Finding Your Voice by Siri Mitchell

Every once in awhile, an article pertaining to writing stands out and speaks to my heart in a special way. Today is one of those days. I’ve enjoyed and respected Siri Mitchell’s work for some time. And I was both challenged and encouraged by her words today. Enjoy!

 ~ Dawn

Finding Your Voice

by Siri Mitchell

If you want to write a novel, you can enroll in all kinds of conferences, and workshops, and classes on how to do it. But there’s one thing that no one can help you with. And if you can’t figure out that one thing, you’ll never be able to sell a book...even if you have the perfectly crafted plot and exquisitely drawn characters. That one thing is voice. If you don’t have voice, you don’t have anything.

A novelist’s voice is what distinguishes her work from everyone else’s. Sometimes it can take a long time to find. The problem with writing, as in so many things, is that there’s a learning process to go through. Lots of writers start out by, well...writing. Once they overcome a fear of criticism, they take that writing to a critique group or workshop. They grit their teeth, get feedback, cry some tears, screw up their courage and make the suggested changes. Then they take it back to the critique group or workshop. And repeat the process. Again and again and again. But what happens when it’s time to send the piece out on query? There’s nothing vital left in it. Though it might not break any rules and it might be just what everyone’s looking for, it has no personality, no unique voice. It’s all been edited out.

A writer’s voice is never really created. It can be developed of course, but first it has to be found. The problem with voice is that it requires something of the author. Actually, it requires everything. You have to make sacrifices in order to grab hold of your voice. You have to stand apart from your critique group, check out of your workshops, and figure out for yourself what you as an individual have to say to the world. And not only that, but then you have to insist that your words have the right to be heard.

What is your voice trying to say? More importantly, do you have the courage to say it? Even if it seems like no one wants to hear it?

God made you in his image. He had something in mind when he created you. Be encouraged by the words God says to you. “My dove is hiding behind some rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff. Let me see you; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and you are lovely.” (Song of Solomon 2:14)

You’ve been working on your craft. You’ve been learning about structure, you’ve studied all the rules. Don’t you think it’s time now to figure out what God has given you to say? Don’t you think it’s time you loosed your voice? Finding it might require some real work and some true courage, but I hope you’re willing to do it. We need to hear you. Be encouraged: Your voice is pleasant and you are lovely.

Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists Chateau of Echoes, The Cubicle Next Door, and She Walks in Beauty. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area. 

Visit Siri at http://sirimitchell.com

You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest

Nuance: Are You Really Saying What You Mean?

 

Do you consider the nuance behind the words you use? Or even the phrases? For the sake of communication and clarity, this is such a key element in our writing.  

“Nuance,” in the context of words, refers to shades of meaning. For example, do you want to use the word “truly” or “really”? “Really” implies “very,” so if you said “really sunny weather” you might mean “very sunny weather.” “Truly” implies “honestly.” So, if you said “truly sunny weather” you probably mean “the sun is actually, literally shining.” See the difference? Which one do you mean to say? 

Recently I titled a blog post: The Love of a Mother. Now, tighter writing would mean deleting the prepositional phrase: A Mother's Love. But that has a different meaning. I wanted the title to be more general, not as specific. I felt the second title might come across as referring to a specific mom, and I didn't want that. See the difference? Brings up another point, if your editor wants you to write tight and you lose the nuance you meant, please let him/her know. Share your reasoning. Editors want to help authors communicate what s/he meant to communicate. We desire clarity. And we're watching for your nuances.

So, we need to analyze our word choices and phrases so we’re sure we’re actually saying what we mean to say. (or that our characters are)

Nuance can get you into trouble when your words might mean something a bit more, shall we say, embarrassing? Have you ever ran your sweaty palms over your jeans? Let’s say your character needs to do that. Be careful how you word it. Having her shove her hands “down” her jeans is probably not what you mean to say. See what I mean? (I’ve had to rewrite a similar line in my own work, so I’m telling on myself here, but hopefully you get what I’m saying.)

I think Christian romance writers must especially concern themselves with nuance. Look at your phrases. If a non-believer could find implications you didn’t intend, rework them. That’s the way it goes in our culture. Many TV sitcoms make a habit (and train our minds to do the same) out of insinuation and innuendo that isn’t God-honoring. I can think of a specific 70’s show of three co-ed roommates that did this endlessly.

So, watch for nuances in specific words you’re using and also in your phrases.

Your turn. Can you think of any examples? Have you ever had a critique partner point out a phrase you’d written that could be taken the wrong way? Did you rewrite it? We’ve had some great laughs at our critique group over one-liners the writer never intended. How about you?

Ask O: Reaction Before Action Part Two

Happy Wednesday my writing friends!

