Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 90

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

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--and the world--during this coronavirus outbreak. 
Dear Lord, protect us and keep usfree from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to contain the spread of this virus, especially those  in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick. Give clarity and right judgement to the National and StateTask Forces, the CDC, NIH and  Public Healthagencies combating this outbreak.Guard all of us and especially our elderly and immunocompromised. Bring healing to those who have the disease, Eternal Glory to thosewho have succumbed to the virus andcomfort to the families who have lost loved ones.God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.Amen.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly throughout this Easter Season.
Third Sunday of Easter The Supper at Emmaus by Rembrandt, 1648, Louvre.
[PD-US]
That very day, the first day of the week,two of Jesus’ disciples were goingto a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.He asked them,“What are you discussing as you walk along?”They stopped, looking downcast.One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalemwho does not know of the thingsthat have taken place there in these days?”And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”They said to him,“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,who was a prophet mighty in deed and wordbefore God and all the people,how our chief priests and rulers both handed him overto a sentence of death and crucified him.But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;and besides all this,it is now the third day since this took place.Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:they were at the tomb early in the morningand did not find his body;they came back and reportedthat they had indeed seen a vision of angelswho announced that he was alive.Then some of those with us went to the tomband found things just as the women had described,but him they did not see.”And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these thingsand enter into his glory?”Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,he interpreted to them what referred to himin all the Scriptures.As they approached the village to which they were going,he gave the impression that he was going on farther.But they urged him, “Stay with us,for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”So he went in to stay with them.And it happened that, while he was with them at table,he took bread, said the blessing,broke it, and gave it to them.With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,but he vanished from their sight.Then they said to each other,“Were not our hearts burning within uswhile he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalemwhere they found gathered togetherthe eleven and those with them who were saying,“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”Then the two recountedwhat had taken place on the wayand how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.Luke 24:13-35

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.  Note our new email address and please send your emails to Seekerville2@gmail.com





Friday April 17: Winnie Griggs is here to belatedly post the winner of her giveaway. Congratulations to Gabrielle Meyer, you've won your choice of any book from Winnie's backlist.

Monday: Jan Drexler shared tips to move from reader to aspiring author in part two of her series. The winner of a choice of a book from Jan's secret stash is Bettie Boswell!
Wednesday: Cate Nolan asked a very loaded question...What Kind Of World Do You Want? The question raised thoughts and invited lots of conversation.
Friday: Missy Tippens invited everyone to Share Your Good News! A wonderful Friday of sharing uplifting news and ideas!


Monday: Erica Vetsch talks about Casting the Roles in your Story and rumor has it there are Giveaways! 
Wednesday:  From debut to veteran authors, all join together in Seekerville to discuss Releasing a Book During a Pandemic.  Friday: Candee Fick shares her thoughts on To Bundle or Not to Bundle:The Pros and Cons of Boxed Sets for Readers and Authors







This past week, my first full-length Regency novel, The Lost Lieutenant, released!

There are several giveaways going on right now involving The Lost Lieutenant:
A JustReads Tour giveaway that includes a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card and a Bible Verse sign: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2b09c62e813/? 
Check out my blog post on Monday for more tours and giveaways!
You can Order The Lost Lieutenant at: https://amzn.to/32NYANi and pre-order The Gentleman Spy at https://amzn.to/2qOjkHD




Are Your Writing Goals S.M.A.R.T? by Heather Kreke at Blue Ridge Conference

An Author's Actionable Guide To Story Ideas by Alicia Ellis at Writers In The Storm

How To Start Blogging: A Definitive Guide For Authors by Jane Friedman

Don't Make These Post-Rejection Mistakes by Bob Hostetler at Steve Laube Agency

Where Should I Spend My Marketing Dollars? by Melissa Tagg at Learn How To Write A Novel

Share Your Good News Today

Well, we had a scheduling mix up today. So instead of our regularly scheduled post, we're going to have a day to share good news. We all need something positive to focus on, so we want to hear from you!



Do you have any good writing news?
Do you have any other good news you'd like to share?
Any joys and blessings you'd like to tell us about?

Let's chat and encourage each other today.

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.  Note our new email address and please send your emails to Seekerville2@gmail.com





Friday April 17: Winnie Griggs is here to belatedly post the winner of her giveaway. Congratulations to Gabrielle Meyer, you've won your choice of any book from Winnie's backlist.

