Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 42
January 29, 2022
Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests
Mount Precipice, Nazareth, where it is thought theattempt to throw Jesus off the hill took place. [PD-US]
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say,
‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said, “Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
Luke 4:21-30
The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below.
Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!Also please pray for anyone impacted by the storms in the NE!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support!
May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.
January 28, 2022
Weekend Edition
If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes. Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.
Monday: Erica Vetsch was our host, talking about writing tips from Elmore Leonard that will make your contest entries stand out.
Tuesday: Our guest was Olivia Newport!
Wednesday: Cate shared some motivation to keep us from quitting!
Friday: Pam piggy-backed on Cate's post from Wednesday encouraging us to look up, to look to the light, to look on the bright side.
Monday: Blue Moon Monday
Wednesday: Mindy will be here to share what's on her heart. Friday: Surprise!
A March Release byDEBBY GIUSTI
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!
Also releasing in March!
Preorder the ebook NOW:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HL1Q39M
Debby Giusti will be hosting daily giveawaysnext weekon the Amish Spring AnthologyFB Reader Group.Join today & Join in the fun! Amish Spring Romance | Facebook
The Writer's Inner Critic by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors
Why, When and How to Hire an Editor by Lewis Jorstadt at The Novel Smithy
The Financial Cost of Authorhood by Janine Rosch at Learn How To Write A Novel
Open Your Scenes with These 3 Cinematic Techniques by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
How to Write Your Story with A 5-Act Structure by Rebecca Jean at Writer's Edit
How to Effectively Use Background Images in Email by Megan at MailerLite Blog
4 Tips for Writing a Trauma Disclosure in Deep POV by Lisa Hall-Wilson at Writers In The Storm
Does Writing Scare You? by Tammie Fickas at ACFW Blog
Naming Your Baby by Maggie Smith at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Blog
Writing Magic in Real World Setting by Liz Keller Whitehurst at Writers Helping Writers
January 27, 2022
It's Gonna be a Bright (Bright) Sunshiny Day
When the sun goes down on my side of town
That lonesome feeling comes to my door
And the whole world turns blue
Oh, wait, wrong topic, wrong song, wrong everything. Sigh.
Seriously, I heard that country-sad-song yesterday and when I looked out the window and saw the sun going down, and an empty screen staring back at me, it seemed to fit.
Sigh.
What do you DO when all the ideas for your blog post just get up and walk out on you?
I really wanted to blog about the cool online class that Missy and I, along with THOUSANDS of others took, this past week: Bryan Cohen’s Author Ad Challenge, which is an introductory class to setting up advertising on Amazon.
It’s INTENSE and takes about 1-2 hours a day to keep up. And, did I say that it was free, or at least the week-long challenge is. Bryan and his team offer a much more intense program of coaching, teaching and “hand-holding” for a fee called Amazon Ad School (I believe that’s the correct term), but the free training was more than enough to help me get started.
However, I didn’t want to give away information that Bryan and his team have done tons of leg-work on. And what’s the point of blogging about it if I can’t give Seekerville readers a small taste of how Amazon ads work? The good news is that the Amazon Ad Challenge will be offered again in April 13th, so if anyone wants to take the class, you’ll be able to then.
Now if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
So, one topic down. Then I planned to blog about past (as in LONG past) contest entries where I would find snippets of what judges had to say about what was wrong (or right) about a passage from a contest entry, then show the various stages those passages went through before they made it into publication, but that was also a no go. I couldn’t find much in what I kept from 10, 15, and, yes, TWENTY years ago, to be helpful.
And, let’s be honest. Do I really want to go back all those years and be reminded of how bad some passages were way back in the beginning? And, would I want to share them with you? Probably not.
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
Yeah, let’s just say that it’s best that blog post left me, too! lol
So, here we are, singing a sad song and looking BACKWARDS at lost love (blog posts and horrible writing) and broken dreams …
Whoa!!!!!
Wrong topic! Wrong Story!
WRONG EVERYTHING AGAIN!!
Let’s turn this train around, folks. Right here… I mean RIGHT HERE, I stopped working on my blog post and read Cate’s post from Wednesday. Why would I feel the urge to do that? In some ways, she already said what I'm saying again today, but I think we're both trying to hammer a point home, without even knowing that the other one was on this same track. Go back and read Cate's post here! What an encouragement!
Seriously, that neon moon song is a catchy tune, but if that gal's gone, she’s gone. Right? Right!
