definitely the most unique character I’ve ever written, too!

Even though his personality is the complete opposite of mine, he’s actually been one of the easiest characters to write. From day one, it felt like he just marched onto the page and I didn’t have to consciously ‘make him’ do anything. If I tried, it just felt forced and unnatural. So it’s been a great adventure to follow him around and witness his headstrong, determined, and alliteration-adoring personality in action. A lot of action!

Which of your characters is most like you, and why?

This is a hard one, because so many of my protagonists over the years have been similar to me. And while I reasoned that the similarities would make writing about them more realistic, I always tried to make sure they were different from me in some way too. They couldn’t be just like me.

I think the very closest to me though would probably be the protagonist from one of my medieval fantasy novels: Luna. Because of a unique, amnesia-inducing curse, she’s always a bit clueless and naïve, which I can relate to more often than I want to admit sometimes. Mostly though, she’s quieter, she hates conflict, she has a shy but witty sense of humor, and she is the often-overlooked ‘glue’ that holds her friend group together.

Which of your characters is least like you, and why?

Hm, my first thought is also to say Gills from Cabin Girl. He’s pretty much my opposite in every way. But since I’ve already discussed him, another character that’s very different from me would be one of the protagonists of the dystopian novel I wrote last year: Dylan.

Dylan is a mechanically-minded, brave, and extremely determined person, who’s certain enough of his abilities and logic that he can be sure of himself when making decisions. He’s also deathly loyal and, once warmed up, will do anything to provide for someone he cares about. His bravery, certainty and logical mind are all things I usually lack, haha.

Who was your first main character?

Technically, I had lots of main characters from various little stories in my childhood, but my first main character from a novel was a girl named Launya Terento. To this day, she’s one of my very favorites; the protagonist of a series of Star Wars novels I wrote starting when I was eleven. While I don’t know what I’ll end up doing with those books, the stories and characters are still very near to my heart.

Launya herself is one of my favorites because she’s the complete opposite of me and was very fun to write. Bold, energetic, and always ready for an adventure, as well as reckless, snarky, and headstrong. She said a lot of things I could never get away with saying in my own life, and she certainly got in trouble for it too, haha. Her relationship with her mentor (a soft-spoken and grieving man) was a fascinating dynamic to write.

What is the personality of the main character of your current work-in-progress?

I have four novels in-progress currently, but I’ll just go with the protagonist of Cabin Girl right now, Éirinn O’Connell. As I just talked about in this post, she’s a soft-spoken, timid, and caring person who slowly grows braver and more sure of who she is (or rather, Whose she is) as the story progresses. At first glance, she’s very similar to me, but she’s also far better at being logical and organized, and her level of trust in God inspires me.

What’s your favorite character trope?

The grouchy or stubborn mentor who’s actually softhearted, but hides it due to past trauma. Almost every novel of mine has this character in some capacity, and I love it. Although I’ve been branching out lately and trying different types of characters and plots, I always like coming back to this character trope, just for how comfortable it feels, and how much room there is for character development and growth with the theme.

Fill in the blank: I have a disproportionate number of ____ characters.

Loyal but troublemaking male companions with dry, witty humor. I don’t know why, but looking back, most my novels have one of these characters. I suppose it’s probably because I’ve mostly written female protagonists so far, and I like having a balance in the main circle of characters between male and female. So if my female is protagonist, typically the main companion is male, and his personality is usually that of a troublemaking ‘older brother’ who will do anything to help the protagonist but won’t admit it.

And for those wondering, no, it doesn’t end in romance. Not that it couldn’t end up happening if I continued the story into a series, but at least for the initial novel, it’s just a fun friendship to write. Like real life I guess; ideally, you need a friendship before anything more, and I’ve never gotten to that point with any of my characters yet.

What type of character would you like to write someday?

This is a tricky question! I’ve actually written a lot of different types of characters; different ages, backgrounds, personalities, dialects, races, etc. Scrolling through various articles on fiction character archetypes, I can list at least one character for just about every category, which is actually neat! It’s almost like characters are my favorite part of writing novels, haha.

I haven’t written many elderly characters however, and especially not as protagonists, so that’ll be my answer. It would be a challenge I think, as I’ve mostly written characters around my age, but I personally would like to see more novels with older characters given roles beyond the ‘wise, old mentor’.

What’s your best tip for character development?

Stop thinking about them as just characters. They’re people. And before you call me crazy, yes, I realize they’re not real people, haha. But within your story, they’re as real as you are in your own life. So how your characters speak, act, and feel should reflect that.

People are diverse, they’re deep, and they’re nearly impossible to understand completely. We all have quirks, dreams, fears, pet peeves, passions, talents, tendencies, and longings. We’ve all grown up with different childhoods, in different situations, and through different hardships. The lessons we’ve learned, the challenges we’ve faced, the strengths and weaknesses we’ve developed are unique. No one’s personality will match anyone else’s!

So the single best thing I’ve found that helps me develop characters is just to think of them as real people. Which means they can’t be shallow. I need to spend time with them, study them, and really put effort into understanding what makes them them. What do they believe? What do they most want? What are their greatest fears? And then ask why. Why do they believe those things? Why do they act the way they do, or say the things they say?

There are many good ways to get to know our characters better (questionnaires, character interviews, personality typing, etc.) but for me, as long as I’m remembering to make them nuanced, believable imitations of reality, I’m on the right path. And just as I’d get to know a friend better and better as time goes on, I’ll be learning more and more about this character as I embark on the writing journey with them. We don’t have to know everything from the very start! Just follow your character’s lead and see what feels natural.

Well, thank you for joining me on this trip down character lane today, haha! I really enjoyed answering these questions, and I hope you enjoyed reading through them as well.

I was going to tag three people for this, but I really just want to hear about characters from everyone! So I’m going to leave this open-ended, and if you’re reading this, please consider yourself tagged. Feel free to do this on your own blog, or in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you and learn all about YOUR characters!

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2021 October Wrap-Up

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today’s post brings another summary of the past month of my life – with writing progress reports, reading accomplishments, and general updates!

So without further ado . . .

General Update

It’s now officially cold where I live. Not to the point of snow (yet!), but certainly to the point of sweaters, tea, fuzzy blankets, and appreciating every ray of warm sunshine because they’re becoming fewer and farther between. My hands have almost forgotten what it’s like to be warm, haha – at least when scraping frost off windshields at 6 in the morning.

As far as how the month went, let’s just say it didn’t go at all the way I planned. And that’s okay! Although it’s been crazy and stressful at times, God has brought so many blessings I never expected to receive. Among them have been extra time with family members, several new cousins, a second job nannying adorable little kiddos, the opportunity to join a local young-adult Bible study, starting to lead a small group and be on the worship team for my church’s youth group, teaching a high-school fiction writing class, and a wonderful new friend.

Like I talked about in this post last month, something I’ve been relearning (because I don’t seem to learn spiritual lessons just once…) lately is the need for complete and continual surrender in God. No matter what’s going on in life, what challenging and uncomfortable and unexpected things happen, He’s in control. We can always trust that He’s working for the ultimate good. And that promise has brought me so much peace.

Fiction Writing

My only fiction writing last month was a series of character-developing snippets for the novel I’m outlining, and also for several more minor characters in Cabin Girl. But I’m okay with that. I knew the focus for October wasn’t going to be fiction, and even though I didn’t end up writing a short story like I’d hoped, I got my outlining done so I’m happy.

