Lessons from a Classroom: The Power of Yet

 I love it when worlds collide, like when earlier this week my librarian daughter messaged me to ask if I knew a particular Love Inspired author because she had just catalogued two of her books. Why yes. I'm even friends with Connie Queen. 😀

The happy collision I'm thinking of today is how lessons taught in a classroom of preteens can apply equally to writers. A few weeks ago, we had a group come to do an assembly with students on mindsets. In preparation for the program, I was reviewing some cute videos with my class, because cartoons can be ageless.

Here are links to them. If you have a few minutes, you might enjoy MOJO! (He's really cute.)

In Episode 1, 'A Secret about the Brain,' Mojo learns a secret from his friend, Katie, that changes how he thinks about learning!*

 

 

 In Episode 2, "The Magic of Mistakes," Mojo learns that building a robot is much harder then he expects. Mojo keeps trying but eventually gives up. Thankfully Katie stops by to remind Mojo that mistakes are no big deal and they can even make you smarter! It all depends on how you react to them. If you give up, your brain gets lazy and doesn't get the exercise needed to grow. The trick is to learn from mistakes, which helps your mind get stronger.*

 

My favorite is Episode #3 The Power of Yet!

 

 

In Episode 3, "The Incredible Power of Yet," it's Katie's turn to learn about the growth mindset. Katie loves being the smartest monster in the class, but one day in science class, she realizes that she doesn't understand the lesson being taught. Instead of asking for help, Katie freezes, because she's worried that everyone will think she's not so smart after all. Fortunately, Mojo stops by to remind Katie that he's realized that if he gets stuck, instead of saying "I can't do this," Mojo says "I can't do this, yet!" and then ask for help. Either friends or elders may be able to help advise how to solve the problem. Don't be embarrassed to ask for help! You are missing an opportunity to learn something new.*

There are more episodes, but I wanted to just focus on these three and how they apply to us.

#1  In Episode 1, Mojo is quitting school and running away because he thinks he's not smart enough. He says, "You're either born smart or you're not, and I'm not."

His friend Katie quickly shows him the error of his thinking and teaches him how he needs to use his brain, to exercise it.

That made me think. How many times have we thought, even if maybe not consciously, that you're either born a writer or you're not. Hopefully, you've never said  And I'm not! But there are certainly times we doubt ourselves, doubt whether we are really cut out for this, or if we can ever be successful.

#2 In Episode 2, Mojo has to learn that failure is not the end. That just because something doesn't work the first time doesn't mean you scrap it and give up. 

How many times are we tempted to give up when a rejection comes or a revision letter seems insurmountable? If we want to succeed, we need to follow Katie's advice and try harder, learn from our mistakes and do better.

#3 Have you ever wanted to give up on a manuscript and just toss paper airplanes? Maybe not, but cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, climbing Mt. Everest - when things are going tough in the writing world any of these can seem like a better option. In Episode 3 the tables are turned and it's Katie who is struggling because she suddenly can't do everything perfectly. She's afraid to ask for help, afraid others will laugh at her because she needs it. But the lesson is we all need help for different things, and together we can be stronger.  We might not know it/be it/do it now, but it's not never, it's just not YET!

Can't figure out that plot? Don't give up. You just haven't figured it out YET.

Haven't heard back on a proposal. Keep writing. You just haven't heard back YET.

Got a rejection or an R&R? Don't give up. You're just not there YET.

I know this all sounds somewhat simplistic and childish, but sometimes we let our adult minds saddle us with problems, and we look for complicated answers. Maybe, sometimes at least, the answer can be this simple. Maybe, sometimes we need an amusing reminder not to give up because things are hard.

What do you think?  Can Mojo and Katie help you keep going and get you to believe in the power of YET?

Some good news - that proposal I was waiting on - the one that I sent in just before my editor left? My new editor loves it and I have a new two book contract! I made it past YET for that one! And because I followed Mojo and Katie's advice and didn't give up (too often anyway), Book 1 is almost done.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

* Source of quotes. Find more of the mindset info here:  https://ideas.classdojo.com/b/growth-mindset

Best of Ruthy: BACK TO BASICS: Editing to Match the Story

 

  As we continue filling in for Ruthy on hiatus, I chose this post on editing. I hope you'll find something useful here today. Join in and let us know your most useful tips for editing!

 

BACK TO BASICS: Editing to Match the Story

This is the kind of post we can all use at times.

Few authors pen a masterpiece.

Fewer yet pen a masterpiece with no need of edits.

