my "Spot"

I have a "Spot."

Do you have a spot? Or an item? Or a hat? I don't know... something?

I have a "Spot," and when I'm in that "Spot" it means that I'm in writing mode. Sitting there in front of that ancient mac computer at that chunky desk in an ratty desk chair turns my brain into writer mode.

Or... I used to have a spot.

A few years ago, the computer quit and my parents sold the desk and the chair. Naturally, it was about the time I went away for college. But along with the sale of the items that belonged to my spot, went my inspiration to write. I suffered from the worst writer's block for the next year. I had to force myself to write and I couldn't remember EVER having to force myself before.

So, I've decided to find a new spot... or maybe I'm going to buy a candle, or a jacket to wear, or a scarf... something to get a routine and rhythm into my writing. A regularity of some kind to turn the creative side of my head on.

So how about you? Do you have a spot?

Taking It All In

It's been said that in order to write life, you must live life. Never were words spoken so truly. And being a teen writer, never will you experience so much that can feed your writing. Each day, you go to school and interact with those you love, hate, admire and envy. Emotion exudes from those interactions and it can flow into your characters easily if you harness it and let it go.

After all, writing is therapeutic, isn't it? As a high school student, I can't even begin to describe the roller coaster I went over. Day to day my friendships were turbulent. Without even realizing, my characters began to have turbulent friendships. Struggles that I faced showed themselves in my protagonists. But how else can a fictional problem begin to feel real unless it is written out of experience?

Don't let life scare you.

Most of us writers are introverts. Life seems easier for us when we are in our comfort zones. Being challenged is a scary thing. But when you become so sedentary and stop moving almost altogether, you'll begin to notice that like a water spigot, your ability to write will turn on and off, and writers' block can set in. Worst nightmare right?

And honestly... God doesn't want us to hide at home either. That's hardly the life He imagined for you. Like me, you can make excuses about how writing CHRISTIAN fiction is fulfilling His calling for you, OR you can realize that our greatest calling is to live heaven here on earth. That means investing and working on those HARD relationships. It means going outside and praising God for the beauty he created all around us. LIVE LIFE. No matter how hard. The creativity and realness will flow from it.

Hugs,

Emily

we're all readers here

We can talk about writing well all we want to, but our desire to write stems from the fact that as children, we fell in love with books. So here's my question to you... what is your favorite book? Of all time? comment with the title and author. Why is it your favorite?

Write Real

One of the strangest oddities about being a writer stems from our strange propensity to write about life rather than live it. Rationally, writing is how we process the world. It's our little hole through which we view things. It alters the light through which we showcase our thoughts and emotions.

But what about REAL life? Not just the life we write about. Certainly the life we write about is altered and effected by real life. But in order to KEEP writing about life, we have to keep living it. Go outside, sit on a park bench, go to a restaurant, go shopping or take a hike. GET OUT. Live real life. Take note of the little details of everyday life so that you can better describe it in your stories.

One of the things I like to do is carry around a small notebook with me - one that snaps or ties closed. Every time I experience some noteworthy moment - even something as odd as feeling perturbed over the person sitting in the pew behind me poking me with their foot because the put their feet up to rest on my pew. Things like that. Jot down the exact feeling you get when your crush waves at you at school. Write down all those moments! They'll help you add something real to your writing.

When real emotions and experiences are littered throughout your writing, your reader will pause when their read it and smile because they KNOW that feeling you wrote about. they experience it in their own lives.

Write Real. Write something that isn't so far fetched.

That Vague Little Thing Called Writer's Block

What happens when you just can't write... Ick. Such an awful realization. For us Seat-of-the-pantsers, it's like a death sentence. Plotters usually have an easier time getting back into the swing of things.

So what do you do? We live for writing. It's the very air we breathe sometimes. When that air is gone, life seems pretty empty. But somewhere out there, a solution has to be waiting.

Well, here's my ideas... the things that I do. Considering that I'm a Seat-of-the-pants writer, I can't promise that these things will help a Plotter.