That said, I’m definitely hoping November brings a lot of fiction writing. Instead of traditionally doing NaNoWriMo like I did last year and had originally planned to do this year as well, I’m going to be spending this month focusing hard on Cabin Girl. This means rewrites, edits, formatting, finishing work with the cover designer, publishing prep, anything that still needs to be done before I can share this story publicly!

So even though I’m not writing a new rough draft, I’m looking forward to getting to work on Cabin Girl again, and hope to be giving better updates on it as the month progresses.

On the Blog

I received another valuable lesson in the difference between my plans and God’s last month, and ended up having an unintentional hiatus from blogging for the first two weeks of October. So I only put out 4 posts, but I’m thankful I managed that many! I’d like to post about twice that many this month.

Here are the links to all October’s posts:

~ When Plans Go Astray
~ How I Choose My Books – Blog Tag
~ Know the Novel Linkup – Part 1: Introduction
~ 10 Quotes About Finding Courage

Reading List

Productive reading tends to come in bursts for me. So while September was a fantastic month for finishing books, October’s reading mostly consisted of helpful articles as I worked on outlining a novel and writing lessons for my fiction class. Otherwise, I did finish two books; one fiction, and one non-fiction. I highly recommend both of them!

The books I finished:

~ Romanov by Nadine Brandes
(This was my first read of Brandes’ and although I didn’t know what to expect, it exceeded all my hopes. The setting, the characters, the emotion, the writing style…definitely one of my favorites!)
~ Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris
(I’ve wanted to read this book for a while, and as I’ve done more with the Young Writer’s Workshop this fall, it got bumped up in my priorities list. I’m glad it did! There was a lot of inspiring and encouraging wisdom there, and I wish every teenager could read it once.)

The next books on my reading list are Fawkes (I’m officially a fan of Brandes’ works now, haha), Hind’s Feet in High Places (still working on this one, but I love it), and a lot more of the Bible this month. I’ve been really craving Scripture lately, even more than usual. We can’t read anything better than the Bible!

Looking Forward

In an attempt to stay caught up with all my new obligations and still find time to write, I’ve either been getting up at 5 or staying up until near midnight to fit it all in – not typically both because a sleepy Bella can be a crabby Bella and that’s no good for anyone. Trust me. Unfortunately I’ll admit sleepy Bella has been around a lot more lately.

Some highlights I’m looking forward to in November include: continuing to work both jobs, hopefully improving at my piano and singing for worship, learning to lead small groups well, participating in more weeks of Bible study, spending more time with loved ones (at Thanksgiving as well), volunteering at a local food pantry organization, teaching more fiction writing classes, and a lot more writing.

Specific writing goals I’d like to reach in November are pretty much just Cabin Girl-related. I want to make as much progress as possible, and am excited to see it come together. I’ll also hopefully keep up with some blog posts in addition, with my goal being about 8. And it’d be fantastic to write a picture-inspired short story sometime this month too, but I’m trying to rein myself back and be a bit more realistic…we’ll see!

What was YOUR October like? What kinds of things did you get to do? If you have a progress report on something, or books you read and would like to share, go ahead and let me know in the comments! And while you’re at it, feel free to include what you’re looking forward to and/or hoping to accomplish in November! As always, I’m excited to hear from you!

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2021 October Wrap-Up10 Quotes About Finding CourageKnow the Novel Linkup – Part 1: Introduction

10 Quotes About Finding Courage

Well, it’s that time of year again.

A time marked with costumes, candy, jack-o-lanterns, and creepy decorations. One where spiderwebs, skeletons, and scary props are common, and fascinations with things like ghouls, witches, and goblins run wild.

I’ve never liked Halloween.

Now, I realize I’m generalizing it, and that Halloween looks different for every family. Some people celebrate it only by dressing up in fun costumes, and others just enjoy handing out candy to the enthusiastic and creative kids. Others might go to events at their churches or schools for fellowship. As with any other holiday, there as many ways to observe Halloween as there are people.

But as a whole, I’ve just never appreciated the focus on the ‘darkness’ that Halloween usually brings. Aside from the more superficial things like wondering how human-sized spider decorations on someone’s window doesn’t give them heart attacks, I especially struggle with the secular focus on creepy, gory, and even demonic things.

Again, I recognize that everyone has different convictions and views when it comes to Halloween, and I’m not here to debate between them. What I do know is that I’m a sensitive person when it comes to that kind of stuff, and it easily bothers me. Spending too much time focusing on things of a dark or creepy nature quickly leads to chills, trouble sleeping, anxiety, nightmares, and a reluctance to leave where I consider safe.

But Halloween isn’t the only time I can find myself scared. In fact, whether Halloween decorations and urban legends bother you or not, I’m pretty sure there are some things in your life that make you nervous too.

Some of the most common fears of people around the world include death, heights, insects, dogs, needles, storms, snakes, spiders, small spaces, germs, public speaking, flying, and being alone. And there are many, many more phobias we often experience.

Life can be scary. That’s just the truth.

From my own experience, whether it’s due to small phobias or crippling terrors, sometimes we’d much rather just stay where we consider home, curled up, biding our time and choosing to avoid as much of the outside world as we can. It’s much easier than facing the things that scare us. At least short-term.

But we aren’t meant to hide from life. We’re meant to live it. Experience it. Find joy in it. We have God-given purposes and journeys to take, and those journeys include scary things. God often calls us to do things that terrify us. I’m still pretty young, but I can testify to this countless times over.

God’s not one to keep us in our comfort zones. But neither is He a God of fear.

The solution, I’ve found, is courage. Webster’s defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”.

It’s doing the right thing even when it’s hard. Standing up for something even if you’re the only one. Facing a fear even though it’s almost paralyzing.

It’s being able to step out of those comfort zones when God calls us to, and not be hindered by “what ifs” and anxiety.

And it’s something I’ve found I really can’t do on my own. In order to have courage, I need to go to the source of it, which is of course, God. The more scared and unsure I am, the more I realize that I can’t face my fears on my own. I need Him. We all do.

There’ve been a lot of new, uncertain things in my life recently (although is there ever not newness and uncertainty?), and over and over again, I’ve experienced what a difference it makes when I ask God for courage and rely on Him, instead of trying to muscle through it on my own. By myself it never works. With Him, I can endure any trial.

And the same is true for all of us, no matter what the situation. No matter how hard or scary or intimidating. With God’s help and courage, we can overcome any obstacle He asks us to.

We certainly might still feel afraid as we’re doing it. But we’re doing it, and that’s the point. When God gives us courage, feelings are no longer the focus. Our emotions don’t determine our actions, our faith does.

So though I’m far from perfect, any time I reach a situation that scares me, I’m trying to be extra intentional about seeking God and asking for Him to help me be courageous. He’s never failed me, and I know He won’t. And that promise itself emboldens me.

God can do amazing things through people willing to be courageous.

I want to be one of them.

And as I seek to be one of those courageous people, staying immersed in Scripture and prayer are the main things that help. In addition, hearing what other Christians have to say is another thing that can help me stay focused on God and not my challenges. So today I thought I’d share ten of my favorite quotes about finding courage, with the prayer that they help you as much as they help me.