But when you're a new writer, the questions of what to edit, how to edit and when to edit are totally legitimate. Because you don't know what you don't know.

So let's start with my way (which I stole from Margaret Daley because it made sense to me and she's a prolific author of great stories... and she worked full time for decades while writing, and I like that kind of tenacity.)

1. Start your story. Write a few chapters. Describe your characters, get to know them, figure them out. Get to a grabs-your-attention spot now that you know your hero/heroine/protagonists and/or antagonists...

And begin there. 

Yes, you heard me. Set aside those initial getting-to-know you chapters and drop your reader into the action. I know, it's not how you learned it in grammar school with Miss Brown, but trust me, guys and gals: Miss Brown won't be seeing this and you want that editor hooked, hooked, hooked. (That's if you're aiming for traditional publishing. If you're going indie, it is just as important to hook the reader the same way. If you don't, they can click out of your book in a heartbeat and be reading someone else's story... edits matter. Do not sell readers short... they don't like that and they will let you know it.)

So now you know where your story starts. You've gotten to know your characters. I'm a "Pantser", I do minimal prep for my story because I'd rather see it come alive daily, so I'm going to talk from that perspective, but friends, EDITS ARE EDITS.

They are needed.

Necessary.

And like chocolate ice cream, they are good for you because you need to learn/see/spot your own weaknesses.

2. Do you mess up timelines? 

Do a chart that tells when important things take place for backstory or historical segment for easy reference. Keep it open as you work.

3. Do you overuse body parts? I saw a reader complaining about so many "He sucked a breath through grated teeth" or something like that. 

Oft-used phrases become annoying in genre reading, mostly because they fit and they're easy.

But there is a problem with expression vs. simple expression and it's kind of like a really good dance... change the tempo, change the moves, change the angles, change the rhythm... and end on a good note! 

FINAL DANCE SCENE FROM DIRTY DANCING!!!!!!!!! SWOON! 

Those closing scenes, from black moment on, carried your emotions on a roller coaster ride of why nots and what ifs, and that's what great edits can do: They take your reader on that ride because that's what a great story does... (having just returned from an amusement park and roller coasters, I can attest to this!)

Expression vs. simple expression is often about timing. If you overuse either maneuver it sounds unnatural so I pick and choose where I'm going over-the-top with descriptors. And I often do that in dialogue because old ladies and young children often talk that way. Here's an example:

The sun set.

She didn't move. Didn't sigh. Didn't let one tear fall onto the over-washed farm shirt she'd been wearing all day.

It was over.

She knew it. Understood it. Had expected it, even, but now--

Reality had taken it's shot and struck out like Casey at the bat and she was left to pick up the pieces. Again.

Ruthy explanation: The setting of that scene makes the scant description come alive in the reader's mind. The starkness offers the picture without me using too many words. 

Here's a different sunset scene:

Layered brilliance lit the western sky with shocking tones of gold, peach, orange, pink and red bordered by a thin splash of green. So thin she almost didn't see it.

The green hugged the horizon like a summer stole before the brighter tones overtook its subtle grace, shrouding it from view. Or maybe they didn't blanket the green. Maybe the power of their glorious salute to day's end sucked it up like a sponge seeking water. Stone-gray wisps filtered eastward, like sashes on a little girl's dress. 

She didn't live for sunsets, but the woods surrounding her tiny home were thick enough to make them a rarity, so today's fiery show drew her in. She could live here if she made that choice. Here with the beauty, the opulence, the gorgeous home, the stately cliffs reaching down, down, down to the sandy beaches below. Here where her heart resided with his. With him. How she wished it were an option.

It wasn't. She knew that.

He didn't.

But as the warm glows of the sinking sun faded to obscure shadows of what had just been, her hopes sank with them. Not her resolve.

She knew her duty. Knew where she had to be.

Now she had to tell him. Tell Carrick. Make him understand. 

He wouldn't. Couldn't. He believed that love conquered all and what he couldn't conquer with love, he'd conquer with might and he'd proven that, time and again but this time...

She stood and brushed grains of sand from the folds of chiffon.

This time she had to face the demons of the past alone and she'd do it because she'd either succeed--

Or die, trying.

And she was okay with either scenario.

Edits aren't just about changing words, slicing and dicing, and strengthening your story's arc. Sometimes they're about making the scene fit the story, the moment, the emotion. If you mess with the emotion of the moment, the scene or the story by giving the readers too much or not enough, it feels wrong, and that's what your edits need to avoid: You don't want your story to feel "wrong"... 