Monday:
Wednesday:
Friday:


Monday:  
Wednesday:    Friday: 

What Kind of World Do You Want?

Last week Debby Giusti blogged about using the pandemic as a backdrop to our stories. Today I want to take you in a different pandemic direction. 

I'd like to chat about story worlds and our real world in light of the strange situation we find ourselves living in. I want us to envision the new world we can create for ourselves  just like we create our story worlds.

Here in NY, in just over one month, we went from having no diagnosed cases to (at last count) having 251,690 confirmed cases and 14,828 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

I realize that might make my reality (not leaving the house except to walk the dog for 6 weeks now) different from the reality for a lot of others. I would like to hear what life is like for you. 

So where am I going with this?


I've read a lot of articles in the past few weeks speculating on what life will be like once we get past this pandemic. People are wondering if we can ever go back to who we were several months ago. 

I think the question really is - do we want to?

Have we learned anything in the past 6 weeks?

I listened to a report earlier today by someone who was commenting on how 3 months ago, no one would have believed you could so effectively shut things down and have people throw themselves into self-isolating.

I've also seen lots of speculation about what kind of people we might be when we emerge. Will this experience have fundamentally changed us, or will we shrug it off and move on?


Peter C. Baker, in his article in The Guardian stated, "Some believe the pandemic is a once-in-a-generation chance to remake society and build a better future.


Designer Fabio Novembre went one step farther. He put a call out. "We are dreamers. Let's try to dream about a different world, a better world," he said. "This is the greatest chance we might have."




All this discussion reminds me of Five for Fighting's song World.




"World"

 Got a package full of WishesA Time machine, a Magic WandA Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or CommandmentsLaws of Gravity orIndecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I seeA.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-beTake a chance - Grab a pieceHelp me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?Think AnythingLet's start at the startBuild a masterpieceBe careful what you wish forHistory starts now...


.

What kind of world do you want?  
I have some questions I'd love for us to discuss, so I hope to hear from you. 

We're pros at building the kind of fictional worlds where people long to live. How can we turn that talent on our real life problems?

How can we use our stories to build a better world? Can we deliberately craft a message in the hope of inspiring people?

What kind of world do you want? If this really is a chance for people to stop and think and reimagine our world, what would you keep? What would you change?

Making the Move From Reader to Aspiring Author, part two

by Jan Drexler

Today's post, along with last month's part one (you can read that post here) are part of Seekerville's new "Let's Get Back to Basics" series. Because we know how overwhelming learning to become a published author can be, we want to give beginners a helping hand and help veterans refresh their knowledge.
If you remember, I am in the process of sharing six steps to make the transition from reader to aspiring author. 
From last month's post:
Step 1: Live Your Life
Step 2: Read as if Your Career Depends on It
Step 3: Study the Concept of Story
And now - here are the next three steps:

Step 4: Understand the art of writing vs. the mechanics of writing 


There are two parts of writing – there is the art , and then there are the mechanics .

Learning the art of writing is easy…and the hardest thing we will ever do. The secret to learning how to write is to write! What’s so hard about that? Well, if you’re a writer, you know the self-doubt, that discouraging voice in your ear, and the experience of writing pages and pages of what seems to be nothing.

But every word we put on paper (or in our computer file) is valuable. With every sentence, every paragraph, we’re learning how to write. The act of writing is what develops the writer. 



Here’s your fourth assignment , part A:

Write 100 words. Write like no one will ever read it. Let the words flow. Avoid the urge to self-edit.

Then put that page away until tomorrow. Tomorrow you can read what you’ve written, but until then put it out of your mind. Take heart! You’ve written 100 words!

When you open your document or your notebook tomorrow, tweak those words. Do they say what you meant to say? Change some of the words you used for stronger ones. Switch one sentence for another one. (This is called revising – a particularly useful skill.)

Now that you’re happy with what you wrote yesterday, write another hundred words – or more. Make this practice a daily habit.



But there is another part to writing: mechanics .

If you’re a grammar geek like me, this part is easy. And hard. I cringe when people use the past perfect progressive tense when they mean to use the past perfect. (It’s a blessing. And a curse.)