1. Often, we are inspired by seeing things around us and since Writer's Block stems from lack of inspiration or motivation, one of the counters to Writer's Block, is getting excited about a new story or an old one. Try watching a movie that has a similar or completely different plot. Sometimes different can give you new ideas. Or read a book. Same idea. And if the story is historical or themed... Go to a location that relates to the setting. Seeing my setting always gets me excited to start telling a story. Museums help too. They get the wheels in my head turning
2. Other times, Writer's Block means you have no motivation to write whatsoever. That's a dreadful place to be. The best thing I can say, is sit down at your computer and type until you get yourself into a rhythm. Do some editing on old work. Just force yourself to focus. Eventually writing will become habit and the words will come a little easier. 
3. Something else that helps... Move away from your current project and work on something else. I always have 2 stories that I work on simultaneously. One that is my primary project, and another that I use when I get Writer's Block. Working on something fresh takes my mind of wherever I got stuck on and gets it going. Eventually, the old project becomes appealing again. 

Well... that's what I do. If you have any other tips for Writer's Block, comment with your solution below. Let's ban together to defeat that vague little thing called Writer's Block!

Emily

Leap Frog

Ay yi yi... this really bugs people when they read your writing. POV. There's lots of different perspectives, and they are all pretty viable options for telling a story. But one has definitely earned a disapproving eye from editors. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT is dangerous. Now we get to explore why I have so fondly titled this post, "Leap Frog."

One of the worst things about third person omniscient is what we like to call, "head hopping." Believe me, I've been called out on this little mistake.

So what is Head Hopping?

Head hopping is when the reader is allowed to know the thoughts of all characters involved in a scene. 

Do we get it just a little now? Essentially, Head Hopping is just outright confusing to read. The reader hops from one head to the other. In one paragraph, they are listening in on the thoughts of John Boy and the next they get to hear how much Sally Jane thinks John Boy smells. Back and forth. Back and forth. It's really no good at all.

So what do we do then?

Well, THIRD PERSON LIMITED is the next best thing. Stay in ONE characters head for the duration of the scene. If you'd like, create a SCENE BREAK and then change to another's head. Make the transition very obvious. (if it's a novel you're working on, try not to go into the heads of more than 3 characters)

And if you've never considered it, try FIRST PERSON. That's always an interesting change of pace. (avoid first person present because the tense of that POV is hard to handle as a reader, though it is accepted). I would list SECOND PERSON, but that's not a very popular one, just because it takes skill to do well and few write in second person for Christian Markets. I can't say how editors will receive it.


SO! No more leap frog.

Emily

More to Come!

Hello, Lovers of the written word =) At the end of this week, I'm taking off for Mount Hermon. This will be my third year going to the writers' conference and I'm absolutely thrilled. I'm gonna soak up every possible grain of information that I can so I can come back and share with you.

The Mount Hermon Christian Writers' Conference is what inspired me to start the facebook page, "Christian Teen Writers" that led to the making of this blog. Most of what I've posted here somehow started at the conference. If you manage to make it there this year or next, or the following, etc, look for me. I'll be the one with a big stupid grin on my face because I'm so excited to be in the company of other Christian Writers.

So... look forward to new and fresh information! It's gonna be amazing. I promise to post pictures.

Emily

Composing a Story

How do we even begin a craft a good story? Now I know well that some of you are "plotters" and some of you are "seat-of-the-pants" writers, and there are benefits to both styles, but this is something everyone should and CAN do. Even us "seat-of-the-pants" people can manage this.

Make your own version of this and tack it up on your computer so you never forget as you begin your opening scene:

CHARACTER'S NAME: _______________________________

What is their exterior GOAL:


What is their interior GOAL:


What is their exterior MOTIVATION:


What is their interior MOTIVATION:


What will get in their way:




If you can fill out this simple chart, you will be on your way to writing an awesome story.

Being a CHRISTIAN Writer

It's been a process... beginning from the moment I created this page until now, and even trailing into the future. We are writers who are Christians, right? Or are we Christian writers? I suppose I'll leave that one up to you. Not all of us want to write for the Christian market. Some of us are called to write for the secular market because that is where we can give God the most glory. That's what important. Where has God called you into His ministry?

Ever thought about it that way before? That writing is your ministry? It took me years to wrap my head around that. I just knew I liked writing. I didn't quite understand God's role in my writing. The two seemed separate, yet inexplicably bound together in a jumbled mess. I'm sure many of you can sympathize.

But this is what I discovered.