I liken great storytelling to beats of music. When the music works for me it's because the tune and the lyrics and the harmony all feed the moment, making it come alive.

Zach Williams and Dolly Parton's duet on "There Was Jesus" is a perfect example of that... The fact that you can see their breath in the cold barn only adds to the pathos of the song.

There Was Jesus official video here...

As is her partnership with For King and Country on "God Only Knows" that added a layer of absolute pathos to a song that was already wonderful, lifting it to beyond wonderful status.

God Only Knows video with For King and Country and Dolly Parton here...

The two compilations have inspired a new series in my head, a beautiful series of second chances, rough times, bad choices and absolute deliverance, the kind only God can give because humans are so very narrow. 

When you edit, bleed emotion. Choose words with care, not abandon. And don't be afraid to do it again and again because getting it right isn't just your responsibility... it's your duty to the beauty of story.

Somewhat bossy and always opinionated, award-winning and bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne has over 60 novels and novellas in print with over 2,000,000 in sales so she's pretty sure she's smart but equally sure that she doesn't know everything about publishing and/or writing so that's why she loves chatting it up with aspiring authors and industry pros over here in Seekerville. Friend Ruthy on Facebook, visit her website ruthloganherne.com and email her at loganherne@gmail.com (where yes, she actually reads and answers her own email.... happily!) 

Finding a Sense of Place for Your Story

As often happens with my blog posts, the topic I am writing about came to me as a result of ruminating on several different ideas. In this case, they converged in thoughts about the role that "place" plays in our stories, both as a writer and a reader.

Let me lead you down the rabbit hole of my thinking process. 

(I actually came at it backwards, so we're looking up through the rabbit hole)

Photo credit to Michal Ico from Unsplash)

  

Recently, I was listening to an author talk by Megan Miranda who was describing why she chose the Outer Banks as the setting for her most recent thriller. As she is an author known for the way her sense of place contributes to tension in her stories, it was intriguing to listen to her talk about how she chooses the setting. This is a paraphrase, but she was discussing how she looks for someplace evocative that has appeal, like the seashore. What is key though is that the same thing that makes it appealing can be flipped to make it threatening. So in her recent book, The Only Survivors, she used the Outer Banks as a refuge that also became a trap when a storm blew in and the roads were flooded out, leaving the "survivors" in that locked "room" setting so beloved of thriller/mystery writers.

Ms. Miranda also spoke of how she always travels to the setting of a book as she is preparing to write it, because that is important to developing the story.

That point resonated with me because of something else I've been thinking about. As many of you know, I spent most of my life living in the NYC Metro area. I was born in Queens, raised on Long Island, lived in Manhattan as a young married woman, and then spent 30+ years in what's known as Brownstone Brooklyn. I could easily write about the places I lived. The problem is, I never wanted to.

Which brings me to the next twist in this rabbit tale.

A popular writing adage tells us to "write what you know." The know always seems to me to imply personal experience. So writing about a place implies you need to know it intimately in order to create a strong sense of it for your reader. (Cue back to that not wanting to write about NYC problem.)

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to some writing advice, and write what you know was one piece that I always rebelled against. Maybe because I started out writing historical romance, and obviously I had no personal experience of the American colonies or Regency England or Famine-plagued Ireland. It seemed like I was set up to fail, right? Except that people do it all the time - that's what research books are for.

I always preferred the advice that suggested to "write what interests you."

That's much more... well... interesting and it opens up endless possibilities.

I still go with that mantra, but since I moved to Maine, I've experienced some revelations that have me rethinking the write what you know advice also. It all ties in with that sense of place.

What triggered that rethinking is the seasonal change here, and I want to discuss it in two ways. 

First there is the obvious seasonal change - from the bitter cold of winter to the warm and sunny days of summer and then the scarlet and gold splendor of autumn. 

But what has really piqued my interest is the slow emergence of spring. This is my second spring here, and I continue to be amazed at the daily changes, the oh so slow greening. At first there is just the slightest hint - something that was brown and dead yesterday suddenly has a touch of color. Slowly, as the April rains replace the mounds of snow, a haze of green emerges. 

Buds appear on trees. They may not blossom for a month, yet each day you see their tightness ease as tentatively they begin to unfurl. Any week now, we may see lilacs bloom. 

I could go on at length about the ferns that seem to almost magically sprout from the ground. I watched them so carefully last year because I was curious what was going to grow from the tender shoots. Or the buttercups that begin to line the roadway at the edge of the forest. Months from now, lupines will appear in the most unexpected of places - an abandoned field or a rocky slope along the highway.