Today we continue our discussion about reaction before action or effect before cause. It can be tricky, so to sharpen our skills, I created a paragraph filled with the little devils. Can you find them?

Wow! Excitement rippled through me when my husband announced that he didn’t have to work.
“Really? Not Job One?”
He laughed and shook his head.
“Not Job Two?”“Nope!”
“Job Three?”
“Yay! Papa doesn’t have to work!” My littlest scampered into the bedroom and jumped on our bed where we were talking. The other kidlets joined us and we hugged and giggled about planning our family adventure for dad’s day off.

Think you found them all? Let’s see if we can clean this up.

Problem #1: Excitement rippled BEFORE my husband’s announcement--classic emotional response coming before action.

Better: “Honey, sit down. You may not believe this. I don’t have to work today.”

Excitement rippled through me. Could it be true?

Problem #2: “He laughed and shook his head.” Perhaps a little more subtle, but you still must ask, why is he laughing? His chuckle comes because his answer to my question is no (which he shows by shaking his head.)

Better: He shook his head then laughed.

Problem #3: “Yay! Papa doesn’t have to work!” Ugh! This kind irks me the most. The child talks before we know a child's in the room. Technically, this one exemplifies effect coming before cause. The effect is the child talking, the cause is the child.

Better: Christian bounded into the room with an impressive Army kick and roll.

My husband grinned at Christian, but spoke to me.“I’m telling you. I don’t have to work at all today, not at any of my jobs."

“Yay! Papa doesn’t’ have to work!”

Problem #4: “…and jumped on the bed where we were talking.” We don't know where this scene takes place until the very last sentence. Thing is, if we don’t create a story world, readers will create their own. Then when we finally show them where we imagine the scene, we jolt readers out of the story and make them re-adjust. We don’t want them to work that hard.

Better: Provide a short beat of story world before the scene even begins: With a stretch and a yawn, I lug my tired self from bed. Before my eyes fully focus, my husband swaggers in, all smiles.

Problem #5: “The other kidlets joined us, and we hugged and giggled about planning our family adventure for dad’s day off.”

Better: You tell me! Leave your answer in the comments with a corrected sentence and I’ll even put you in a drawing to win one of my books!

Happy writing and God bless!

Ocieanna

www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

An Impossible Road to Publication by Dineen Miller

Being a writer isn’t easy. I have a feeling there is a sea of heads bobbing up and down out there. It takes a lot of work, and you get a lot of rejections. Sometimes the road to publication can seem downright impossible. . .

What made me nearly give up.

In the fall of 2010, I was so hopeful that we (my agent and I) had found a home for The Soul Saver—Lexie’s story. I believed that The Soul Saver and the nonfiction book I co-authored, Winning Him Without Words (Regal Books), were a perfect match, like Fireproof and the Love Dare.

Needless to say, I was pretty upset when the rejection came from what I thought was a sure thing and my last hope. What I considered the heart of my story was the very issue they didn’t want to deal with.

I was crushed.

God bless my wonderful agent who stood by me and encouraged me not to change the story, to just hang on a little longer. I went to God in prayer and laid The Soul Saver and writing fiction at His feet, asking Him to take the desire to write it away if I wasn’t supposed to. It was too painful.

Then I let it be.

A couple months later, God released me from doing design work (my day job)—something I’d been praying about letting go so I could write full time. Up until this time, I kept hearing, “Not yet.”

So why now? It didn’t make sense. Nothing had changed. I assumed it meant I would need more time for the SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com ministry and our Winning Him book releasing in a few months.

This “release” happened on a Saturday. My agent called Tuesday to give me the unbelievable news that a publisher had made an offer on The Soul Saver.

How God opened the door for The Soul Saver in a place I least expected.

The Soul Saver seemed to cross genres with a story that fit women’s fiction, a thread of danger that fit suspense stories and a supernatural element as well. One house even said they liked the story but didn’t know how they would market it.

So when the offer came from a house I had already assumed wouldn’t be interested, I was floored. But isn’t that so like God? Like Gideon defeating 120,000 Midianites with just 300 men, God wants us to know that it’s Him who brakes down barriers and opens the door to the impossible.

Not only had God opened the door in the unlikeliest of places, He brought my story to a publisher that supported its connection to our Winning Him book and our marriage ministry. (Thank you, Becky Germany and Barbour Publishing!)

I have another story to tell—one I’m not sure will find a home. Sound familiar? But I know God is faithful. He’s the one who makes the impossible possible.

In addition to writing for Spiritually Unequal Marriage, Dineen Miller has won several prestigious awards for her fiction. She’s also a C.L.A.S.S. Communicator and has been featured on the Moody Radio Network, Family Life and Focus on the Family Radio.