God created us. He knows our inmost being. In fact, He even gave us our gifts and talents, he designated them to us. Think back for a moment of the parable of the talents that Jesus told. Each servant was given gifts so that they could take them and make use of them for the benefit of the master, and eventually, themselves. Can't you just imagine God saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

We were gifted with the talent of writing - the joy of writing! So why shouldn't we expect that God wants us to put that talent to use and gain profit from it? It's the whole point of having the talent! What use would it be... what purpose would it have if we just hid it under and rock? God intended for us to use our talent.

But here's the real question... how do we use it? And what is profit?

Those answers will vary from person to person. But when I say profit (this answer will be universally true) I do NOT mean money. It is inevitable that you will reap some financial benefits, BUT IF YOU ARE WRITING, shouldn't your writing serve some purpose? We were created to give glory to God and declare His Holy and Precious Name. This does not necessarily mean you have to write Christian works, but I do think that your works should reflect the values of our Creator and should focus on having an identity founded in Him. What this means will vary depending on your subject matter. Profit will first and foremost mean directing people to look upwards for answers. Use? Well... what story has God laid on your heart to write? Only He can tell you.

Hugs.

Thoughts...

Characters are funny things. In many ways they are completely open. In other ways, they are very closed off. Knowing when they are supposed to be one or the other to the reader, is a difficult lesson to learn. Primarily because everything depends on circumstance.

Most writers botch this art thoroughly in the form of thoughts: when the writer goes into detail about a character's thought process during a scene. It's the one time we really get into the character's head and see exactly what they are thinking. But often, what most writer's get wrong, is that few stories are told from the prospective of a character looking back on their life. Most characters are living in the moment.

One of my biggest pet peeves is "information dumps." Most characters understand themselves and should not feel the need to explain themselves. In Shakespearean dramas, such things are called an "aside." If you need to say something that helps the reader to make more sense of the character's life, then you have done something horribly wrong in previous scenes.

The ultimate tool for a writer is CONTEXT and HINTING. Nothing is ever stately bluntly in a novel because most characters are too engrossed in their dilemma to be thinking clear enough anyways. Aside from that, most of them don't constantly feel the need to reiterate their backstory as they go through life. This would be a little weird if someone in real life went about thinking such things like.

As Marty walked through the halls of Lincoln High School, he considered his upbringing at the family cabin by the lake. He had two sisters, Lizzy and Beth, twins actually. His dad was a pastor at the local church.

NO NO NO. It's not relevant to what the character is experiencing and it just sounds awkward. It's the author creating an information dump. It's especially easy to do when working on a series where the lives of the same characters are followed. When this happens, it's tempting to practically summarize what happened in the previous book at the beginning of the new book. Like I said... Most characters live in the moment and do not have their life story rolling through their mind 24/7.

Now... how do we fix this?

I told you before that Context and Hinting are powerful tools. Let's look at Marty once again. If we NEED to know that he grew up in a lake cabin, we can use things in his life to help the reader catch on to that bit of information instead of blatantly stating it.

To do this, we can start a new scene with Marty sitting at home and interacting with his family. His dad might ask how he likes his new school, to which Marty might answer that he misses being home schooled back at the lake house. Then, his sisters might pipe in. Marty might smile at the way they always speak at the same time, a twin trait, he guesses. The twins might say they don't miss the lake house at all and that they like their new teacher.

Same information gets across, but it sounds less awkward and it's not an information dump. The reader still understands the same ideas about his past. It's all about CONTEXT and HINTING. Never just dump information into a story. Characters should think and process things the same way anyone in real life does.

Critiquing Services

Hey writers... well all know that sometimes your own eyes don't catch all the problems. If you could use some help editing, this is something super simple we are happy to do for you...

Email us at CHRISTIANTEENWRITERS@MAIL.COM

Include your first name
"Title of Your Story/poem/script/non-fiction"
and email address

Provide a short summary of your work, Include the basic outline of what you have written from start to end. If it is a story, we'd like to know what the character wants, how they go about getting it, the black moment and the resolution. This helps with editing purposes so that we can help you weed out extraneous scenes.

then attach a word document or PDF to the email. Format the document in MLA style. This is easiest to work with. 12 pt. Times New Roman, double spaced. We will accept up to 20 pages.

you will receive an email in return with our notes. This follow up should come within a week.