 

But there is another seasonal change that I wanted to mention. That is the one that is man-made. I've come to love these rituals of change. There is that day at the end of October when suddenly the small boats are gone from the harbor almost overnight. The docks are pulled in and the rows of buoys disappear. The large ships that remain are wrapped tightly in white plastic to protect them against the winter elements. It's almost as if some invisible signal was sent - today is the day.

Fast forward to March and the process reverses. One day you're driving by the harbor and note that all of a sudden the buoys and docks are back. It's like clockwork, but also reflects the work life of the people who live by, and make a living on, the ocean.

Why does all this matter? 

Well each time I note it, I am doing it with a writer's eye and thinking how much that sort of knowledge contributes to the sense of place you are creating. These are the little details that make your story feel authentic. 

Which brings me around to my question for you - how do you create that sense of authenticity when you're writing about a place where you don't live? If you're lucky, you can visit, and if you're really lucky, you can even make that trip during the appropriate season. If you can't get there, Google Earth is great for getting you right down on ground level to help imagine your scene, the internet abounds with images people share, but that is static. How do you get to know the seasonal rhythms of a place or the small changes?

I'd love to hear your answers.

Making Use of the Waiting Time

 Almost a month ago, when Emily Rodmell announced she was leaving Love Inspired, 40 of us became her publishing orphans. 

Okay, that sounds a bit dramatic, but it got me to thinking, so expect this post to be a bit of a philosophical ramble. 😉 I hope you'll stay with me and share your own thoughts.

Change is a reality of the publishing industry (not that we have a monopoly on that - change is a reality of life). And as the Bible tells us, 

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

     a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

    a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

     a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

I'm showing my age here, but when I started to think about this blog, this song came to mind. (The Byrds - "Turn, Turn, Turn."

But reality or not, change can be hard. It's a time full of uncertainty, challenge, and  often waiting. 

It's the waiting that's often hardest, isn't it? Whether it be a medical diagnosis, an exam result, or a new editor. In the words of Tom Petty:

The waiting is the hardest part

Everyday you see one more card

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting is the hardest part

So what do we do in that waiting season? As I contemplated this post, that's what I zeroed in on. 

What matters is not the waiting itself, but what we do in the waiting time.

A friend recently gave me advice: Don't stop writing! (That came from her personal experience. Last year, she'd stopped writing during the five month wait to hear from a new editor, so it was a case of Do as I say, not as I did).

Don't stop writing.

That's one of the keys to success in this industry, isn't it? Don't. Stop. Writing.

Because the waiting time isn't going away.

Hurry up and get that contest entry done - and then wait months for the results.

Hurry up and get that proposal done - and then wait to get approval.

Hurry up and get that book submitted - and then wait months or even years to see it published.

So what is a writer to do in the waiting time?

A. She could languish - waste precious time wallowing in the wait.

B. She could refill her creative well - read and experience life so there is freshness to write about.

C. She could continue to write.

If this was a multiple choice test, the only wrong answer would be A. The best is probably a combination of B and C. 

If we are in agreement that not writing is wrong, then the question that follows is how do you keep motivated to do that?

When the road ahead is murky, when you can't see where it leads (and pray it's not off a cliff!), how do you make yourself keep going? How do you keep those fingers on the keyboard?

We often talk about how lucky we are to live in a publishing era where we have options. And I think maybe that's the answer. That's what makes the waiting easier. We have options.

Not sure whether you'll win that contest or get a contract? 

Not sure if your editor  (old or new) will like your voice, your plot, anything about the book at all?

The important thing to remember is, even if those come to pass, you're not out of options. There  are other publishing houses or you can Indie publish it.

In other words, there is only one way to guarantee your book will not be published - stop writing it.

I promise to listen to my own advice.  Will you?

When I went to Bible Gateway to copy the verse from  Ecclesiastes, I came upon this verse of the day:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

It felt like a particularly appropriate balm and reminder to my doubting heart, because as writers of Christian fiction, we have that ultimate assurance that whatever change may come, however long we wait, God is good and our trust remains in Him, not in the whims of the publishing market. He will light our way.

Please share your thoughts or experiences. How do you handle the waiting time?

All photos from Pixabay.

It Takes a Village of Writers (and a Giveaway!)

 One of my absolute favorite things about being a writer is the sense of community.Whether it's in the form of individual friendships found and nurtured, large conferences, daily sprint partners, or prayer warriors, other writers are always there to lift us up. Nowhere is that more evident than when someone is going through a difficult time.