Don’t worry. I do understand that not everyone is a grammar geek. There are some of you whose eyes glazed over when you read the preceding paragraph!

There is help out there. A simple (and free) one is the Grammarly app for your computer. You can find it here. There are also many books written to help you learn the basics of grammar and punctuation – between homeschooling and adult education, you have plenty to choose from. Go to Amazon and do a search for grammar curriculum. There are many inexpensive workbooks to help. One of my favorites is the one we used for my children when they were in high school: Easy Grammar Plus.

I want to say something especially important here, and then I’ll be quiet about this grammar and punctuation stuff (for now.) Here it is: 
Writing is an art, and every artist needs to be able to use his or her medium. Painters need to understand watercolors, acrylics, and oil. Sculptors need to understand clay. Quilters need to understand fabric. And writers need to understand words. Don’t depend on an app like Grammarly to write for you – use your words like a paintbrush to convey your story to your readers. 

So, here’s your  fourth assignment , part B:

Do an internet search for “English verb tense charts.” Find and download a simple chart of English verb tenses. Refer to it as you write. Learn to recognize the different verb tenses and how to use them properly. I found this one on Pinterest: Easy Verb Tense Chart 


Step 5: Learn and Practice the Habits of a Writer


What are a writer’s habits?

If you’ve been around Seekerville long enough, you have probably discovered that every writer works in their own way. Each writer develops their own habits and method of working.

My husband loves to tell me about James Patterson’s writing habits. According to a recent interview, Mr. Patterson writes seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. He gets up around five thirty, does some housework, writes a bit. Takes a walk for an hour or so, then comes back and writes until eleven or twelve. (I think my husband wants me to take afternoons off and sell books like James Patterson!)

But that schedule wouldn’t work for me.

Neither would anyone else’s.

But MY schedule works for me, and YOUR schedule will work for you.

The point behind developing habits is to have the habits – have the routine. Even if you can only eke one hour of writing time out of your weekly schedule, grab it! Own it! Make it your habit!
Other writerly habits can include things like journaling, using writing prompts to get the creative energy flowing, and developing a pre-writing routine. Whatever works for you! 


Your fifth assignment : Find your writing time and make it a habit to always use that time for writing. Even if it’s only fifteen minutes a day…you can write one hundred words in fifteen minutes.


Step 6: Develop a thick skin - - your story is not YOU 


This one came as a surprise to me as I was working on this post. I thought I had this covered…until I received a rejection letter last week. Ouch!

Oh, I know. Our stories are our babies! We’ve poured our heart and soul into that story! It is an extension of ME!

But no, it isn’t.

Once we hit the “send” button on our story, it is no longer part of us. It belongs to the world.

And sometimes the world doesn’t think our story will be a good fit at this time. Sometimes the world is looking for Amish stories instead of covered wagon stories. Or maybe our story wasn’t as ready for the big world as we thought it was.

This is where we need our thick skin. Which is another way of saying that we need to put some emotional distance between ourselves and our work.

When we receive a rejection, or a stinging criticism, or a bad review, this is what we do: Take twenty-four hours to get over it. Eat chocolate. Feel sorry for ourselves.

And this is what we don’t do: Never complain on social media about the situation. Never attack the reviewer/editor/agent/crit partner. Never think that we are any less talented of a writer than we were two days ago.

And then, after you’ve given yourself twenty-four hours (or maybe forty-eight, if it was a particularly bad experience,) pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. And go back to work. 



We go back to work because we are writers.

Sure, we took a blow, but it didn’t really change anything, did it?

And it helped us to develop that thick skin we need.

For your sixth assignment ? There isn’t one. There is nothing I can suggest that will help you develop the thick skin you need except to write. Submit. Enter contests. Take the blows when they come (believe me, they will) and learn from them.

That's it! Six steps! I hope you use these six steps in the spirit that I shared them - a way to learn and grow as a writer. We're all in this together!
It's your turn now: Which of these steps has been the most meaningful to you?
One commenter will win a copy of a book out of my secret stash... If you're the winner, I'll give you your choice of several titles to choose from - and the list will include authors other than me! (Don't you love surprises?)