Easy Edits

So, we've mentioned before that it's important to weed out words like "was," "had" and ly adverbs. But just do a word search in your manuscript and you'll quickly find that the task isn't as simple as it may seem. There are two different instances in which we find "was" and "had," one of which is easy to fix, the other, not so much.

the first is like we've mentioned before:

"He was singing in the choir until September of last year." becomes, "He sang"

Easy right? Well, what about that other instance where you can't simply conjugate the word? Well, that is where we all learn to become better writers...

"The sky was grey and overcast."

Hmm... can't just conjugate that one. But let's think about this sentence for a moment. It's just fine grammatically, but for a work of fiction, it's just not very descriptive. It's shallow. So let's dig in a little deep and watch that "was" disappear.

"Alisa looked up into the clouds and noted the way they sagged with the weight of rain. The blue sky all but disappeared as the clouds moved into place, preparing to drench the parched ground."

Well! How about that? We just took a simple sentence and created something beautiful and descriptive with feeling! Our characters only comment on things that are of some importance to them, or effect them in some way. FEELING and description is a crucial part of setting the scene. So don't be so scared of rewriting. It takes work... but your story will come alive.

WAS, HAD and LY ADVERBS are crippling to your descriptions! They cut the picture off at short, sweet and simple. We don't want that! So delve in a little deeper and give your reader a better picture.

Love and Hugs

Heart Works

Writing is a work of the heart, isn't it? It's one of the most personal careers one can have. I've met so many authors... when I read their novels, I can hear their voices and see their personalities come through so completely.

So how about Christian versus Secular books? The Christian heart comes out in writing. Values and struggles make their way into our stories.

I was marveling over some of my early stories the other day - some of the stories I wrote in late Junior High and early High School. It struck me as I was reading that I could still see myself in those stories, the self I was in those days, anyway. I've changed so much. But as I took a close look at the characters in those stories, the struggled my characters were facing suddenly looked much more like what I worried over while I was writing the story.

There is something to be said for those English teachers who force you to take a closer look at the assigned readings and how they relate to the author who wrote them. Writing IS personal. We bare our souls as we work through the muddled state of our own hearts. As the character finds resolution, so do we.

God is SO involved in our work that it just looks nuts from the outside. How does He do it? I can't exactly explain it. He is wonderful, though. That I can say for certain. He does it on purpose, I think. He corrects and disciplines those He loves... so why not use the process of crafting a story to train up an author?

So the next time you sit down to write, close your eyes and talk to God.

Lord, Everything is from You.
In fact, I'm nothing without You.
Wonderful creator, thank you for loving me so completely
You work through me and change my heart
You inspire the way I craft stories to change the hearts of my characters
As I sit down to tell this story, work through me
Show me exactly what to say.
Even as I hope my readers will learn, please also help me to learn

Amen

Pet Words

I see it all the time... Writer's have pet words. Those little phrases or words we like to use all the time. A common one is, "suddenly." But then you might have a pet word all your own. Some will say things like, "she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach," and use that phrase over and over again. After a time, it starts sounding odd, though it is a very descriptive comment. Avoid Cliches too. Those are no bueno!

"Was" and "had" are horrible ones. When many first begin writing, they are very easy words to slide into almost every sentence, but same as before... they SOUND ODD when used AGAIN and AGAIN.

My new favorite trick is this little thing called, "right-click." If you right-click a word and select synonyms, your Word program will give you a whole list of words that mean the same thing. "Was" and "had" are just as simple to get rid of. They often appear just before words with an "ed" or an "ing" on the end.

for example:
"She [was working] for that company" becomes "worked"
"She [had worked] for that company" becomes "worked"

It all means the same thing. Get rid of the excesses!

"Ly" adverbs can be your downfall too. Use them sparingly... get it? haha. And please don't put more than two adjectives in a row.

Well, there's your editing tip for the day. Get rid of pet words!

Love and Hugs

Childhood Memories

I remember when I fell in love with books... with stories. Goodness, I remember it like it was yesterday! I started reading in Kindergarten, you know, those books with the same words repeated over and over again that they send home with you to practice? But when I was in first grade, my mom began taking me to the public library all the time - she liked to read to. It was the Paso Robles Public Library across the street from the park with the old library they turned into a museum. This new library had a gift store in it. I remember that too. But towards the back of this library, there were chapter books. I was only in first grade.