 

 

I've certainly benefited from that sense of community and I hope you have too. Today we have the chance to help lift a fellow writer. Some of you may know that Lisa Jordan sadly lost her beloved mother just over a week ago. Needless to say, through her mother's illness and this period of mourning, promoting her new book was one of the last things on Lisa's mind. So her fellow authors have jumped in to help.

Today is my chance to focus a spotlight on Lisa's wonderful new book. Rescuing her Ranch is on the shelves now, but three of you will be lucky enough to win a copy here today!

 Welcome to Stone River Ranch. Rescuing her Ranch is Book 1 in the new series.

A fight for her future…

Might not be the one she thinks.  

Returning home after losing her job, Macey Stone agrees to care for the daughter of old friend Cole Crawford. Then she discovers that Cole’s uncle’s company wants to bulldoze her family’s land. Seeing the devoted dad with his child soon has her falling for the enemy. But can she choose between saving Stone River Ranch…and helping the man who’s stolen her heart?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

 When I asked Lisa if she wanted to say anything to our readers today, she replied that her mother "was a joy and a light in my life. I love how my LI sisters have come alongside me. I plan to return the favor. Our community is one of the many reasons I love writing for Love Inspired."

 Do you have any stories of writer friendships or how writer friends have lifted you? Please share. I'll get us started.

When my husband was dying, my Yankee Belle Cafe partners jumped in and covered all most posts for months, digging into the archives for some of my favorite recipes. It was an tremendous help to me to have my posts covered, but also just to know there were friends looking out for me, caring to check in, praying for me and my family. It made a world of difference.

Please let us know if you would like to be entered in the drawing for a copy of Lisa's book. 

US residents only for the print book.

.

The Quiet Week

It's that quiet week between Christmas and New Years.

Advent is complete, and we have celebrated the birth of our Lord with joy, but since it is still the Christmas season, I thought I would follow our December theme for today's post.

My favorite recipe is very much on my mind as I just made it for Christmas dinner. If you'd asked me this question ten years ago, I undoubtedly would have shared a Christmas cookie recipe, but this dish has taken over.

My daughter found the recipe several years ago on this website - Keepin' It Kind.
I wouldn't want to steal credit for her recipe, so I'll just show you two quick photos of our batch in progress and then refer you  back to her for the glorious finished photos.

Ingredients:
 three large sweet potatoes cut into medallions, pomegranate arils, orange juice, maple syrup, sea salt, chopped pecans, coconut sugar or brown sugar, and ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

You may notice in the picture that my daughter chose an assortment of colored sweet potatoes. Who knew there were purple ones?

 

Sprinkle with pomegranate arils and chopped pecans.

Bake and enjoy!

But do go and visit the website for this recipe.

Pomegranate Orange Sweet Potato Bake.   Kristy tells a lovely story too about getting recipes from her grandma. I love family stories like this, so I was sold even before I tasted the deliciousness.

 

 

I have new favorite song this year. It's not technically a Christmas song, but the message it carries is so in keeping with the season. I heard a snippet of it in a Hallmark Christmas movie and woke up with the refrain playing in my head. It nagged at me so much that I had to do some research to find the song. 

Earlier this year, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the Grammy Awards, he described the devastation to his country and the horrible silence the bombs leave - "the dead silence." He then urged people to "Fill the silence with your music!"

That message inspired this song.

I hope you enjoy.

 

Choosing a favorite Christmas movie is a lot harder. I've enjoyed so many over the years. I have fond memories of watching Muppet Family Christmas and an animated musical version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (featuring the mouse subplot)  with my daughters. (We watched them again this year!)

 

 

For years I played Elf at my students' request, but I never really paid attention. This year, after hearing so many adults say it was their favorite Christmas movie, I watched carefully. I get it. I actually cried at the end.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

What are your favorites and how do you spend this week between holidays?

 

Belated Merry Christmas and early Happy New Year wishes from me to you!

 

 

 

 It seems each year that I find myself posting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I don't think it's a day many people are thinking of writing. Thoughts are more likely turned to families and friends, pies and stuffing and how best to cook that bird. 

So what's a Seeker to post about?

Well, many of you might know that I have a weakness for sentimental commercials. I've posted about them before. I particularly love the ones that manage to intrigue us with a story while they're trying to sell us on something. 

At this time of year, and honestly since about Halloween, we're inundated with Christmas commercials. Out of curiosity, I decided to Google Thanksgiving commercials. I was pleasantly surprised to see there are some lovely ones - centered around family and food of course.