She -- meaning a blog post, that idea for a short story or a novel that packed up and left a long time ago, an submission opportunity I missed in 2020 because my head was stuck in the sand... or even staring (figuratively) at a neon moon… -- ain’t coming back. Let’s stop whining about it. Let’s stop going to the dark, smoky places that aren’t doing us any favors. Stop moping around mooning over that particular story, that particular area of our lives that we can’t fix, that we can’t bring back, that just isn’t working anymore.
And before anyone gets all up in arms, I’m NOT talking about torn relationships, sick family, fractured lives, financial woes, and burning the candle at both ends until you're burned out. I’m talking about writing for those of us who write. I'm talking about just holding on.
Turn on ALL the lights, brighten things up and write something big, beautiful and new. Create a NEW thing. Draw bright, sunny pictures with the kids or the grandkids. And if you don't have any kids in your circle, borrow somebody's for a day or volunteer in Sunday School or at a preschool for a day.
Put some brightness in your life and that neon moon will pale in comparison to the big, beautiful new sunrise you’ll wake up to tomorrow!!
I’ll leave you with this…
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Let's choose to live in a bright, sunshiny day, not under a "neon" moon.
January 25, 2022
Just Don't Quit
Sometimes - and far more often than we'd like - life throws us curveballs.
Some are great.
Some are not.
Some are a mixed blessing.
I recently had a new curveball thrown at me - just as I was settling in to being a full-time writer, I got called out of retirement when a teacher quit mid-year and they needed an experienced teacher to step in and pull things back together.
There are many benefits to this for me (not least the salary), but it's thrown quite a crimp into my writing schedule - especially as I hustle to get back in the game and get caught up.
Writing hasn't been happening. I'm really not good at multi-tasking when my brain is spinning (some family health issues play into this too).
What to do?
Yesterday, as I was writing a note of motivation to my daughter, I vaguely remembered a line from a poem, so I looked it up. As soon as I saw the full poem, I remembered learning it as a child. I recalled reading it with my own students. I could only think it showed up in my memory just at the moment I most needed the reminder.
So I wanted to share it with you today - for anyone who needs a lift or a reminder.
Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
~John Greenleaf Whittier
What do you do when you want to quit? How do you keep yourself going?
Image from Pixabay
January 24, 2022
Welcome Guest Blogger, Olivia Newport!
A Satisfying Time-slip Method
Perhaps I’ve never been very good at decisions. All the way back in college, I completed two majors that were not particularly related to each other (English and religious studies) because when the time came to declare a major, I just couldn’t choose.
As a novelist, my first books were historical, and I sometimes wonder why I didn’t major in history in college (triple major?). But I also love digging into a good contemporary story with a good mystery or social twist (why didn’t I major in sociology?), so I’ve written some present-day stories also.
I’ve had a lot of fun the last several years bringing historical and contemporary together in time-slip novels around unfolding genealogies. Curious readers ask me how I go about writing these books. I’m sure every time-slip author finds a method that works individually. For me, I research, write, revise, edit, and edit again the historical story line before I ever touch the contemporary. I want the historical part of the time-slip not only to serve the contemporary conflict but also to be a story of completeness and satisfaction in itself, especially since often it involves putting fictional characters in true historical events. Will the reader sigh with the last pages of the historical story interspersed among contemporary pages? I hope so.
Nailing down the details of the historical line also lets me plan how to slowly reveal its details in ways that lead the reader through the mystery and tension of the contemporary line. I even make a “What We Know So Far” chart for the contemporary chapters to guide me in making sure I don’t get ahead of myself in how past details is unfold and influence the present. I may know the whole story, but my characters don’t! They don’t know anything more than the reader, so as I tuck the historical chapters among the contemporary chapters, catching any errors in this pacing is crucial to a successful story.
The Tree of Life series began releasing in 2019 with The Inn at Hidden Run. Now book 5 is out, Now That I Know You. Each book’s plot is freestanding from the others with repeating main characters, so they make sense even if you haven’t read them in order. This book offers a little extra fun for readers of books 3 and 4 by picking up favorite spots and seeing what more smiles they bring us. Here’s the summary:
Cate Butler is the distant cousin genealogist Jillian was so certain she wanted to find—and the only connection she has to her deceased mother’s Parisi family tree. So why does she wish Cate would stop pestering her? And why can’t Jillian find a paper trail proving Cate is who she says she is?
Cate wants something for her own career that Jillian can’t give, but she also holds the key to family history Jillian can’t bring herself to walk away from. Nolan, Jillian’s father, steps in when Cate’s chronic career chaos requires legal rescue. Drew, the man who holds Jillian’s heart, has a surprising past with Cate. The truths Jillian, Cate, and Drew find while untangling these knotted threads tie them back together in remarkable ways none of them ever would have imagined.