I loved books. I could never get enough of them. I used to read all the time. I would bring home armfuls of The Boxcar Children and The Saddle Club. Then at night, my dad would read me the Chronicles of Narnia and my mom would read picture books to me. When we didn't want one of the picture books, she would tell a story. There were two she had made up that she would retell to us.

Books really left their mark on me. I practically drowned myself in them, I suppose. More and More so as I got older. But reading books became the reason that I started writing. After I would finish a story, I liked to dream up in my head what happened to the characters when the story ended. I would make up new adventures for them. Peter Pan was my favorite, but I also used to do this with the Pevency Children from Narnia and the siblings from the Boxcar Children. Sound familiar?

Looking back, it is so easy to see why I love making up my own stories. Stories impact us in powerful ways. Almost every author loves reading or movies or something story related. It all starts somewhere.

I found this out when I started reading with another little first grader I was working with. I was the teacher's aid in her class my senior year of high school. Reagan and I would spend lots of time together after school because her mom was a teacher. In the school's library collection, I found my old favorite - the Boxcar Children. Spotting the first book in the series, I dragged Reagan aside and we began to read the story... then Reagan wanted to read it aloud to me. I saw that spark.

Reagan took those books home and read them through on her own. It made me smile to see those books touch someone else.

Whatever purpose it may serve... think back and try to remember when you fell in love with stories. It'll bring a smile to your face. Then share your love of stories. Stories teach people things - they provide companionship, and they take you on adventures.

Actually... it can also serve an amazing purpose. Reading can fix writer's block. I SWEAR it works. Sometimes, i find I just can't write, but when I go back to the source of what got me writing in the first place, I get excited and the words begin to flow.


Reading is the Beginning of Writing.

Writer Funnies

You know you're a writer when...

1. you hear voices inside your head, but you KNOW you aren't crazy because they happen to be your characters.
2. you are in the middle of doing something important, but you really wish you were staring at your computer screen because a new idea just hit you.
3. someone does something really intriguing and your first thought is to work it into your novel.
4. you stare at people in public places. 
5. a two sided conversation happens, but no one else can see who you're talking to.
6. you feel guilty about harming a fictitious being.
7. you start to tell people that your story "tells itself"
8. instead of counting sheep, you plan your next scene as you fall asleep.
9. each character has a "distinct voice" inside your head as you read.
10. your thoughts always come out better when you are writing than when you try to speak.
11. you get distracted by the internet when you were actually just trying to research something for your novel.
12. someone interrupts you and you have a panic attack because you're afraid the inspiration will leave.
13. you have a list of names that you like just in case you have a character strikes you. 
14. after a while... you become "so immersed" in the world of writing that you get WAY too picky about the books you read. 

we can laugh at ourselves right? we certainly are an odd bunch. That's what makes us so great though. The odd ones have more fun.

The Sky Turned Black

Somewhere along the journey of writing a story, you fall in love with your characters... or at least, you SHOULD. They become like children or best friends to you. They live in your head and become SO real that they nearly tell the story themselves. But quite sadly, the downside to this miracle of writing is, once we fall in love with our characters, sometimes it becomes difficult to do something that is absolutely necessary.

In order for a story to be worth telling, a character must overcome an obstacle that has the potential to ruin the life they have sought for themselves. Anything less that this is boring. It's like... "Sally Sue lived with her perfectly nice mother and father in a beautiful house. One day, she met Danny Doug. Danny Doug was very nice and they spent lots of time together on nice little outings. Sally Sue and Danny Doug fell in love and got married. The end."

Seriously... lots of pretty words... but not a story that will keep us on the edge of our seat completely enthralled. It's boring, no matter how "nice" it is. It's just not a worthwhile story! What Sally Sue needs is a problem!!!

If you have a Sally Sue character, you may have fallen in love with her as a character and the idea of trowing something bad into her life may horrify you. You may have to separate her and Danny Doug, or maybe one of them gets a horrible disease! Gosh, that may upset you. But part of being a writer is creating characters that the reader can identify with. Your readers have problems in their lives and when they see a character who goes through a similar circumstance and overcomes, they feels strengthened and encouraged. Isn't that the whole point of a story? Reading something that makes you feel good?