Married for 24 years to a guy who keeps her young, she lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two adult daughters, who surprise her daily with their own creativity.

She is the co-author of Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage and the author of The Soul Saver.

Websites:

http://www.dineenmiller.com

http://spirituallyunequalmarriage.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/dineen.miller

Facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/DineenMiller.AuthorSpeaker

https://www.facebook.com/SpirituallyUnequalMarriage

Personal Blog:  http://authordineenmiller.com/journal/

Twitter:  @dineenmiller

GoodReads author page:  http://www.goodreads.com/dineenmiller  

The Soul Saver
Lexie Baltimore is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God’s calling, Lexie uses her dreams and sculpting to help others. But will she have enough courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a godly man? As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a twisted plot. Will she unmask the evil before it’s too late? 

See the book trailer here.

Lessons Learned from the Movies Series: Part 4 by Fay Lamb

Hasn't it been helpful to read Fay Lamb's series this month? If you missed any of her articles, go the Search mechanism in the side bar and search by her name or by "movies." Enjoy her last installment!

Knock Your Reader Out; 

Don’t Let Him Pass Out

by Fay Lamb

Often a reader will grab a book to curl up with at bedtime. Reading relaxes them, tires them out and let’s them drift off to sleep.

People do the same with television.

But you don’t drive to the theater, pay hard-earned money, and sit in the seat to pass out. In the movie, The Rock, starting Nicolas Gage and Sean Connery, each new scene compounds troubles for Nicolas Gage. The girl he loves tells him she’s pregnant, he has to stop a terrorist from taking out the lives of millions of people in the San Francisco area, though he tells his girl to stay where she is safe, she follows him to San Francisco, Sean Connery escapes . . . the list goes on and on. The stakes are raised for the main character with each passing scene.

What authors want to do is give their readers a movie experience in their mind, one that doesn’t let their eyes fall shut before they turn the page. They want their reader’s eyes wide open, paged turned with anticipation of what is about to occur. They want to raise the stakes for their lead character.

Andrew, a master thief, has studied the layout for his latest heist. Yes, he’s a little rusty. He’s been out of the business for a few years. He can’t get caught. The woman he loves will die if he doesn’t get out with the loot. He’s factored in Detective Donovan, a royal pain in Andrew’s side since he was a street orphan trying to stay alive in the slums of New York. Andrew’s back for one last look at the layout, studying the case where the jewels are enclosed, making sure he looks like an everyday citizen enjoying the sights of the gallery where the diamonds are kept behind heavy glass and updated alarm systems. 

“I’d say these are worth more than you’ve ever stolen in your life, Drew. What do you say?”

Andrew can’t mistake the voice of his enemy. He turns and stares into the hardened gaze of Detective Donovan. “I didn’t know I had a record, Detective.” He looks back to the jewels, examining the press lever that will sound an alarm if he can get through the museum’s security system, past the lasers, and into the glass encasement.

“Maybe not, Drew, but if you’ll look to the doorway, you’ll see the one who will help me prove once and for all that you’re the master thief that’s stolen millions from the good people of New York.”

Andrew turns to look. He fights any show of acknowledgement, and turns back to the detective. “I don’t know anyone at the door, Detective.”

“She loves you, Drew. Loves you more than you deserve. Why don’t you just walk out of here, put your arm around the girl, and take her home. She needs you with her and not behind bars where I want to put you.”

Andrew shakes his head and walks off in the opposite direction. Hannah may want to think she’s saving him from an arrest, but life would be a prison without her in it, and he’s willing to take the risk.

Andrew’s not backing down. He’s up against seemingly impossible odds. His girlfriend is dying. He’s forced back into a life of crime to save her, but she doesn’t want him to take the risk. His old enemy is on the trail, and to save him, Hannah has enlisted his help. 

That’s called raising the stakes, and that will keep your readers awake.

~~~~~

Fay Lamb works as an acquisition/copyeditor for Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing and Harbourlight Books), offers her services as a freelance editor, and is an author of Christian romance and romantic suspense. Her emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. Because of Me, her debut romantic suspense novel is soon to be released by Treble Heart Books/Mountainview Publishing. Fay has a passion for working with and encouraging fellow writers. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she co-moderates the large Scribes’ Critique Group and manages the smaller Scribes’ critique groups. For her efforts, she was the recipient of the ACFW Members Service Award in 2010. In 2012, Fay was also elected to serve as secretary on ACFW’s Operating Board. Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida, where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and five grandchildren.

~~~~~

Not your typical Christian fiction.

Michael’s fiancée, Issie Putnam, was brutally attacked and Michael was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he’s home to set things right.