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

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--and the world--during this coronavirus outbreak. 
Dear Lord, protect us and keep usfree from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to contain the spread of this virus, especially those  in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick. Give clarity and right judgement to the WHO, CDC, NIH and federal, state and local agencies combating this outbreak.Guard all of us and especially our elderly and immunocompromised. Bring healing to those who have the disease, Eternal Glory to thosewho have succumbed to the virus andcomfort to the families who have lost loved ones.God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.Amen.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly throughout this Easter Season.
Second Sunday of EasterSunday of Divine Mercy
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio, c. 1602, Milan. [PD-US]
On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, “Peace be with you.”When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,“Receive the Holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”But he said to them,“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his handsand put my finger into the nailmarksand put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again insideand Thomas was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked,and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,and bring your hand and put it into my side,and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciplesthat are not written in this book.But these are written that you may come to believethat Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,and that through this belief you may have life in his name.John 20:19-31

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.  Note our new email address and please send your emails to Seekerville2@gmail.com







Monday: We celebrated Jamie Adams's traditional debut, Cold Creek Mountain! The winners of an e-book copy are Vince and Lori Smanski!
Wednesday: Debby Giusti talked about taking lemons and making lemonade in her blog post, "Brainstorming Post-Corona Stories!" The winner of Debby's April Love Inspired Suspense, DANGEROUS AMISH INHERITANCE, is Sarah Taylor! Congrats, Sarah!
Friday: Winnie Griggs gave us some tips and techniques for creating those great Wow Moments in our stories.


Monday:  Jan Drexler will bring part two of "Making the Move from Reader to Aspiring Author." Last month she shared the first few steps, and she'll continue with more steps to becoming an author...and one or two of them might surprise you!
Wednesday:  Cate Nolan comes bearing sunshine for our day!  Friday: Pam Hillman always has truths to tell!






DEAR FRIENDS,THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!If you can't find DANGEROUS AMISH INHERITANCEin your local bookstore and/or Walmart...or if you aren't venturing out of your house,the story--both print and digital--is available online.
Dangerous Amish InheritanceBy Debby Giusti“Move off the mountain. No one wants you here.”
Can this Amish widow survive her dangerous stalker?Someone wants Ruthie Eicher off Amish Mountain…enough to terrorize the widow and her boys. Now Ruthie must rely on her former sweetheart, Noah Schlabach—the secret father of her eldest son—as they figure out why. But Noah has turned his back on love and the Amish way of life. Can he shield Ruthie…without breaking her heart again?Order HERE!
The Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award of Excellence 2020is looking for submissions! Don't miss a great opportunity for feedback and the chance to win the prestigious Maggie!Submission deadline is April 24, 2020.



Winnie Griggs has had her website spiffed up to reflect the new direction her writing is headed in. Click HERE to have a peek at it.




On shelves nationwide in Walmart and wherever mass market paperbacks are sold... Ruthy's newest story of second chances and new beginnings! Also on Amazon, my friends!
 https://amzn.to/2R3WdTD




How To Become A Writer: Going From Hobby To Career by CS Lakin at The Self Publisher

How To Make Your Vision A Reality by Michael Hyatt

Character Map - An Exercise by Aaron Gansky at Blue Ridge Conference

Beta Readers by Katherine Reay at Learn How To Write A Novel

The Feather Duster by Tamela Hancock Murray at Steve Laube

Creating And Promoting A Podcast by Andrew Forrester at Book Baby Blog

10 Tips For Irresistible Writing, Part 1 by Katy Kauffman at The Write Conversation

How To Make Quote Images That Boost Your Business by Lillian De Jesus at Louise Myers Visual Social Media

