Fun Friday Postponed

Today's my usual Fun Friday vlog day, but I really should have an emergency vlog post tucked in my back pocket. (Note to self: tuck away an emergency Fun Friday vlog).

Yesterday my mom was in a bad car accident. She was the driver and came away relatively unhurt, but her friend, the passenger, died. Longer version here.

So as I steer my mom through police reports and impound lots and insurance issues today, I'd appreciate any prayers.

Sage Advice

Well don't look at me. I don't have any sage advice. But I do know where to find some.

C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, and I'm not just talking Narnia. I was the junior high kid in the back of the bus with my nose shoved into a sci-fi book. Ever read Out of the Silent Planet or Perelandra? Yeah. Good stuff.

But besides fiction, Lewis was proficient with non-fiction. On page 64 of Letters to Children, he offers some great insights into writing...

1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.

2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don't implement promises, but keep them.

3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean "More people died" don't say "Mortality rose."

4. In writing, don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is "terrible," describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was "delightful"; make us say "delightful" when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers "Please, will you do my job for me."

5. Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about really infinite.

Personally, my biggest bugaboo is #1. It's always clear in my head, but on paper, not so much. How about you? Which number do you need to work on?

Sometimes You're Up, Sometimes You're Down

On plenty of days

the writer can write three or four pages

and on plenty of other days

he concludes he must throw them away.

~ Annie Dillard

Writing is a psychotic rollercoaster ride. One minute you're pretty sure you've penned the most brilliant piece of work since War and Peace. The next, you seriously doubt you could sell the thing as birdcage liner.

Currently I'm in the not-fit-for-bird-poop frame of mine in reference to my half-finished manuscript, BUT (and I've always got a big but), I'll press on. How? Great question. Let's dissect it.

Top 3 Ways To Slog Through The Middle-of-the-WIP Doldrums

1. Duct tape up the mouth of that negating inner voice.

Be ready to gag the piehole of that next negative thought telling you your writing stinks. Get proactive and Google right now some affirmative thoughts. My favorite source is the Bible. An example is Psalm 118:8..."It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." To make it even more personal, I substitute 'my writing' for man:

"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in my writing."

2. Set a daily word goal--and stick to it by nabbing an accountability partner.

Even something as small as 200 words a day will keep you moving forward, and most often you'll surprise yourself by writing more. Having a buddy check up on you puts the pressure on. The scarier the buddy, the better. Just think what an ex-Delta force special ops accountability partner could do for your consistency.

3. Add in a quirky new character or ramp up the tension with a plot twist.

Sometimes the reason you're in the doldrums is that you're bored. And if the author is bored, what do you think the reader will be?

That's it. Just 3 simple steps. My plan? I've lined up a buddy to put my feet to the fire for the month of May. My daily word goal during that month will be 500. And I'm working out a new plot twist even as I type.

How about you? Remember...if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Misery Loves Company

Contrary to the title, no, I'm not currently miserable. Still, being that it's spring, I thought I'd shine a ray of hope to those who may be lamenting rejection after stinging rejection. Believe it or not, pain is a good sign. It means you're still kicking as a writer.

And you're not alone. Take a stroll down the hall of shame..

C.S. LEWIS received over 800 rejections before he sold his first piece of writing.

MADELINE L'ENGLE's A Wrinkle in Time was refused 26 times before she found a publisher who said yes.

STEPHEN KING's Carrie took 30 tries before someone picked it up.

J.K. ROWLING got Harry Potter turned down a dozen times before someone finally gave it a chance.

MEG CABOT had The Princess Diaries rejected by 17 publishers before one gave it a chance.

These authors aren't super sore about being rejected...but the publishers who rejected them sure are.

Bottom line: hang in there. Polish up that manuscript and send it out yet again. Then let me know when you sell it and I'll add you to the list.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 66

Word Count: 43,266

Sentence of the Day: Whoever wore that tiara would be the queen of the ball--and she'd long since felt she was royalty.

Writer Buddy: Julie Klassen

Question: What do writer buddies do when they get together?

Answer: Eat

Come on...did you seriously think I'd say we focus on plot and character so much that yumminess wasn't a factor? Sheesh.

Last week I met author Julie Klassen for lunch, and if you don't know her yet, you will by the end of this post.