A question for you : Since I’m writing about genealogy in the Tree of Life books, in the comments tell me an interesting story from your family’s history. Have you seen an influence of the past on the present in your family?
Bio Olivia Newport’s novels blend the truth of how our pasts carry us into where we find ourselves now. Curiosity about history seems to creep into everything she does. Her books include Amish, historical, and contemporary stories that span the centuries from before the Revolutionary War right up to the present moment. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak. Her new book, Now That I Know You, is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Booksamillion. Visit www.olivianewport.com for more information.
January 23, 2022
Ten Writing Tips from a Legend to Strengthen your Contest Entry
Erica Vetsch here with you today. (No, I'm not the LEGEND mentioned in the title of this blog.)
It's Writing Contest Season, and I am a Writing Contest Judge. Every year, I judge in several writing contests, specializing in the area of pre-published/unpublished fiction. I enjoy this work, helping newer authors strengthen their writing, pointing them to great resources for learning, encouraging them in their journey to publication.
But I do find myself making the same comments on many entries. Pointing out the same writing weaknesses that need some attention.
An entry without these common mistakes stands out, shines, and is rewarded with HIGH MARKS!
If you would like your entry to be among these rare few, I encourage you to consider Ten Writing Rules of that literary TITAN, Elmore Leonard.
“Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing” With Erica Vetsch’s comments in red.
1. Never open a book with weather. (Just don’t. It’s the epitome of cliché)
2. Avoid prologues. (Most of the time, using a prologue means you’re starting the story in the wrong place, you fear your opening isn’t compelling enough to stand alone, or you’re trying to dump information on the reader that you think they should know, but you aren’t certain how to trickle in later.)
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. (It’s too distracting to have people cackling, chortling, growling, squeaking, etc.)
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely. (Let the dialogue and the mood you’ve created indicate the tone and tenor of the words being said. Use visceral and visual reactions rather than adverbs to show rather than tell the reader what’s going on.)
5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. ( SO. MANY. EXCLAMATION. POINTS!!!!! I would venture to say that 95% of the contest entries I judge have a scattering of random exclamation points used with even the mildest dialogue. Fictional dialogue isn’t written like your text messages! Stop! Shouting! At! The! Reader! Because that’s what an exclamation point means in fiction. Someone actually screaming.)
6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose." (Lazy, clichéd writing. If the reader can finish a sentence with a familiar phrase…dead as a __________ or quiet as a ____________ your writing is cliché. Freshen it up with a twist, or take that cliché up a notch. An illustration from author James Scott Bell: Instead of writing “She looked like a million bucks.” Write “She looked like a million bucks, tax-free.”)
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. (Dialects are exhausting to read. Sprinkle in enough for the reader to catch the flavor, but don’t belabor the point by dropping every g in -ing words or dropping all the ‘haitches’ in a British accent.)
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. (Allow the reader to fill in some of the details. It invests the reader in the character as they imagine them. A few key descriptors will do. Don’t make a catalog list of features, mannerisms, dress, etc.)
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things. (The days of the ten-page description of a sunset died with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Today’s readers won’t sit still for lengthy descriptions like this. Instead, have your character interact with the setting with a few tiny hints. If you say your heroine walked to the window and pulled aside the calico curtain, the reader will fill in the surroundings of what they think a room with calico curtains looks like. Likewise, you could have your heroine walk to the window and pull aside the velvet drape, and an entirely different image of a room appears. Either way, you've allowed the reader to invest in the scene, creating the setting from a few choice words.)
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. (If you’re bored, so will the reader be. Make sure every sentence, every paragraph, every scene is advancing the story and ratcheting up the tension/conflict. Keep the reader turning pages.)
Leonard’s most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
"If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” (Enough said.)
― Elmore Leonard
Are you entering any writing contests this year? Have you been given a pithy piece of advice that has made your writing better? I’d love to hear it!
Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes in this new Regency mystery series
Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies--and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.
Now Lady Juliette is determined to continue their work. Mentored by her uncle, she plunges into the dangerous world of spy craft. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the fox hunts, regattas, and soirees of country high society, she must chase down hidden clues, solve the mysterious code her parents left behind, and stay out of danger. All the while, she has to keep her endeavors a secret from her best friend and her suitors--not to mention nosy, irritatingly handsome Bow Street runner Daniel Swann, who suspects her of a daring theft.
Can Lady Juliette outwit her enemies and complete her parents' last mission? Or will it lead her to a terrible end?