13 Ways To Increase Your Email Open Rate by David Gaughran 

Always the latest writing news, sign up for The Inside Edition by Tina Radcliffe

Creating The Wow Moment

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. As I’ve mentioned once before, many of these articles I pen come about because I want to research certain aspects of fiction writing to improve my own writing. And that’s most definitely true of this post. Lately I’ve wanted to dig into what I call the story’s Wow Moment.
The Wow Moment goes by a number of names – Plot Twist (though it’s more than that), the Big Reveal, the Unexpected Turn, the Reader Epiphany. But whatever you call it, it’s that moment in your story that makes the reader come bolt upright and go “Wow, I never saw that coming” yet they also totally buy into it. It also makes the reader reevaluate everything that came before this point in the story and resets their assumptions of what will come next.
Think of the moment when Darth Vader reveals he’s Luke’s father, or when it’s revealed that Malcolm Crowe, Bruce Willis’ character in The Sixth Sense, was himself a ghost. In literature,  great Wow Moments can be found in O’Henry’s gift of the Magi and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
We can all agree that when done well, this is a very effective tool to ramp up the reader’s enjoyment of, and engagement with, your story. So how do we go about creating these in our own stories? That’s the question I set out to answer for myself. Here are some tips I’ve gleaned through observation and research.
But before I dig into the meat of this, there'sone thing I want to make clear - not every story requires a big Wow Moment. There are lots of quieter stories that work just fine, perfectly satisfying the reader without one.
Now, let’s dig in and discuss some various techniques and tips I've come up with.

Reader expectations.In order to surprise your reader you must first understand what her expectations are. And as a reader yourself this should be fairly easy to do. So when you come to crafting one of your story’s major turning points, make a list of at least 10 things that might happen. This should include everything that immediate jumps out at you, no matter how cliched, far fetched or predictable. Then set those aside. Somewhere in your next list of 10 things you will hopefully find an idea you can pull out and explore, tweak, twist and turn inside out to make for a more satisfying, much less predictable twist.
As for the ideas you didn’t use, any that are interesting or unique but just didn’t work for this scene, make note and file them away – they may come I handy later.
CharacterizationSome of the best and most electrifying Wow Moments are plumbed from multi-dimensional characters with complex motivations rather than from outside circumstances. Provide enough detail about your character to set expectations in your readers mind for how he will react to certain situations and personalities, then set up your Wow moment scene in such a way that, in hindsight, it makes perfect sense for your character to act against type. But beware, you can’t make your character act against type simply for effect. Your character must have a believable reason and strong motivation to go against type. Moreover, you must also have a story purpose for this scene, a purpose other than you just wanted to shock the reader.
Misdirection / Red HerringsThis is an especially useful technique in mystery stories. This involves more than simply sprinkling in multiple possibilities for the answer to the mystery or puzzle. To make for a strong Wow Moment, you need to bury the clues to your big revelation unobtrusively in the emotions or actions of several previous scenes, ideally in action or dialogue where some other major focal issue is happening. And the more offhand the reference is, the better.
Sub PlotsSub plots can be used to create or enhance a Wow Moment.
The sub plot could start off as a low key, minor thread and then suddenly throw an unexpected spotlight onto the main thread. It could dovetail into the main plot in an unexpected way that lends new meaning to the entire storyline.
Alternately, the sub plot can be used to distract the reader from some key element in the main plot thread, allowing the twist, when it appears, to carry a bigger punch.
Work BackwardsIf you know from the outset what sort of Wow Moment you want to create, then you can work backwards from that point and figure out just what sort of foreshadowing and clue planting you need to do.


BelievabilityRemember, we want to surprise the reader, but we also want them to buy into the twist. It needs to make sense in hindsight. If it comes from completely out of the blue or appears too gimmicky (such as the infamous “it was all just a dream”),  the reader will feel cheated and/or insulted. A good wow moment enhances and deepens the storyline, characterization or both.
You accomplish believability by using foreshadowing. It should be subtle so that it doesn’t broadcast your twist. As an author, you need to walk that fine line between planting enough clues to make it obvious in hindsight, but burying it in enough ‘clutter’ so that it becomes almost invisible.
Again, think of The Sixth Sense. Once you knew the twist, you were able to go back and view the movie and see that the clues were all there if you’d only known how to read them.
Story PurposeNever include a plot twist just for the sake of having one or to up the drama. Those are never satisfying to the reader and you run the risk of tipping your story over into the realm of melodrama or purple prose. Instead, only include them in a way that flows naturally from your story and characters. The Wow Moment is not there just to amaze your reader, they explain and enhance the underlying meaning of the story itself.
UniquenessIf your plot twist relies on clichés, overused story elements or a famous twist employed in the past, then it won’t create the Wow Moment you are looking for. In fact it can actually lead to your reader setting the book aside as too predictable and mundane.
Choose Your POVIf your Wow Moment involves the reader learning that one of the characters has a big secret – he’s royalty, she has a twin, he escaped from an asylum, she’s secretly wealthy – then that issue can’t be touched on even peripherally while in that character’s POV, otherwise your reader will feel cheated.
In addition, selecting the right POV can allow for story questions and wrong assumptions when viewed from that focal point. Again, think of The Sixth Sense. If the story had been told from either the young boy’s or the wife’s POV the impact would have been lost – it could only work when told from Malcolm Crowe’s POV.
And here's an extra quote, just for fun :)