Here's a sampler. Take a peak while the pies are baking.

 

 

A little Thanksgiving humor...

There is some writing craft involved here. I love to see how even in these very short clips, the ad writers managed to tell a story, create characters which at least I come to care about, inject some pathos and some humor, and sell us on a theme of the importance of family and love and togetherness - often in less than a minute.

 

 

If you watch this one through to the end, you'll see the message we all send to all of you. We're so grateful for you, so thankful you are in our lives.

You  know how the Thanksgiving Parade always ends with Santa's arrival? Here's a Christmas preview.

As writers, we can appreciate the twist ending.

Happy Thanksgiving Seekerville!

Using Short Films to Analyze Story

 

I believe I've mentioned before that during the pandemic I got in the habit of tuning in on Wednesday nights to a Facebook Live group called Friends and Fiction. During the hour long show, the four author/hosts interview other authors. They have a recurring question I like so much that I've adapted it into my teaching. They ask each visiting author to tell what their book is about and then to tell what it's really about.

As a teacher, I've realized that question is a powerful tool for getting students to explore the difference between plot and theme.

I also like to teach using Pixar shorts. These short films have so much depth and tell incredible stories in a very short amount of time.

Today, as I was combining the two, I was thinking of how these would be good practices for us to engage in as writers.

Let's take this film for example.

It's really cute, so feel free to go watch. Then we'll discuss.

So what is it about?

Spoiler alert - A father and grandfather whose job is to create the phases of the moon take a young boy on his first trip to the moon. There is conflict between the father and grandfather who each want the boy to do things their way. But when a large star lands on the moon, it's the young boy who is able to solve the problem.

So what's it really about? - Finding your identity. Being true to your own self.  

You probably know from my past posts that I love to deconstruct stories to figure out how they work.  

These shorts are whole stories in under ten minutes. They're great to use with students because they give a fun visual explanation of elements of story structure. It's easy to construct a plot chart after watching a short movie. To answer that, we have to analyze the characters. It's amazing how well developed they are with no dialogue at all.

I've included two more of my favorites. I thought it might be fun to analyze why they work.

Who would like to join in? What enables these short films to capture and hold our attention?

PS - There are also some notably bad shorts (bad as in boring). I'm trying to be upbeat, so I won't link the ones with sagging middles because it's kind of bad to have a sagging middle in such a short film. Still, we can learn from analyzing the good as well as the bad.

Writing Sprints aka Words with Friends

 How do you write?

This  past July, I participated in a virtual writer's retreat organized by a friend. Some participants were writers I know; others were new to me. The format was simple - we met in a zoom room, chatted some, then sprinted. The room stayed open and people could come and go all day as they chose. 

One day some of us got to chatting, and Lee Tobin McClain mentioned a method of sprinting that she was using quite successfully. We decided to try it.

The idea is you start writing for 20 minutes. Then a quick stretch break. Then you sprint for 15 minutes, take a break. Then 10 minutes. The final session is 5 minutes. Usually you don't bother to take a break between the last two.

My friends, that method has been life-changing for me. After the retreat was over, I mentioned to a friend that I was sorry to lose the sprints. We decided to keep them up with a few other friends. So each morning for the past three weeks, we have met at 9am - either in Zoom or a FB room, and done the sprints.

In that time, I have written 50,398 words!

To understand how impressive that total is, you'd have to know I probably only managed 5,000 between January and July. I'm not bragging here. I'm amazed and oh so grateful for a chance encounter that was a game-changer.

So why do I think this works?  It's the power of a timer, accountability, routine, and friendship.

1) The power of the timer - A few months ago Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Pamela Kelly posted on FB about a cool timer that was making a huge difference in her writing. I went right to Amazon and bought one.

It didn't help me. Something was missing.

2) That something was accountability! I never thought I would be able to write with other people staring at me through my computer screen. But you know what? It's tremendously motivating. All those normal urges I have to just check FB, to go get a glass of water (or a scone or a muffin), to go do the laundry - it's harder to give in to them when someone is watching.

J/K sort of  - No one is really watching because they are too busy writing their own words, but the idea that they might be, along with the sight of them concentrating and typing away, keeps your fingers on the keyboard.

3) Routine is key. Knowing I have to sit down at the computer and turn Zoom on at 9 makes it sort of like a power switch that goes on in the brain. 9am. It's time to get to work.