The Debutante's Code is now out in the world! You can get your copy HERE: https://amzn.to/3GQnoZt Or wherever you buy your fiction!
Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!
January 22, 2022
Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests
Photo taken in the synagogue in Nazareth where Christ read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. (Photo: D Giusti)
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below.
Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!Also please pray for the Protection of the Unborn!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support!
May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.
January 21, 2022
Weekend Edition
If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes. Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.
Monday: Jan started the week with a look at her top three tips to becoming a successful writer. Thanks for all of your comments!
Wednesday: Debby shared her Seven Secrets to Success for Writers. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and shared their own tips for success!
Friday: Winnie gave us some tips for Writing the Book Blurb. The winners of a copy of one of her backlist books are Kaybee and Terri Lynn Schump.
Monday: Erica Vetsch is our hostess. She's bringing us some writing tips to make your contest entries stand out.
Tuesday: Olivia Newport is our guest!
Wednesday: Cate had us discussing what books we'd like to find (or put) under the tree. Friday: Pam will pull something out of the hat to share with us. Marketing? Running ads? Newsletters? Craft? The jury's still out on which topic. :)
The Debutante's Code is now out in the world!You can order a copy here:https://amzn.to/3GQnoZt
Only a few more days to pre-order the re-release of "A Home for His Family" in this two-for-one from Love Inspired!
www.JanDrexler.com
A March Release byDEBBY GIUSTI
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!
An Amish Spring Anthology and Debby Giusti is one of the authors.
To learn more join the FB Reader Group
Amish Spring Romance | Facebook
Coming March 2022
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!
Getting off the Hamster Wheel by Katey Schultz at Writer Unboxed
The Art of Masterful Fiction Dialogue by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
Six Tips for an Unforgettable First Lines by Rachel D Russell by Learn How To Write A Novel
Book Proposals I'd Love to See by Tamela Hancock Murray at Steve Laube
Show, Don't Tell at Writers Helping Writers
Using Physical Pain to Show a Character's Past Trauma by Lisa Hall Wilson at Writers Helping Writers
How to Write Your Story With a 5-Act Structure by Rebecca Jean at Writer's Edit
Amazon's A+ Content Now Available to Authors and Publishers by Susan U. Neal at The Write Conversation
Valentine's Day Email Marketing Tips and Examples by Jonas at MailerLite Blog
When the Cows Come Home to Roost by Garry Rodgers at Kill Zone Blog
Writing The Book Blurb - Part 1
Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.
Today I want to speak to you about writing a book blurb, sometimes called back cover copy, for your book. I never paid a lot of attention to what went into one until I dipped my toes in the self-publishing pool and had to write the blurb myself. The first thing I discovered was that it was hard! At least for me. So ever since then I’ve been studying them and reading articles and tips on how to write them and I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve learned. To do the subject justice, I’m going to do this in two posts. Today we’ll cover what it is, why it’s important and some DOs and DON’Ts
What Is A Book Blurb
Just so everyone is on the same page, let me explain what I mean by a book blurb. For the purposes of this post, the book blurb is the short book description you find on the back cover or inside jacket of books you purchase. For an e-book it’s the book description you find front and center on the book’s main page on seller websites.
Why Should You Care
The purpose of a book blurb is to function as a marketing tool or sales pitch. They’re used to attract and entice the reader into purchasing the book. In most cases, the blurb is second only to the cover in what a potential reader uses to make a buy/don’t buy decision. As such, it needs to really be engaging.
So how do you accomplish all of that in such a small word count?
Here are some DOs and DON’Ts. (And keep in mind – THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION. Feel free to disagree if you have found something else that works better for you)
· Don’t confuse your blurb with a synopsis. You don’t want to focus on the plot or try to summarize your entire story. Instead you want to focus on the characters and the emotional resonance of your story. Provide just enough information to intrigue potential readers.
· Don’t give up too much of your blurb space to review quotes and accolades. Those can be placed elsewhere. The blurb is a place to let the reader know what THIS BOOK is about.
· Don’t give away any spoilers. The reasons for that should be obvious, but it can be tempting to show how clever you are with the twists and turns you take with your story – resist! Find other ways to hook your reader enough to want to buy the book and let them enjoy those surprises when they encounter them in the story.
· Don’t forget to highlight the main conflict, the thread that will carry your story. But do leave out the resolution of that conflict – again, no spoilers.
· Do keep it tight and punchy – a good rule of thumb is to shoot for 100-200 words and to make use of both power words and words that evoke emotion.