Julie writes historical fiction set during the Regency era. Think Jane Austen. Yeah, she's that good. She writes full-time now, but formerly was an editor with Bethany, so she's seen both sides of the writerly road.

With this wealth of knowledge, I asked her what she thought was one of the most important skills a writer should hone in order to get published. You'll never guess what she said...

Keep your butt in your chair.

Granted, she said it much more eloquently than that, but y'all know what I'm talking about. Grandiose ideas and half-finished manuscripts are not going to get you published. You've got to roll up your sleeves, sit down, and do the hard work of typing word after word. And believe me, I'm preaching to myself as much as to anyone out there in blogland.

This method is a winning formula for Julie. She's put out a book a year for the past 5 years. I love all her stories, but her recent release happens to be my favorite...

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

You'll have to pick yourself up a copy to find out!

Games Writers Play

Is there life after Words With Friends? Tune in for a few new ideas.

5 Burning Writing Tips

Currently my favorite TV show is Burn Notice...which is quite a feat since I don't have a TV.

It all started when we visited friends over Christmas break. The guys watched the show upstairs while the girls worked on crafts downstairs. When we got home, my hubby was hooked enough to watch more episodes on his iPhone via Netflix before going to sleep. My eyes were drawn to the little screen and I got sucked into the drama...big time.

Even though Burn Notice is a boy show with guns and explosions and geeky secret agent kinds of gadgets, I can't wait for the new season to begin. Which is really weird. You couldn't pay me to watch a James Bond movie. So if it's not the genre that reeled me in, then what?

After much thought, I realized that Matt Nix, the writer of Burn Notice, consistently applies some principals that can benefit any genre of story...

Be clear about what your protagonist wants so that the reader knows exactly when that goal is slapped out of reach.

All hero Michael Westen wants to find out is who burned him and why. Episode after episode, this goal isn't necessarily front stage, but it is present. Always.

Keep your hero's goal as an underlying thrum in your story, the ol' carrot dangling in front of his face. That way when that goal is threatened, your reader will understand how devastating the consequences will be if that goal isn't reached.

Create mini-conflicts that increase the protag's problems.

Michael Westen is always taking on side jobs, usually justice related, while he works to discover who burned him. And often when he's in the middle of one of these dangerous jobs, he'll get a call to meet with a lead for his burn notice. What will he do? Drop his current crucial mission for the overall big picture of getting another piece in the whodunnit puzzle?

Don't give your hero an easy life. Ramp up the tension in your story by throwing in road blocks. And not just pansy white plastic roadblocks. I'm talking big teethy dangerous roadblocks...not necessarily the blood and guts type. Emotional roadblocks can stop a hero flat in his tracks just as well.

Mislead the reader.

Just when we think Carla is the head of "Management," the entity who issued the burn notice, we find out she's merely a cog. Just when we think Strickler can get Michael his old job back, he turns out to be a schmuck. Yada, yada.

On your route to solving your hero's main conflict, add in a few rabbit trails to throw the reader off track, otherwise your story will become too predictable. Too many yawns are a deal breaker.

Make your antagonist Satan incarnate.

That white headed dude who's the face of Management? Yeah. Let's just say that if I ever came face to face with him in real life, I'd slap him into tomorrow, he's that evil.

Which makes for a great example: the darker the villain, the more your hero will shine. Your hero will have a chance to show off his great strength of character if he's pitted against a devious slimeball.

Create a sympathetic character for your hero to protect.

There's no doubt about it...Michael Westen loves his mom. She's not a sissy girl, but she is vulnerable. His care for her tugs at the heart strings.

And that's exactly what you need to do. Doesn't have to be a person. You can create the same effect with an animal, though that's a bit trickier. Showing your hero concerned for the well being of a 'weaker' character is admirable and attractive...traits every great hero should have.

The new season of Burn Notice starts this June. Diligent blogger that I am, I suppose I'll force myself to watch every episode just to see if I can pick up any more writing tips.

Right. Who am I kidding?

WIP STATS ~ Day 65

Word Count: 41,021

Sentence of the Day: Her friend Bella collected shoes, Millie men, but bonnets? Ahh. She'd take a new bonnet any day and every day had she enough space to store them.