1. “When God speaks, oftentimes His voice will call for an act of courage on our part.”
(Charles Stanley)

2. “Nothing but encouragement can come to us as we dwell upon the faithful dealing of our Heavenly Father in centuries gone by. Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously.”
(Lee Roberson)

3. “Do not ask for fears to be removed; ask for courage equal to the fears.”
(Jack Hyles)

4. “Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”
(Victor Hugo)

5. “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
(Billy Graham)

6. “We can walk without fear, full of hope and courage and strength to do His will, waiting for the endless good which He is always giving as fast as He can get us able to take it in.”
(George Macdonald)

7. “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
(C.S. Lewis)

8. “The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it.”
(G.K. Chesterton)

9. “The badge of courage does not require that we walk through something dangerous. It simply requires that we continue to share God’s love whenever and wherever we are.”
(Tom White)

10. “Down through the centuries in times of trouble and trial God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him. The Bible is filled with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. You can look ahead with promise, hope, and joy.”
(Billy Graham)

No doubt about it, finding courage in scary and overwhelming situations is hard. But when we know where to look for that courage, the task of finding it gets a bit easier. My prayer for us all today is that we’d remember Who the source of our courage is, and that we can go to Him for that strength any time. He’s always here for us, always ready to help us, and always glad when we seek Him in whatever’s going on in our lives.

Did any of these quotes speak to you today? Go ahead and let me know your favorites in the comments, as well as if there is a certain topic you’d like to see more quotes about. While you’re there, I’d love to hear something YOU’RE learning about courage!

Be on your guard;
stand firm in the faith;
be courageous; be strong.
(1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV)

1. I shared more of my quote collection in many previous posts, which you can find here.

2. To receive your own printable pages of the above quotes (and the ones used in my other ‘Quotes’ posts), sign up for my email list! Simply fill in the form here, and I’ll send you PDF copies of the quote collections – as well as an inspirational short story. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Know the Novel Linkup – Part 1: Introduction

Happy Friday!

If you’ve been following my site for a little while, you probably remember a silly, naïve author named Bella announcing that she could publish her debut novel, Cabin Girl, back in spring of 2021. And then the summer…and then the fall…

Well here we are at the end of October, and that same, now slightly more seasoned author named Bella has realized that planning for that kind of productivity in the midst of a busy summer is a mistake she won’t be making again.

And all that to say, instead of tackling a new NaNo project as I’d originally hoped, I’ve decided to bend the rules just a bit and use November to make some solid progress on Cabin Girl rewrites and edits (and formatting, cover design, anything else, etc.). I’m beyond ready mentally to share this story, and now I just need time to make it ready too!

So as November approaches and I’m prepping to do some heavy work on Cabin Girl, I thought I’d hop in on this wonderful link-up (hosted by the sweet Christine Smith) and share a little more about the story that’s been such a big part of my writing journey.

You should definitely go check out Christine’s site!

So many of you have blessed me with your encouragement, enthusiasm, and support for this book, and I can’t even express just how grateful I am to you all. I’ve really appreciated all the sweet notes and offers of help, and I look forward to being able to share the finished product with you some time – hopefully soon!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Cabin Girl just as much as I enjoy giving it! Now on to the questions…

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

The very first spark of an idea came from reading through a writing prompt about a teen that wanted to be a doctor, was abducted by pirates, and was then made cabin boy/girl. And while those elements still hold true, the current Cabin Girl is far different from where it started three years ago. To be completely honest, it’s a good thing too, haha!

After the initial idea, I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from one of my favorite – and underrated! – movies Treasure Planet (especially in terms of the characters and their relationships), as well as themes and lessons learned from my own life, and misc. research gleaned from other ‘pirate’ movies, books, and web pages. Hard facts about what piracy was like back then, especially for Barbary pirates, is difficult to find, but I’ve done my best and tried to be reasonable in filling in the grey areas after that.

Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

I’ll just say it: I don’t like writing blurbs or synopses. At all. I’m trying to improve at it, but if I could choose one part of writing to give up, it would be this. If you can’t tell, I tend to be long-winded, and summing up an entire novel in a couple of paragraphs is just exhausting, haha. That said, this is the current, long-version summary:

Four years ago, Éirinn O’Connell’s papa disappeared at sea. Long after Éirinn has given up on his return, her mama continues to watch the horizon, her grasp of reality slipping and memories blurring. Young Éirinn learns all she can of medicine, desperate to provide for her mama and sister, and spends her days struggling to assist villagers who shun her for her crooked back.

One night, Barbary pirates raid her village, and Éirinn—mistaken for a boy—is torn from her home and family. The truth sparks upset—and a plan. Until reaching the slave markets in Morocco, Éirinn is forced to tend to the sick quartermaster. In addition, she must serve as cabin girl to the hard-hearted Captain Gills, a man bent on ensuring she never returns to Ireland.

But Éirinn soon finds that all is not what it seems aboard The Lonely Eye. Unrest brews and mutiny whispers. Allies appear in unexpected places. A cunning enemy plots. What if Éirinn never makes it home? Will the God she trusts carry her through the storms? And how can something so painful ever bring good? The answers are unlike anything she expects.

Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

Because Cabin Girl centers around Éirinn’s time as a – surprise, surprise – cabin girl, most of the book takes place on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean. Otherwise, the rest of the story is pretty evenly distributed between southern Ireland, where Éirinn and her family are from, and Morocco, Africa, where the Barbary slave trade flourished.

I’ve really loved getting to write about such a variety of locations. Ireland is vastly different than Morocco, and both are obviously quite different than a pirate ship at sea. So the amount of research and immersing myself mentally in each place that I’ve done has been very enjoyable. It’s been neat to experience the world through Éirinn’s eyes.

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

The protagonist of Cabin Girl is Éirinn O’Connell, the cabin girl herself! Earlier this year, I introduced her here, but I will never tire of talking about her, haha. As I’ve already mentioned, she was born and raised in southern Ireland, along the shore, and her appearance reflects that. Red hair, freckles, green eyes, and even though you can’t hear it in the book, a lilting accent – especially when she’s upset, though her outbursts are rare.

Cabin Girl takes place in the 17th century (mid-1600’s). When the story begins, Éirinn is sixteen and caring for her ill mother and younger sister Ciara, struggling to provide for them as the nearby villagers shun her for her crooked back. This also doesn’t help her dreams of becoming a physician. Although she learns all she can, the mockery of others, her own ailments, and her failure at helping her mother are constant discouragements.

Éirinn was an interesting character to write. Most of the time, she thought and acted in ways similar to myself, and in other times, I’d find myself stunned by the things that felt natural for her to do. For all the personality-typers out there, she’d be considered an ISFJ, a Melancholic, and an Enneagram type 2w1. She grows a lot throughout the book, but overall, she’s timid, quiet, hard-working, and devoted to her family. She slowly learns to trust God and to be an example of Christ’s love even in the darkest situations.

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Saying I have a favorite character feels like picking a favorite child, but I’ll be honest: Cabin Girl‘s antagonist is my favorite. Meet Captain Gideon Gills, the pirate captain of The Lonely Eye. A Moroccan native, he’s been a renowned part of the Barbary slave trade for quite some time, and there’s no doubt in his mind that he’s everything the stories make him out to be. The good things, anyway. And want a story? Just ask about his eye patch.

I’ve never had a character come to life as easily as Gills did – and never in such a blazing burst of wit, strength, and confidence. From day one, it felt like Gills strode straight from my imagination onto the page and I haven’t been able to reel him back since. His snarky and often alliteration-filled phrases are yet another character quirk that’s been fun. He technically serves as an antagonist and a mentor to Éirinn.