This is why a Black moment is so necessary. It puts the character in a place where they must make a choice, a place where they learn something, or a place where they must reach beyond themselves in order to overcome. THIS is good reading! Readers love this! So let's go back to Sally Sue and see if we can give her a moment where the sky on her pretty little life seems to turn completely black and she almost looses hope. It'll be fun! I promise!

"If anyone in the town of Littleburg looked at the life of Sally Sue, they would have thought she lived the perfect life. Everything about her seemed wonderful... her parents, her house, she even had met the perfect man, Danny Doug. But all was not so well as it seemed. Sally Sue's family had a secret. Mr. Sue was a murderer! Sally kept this secret all to herself. She feared that Danny might not want her if he ever found out. But one day, on her way home from a nice outing with Danny, Sally overheard her Dad plotting to murder Danny too! She had to warn Danny, even if she never saw him again, his life mattered above all else.

"So Sally went to Danny's house and begged him to believe her. He thought she was joking. But Sally couldn't let anything bad happen to Danny. When she saw her Dad sneaking out that night, she followed him all the way to Danny's house. She got in through the back door and placed herself in front of Danny's bedroom door. Her dad came up the stairs with the knife poised and began to lower his weapon, aiming for Sally's chest. but then the light from the moon dipped on Sally's face and her dad froze. Her dropped the knife and ran out of the house. Sally called the police and they caught Mr. Sue on his way back to the perfect little house. Danny was safe. The end."

THAT is called a good story. Did you catch the black moment there? It makes all the difference in the story. When Sally Sue risks her life and her chance at living happily ever after with Danny - that's what makes her a character we admire and care about.

Try a black moment in your story, even if it means upsetting your character you love so much.

Chance of a Lifetime

I've been trying to stress this a lot lately, but I just wanted to take the time to really punch this one hard. This page is designed to help teen writers find the resources they need to be recognized and possibly get on the path to publishing earlier than most authors do. That's something to get excited about.

My name is Emily and that's me in on the far left in the picture next to Lauraine Snelling, author of the Red River series. I started writing... really writing... in eighth grade. By 9th and 10th grade, I was obsessive and so my parents decided that we needed to do something about my obsession with writing. I spent most of the day after I got home from school sitting in front of an old mac computer working on a series of stories that were actually inspired by Lauraine Snelling's books. She wrote about her Norwegian heritage, so I decided to write about my Swedish heritage. I used to spend hours on those stories. And that's where my story begins.

My mom found a Christian writers conference online and wanted to send me, but we found the conference a little late. By the next year... my Junior year, my mom jumped on it. That spring, i found myself at the Mt. Hermon Christian Writer's Conference with my dad and surrounded by authors I knew only by their books. I flipped. I'd never been so excited. These authors felt like celebrities to me. They were rather human idols though... I got to know them over the course of the conference. They were a lot like me. Being writers, I'm sure you understand... we're a strange breed of people... we eavesdrop, talk to ourselves, make up stories in our heads, stare into space, and take note of weird details. Trust me... you are not alone. Meeting other authors was amazing. It made me realize that I really was apart of this group of people.

I got a lot of advice about my writing that year. Mary DeMuth mentored me and helped me weed out my excessive "was's" and "had's" and "ly adverbs." I also did a TON of "head-hopping." She fixed that right away. My writing took a giant leap. I will never forget that year.

After such a great year... of course I had to go back my Senior year of high school. By then, I had almost finished working on a new manuscript with all of the previous year's advise worked in. I mailed it in ahead of time to be critiqued. I was totally 17 and nervous about what the critic would think, but then she approached me and wanted to meet with me in the ice cream parlor. Believe me when I say I was elated. But I'd jsut hit midconference crash and decided to skip my last seminar and go for a walk. I forgot what time it was. I missed my meeting.

This is my story though... that was my "black moment." I felt crushed inside for missing my appointment. But my dad showed up (he'd been staying with my great-grandma rather than attending the conference with me again) and we ate dinner together before the awards ceremony the night before the end of the conference. That made me feel better... at least a little. He sat with me as they began announcing the different awards. Mt. Hermon has an amazing awards ceremony for the different published authors and the writers who submit manuscripts for critique. My friend Esther and I were most anxious about the "Most promising teen writer" award. I don't think I really expected anything. Sure I think I hoped for it, but I don't think I expected anything. But that's what makes me smile as I think back. When they did call my name, I finally understood why my dad came early. I was rather overwhelmed.