4) Friendship makes it fun. We all know that writing is solitary and lonely, but this changes that feeling. You can take a few minutes to chat in the beginning, chat a bit on the stretches - but you're also there to remind each other that it's time to get back to work. That's also the power of the group, because I have found that on days when for one reason or another, it's only two of us, the chatting lasts much longer.

BONUS:  The other reason why I think this works is because you're getting your longest session out of the way first. As your energy is waning, the sprints are getting shorter. It's easier to power through.

We usually take a longer break and then come back for a second session. 

I've done lots of group sprinting before: 1-1 sessions with friends, #1k1hr, Twitter groups - none of those have worked for me like this has. 

What kinds of sprints or accountability have you tried? Or are you good on your own? I'd love to hear what works for you.

Both Debby and Missy have written at Seekerville before about the Pomodoro Tecnhique. 

 

The Importance of Goal, Motivation & Conflict.

 

The long days of summer make it hard to stay at the keyboard, but for many of us, they're also a time when we have more time to write. It's with this in mind that I'm doing a re-post.

The reason I'm reposting this particular post is because last week I attended a webinar hosted by FHLCW that featured Shana Asaro. Shana spoke for over an hour and answered tons of questions about writing for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense.

During much of her presentation, she focused on the importance of GMC - the goal, motivation, and conflict needed for a successful submission.I found it particularly fascinating when she mentioned that several years ago, the Love Inspired editors read and studied this book together. That was enough motivation to get me to pull my copy off the shelf and dust off the cobwebs. I figured we could all use a refresher, so here is my original post on the topic.

 Before I begin, a caveat - I can't say GMC by Deb Dixon is one of my favorite craft books (for reasons which I will explain), but there's no doubt it's an important and beneficial one.

You see in many ways I could be that cautionary tale veteran writers use to terrify newbies. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when I first began to write, I had no idea that there was such a thing as structure or that stories followed any prescribed formula. 

I should amend that comment. I was not consciously aware of it. But because I was an avid reader, and had been for my entire life, I had a somewhat intuitive sense of story structure even if I didn't know that's what it was.

So, picture me happily writing away without a care in the real world, lost in my own wonderful story world. 

But then I took a break from writing for a while - children, work, grad school, there just weren't enough hours in the day to make it all work, and writing took the back seat. 

Cue the violin music.

No, seriously, the reason I'm explaining that is because I so very clearly remember coming back from my self-imposed writing exile to attend a writer's conference. And I remember being confused because of all the buzzwords I was hearing - and the buzzword that was on everyone's lips was GMC.

GMC. I had no idea what they were talking about. It was like everyone else was speaking a different language.

Finally, some kind soul clued me in to Debra Dixon's book (which had been published while I was off on writing hiatus).

I read it. I saw it's value (which it clearly had since everyone was talking about it!), and I ignored it.

I didn't want to write conflict. 

I liked happy stories.

I didn't want to make them be mad at each other.

Are you laughing at me yet?

I learned my lesson, and that got me book contracts. So here's hoping it will help you too.

I'm going to use a photo of the back cover, because I think this shows why the book is so important.

I could try to give examples, but that would sort of be plagiarism, so I'll just recommend you get yourself a copy if you don't have one to dig out of the cobwebs.

GMC is apparently also a really popular topic here on Seekerville.

If you're interested in looking more into it. check out some of these posts:

Mindy's Engaging Openings

Missy had one in the Archives - Battling Through Your Manuscript...Once Scene at a Time

(Note: Missy really gave a detailed explanation of how she uses a GMC chart.)

Then there are all these GMC posts in the Seekerville archives!

So tell me, are you a GMC chart maker? How do you handle planning the goals motivations and conflict for your characters?

Who Makes the Meaning in a Book?

 Happy Summer!

School ended yesterday. Today is the first day of summer vacation, so I promise you won't have to read middle school-inspired posts for a while after today.

But today, we do have one more. I recently read Lord of the Flies with my 8th grade class. The book is old (older than me!) and a lot of people don't like it, but I have so many activities that we do with it, that the book really comes alive. I'm always stunned when students tell me it's one of their favorite books we've read.

This year, after we finished, I asked them to reflect on this quote by the author William Golding.

When asked about the meaning of his book, he replied:

“There have been so many interpretations of the story that I'm not going to choose between them. Make your own choice. They contradict each other, the various choices. The only choice that really matters, the only interpretation of the story, if you want one, is your own. Not your teacher's, not your professor's, not mine, not a critic's, not some authority's. The only thing that matters is, first, the experience of being in the story, moving through it. Then any interpretation you like. If it's yours, then that's the right one, because what's in a book is not what an author thought he put into it, it's what the reader gets out of it.”