Again, for those who care about personality, he’d be considered an ENTJ, a Choleric, and an Enneagram type 8w7. And while I’m not going to spoil the story, I’ve been fascinated by his character arc as well. On a positive note, he’s bold, confident, determined, and a dynamic leader. On the not-so-positive side, he’s stubborn, harsh, controlling, and downright cruel whenever he feels like it, which is often. He will get what he wants, when he wants it, and nothing better stand in his way – or else.

What excites you the most about this novel?

Definitely the characters. The broad range of personalities, motivations, purposes, goals, and roles in Cabin Girl‘s characters has made the adventure of writing the book worth it all on its own. And along with that, I’m excited for others to experience the twisting and constantly changing relationships between those characters.

Really the entire book excites me – the plot, the pirates, the places, etc. – but as a character-driven author especially, it does all come down to the characters. They’re what really get me pumped up to finish the story and share it with others. Each of them feel very real to me; like they all have stories of their own to tell and we just get a glimpse.

Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

A year ago, I would have said a standalone – without a doubt. I never intended for there to be any other continuations of the story and yet…after finishing Cabin Girl, I loved the characters so much that I allowed myself to contemplate a prequel, this time centering around the Captain Gills I liked so much. Gills ended up being my NaNo project last year (70,000 words!), and though it needs much cleaning up, I’m excited to share it some day.

And I won’t promise anything because I’m still not sure, but I’ll just say that after lots of conversations and contemplation with people who’ve read Cabin Girl, an actual sequel might come along as well. But before I get too carried away, this story’s first priority.

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Since I’ve already written Cabin Girl, I’m not technically doing any this time around; just editing. But when I first wrote it, I definitely plotted everything. I had outlines of the entire book, as well as lists of points to hit in each chapter. The only thing I was missing was thorough research, which I thankfully fixed for the rewrite.

That said, the current Cabin Girl looks far different than my original outline. It was very helpful to have somewhere to start, but I wasn’t at all afraid of veering off-course when inspiration struck. In fact, those parts are still my favorite sections of the story. That’s when it felt like the characters really took over and the story just flowed naturally and compellingly. So I like to think I hit an okay balance in the process for this book.

Name a few unique elements about this story.

I’d say the first unique element would be the focus on Barbary pirates, as opposed to ones that hunt treasure (no treasure for this crew!). They’re not in the Caribbean either, but in the European and African waters. I wanted to do something not seen as often, and the Barbary slave trade opened many topics and themes to explore in Cabin Girl.

Another unique element could be the hunchback Éirinn has. There’s a whole backstory that I won’t spoil here, but I wanted her to have something to struggle with physically that’s not commonly used in novels and this came about naturally. It’s ended up having a bigger impact on the story events than I’d originally planned.

And lastly, just the fact that it’s a Christian pirate novel is probably unique. I know there are some, but they’re definitely not common. When I started, I didn’t think about how hard it’d be to find the right balance between honestly portraying the pirates’ cruelty and darkness, but not dwelling too much on them. There’s been lots of prayer involved!

Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

Well since you asked . . . I do have a some photo inspiration here and a small playlist here (it’s difficult to come up with a specific playlist, when any Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks are great, haha). The unofficial theme song for this story would have to be Jason Gray’s Glow in the Dark.

As far as a special theme, the main theme/s of Cabin Girl would be forgiveness, loyalty, and trusting God, even when His ways don’t make sense to us or end up leading us through pain and oppressive darkness. Again, I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer over this novel, and have ended up learning right along with Éirinn at many points. It’s my hope that the lessons Éirinn learns will minister to others as well.

Well, that’s all the questions for now! Thanks for joining me for this fun project, and I hope you enjoyed getting some rambling insights into Cabin Girl. Have any questions, or did anything stick out to you? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to know your thoughts!

And if you’re a writer attempting NaNoWriMo this year, I always enjoy hearing about other people’s projects, so feel free to gush about your special novel as much as you’d like in the comments! I look forward to hearing from you!

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How I Choose My Books – Blog Tag

Happy Friday!

Though technically I wasn’t specifically tagged for this, I enjoyed reading Meghan’s post (at Whimsically Meghan – go check out her site!) so much that I decided to hop in too. And she did say that anyone who read her post and wanted to join is welcome, so yay!

If you’ve been around my blog long, you know I greatly enjoy reading books of many lengths and genres. So a post just to talk about some of the books on my shelf sounded like a fun way to start getting back into blogging this month. What bookworm ever really gets tired of talking about their favorite stories?

As I go through the questions, feel free to do this with me and let me know what your answers are in the comments below! I’d love to learn about some of your favorite reads!

Now on to the questions . . . .

Think of a book you didn’t expect to enjoy, but did. Why did you read it in the first place?

I don’t usually read books unless I expect to enjoy them, but the first book that comes to mind is Romanov by Nadine Brandes, which was the first of her works that I read. I’d heard so much praise for her writing, and as a historical fiction fan, I did expect to like the book. But without being very familiar with Russian history, I didn’t expect to get very sucked into it, or even to understand much. I just hoped it’d hold my attention.

I was very pleasantly surprised! The intriguing plotline, unique worldbuilding elements (even within the historical setting), well-developed characters, and elegant writing style sucked me in from the very start, and I ended up reading the entire book in one day/night. It was definitely worth losing sleep over. I highly recommend it, and look forward to reading the rest of Nadine’s books!

What book did you discover through a film/TV adaptation?

I’m going to go well-known here and say The Hunger Games. To be fair, I did know that it was a book series before ever watching the movies, but the movies made me want to go read the books. I still haven’t actually read the series (oops), but I do plan to at some point. The movies were well-done in my opinion and I’ve watched them several times over the years, so I’ll have to see which I end up preferring!

Pick a book that you discovered through booktube/bookstagram/book blogs. Did it live up to the hype?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is one I’d never heard of until stumbling across many glowing reviews on friends’ blogs. Because I’m notoriously cheap when it comes to buying books, I didn’t get around to reading it until recently (after discovering it at my local thrift shop), but yes, it definitely lived up to the hype!

I do wish the content was cleaned up a little more, but ignoring those few things, this book was one of the best I’ve read in a very long time. The plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the tension…it was all excellently done and I believe I read this one in a single day too. I also thought it was neat that, although Stiefvater’s writing is much more polished than mine, our writing styles are similar, which doesn’t happen often.

Pick a book that someone personally recommended to you. What did you think of it?

First one that comes to mind is Blank Mastermind by Rosey Mucklestone. This was recommended to me by many people, and after reading a digital copy first, I liked it so much that there’s now a paperback copy on my shelf too. In many ways it’s one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read, and with the exception of maybe three words I’d prefer to have been left out, it fits my definition of an amazing book perfectly.

And I say this as someone who’s not an avid reader of ‘superhero’ stories, but if you enjoy books with a strong and sarcastic narrative voice, likeable and nuanced characters, unique worldbuilding, and lots of action and plot twists, (as well as a powerful theme), I definitely recommend you check it out. It’s well worth the read.

Find a book on your bookshelves with a blue cover. What made you want to pick up this book?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. Now, this is a controversial book, with some people disliking the way Boyne handled aspects of the Holocaust. And I agree that this plot couldn’t actually have happened in real life. But as a character-driven author and reader, I read this book for the characters, and was not disappointed. Boyne’s characters felt so real, and though I’m not someone whose emotions at books often show externally, this one left me teary-eyed and very moved (high praise from me!).

Stand in front of your bookshelf with your eyes closed and pick a book at random. How did you discover this book?