They handed me the framed certificate and my hand was shaken several times. They read out some information about me... which colleges had accepted me, where I was from and how long I'd been writing. But when I sat down with me, my dad shared something with me that I'd never forget. It was Lauraine Snelling who critiqued my manuscript. And according to a relative who happens to be an agent and on the board choosing the recipients for the awards, Lauraine Snelling didn't know I was a teen author when she read my manuscript. Hearing that changed writing for me. It gave me the strength I needed to feel confident about pushing forward to getting that story published. I suddenly wanted that more than anything.

So... that's my story... and I don't want you to walk away thinking, "she must be a really good writer" because I'm obviously only 18. I still have a lot of work to do. I want you to walk away and start pressing forward... doing what you need to do to get the resources you need to someday realize your dreams.

God has given you a talent and when he gives you a talent he wants you to use it. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:16) This isn't about pride here or humility. This is about giving glory to God. When we do things, we do things for God's glory so that others can see and believe. So don't let your God given talents slip aside. Use them for this glory.

Mt. Hermon Writers' Conference is coming up again this spring. I'm planning on being there again. Even if you don't live in California... I HIGHLY recommend you find a similar conference in your area. Something about conferences... they're the chance of a lifetime to kick-start your journey into doing something about your God-given talent.

http://mounthermon.org/event/122

END in the beginning

Every good story should have the end in the beginning.... I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about, and if you think you do, you probably don't, so keep reading.

This doesn't mean that you need to tell what happens in the end and then flashback to how the character got there. NO. Don't do that for goodness sake. Well, you can, but that's not what I'm trying to say here. Don't get ahead of me. What I AM trying to say, is that In order to write a good opening to a story, you need to introduce a problem that needs to be resolved.

think about it... when you read the first  few chapters of a book, a problem is introduced. You meet a character who is struggling with something that needs to be resolved somehow by the end of the story. Cinderella is an amazing example of this. Cinderella is poor and abused by her stepmother. We would assume that by the end of the story, Cinderella is no longer poor and no longer under the control of her stepmother. Are you starting to get it now????

It's a simple enough and it ALWAYS helps with plot. One of the biggest problems with writing is sometimes we have NO idea where we are going with a story, we're just writing. Creating an END in the Beginning can help your story to have direction. This does not CONFINE you. I promise. But when you write an introduction, set up a problem. That's all you have to do. Keep in mind as you write the story that the problem you introduced needs to be resolved. The entire story SHOULD be about HOW this problem gets resolved. Or HOW the character learned the trait they lacked and are in desperate need of.

Just for a little positive note to end on, I'll leave you with one last example.

In the movie "Brave," Merida and her mother have two opposing viewpoints. As the audience, we assume that by the end of the movie, Merida and her mother with get along and have a better understanding and appreciation for one another.

Okay... that's all from me for now =)

Happy writing

Real Men - Ladies Only

For some reason, men don't struggle with this as much a women do, but this is important. WE CAN'T MESS THIS UP ANYMORE LADIES! We can't create girly men! Men are very different from women and if we write stories about men who act like women we'll get some very nasty accusations from our Christian audience. Ah well. I suppose I need to tell you what - exactly - you, my lady friends, are doing wrong.

Men...

• can separate feelings from what they need to do
• tend to notice action rather than color (meaning they probably don't care about how the frilly dress your heroine is wearing flatters her eyes)
• tend to dislike dependency. (money, skills)
• tend to be blunt

Women...

• have feelings about everything they endeavor
• notice color over action
• have a tendency not to have qualms about dependency 
• will disguise their true feelings

This is not true for EVERY man. But most men are... well, masculine. They don't act like girls. So when you write about guys, it's important not to impose feelings on a male character that they really never would have. A guy won't put a half hour's thought into what he's wear so that a girl will notice. He won't be able to simply get together just to "get together" - he'll probably need a purpose. Guys are intentional. Crying isn't something they do, except on very, very significant occasions.

ANYWAYS. Girls, we need to start telling our stories straight. We need to write about real men.