As I write, I often try to immerse myself in my story, concentrating on time, place, characterization, and dramatic elements. I introduce conflict early and end chapters with quandaries and a desire to know more. Secondary characters are sprinkled throughout the story, but never in such a way to detract from the main folks–the hero/heroine. I bring in enough facts to …
Calm, Cool, and Collected
As I navigate the fascinating waters of the fiction writing world, I am reminded that some days will be more productive than others. Some days, other things might have to take precedence over writing. Things like: family illness, emergencies, maintaining a home. There’s also the less imperative demands: grocery shopping and meal prep (I haven’t mastered the art of nose twitching yet), laundry …
Birds of a Feather…
Often, people who love to write will tell you that we eat, live, and breathe writing. Our minds rarely turn off. We’re usually thinking about the plot, the next scene, or conversations our characters are having. We tend to eavesdrop on conversations around us to get a feel for what folks might be thinking, feeling, or wondering, and we …
Work In Progress
I’ve been thinking a lot about my work in progress. It’s kind of like the dairy farm above–I have to regularly tend to it and work at it to keep it operational. In the series that I’m creating, I have to keep track of the same characters because they may flow in and out of book one and two and …
Just Desserts
When I am in the process of creating characters, I often contemplate whether or not they should receive their “just desserts” from time to time. Ultimately, I do decide to allow the reader to see that poor choices can often lead to bad outcomes. I also try to reflect the fact that, just as God gives His children “free will”, …
God's Timing
How is it that we can want something so badly that we lose sight of what God wants for us? We presume to know when the right time will be, how it will happen, and what course of action we must pursue to obtain our desire. If I’d known it would take 15 to 20 years to launch a writing career, would …
Heroes
One of my recent favorite movies is “Fireproof,” starring Kirk Cameron and a host of other talented actors. In this movie, Kirk Cameron plays a firefighter (aka “Caleb Holt”) who is struggling in his marriage, with his faith (or lack thereof), and with personal issues which threaten to destroy him. In other words, Kirk’s character is bogged down in the muck and mire …
Writing Up a Storm
Over the weekend I reviewed my work-in-progress, and I revamped a character that seemed to have become a bit of a bore. He’s still a bore—just a more colorful, multi-faceted bore. He doesn’t realize it. It’s part of who he is. As the story progresses, this fellow does grow and develop beyond what I’ve let the reader initially see. And though …
Mountaintops
Do you ever wonder why it is that sometimes we experience more “valleys” than “mountaintops” in life? A few more thorns, perhaps, than roses? I believe the lull between the two are periods of growth, or “seasoning,” as some people call it. In order to fully appreciate joy, we must first walk the lonesome roads of heartache I think. The sudden …
A Nation Blessed
I was thanking God today for many things: Jesus, family, the freedom to worship, this great nation we live in. Something as simple as writing this is a freedom I don’t take lightly either. Freedom of speech to a writer is like having oxygen to breathe. I try to write responsibly with vision and purpose and with the Great Commission …