This one isn’t fiction, but God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. I discovered this book through my mom, who was very inspired by it when she was young, and encouraged me to read it once I was old enough too. I’m very glad I did. There’s so much to learn from Brother Andrew’s story, and his courage, faith, and absolute trust in God – who provides and works all things out for good – is so inspiring to me. I pray that I would grow and learn to have that much faith, and to be willing to be used even in dangerous situations.

Find a book on your shelves with a one-word title. What drew you to this book?

I’ll go with Dust by Kara Swanson (which also has a sequel titled Shadow). I’ll be completely honest, I was drawn to these books by their covers, which are just the stunning works you’d expect from Kirk DuoPonce. But beneath their covers, I was very intrigued by the deep Peter Pan retelling. In my opinion, the best fairy tale retellings are the ones that take shallow characters and aspects of the story and deepen them in every way. That’s exactly what Kara did, and I loved the unique take on the classic story.

Think of your all-time favorite books. When did you read these, and why did you pick them up in the first place?

Oh no, not this question. I don’t believe I ever answer this question with the same answer, haha. I’ve never been able to choose all-time favorite books, but several that I’m always up for rereading (in addition to the ones I’ve mentioned above) include Hind’s Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard, the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and Daughter of Kings by Isabella Auer. They’re all books with lots of depth, intricacy, and powerful themes – which are huge pluses for me.

Well, thank you for joining me on this trip through my bookshelf today! I really enjoyed answering these questions, and I hope you enjoyed reading through them as well.

I’m going to leave the tags for this open-ended, so if you’d like to hop in and share some of your favorite books, please do! Feel free to do this on your own blog, or in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you and learning about YOUR favorites!

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How I Choose My Books – Blog TagWhen Plans Go Astray2021 September Wrap-Up

When Plans Go Astray

It never fails.

Every time I think I’ve begun to figure out this crazy adventure called life, it takes an unexpected turn, and suddenly I realize that I really don’t know much of anything yet.

Every time I start to feel comfortable with the things I’ve done, the place I’m at, and the direction my life seems to be going in, it suddenly changes.

And every time, it’s when I’m starting to rely more on my own knowledge and experience that God reminds me how inadequate they are – and brings me back to Him.

Have you experienced this? Have you ever felt like you were finally settling into a comfortable routine – only to stumble across a fork in the road? Have you ever made plans and had them blown apart and scattered without warning?

If I had to guess, I’d say we’ve all experienced this at some point. We’ve all had plans go astray and things happen in our lives that we didn’t necessarily want or ask for.

As regular readers of my blog have noticed, this is exactly what happened to me over the past month. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me with messages of concern, encouragement, and then understanding when I explained that the plans I’d made for September and October were apparently not what God had intended for me.

Not that they were necessarily bad plans, just not the ones God made. And that’s okay. I’ve learned many times over that God’s plans are far superior, and lead to blessings I could never have dreamt of. Even if they’re uncomfortable, they’re always worth it.

But for those wondering where I’ve been and what’s going on with Cabin Girl’s publication process (of which I promised I’d send out a timeline for by the end of September…), I apologize for my sudden disappearance.

Originally, I’d planned for the first two weeks of September to be my heavy blogging time. I’d plan and write a bunch of posts and schedule through October to let me focus on Cabin Girl afterward. And that went well! I actually planned a blogging schedule through the end of 2021 and prepped enough posts to get me through September.

The last two weeks of September were then going to be my fiction writing time. My time to go through Cabin Girl and figure out exactly what needed to be done before publication, write out a detailed timeline, and send it out to my street team so that October could be my heaviest fiction writing month yet this year.

And that’s where it all fell apart, haha. Due to family emergencies, sickness, and full-time work hours, any extra time I had at home was spent helping out with family or trying to get enough rest from busy days and not feeling well. In terms of writing and blogging, I think I managed to keep up with the bare minimum and continue lesson planning for the writing class I teach on Fridays, but that’s just about it. (Case in point, I’d originally planned to release this post Sunday).

And once again, I’ve had to remind myself that God knows best.

We all know what it’s like to have our plans disrupted – probably especially in the past couple years. And I believe we all understand how it feels to suddenly be thrust outside our comfort zones. I’ve always struggled with sudden change, especially when it puts me behind where I think I should be. And that’s where I’ve learned I have two choices.

I can either sulk and stress and try my very hardest to cling to the plans I made – or I can lay those plans down at Jesus’ feet, listen to Him and trust that His plans are truly best. Even if I don’t see what they’re leading to. Even if they hurt or make me uncomfortable. Even if they take me into places I never expected or didn’t necessarily even want to go.

Thankfully the disruptions this past month were tiny compared to what they could have been. My family is still safe and together and comparatively healthy (is anyone ever completely healthy during the cold months?). Not being able to blog or write fiction is an extremely small sacrifice in the big picture. And one month is just that – one month.

And so I’m choosing to be thankful for the good things that came out of the disruption. The extra time with family. The extra work hours. The people I’ve gotten to know better and the new experiences. And now I’ve had such a long break from any kind of writing that I’m just itching to jump back into it – right in time to prepare for NaNoWriMo!

God – of course – knows best.

So with that said, if you’ve been waiting on a response from me – whether about Cabin Girl, guest blogging, my street team, beta reading, or anything else – please accept my apology for the delay, and know that I’m striving to catch up on those things again.

While I can’t say exactly what the rest of October holds for me, it does seem to be winding down from the recent craziness, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to work out a more regular way to write again in the midst of the new schedule.

Something God’s had me relearn often is that He doesn’t promise or even necessarily encourage comfort in this life. But He does offer us opportunities to grow. And those opportunities – uncomfortable but necessary for growth – often pop up right when we least expect or even least want them. If we embrace those opportunities, we’ll always come out the other side better equipped for the plans and work He has for us.

While I’ll continue to work on my goals, I’m also continuing to watch for the learning, growing opportunities that God offers. And I look forward to the plans God has in store!

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
(Proverbs 19:21 NIV)

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How I Choose My Books – Blog TagWhen Plans Go Astray2021 September Wrap-Up

2021 September Wrap-Up

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today’s post brings another summary of the past month of my life – with writing progress reports, reading accomplishments, and general updates!

So without further ado . . .

General Update

Autumn is here! In case you couldn’t tell from my previous posts, Autumn is definitely my favorite season and I’ve been greatly enjoying the cool-but-not-too-cool weather. And in honor of the new season, my schedule exploded again this month, adding in a bunch more responsibilities and completely changing my daily routine. Proper sleep has been harder and harder to come by lately, haha.

That said, I’m enjoying everything and am very grateful for the opportunities. This month I’ve been able to start a second job watching little ones, continue working elsewhere, teach more writing classes, grow deeper involved with my church’s youth group (including being on the worship team), spend special time with friends and family, join a young adult Bible study, and also continue to write some fiction and blog posts.

One of the biggest lessons impressed on my heart this month is the importance of prayer. Of course I already knew this, but I’m far too prone to forget just how important it is, and let it slip to the wayside for a while. But the difference that daily time in prayer makes is so incredible. I don’t know why I ever choose to forgo the peace, wisdom, and reassurance that God offers when I spend time in conversation with Him.

Fiction Writing

Funny how fiction writing tends to get pushed to the very end of the to-do list when life gets busy. Despite this unfortunately being the case for September, I was blessed with the chance to do a few fiction projects that were very refreshing! I wrote a song-based short story (1,744 words), outlined a medieval novel, edited some of Cabin Girl, and outlined another short story. I’ve missed fiction and look forward to the approaching NaNoWriMo!