I love this answer so much.

I was thinking about it with two different caps on my head - as the teacher who asks students to consider the meaning of the story, but also as an author who is in the business of making meaning out of words.

I was really interested to hear my students' thoughts - both as their teacher and as an author.

It turns out that the line that most spoke to them was  "The only thing that matters is, first, the experience of being in the story, moving through it."

One student, in explaining how she had moved through the story stated, "Through the characters, I got to experience the chaos, the peace, the sadness, and the thrill of everything that happened."

Another said: "In some parts of the book, I felt like I was actually in the book and moving through it. But there were parts where I did not get this feeling. An example where I did not get this feeling is when the hunters went hunting I didn’t really feel the story moving. The part where I felt the story moving along was when everyone was working together and not fighting."

But a third said "There were parts of the book where I felt as if I was really going through the motion of everything and other parts where I was left confused. Some parts that I really connected to were the murders. When both Piggy and Simon died I truly felt like I was there watching it happen."

Another: "I felt like I was  on the island with all the other boys I felt like I was one of the little ones watching everything fold in itself, watching Jack become a brutal savage and watch Ralph losing control and seeing Piggy get killed I really felt part of the story I was reading."

They were also really eager to tell me the meaning they took from the book. I think William Golding would have been proud of the range of thoughts. They took his words to heart: "If it's yours, then that's the right one."

 I think this book was about how people can get insane and out of control with an obsession with a passion, they have while others try and prevent it but end up getting hurt in the process. 

What are we really without manners and common sense? Savages? That would make us no different than animals. We hide behind a mask of intelligence and basic knowledge to separate how similar we are compared to animals. Without all we have learned, we’re basically just a vessel driven by emotions of hatred and greed. Would we really know right from wrong if we didn’t have common knowledge or at least look like we have the brains? It really felt overwhelming to interpret so much. Then again, it would make sense. The only difference is that we are more evolved than animals. We have the common sense to just go around killing people, there are usually reasons behind it. But sometimes, there isn’t a reason behind it. Does that make us unstable to live in such a “perfect” society? If we compare ourselves to savages, then killing would be completely normal right? Or would it?

 

I believe the book is really about the true nature of us. How we act when theres no adults or rules around. When we can do anything without being punished since theres no boundaries.

This book is about nothing more than boys trying to survive on their own and trying to keep their insanity (sic) in the process. 

 

While the topic of change was a big message of the book, I do believe there is another main message. Lord of the Flies also shows us the importance of rules and civilization. Once the boys turned away from Ralph all humanity and civilization were lost. They began to become too accustomed to Jack’s uncivilized methods. Without any rules or grasp on humanity boys such as Roger turned from normal kind kids into animals. It was because of this lack of civilization and order that Piggy and Simon died so tragically. It was also why it was so hard for the boys to look at themselves once the navy found them. They knew they could never truly return home because a part of them would always be on that island. 

So why am I talking about this today? 

Because as a teacher, I am privileged to have the opportunity to really talk to readers about their reading, and that is invaluable to me not only as their teacher, but as an author. Hearing what matters to them as readers, learning how invested they were in making their own meaning from the books gives  author me something to ponder. 

As authors, are we trying to impose our meaning on our readers? Are we heavy-handed with our message, or do we wield our pen delicately, giving the reader options, offering a chance for them to create their own message from our books. Especially if it's a message they need in their lives.

As I was pondering this, I was also thinking about a book I had recently read. Because I could really relate to the widowed character, I probably took a completely different meaning from the book than a different reader would - and I appreciated the nuances of the character that allowed me to do so.

And that leads me to thinking about craft and how we make our books the best possible experience for readers because, to quote another student, 

He didn't write the book to give it a specific ending (message) but to entertain the readers.

And of course that is what we have to keep at the forefront as we write.

One of my students was rather succinct in describing Golding's craft. 

Mr. Golding used good words to set the mood for the story. 

As writers, that is our task, to use good words to entertain.

If only it could be that easy!

But easy or not, it is the responsibility we assumed when we chose to write stories. Our good words have the power to affect readers.

One of my students commented: "The experiences of reading books helps us to open our eyes to different wonders in imagination. It leads us to creating our own works and maybe inspiring others."

And to finally quote a wise student - "That is the great thing about reading."

And we get to inspire that. How lucky are we to be writers???

I'd love to hear your thoughts - as readers and writers.

*Photos courtesy of Pixabay