Lillian Duncan's Blog, page 45

God as Co-writer???

Lots of people ask me how I come up with the crazy ideas I do for my suspense stories. After all, I've never been chased down streets, kidnapped, held for ransom, shot at, or any of the other things that happen to my characters.

I usually smile, shrug my shoulders, and say I have no idea. But today, I'm going to share my secret. My secret is….I have a co-writer. You won't see his name on the cover of my books, but I do give Him credit and all the glory.

GOD is my co-writer.

He's my source for creativity. When my story comes to a screeching halt, I turn to my co-writer for inspiration and help. Here's a recent example:  My editor returned a manuscript I'd submitted for consideration with a polite no thank you along with several reasons.

Exasperation. Disappointment. Frustration. And whatever other negative emotions you can think of oozed through my veins. I love this story (of course, I love all my stories) and want others to have the chance to read it.

Deep down, I knew she was right. There were two main issues with the story. The way I've written it, it reads half like women's fiction and the other half suspense. But suspense needs to be all suspense—not half.

Easy fix.

All I have to do is start deleting all those wonderful words I'd written. Easy fix but difficult to actually do. After all, I wrote those wonderful words. Difficult not impossible.

The other issue—too many coincidences to bring all the characters together. A coincidence to bring the main character to the two police officers. A coincidence for the killer to learn the identity of the witness.

Not so easy to fix. Coincidences may be awesome in life, but a big no-no when it comes to writing.

But what's a writer to do? I love the story and don't want to see it go to that big story junkyard littered with so many writers' broken hopes and dreams.

I sat down and tried to change things, but it wasn't happening. The coincidences remained and the story stayed stuck. So…I turned to my co-writer. And as usual, He had the answers!

Change the location where the body's found came the answer. Mmm. I thought about it. If the body was found in the alley and not on the highway, then it would take care of how the main character meets up with the detectives…and it would take care of how the bad guy finds the main character-the only witness to the murder.

I just love my co-writer.

God Bless and Good Reading. LIL

 

 

How many words must a writer write before they become a writer?

WARNING:  This post is more about questions than answers. So be prepared to be confused or if you're not confused, then be prepared to leave comments so I can become unconfused!

To borrow the format of an old old song, how many words must a writer write before he/she becomes a writer? That is the question of the day.

I recently had my fourth book released PURSUED, and only now can I look people in the eye and say, "I'm a writer." This is my first book published by a "traditional" publishing company. I self-published my first book, then had two published by a POD publisher. For me, I didn't feel like I was a writer until I'd been validated by a traditional publisher, but that's just me.

I know there are plenty of writers out there who haven't even completed a book but they have no problem telling others they are a writer. And far be it from me to disagree with them.

Does a person become a writer as soon as they decide to become a writer? After they've written the first word, first paragraph, or finished their first book? Maybe, they don't become a "real writer" until they've published a book?

Mmm. That could be a good definition. A person becomes a writer after they've published a book. Really? But published how? With new technology and ebooks, the lines of being published have quickly become blurred.

And what about all the newspaper and magazine writers not to mention all the bloggers. Aren't they writers? There must literally be millions of people out there blogging and many of them spend a great deal of time and effort getting it right. (Someone probably knows the number but I don't.)

Speaking of blogs, why don't you take a minute to hop over to the sidebar and subscribe to this blog. I promise you won't be inundated with posts in your mailbox. I plan to blog no more than once per week, and much more likely 2 or 3 times per month—if that. 

So, back from the commercial and back to the question at hand.

First, I think it's fair to say there is a difference between being a writer and an author. A writer might write books, articles, blogs….but an author writes books.

Yikes!! Don't yell at me! Let's see what the dictionary says. Dictionary.com says an author is a person who writes a novel, a poem, or other written work.  Another definition is the maker of anything, the creator of anything.  Mmm. That would include blogs and magazine and newspaper articles.

I don't see anything in the definition that you are only an author if your writing makes money, or if your book becomes a bestseller, or if everyone knows your name, or even if a publisher decides you are a writer.

Gosh, maybe I was a writer all along and just didn't know it. To learn more about Lillian and her writing visit: www.lillianduncan.net

Don't forget about my new book, PURSUED (www.whiterosepublishing.com) Guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime!

Reggie Meyers has spent her life pursing the American Dream, but now she's the one being pursued— by an unknown killer. Putting her trust in Dylan Monroe, a man she barely knows, will either be the best decision she ever made or the last.

What's your opinion? When does a person become a writer?

God Bless and Good Reading! Lil

 

Would Jesus Blog?

Would Jesus blog?

Do you hear it?

All that screaming, sobbing, and yelling? Not to mention kicking and throwing things? That's me—being dragged into the twenty-first century and… into the world of blogging and social networking.

It's not that I'm opposed to technology. I love my electronic gadgets as much as the next woman—OK, maybe a little more, if truth be told. And I'm all about the truth except when I'm making up stories.

Since my first release in almost five years (PURSUED) was just published I've learned the value of a blog. So many sweet and kind bloggers have had me as their guest, and it's been a good thing.

But still…I resisted having my own blog.

I have a website (www.lillianduncan.net) and even have "friends" but blogging?? It's not for me. After all what would I say? Why would anyone want to hear what I have to say? Wouldn't it take away too much time from my writing?

But then I read a book, How I Sold 1 Million EBooks In 5 Months. John Locke assured me I must have a blog along with a website, friends, and tweets. And he gave me permission to only blog when I really have something to say—not every day or even every week!

But…but…but…I don't want to. There's not enough time in the day as it is.But I do want to sell a million copies of PURSUED. (www.whiterosepublishing.com )

Why do I want to sell a million copies? The answer might seem obvious.  It's all about the money, right? Wrong.

Sure, I won't complain about some extra cash in my pocketbook, but for me writing has never been about the financial rewards. If that were true, I would have been better off getting a part-time job at a fast food restaurant for the past sixteen years-it would have paid better!

Writing is about entertaining others while sharing the truths I've learned through a lifetime of experiences-good and bad. Writing is about sharing the impact God has had on my life in the form of stories.

Jesus taught many profound principles using stories better known as parables. He knew how to entertain and teach at the same time. He knew his audience and how to hook them. He had a message and he wanted as many people to hear that message as possible.

In Bible times that meant standing on a hill and talking to the crowds, going into the synagogues with his stories, and sending his "friends" out to spread his message.

Mmm…sounds like Jesus would have embraced blogging, tweeting, friending, linking, and whatever else comes along in order to get his message out. Maybe, I should do the same.

Aaaahhhh. Ok, one last scream…and here I am…in the twenty-first century.

Now, about my new book! Here's what one reader had to say about PURSUED. Jamie A writes on Amazon.com:  I loved this book. I did not want to put it down and hated to see it end. It was like reading a Dean Koontz novel only with an inspirational twist.

Wow! What a nice thing to say. Thanks, Jamie A.

Here's the blurb on the back cover:

Reggie Meyers has spent her life pursing the American Dream, but now she's the one being pursued— by an unknown killer. Putting her trust in Dylan Monroe, a man she barely knows, will either be the best decision she ever made or the last.

Reggie's a big city lawyer and Dylan's a country farmer. In the normal course of events, their lives would never intersect but some accidents just aren't meant to be avoided. When Reggie crashes into Dylan, it makes a bad day even worse or so she thinks. Dylan, on the other hand, is intrigued by the feisty lady lawyer and wrangles a way to spend a bit more time with her by offering to drive her home after the accident. And so the journey that will change both their lives begins…

If you like reading suspense, I think you'll enjoy the book.

God Bless and Good Reading!