October goals include:
~ Finishing Cabin Girl edits and formatting?
~ Writing another short story
~ Prepping for NaNoWriMo!

On the Blog

Like I’d hoped, my blogging schedule has definitely gotten back to full swing again! Counting this one, I’ve written 9 posts in September! I was also blessed with the opportunity to swap guest posts with the sweet and talented blogger, Kristianne Hassman. As always, her words were extremely insightful and she was a joy to work with. Go check out her site – you won’t regret it! Below are the links for all this month’s blog posts.

~ 2021 August Wrap-Up
~ Daylight: Blog Tour & Author Interview
~ What I’ve Learned in One Year of Blogging
~ Blography Tag
~ 10 Quotes About Waiting
~ 5 Time-Management Tips for Writers
~ The Bookworm’s Tag
~ 5 Ways Stories Can Impact Our Lives (my guest post on Kristianne’s site)
~ 5 Keys to Creating Soul-Deep Characters (Kristianne’s guest post on my site)
~ And of course, this one (no link required, haha)!

Reading List

I had far more time to read this month (naptimes while watching kids are ideal for this), and got to finish five books I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while! And mostly fiction too, which always takes me longer. I enjoyed the chance to soak up some stories as well as the godly teachings from the nonfiction book.

The books I finished:

~ Dust by Kara Swanson
(A creative Peter Pan retelling that I greatly enjoyed. The characters and theme were well-done, and the plot kept me guessing. I highly recommend checking it out!)
~ Shadow by Kara Swanson
(This sequel to Dust took all my favorite parts of the first book and added in everything else I hoped for! The plot twists, emotion, character development, and just all of it was so very good. I definitely recommend this one, too.)
~ Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
(I wasn’t sure about this one or its writing style at first, as it’s kind of a mix between a biography and a historical fiction novel – but I found it fascinating! Some parts were tragic and hard to read, while others were a beautiful portrayal of humanity in hardship.)
~ The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
(My only qualms with this book were the few glimpses of content. Otherwise, it’s now a favorite. The writing style is gorgeous and gripping, the plot is engaging, the characters were incredibly real and relatable, and the worldbuilding unique. I highly recommend it.)
~ You Were Made for Love by Philip Carlson
(This is such a insightful and inspiring book about loving others like Christ does. Again, I would definitely recommend this one. I was convicted and challenged countless times. )

Currently, I’m working on finishing Who I Am in Christ, Passion and Purity, and Hind’s Feet in High Places (a reread that’s always a dear favorite of mine).

Looking Forward

I’m still adjusting to the weekly and daily schedule changes that appeared over the past month, but I’m hoping that October is a good month for really settling in and figuring out the best ways to keep on track of it all. I don’t want to forget anything, and somehow I do need to figure out how to sleep and keep up with it all, haha.

Some highlights I’m looking forward to in October include: continuing to work both jobs, hopefully improving at my piano and singing for worship, learning to lead small groups well, participating in more weeks of Bible study, spending more time with loved ones, volunteering at a local food pantry organization, teaching more fiction writing classes, and a lot more writing.

Specific writing goals I’d like to reach in October are much the same as September’s. I want to do a lot more work on Cabin Girl and also work on my fiction much more, as well as keep up and prep some blog posts for the next two months. October is also the ideal month for NaNoWriMo outlining, which I hope to take advantage of, since I started with story notes that were messy at best last year and definitely noticed the effects. I’m praying I’ll have enough energy and motivation for my stories, because I miss them!

What was YOUR September like? What kinds of things did you get to do? If you have a progress report on something, or books you read and would like to share, go ahead and let me know in the comments! And while you’re at it, feel free to include what you’re looking forward to and/or hoping to accomplish in October! As always, I’d love to hear from you!

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Five Keys to Creating Soul-Deep Characters

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I’m thrilled to be able to share a guest post with you today, from the sweet and talented writer Kristianne Hassman of Whimsical Wanderings!

Earlier this week, I was blessed to be able to post on her site and talk about the impact of stories on our lives (which you can find here). And now it’s our turn to be blessed by her always inspirational insights!

Well-done characters are essential for a well-done story, and Kristianne has some great wisdom to help us in that process! So without further ado . . .

When you read a story, what draws you in the most? What stirs your emotions? What sticks with you long after you’ve put the book down?

I’ll take a wild guess and say that most of you said characters. For me personally, characters are always what I connect with the most. Not the world, not the theme, but the characters. Why?

Well, it makes sense that they would impact us the most because they’re people, just like us. They have hopes and dreams. They experience loss and pain and disappointment. And they have strengths and weaknesses, just like we all do.

They are the ones that push the story forward. They drive the theme home. And they are the ones that make us feel the emotional heart of the story. They are the heart of the story.

Obviously, then, characters are crucial to a story. They are the ones that often make or break a story. So how do we create characters that readers can connect with? Characters that leave them hungry for more?

It’s a difficult task, creating soul-deep characters. But it’s not impossible. With the right tools and understanding, you can create powerful characters. Today I’d like to give you five simple tips I’ve gleaned over the years on creating characters that will tug on your readers’ heartstrings.

1. Powerful characters experience some kind of loss or disappointment.

We can all sympathize with a character who has lost something precious, whether that’s a loved one, a home, a dream, even an identity. Loss is the universal experience of humankind. All of us, at some point in our lives, have experienced some kind of loss to varying degrees. We know what it feels like to move away, to give up a dream, maybe even to lose a family member.

Whether big or small, make sure to include some kind of loss in your character’s life. But make sure it’s meaningful to them. Make sure it hits them in a deep, vulnerable place, even if it’s simply losing a pet. Go a step further and tie your character’s loss to his sense of identity. That will involve your reader emotionally and draw them further into the story.

2. Powerful characters are sympathetic.

In other words, they should have a redeeming quality to them. Give us a character who doesn’t give in to his loss and pain, but is determined to fight and not give up. This is the kind of character readers can root for. And it’s the kind that will keep them turning pages.

Make sure your character has some sort of strength, whether it’s kindness, patience, generosity, or humility. Your reader must have some way to relate to your character. That’s one of the most important rules of storytelling. That’s why you never see a story from the villain’s point of view. Most of us just can’t relate to an all-consuming desire to harm or kill others without any remorse.

Make sure your character’s strength shines through, ideally in the opening scene. Even if it’s only a few times, make sure we see those good moments where the character’s generosity or concern for others is clearly evident, even if they have glaring faults as well.

3. Powerful characters have some kind of fatal flaw.

No one likes a perfect character. You know, those Elsie Dinsmore characters who are always kind, always patient, and always seem to do the right thing no matter what?

Yeah, that just isn’t realistic. We’re all fallen, weak human beings. Make sure your character is no exception. But make sure his flaw is big enough to impact the story and the theme.

For example, if your theme is that pride is destructive, give your character a major pride flaw that contributes to the obstacles he faces. By having his wrong choices and actions lead to the problems he faces, you will communicate your theme in a much stronger way, as your character must learn to overcome his flaw in order to reach his goal.

4. Powerful characters actively push the story forward.

What’s more frustrating than a perfect character? A passive character. So don’t make that mistake! Your character needs to have a definitive goal that he is taking active steps toward.

For example, if your character is trying to protect his family from the villain, don’t just have him wait around until the villain shows up (unless he’s planning an ambush). Have him actively seek out the villain. Yes, this might lead to more disasters for your character, but that’s a good thing! Not only does an active character make your story more exciting and engaging, but it also provides higher stakes and tension.