And there you have it – my notes on how to craft a Wow Moment for your book.
Readers love to encounter these Wow Moments when they are executed effectively. Those are the moments that stay with them long after the story ends, it’s what often makes them go back and re-read the story, savoring the recognition of the clues now that they know what it is all leading to. It’s what can make your books “must reads” for your fans.
So now it's your turn.  Do you have any tips to add to the list?  Do you have any favorite Wow Moments from a book or movie?  Share and you'll be get your name in the hat for winner's choice of any book from my backlist.

Brainstorming Post-Corona Stories

 By Debby Giusti

You’ve all heard the old adage, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” I love the lemon to lemonade concept and was toying with ways we could take the negative aspects of our present situation with the coronavirus and use it in a positive way to enhance our writing.
Most of us are sheltering at home, right? So I thought it might be interesting to use the outbreak as a starting point to brainstorm future stories. For traditional publishing, the process from proposal to having a book on the shelf takes about a year. Looking ahead to April or May 2021, I anticipate most stories released from that time on will at least mention the pandemic, while others might draw more deeply from what the world is experiencing at this unique moment in history.


Are you stamping your foot and wagging your finger at me? “Books transport me away from daily problems,” you say, “and I don’t want to read about another pandemic, especially when I lived through the BIG ONE of 2020!” You’re right, of course, and I agree.
Readers won’t be enthusiastic about immersing themselves in fictional outbreaks when the actual event is still so real, but they will expect to see some of the repercussions from a near global shutdown woven into future stories.


So let’s brainstorm story ideas using the pandemic as a backdrop. Throw out some ideas—the sky’s the limit—and we’ll add to the comments and see how the various plots develop.
What about characters? How will the outbreak play into our hero or heroine’s backstory? Perhaps they’ll struggle with the loss of a loved one from the virus or a hesitation to “get close” to people or interact or fall in love. Some characters might carry guilt for the mistakes they made during the actual outbreak. It’s plausible that nurses and doctors might leave the healthcare profession or deal with emotional problems akin to PTSD after the suffering and loss of life they were exposed to day after day.
Let’s also brainstorm ideas about our new normal after the outbreak subsides. How will life change and how will those changes play into future stories? Will we continue to wear face masks when we’re ill or in crowded situations? What about handshakes and hugs? How will we greet one another post-corona? Will more people work from home, will distance learning be the norm for our schools, will more church services be live-streamed? Share your thoughts about life after corona and how writers can anticipate those changes now. If you’re currently working on a book, how do you plan to include the outbreak in your WIP?

Brainstorming works on the premise that two heads are better than one. Articulating ideas without a censor overrides the negative voices within and allows creativity free rein. So let’s throw out story ideas or facets of a story that relate to the outbreak. We’ll take the lemons of this time of social distancing and make some refreshing lemonade to curb our thirst and spur on our imaginations.
Along with lemonade, there's also coffee and hot tea. Pour something to drink and help yourself to the breakfast bar. You’ll find blueberry muffins and orange scones, fruit and grits! 


Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered in a drawing for a copy of my latest Love Inspired Suspense, DANGEROUS AMISH INHERITANCE.
Now, let’s Brainstorm Post-Corona Stories!
Wishing you abundant blessings,Debby Giustiwww.DebbyGiusti.com


Dangerous Amish InheritanceBy Debby Giusti
“Move off the mountain. No one wants you here.”

Can this Amish widow survive her dangerous stalker?

Someone wants Ruthie Eicher off Amish Mountain…enough to terrorize the widow and her boys. Now Ruthie must rely on her former sweetheart, Noah Schlabach—the secret father of her eldest son—as they figure out why. But Noah has turned his back on love and the Amish way of life. Can he shield Ruthie…without breaking her heart again?
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The Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award of Excellence 2020is looking for submissions! Don't miss a great opportunity for feedback and the chance to win the prestigious Maggie!Submission deadline is April 24, 2020.