· Don’t ignore the genre and tone of your book. Whether you are writing a thriller, a fantasy, a romance, a women’s fiction, a cozy or anything else, the genre should be clear from the word choices you use. Is it action packed, suspenseful, humorous, spooky or dark? Reflect that in the tone of your blurb.
· Do make sure you understand the selling points of your story and then highlight them.
· Do show what makes your book stand out from the crowd. How is your Marriage of Convenience, Secret Baby, Second Chance Romance, etc. book different from all the other books out there with the same trope? Find those aspects of your story that are unique—be it the conflict, the character occupations, the setting or something else—and highlight it.
· Do end with a strong hook—leave your reader with an irresistible urge to scoop up your book to learn more
That wraps up Part I. Next time we’ll do a deep dive into the components of a blurb and look at some examples.
So do you have anything to add to my list of DOs and DON'Ts? Do you pay attention to a book's blurb when making a buy decision?
Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a book from my backlist.
January 18, 2022
Seven Secrets to Success for Writers!
By Debby GiustiSince we're only a few weeks into the new year, I thought it might be a good time to revisit the Seven Secrets to Success for Writers I penned more than a decade ago. I hope you'll add some of the secrets to your own success in the comment section so we can learn from each other. What works for you? What doesn't? Grab a cup of coffee and let's share tips and techniques for the new year!
A few writing Secrets to Success for the New Year:
1. Put God First
Everything goes more smoothly, including the writing, when I start my day with prayer. I think of it as giving Him my “first fruits” before the hustle and bustle begins. Similarly, I “bookend” my day by spending time in prayer before I fall asleep. Often I may be struggling with a character or plot point, but when I make time for God, the problems resolve and the story gets written.
2. Know why you write
For financial gain, notoriety, fame? (Are you laughing?) Maybe your goal is to bring joy to your readers’ lives or spread God’s message of love or show how good can triumph over evil. Whatever the reason, it should be important to you, important enough to keep you writing when you’re tired or sick or frustrated with the story. Once you determine the why, you can accept projects that advance that vision and reject those that don’t.
3. Learn How to Say No
This dovetails with knowing why you write. Say no to the things that don’t fit into your plan or your reason for writing. For me that includes social functions that keep me from my computer, such as lunch dates or shopping sprees. I still have a life, but I don’t overschedule my week with events that keep me from working.
4. Study Story
Learning to see the big picture is important. Often we focus on the bits and pieces--the plot, the characters, the conflict—instead of the story as a whole. We need to know how the parts fit together into a seamless tale that transports readers to another world. Studying the greats who “get” story helps me. Some of my favorite gurus include Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer’s Journey, Michael Hauge, who wrote Writing Screenplays that Sell , and Donald Maass, with his Writing the Breakout Novel and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook.
5. The Synopsis is Your Friend
I’ve never known anyone who enjoys writing synopses, but I have learned to use them as a tool. If I can’t get the synopsis to work, my story won’t work either. Finding the flaw—the weak plot point, the limp conflict, the lack of motivation, or even the wrong villain—in that early story overview saves times and keeps me from writing two hundred pages that head in the wrong direction. Embrace the synopsis as a friend and an important first step in your writing process.
6. Guard your Health
Sitting at a computer for long periods of time is detrimental to your health. Take frequent breaks when you’re working. Exercise daily. Get adequate rest. Drink lots of water. Health is one of our most important assets. Take care of yourself so you can enjoy the long writing career God has planned for your future.
7. Ignore the Negative Voice
You know what I’m talking about—that small internal voice that says hateful things about you and your writing. My negative voice can be very vocal…and very mean. “You can’t write,” she often taunts. “This story stinks. Give up now!” Early on, I waged an almost endless battle to squelch the negative and focus, instead, on what I got right. These days, my internal voice is a bit more subdued, although when I’m tired or overworked, she frequently makes herself known. My advice? Turn down the volume and don’t let her sap your confidence. Remember you are a writer. Ignore the criticism and just write!
The coffee's hot. Grab a cup, and let's discuss our own personal tips for writing success!
Wishing you a productive and successful 2022!
Happy writing, dear friends!
Debby Giusti
Smugglers in Amish Country
Uncovering secrets in this Amish town
could deliver deadly consequences.
When the robbery suspect she’s tracking begins attacking delivery girls in Amish country, officer Marti Sommers must go undercover as bait. With ex-cop Luke Lehman’s niece as one of the targets, this case is personal. After all, Marti’s rookie mistake ended with Luke injured and another officer dead. But can the two former colleagues stop a deadly smuggling ring…before Marti becomes the next victim?
Releases March 2022
Pre-Order on Amazon!