5. Powerful characters make rational, appropriate choices.

While your character should be making active choices throughout the story, don’t fall into the trap of having them make choices that only exist to get them to where you need them to be. This will only frustrate your readers.

Your character’s choices need to make sense. They need to fit within their personality and desires and goals. Don’t have him detour off the path in the opposite direction just because he needs to face a monster there. Give him a deeper reason to make that choice, one that’s related to his goals and desires. Or, if you just can’t make your plot point fit with your character, change it so that it’s more relevant to your character.

Whatever you do, don’t force your character to make a decision out of character. That might require a little more work and creativity, but it’s worth it in the end.

Conclusion

If you include all these major elements, you’ll have the makings of a powerful character, and ultimately, a great story. Readers are drawn to characters who have experienced loss, are flawed but sympathetic, and who actively push the story forward by making rational choices.

Creating solid characters is hard. It won’t come easily for you right away. In fact, it will likely be a life-time pursuit. But if you continue to practice diving deep into your characters’ desires, fears, and goals, you will get better at creating soul-deep characters that impact your readers, inspire them to greater heights, and might even change their lives for good.

So go out there and create powerful characters the world will remember!

Kristianne Hassman is a missionary kid who has called Africa her home for most of her eighteen years. She currently lives in the beautiful country of South Africa. As a writer, she seeks to use her words to encourage other young writers and third-culture kids that they are not alone in their struggles.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading voraciously, playing piano and violin, and helping with her family’s ministry. You can connect with her at her blog WhimsicalWanderings or on Instagram @kristiannejoywrites.

Thank you so much for sharing such helpful information, Kristianne! Characters have always been my favorite parts of stories, too, and these tips are spot on for helping create truly memorable and moving ones.

Did you find any of these tips especially helpful? Are any of them easier or harder for you to implement? We’d love to hear YOUR thoughts on creating soul-deep characters, so feel free to comment below and share your experiences!

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The Bookworm’s Tag

Happy Friday!

So much time and so few tag nominations! No wait – strike that. Reverse it.

Kind of, haha.

Yes, I’ve been nominated for another blog tag, and as I am definitely a bookworm, it looks like a great one!

First off, the rules:

Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you (Thank you, Vanessa!)Include the tag graphic in your post (see just below these rules)Answer the ten questions the blogger askedNominate between five and ten bloggersAsk your nominees ten book-related questions!Don’t feel bound to these rules(Most importantly) Have fun!Here is the tag graphic!

And now onto the questions!

What’s a book that reminds you of your childhood?

Oh, there are so many! Between my parents reading to me and my own trips to the library, I devoured so many books in my childhood. However, one that I reread a lot when I was younger is Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I’ve always preferred books that make me feel deeply, and that was definitely one that did! It’s continued to stick with me.

What’s the longest book you’ve ever read?

The Bible, definitely! I believe I’ve read it from beginning to end twice now. Other than that, I think about 500 pages is the most I’ve read in a single book. The Help by Kathryn Stockett was the most recent one that came close, at 464 pages. Provided I actually care for the characters and writing style, I enjoy reading long stories – even when they take me a while.

Who’s one of your favorite characters?

Wow, I don’t think I can answer that one. I have so many favorite characters, and I adore them all for numerous reasons. In general, if the character has a combination of past hurts and emotional scars, a witty sense of humor, a solidly good heart, and fierce loyalty to their family/friends, then I will adopt them into my mental ‘beloved characters’ hall of fame.

How often do you read non-fiction vs fiction?

The past couple of years, I’ve read way more non-fiction than fiction. Before that however, I read almost exclusively fiction. It tends to come and go in bursts, depending on what I have laying around and also if I’m writing a lot of my own fiction at the time. Too many stories in my head at once tends to be overwhelming. Right now, I have a pretty good mix of both.

What’s the most important thing you look for in a good book?

This is a toss-up between good themes and good characters. Typically the characters are what I look at right away. If they’re realistic and easy to care about, I’ll keep reading. But if there hasn’t been anything good taught by the end of the story (or worse, something bad), I’m not going to recommend it to others, even if the characters were incredibly written.

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I hate to admit it, but yes. If it’s a book that I’ve already heard is good and I want to read it, then I will – no matter what the cover looks like. And similarly, if it has a great cover, but it’s not material I’m comfortable with or interested in, I still won’t read it. But when I’m flipping through books at a library or store, books with catchy covers are the ones I’ll look into first.

What’s your preferred method of enjoying a story? Ebook, paper book, audiobook, etc.?

As paperbacks, definitely. I still enjoy reading ebooks or listening to audiobooks, especially if I’m low on space, but there’s just something about holding a paperback…flipping real pages, physically marking my place, smelling the ink and feeling the cover…I may be weird, but walking into a library and seeing the shelves of paperbacks makes me so happy, haha.

Do songs remind you of certain books? If so, what book and what song was it?

Not most of the time, since I don’t usually listen to music while reading, but occasionally I’ll hear a song that makes me think of a book I recently read. Even with my own books, it’s usually pretty hard to find songs (with words) that fit well. That said, ‘Glow in the Dark‘ by Jason Gray is informally Cabin Girl‘s anthem. And it’s just one of my favorite songs, period.

What is one of the most memorable lessons a fiction book has ever taught you?

Everyone has a story. There isn’t one specific book I remember learning this from, but I just keep being reminded of it with good fiction in general. Everyone is the protagonist in their own lives. Everyone has a backstory. Each and every person has memories, dreams, ideas, thoughts, emotions, fears, passions, and most importantly – a God-given plan for their lives.

What is one of the best fiction books you’ve read in the past year?

Blank Mastermind by Rosey Mucklestone. I ended up reading this entire (343-page) novel in one day. I’m not even usually a contemporary/superhero fiction reader, but man…the snarky and nuanced main character, the realistic and lovable side characters, the powerful message, the humor, the plot twists…just everything was incredible. I highly recommend it.

These have been such fun questions to answer! Thanks for sticking around to read them, and thanks again to Vanessa for coming up with them!

I’d like to nominate the following bloggers to join if they’d like:

1. Kristianne Hassman @ Whimsical Wanderings
2. Jordyn Hadden @ Indie Edits by J
3. Kristina Hall
4. Raina Nightingale @ Enthralled By Love
5. R. M. Archer @ Scribes & Archers
(And YOU, if you’re a blogger!)

And here are my questions:

1. What was the last book you read, and would you recommend it? Why or why not?
2. What’s your favorite genre to read?
3. What’s one standalone book you wish had a sequel?
4. What’s one series you wish had been left as a standalone?
5. Do you prefer short chapters or long ones?
6. Which book have you reread the most?
7. What’s the first book you remember reading?
8. What time of day do you prefer to read?
9. Which character/s do you relate to most?
10. What plot twist did you never see coming?

Once again, thank you for joining me today! I really enjoyed answering these questions, and I hope you enjoyed reading through them as well.

I’d love to find out how YOU would answer these questions! Let me know on your own blog, or in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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The Bookworm’s Tag5 Time-Management Tips for Writers10 Quotes About Waiting

5 Time-Management Tips for Writers

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Are you short on time? Are you tired of work but never manage to get through it? Have you reached your limit and yet the tasks keep coming?

I may sound like a really bad infomercial, but I understand. In fact, I think every person – regardless of occupation – can relate to some extent.

There just doesn’t ever seem to be enough hours in the day. Between church, family, work, education, housekeeping, volunteering, friends, hobbies, rest, and/or any number of other obligations, our schedules can stay filled to the brim very easily.

And what do you do when there’s an imbalance in that schedule? When your work or your education prevent rest or time with family? When all the things you have to do should actually be there (if they’re not a priority, chances are you have or at least should have cut them out), and you’re still out of breath from running toward them all?

I wish I knew.

Over the years, I’ve watched many family members wrestle with this, and have had an especially close seat for my parents. And I think they do a phenomenal job. But I also know it’s not easy.

And as I’ve begun to get into that same sort of busyness, working and volunteering and generally just being a productive member of society, I’ve tried to maintain a good balance between work and rest. My thinking has been that I develop good habits earlier, it’ll make it easier to stay on top of things later.

Hopefully that’s the case anyway.

And with that hope, I’ve taken note of how the people around me manage their schedules, ironically spent a bit of time researching what tends to work best for others, and experimented with those methods in my own life, to see what helps me be most efficient.

Unfortunately, there’s no magical one-size-fits-all method. Everyone is different; thinks differently, works differently, focuses differently. But there are definitely some strategies that seem to be helpful for most people, at least to try and then adapt to their own lifestyles. So today, I thought I’d share five of the best tips I’ve found to work for me as I strive to use my time wisely, with the hopes that they might help you as well!

Banish Distractions

You might have expected this to be on the list. Any time you look into being more productive and efficient with your time, you’re likely to find this advice. And it’s true! When we’re distracted, we don’t get as much done, and what we do accomplish tends to be poorer quality because we didn’t commit all our energy toward it. Our brains usually work best when we can devote uninterrupted time to focus on one thing until it’s finished.

This looks different for everyone. Some people prefer to work in silence, while others prefer music, and still others prefer the ambience of a coffee shop or their family around them. Some people like working in dim lighting, while others need bright surroundings. Some people’s creativity is stifled by tidy environments while others need the clean to focus. The point is to get rid of anything that distracts you from your task for a set amount of time.

For me, this means closing my door, putting on classical music to tune out any other noise in the house, keeping my hands on my keyboard and/or mouse so I can’t fiddle with anything else, and either turning off the internet so I can’t research (if writing fiction) or telling myself that I can’t open any unrelated tabs until I finish my current task (if blogging). I also don’t allow myself to daydream. Any time I find my mind starting to wander, I quickly refocus. Otherwise, I’ll wander down rabbit trail after rabbit trail…

Batch Similar Tasks

Here’s a tip I didn’t discover until the start of this year, and it’s made a huge difference in my productivity! After we’ve successfully rid our surroundings of distractions and worked at a set task for a while, our brains will get into a ‘flow state’. While here, we’re more motivated to keep accomplishing things of the same nature, and we have an easier time of it than if we hop around from a fiction project to a blog post to a school essay, etc.

I’ll say right away, some people may like hopping from one thing to the next. Many people use their fiction writing as a reward for after they finish their schoolwork or other obligations. And that’s okay! To some extent, everyone has a unique process that works best for them. But for many, lumping similar tasks together can really help your ideas keep flowing and your brain stay focused, rather than interrupting your state of concentration.

For example, when blogging, I set aside a chunk of time to first prep the posts for that month (creating images, formatting them, jotting down key points, etc.). Then I go through and choose the ones I feel most inspired to write at that moment and start drafting them, one by one. Usually, the more I write, the more I feel like moving on and writing the next one afterward. Editing works the same way. Edit, schedule, edit, schedule…and pretty soon my calendar is full of check marks where my blog posts are ready and waiting to go out!

Keep Lists

But how do you know what to batch together if you don’t know what you have to do? Lists to the rescue! Yes, I’m one of those people that have to keep lists or else I’ll forget anything and everything, no matter how hard I try not to. In order to stay on top of my schedule, I keep daily lists, weekly lists, monthly lists, and even a list for each year. These lists contain everything I need to or should do, from huge to tiny tasks. Honestly, nothing’s too small.

Again, not everyone needs to use lists as much as me. I don’t know how, but a lot of people can just keep track of everything in their heads, and don’t find lists motivating anyway. But if you’re not sure whether they’d help you or not, I encourage you to give them a try! Even if you can remember everything, I find that the feeling of accomplishment I get as I cross off completed tasks encourages me to keep working at the rest of the tasks on the list.

And then make sure you keep your list where you can see it throughout the day. I typically keep a broader list of tasks on my phone and leave smaller, more specific lists on post-its or journals at my desk. One of the best times for me to write out my to-do lists is the evening before I need it. So for my weekly lists, I’ll set aside a little time to compile everything Sunday evening. For my daily lists, I’ll jot them down before I head to bed each night. And of course, I’ll write out my yearly and monthly lists at the ends of the previous.

Set Goals

Along with writing lists, setting goals for yourself is another excellent way to stay on top of everything. Think about what you want to accomplish or do more of in the coming days, weeks, months, and/or years. As a writer, do you want to complete a rough draft of a novel? Write more short stories? Release more blog posts? What about other goals? Do you want to read and/or review more books? Exercise more? Form better sleeping habits?

Take those things and start by forming bigger goals. Then break them up into more manageable pieces. If you want to write more short stories, you could set a goal for 12 in the next year. That’s one a month, which could be split into wordcount goals for each week, and then each day…and so on. Dream big, but then make sure you break them into small enough pieces, or else you’ll always feel too intimidated to try reaching those dreams.

Those small pieces are what should then be put on your lists. I personally find it very encouraging to look back at them after a while and see just how much I’ve done just by taking small steps. Before long, those small bits add up to incredible progress! And the consistency of completing those tasks over and over, again and again, help create habits that will lead to even better productivity as time continues. Don’t be afraid to adjust your goals – smaller or bigger – if you need to, but having somewhere to start is always good.

Time Yourself

Despite how it sounds, this tip is less about speed and more just being intentional with your time. After researching how to get more done in less time, I was convicted to keep better track of where I was using the time that I did have. After all, everyone gets the same 24 hours each day. What changes is how we fill them. So for several weeks, I set timers and wrote down how long it took me to complete various tasks – and was continually surprised!

Knowing about how long it takes me to draft a blog post, or write 500 words, or brainstorm a month’s worth of content, is extremely helpful. Not only has it helped me with scheduling and getting things done before deadlines, but it’s also encouraged me to keep better track of my time in general. It’s easy to spend an hour on a writing project, but it’s even easier to spend two hours researching obscure facts after getting sidetracked.

So now, I set an alarm almost every time I sit down to work. It helps me continue to keep track of how long something takes me, and also often causes me to work faster because I don’t want to ‘waste those minutes’ on extra, unimportant things. If I set a writing timer for 30 minutes, I better be writing and not cheating by checking emails or organizing my desk or deep-cleaning my entire room. A procrastinating writer is an unproductive writer as I well know. It tends to be a fun challenge: how much can I get done before the alarm rings?

Well, those are five of my best tips for managing time wisely and efficiently as a writer! And of course, they can certainly help anyone be productive, no matter what your career, obligations, or hobbies are. While I’m far from perfect at staying on top of these habits, they always help me stay focused, and I pray they help motivate you as well!

Did any of these tips stick out to you? Are you using any of them in your own writing journey? What are YOUR favorite tips for being productive as a writer? I’d love the chance to learn from you – so let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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