Two people stand in his way: Issie’s son, Cole, and a madman.

Can Michael learn to love the child Issie holds so close to her heart and protect him from the man who took everything from Michael so long ago?

Because of Me is available through all fine book retailers, Amazon, and Mountainview Publishing, a division of Treble Heart Books.

Lessons for the Journey by Courtney Walsh

One of the many great things about belonging to a community of Christian writers is that people are willing to mentor and help others who are traveling on the road to publication. We don’t have to go it alone. Today, author Courtney Walsh is here to share some things learned on her own journey. Enjoy! ~ Dawn

Lessons for the Journey

by Courtney Walsh

At first glance, it seemed like my writing journey was going exactly as I’d planned. In the fall of 2008, I attended my first ACFW conference. By December, I’d signed with the agent of my dreams. By the following spring, I had a three-book deal writing books that combined my love of Small Town, USA, with powerful stories about forgiveness and a happy little twist of scrapbooking all into one neatly designed package.

I was on my way. Living the dream. Everything was coming up roses.

How naïve of me to think that this was the hardest part of my journey.

For some of us, we wait years for our first manuscript to be sold. For others, we agonize for months over whether or not an agent will represent us. For still others, we get to watch on the sidelines as God uses the things we want most (a career in writing) as a teaching tool.

And we all know that sometimes, being a student can be difficult.

My first book, A Sweethaven Summer, was finally released in February of this year.

And boy, was it a learning experience. I’ve discovered there are three things every writer should know as they set off on their journey, and if these are embraced, they can separate you from the masses.

Lesson One: Be eager to learn.

As writers, this is absolutely imperative at every single point of our careers. Whether we’re just starting out or we have twenty-five books in print, learning—and a desire to learn—keeps what we do from getting boring. It keeps us from getting stale. More importantly, it makes us easier to work with.

Lesson Two: Be flexible.

Throughout this journey, my publisher has gone through some major transitions. As a result, I’ve worked with three different editors (all wonderful) and my release dates have been changed more than once. My own plans have gone awry more times than I can count, and through it all, I’ve been reminded time and again, to stay flexible. You cannot worry about things that are out of your control. Expect change. It will happen whether you want it to or not. Turns out, getting the book deal is only the beginning…

Lesson Three: Be willing to work.         

I sometimes say if I’d known how much work this was going to be, I may not have had the courage to go forward. In some ways, I think God blessed me by revealing things in steps and only as I needed to know them. From editing, to marketing, to connecting with readers, to making sure every bio online is actually about you…a writer never really stops working. The bottom line—no one cares more about your career than you do. No one else has the same kind of passion to see your book succeed. So you have to channel that passion into hard work.

If you aren’t willing to put in the time at each step of the publication process, you can’t expect great results.

I believe wholeheartedly that writing is a rewarding, wonderful endeavor, but that’s not to say it’s going to be easy. Regardless of where you are on your journey, allow it draw you closer to the One who gave you the desire in the first place. Whatever you’re believing for—an agent, a contract, a certain number of copies sold—hand it over to Him. And continue to look for the lessons in the journey. 

Courtney Walsh is a published author, scrapbooking designer, theatre director and playwright. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, will be released in February, 2012 by Guideposts/Summerside, followed by two additional novels in the series. She has also written two papercrafting books, Scrapbooking Your Faith and The Busy Scrapper and is currently working on her third, The Scrapcrafter’s Idea Book (F&W Publications, August, 2012.) Courtney has been a contributing editor for Memory Makers Magazine and Children’s Ministry Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Group Publishing curriculum, newsletters and other publications. She has also written several full-length musicals, including her most recent, The Great American Tall Tales and Hercules for Christian Youth Theatre, Chicago. Courtney is a member of ACFW and is the current PR Manager for Webster’s Pages, a scrapbooking company. 

To learn more about Courtney and her books, please visit:

Her blog at: www.courtneywalsh.typepad.com

Her website at: www.courtneywalshwrites.com

This-n-That Thursday: Four Self-editing Tips

As writers, we probably all develop habits that don’t serve us well. The thing is . . . it’s sooo much easier for us to point out other people’s blatant errors than it is for us to see how mistakes blemish our own stellar writing.

We may even have our own little pet peeves. One of my critique partners has it in for prepositions. (A preposition links a noun, pronoun, or phrase to another part of a sentence.) She zeros in on any unnecessary words like: to be, of, on, for, from, at, etc.

As a freelance editor, I see common bad habits formed by writers. Can you tell what doesn’t work in the following examples?

~ Dawn

Tip #1

“What time should we leave for the concert?” John asked.

“Five o’clock will be early enough. Did you know that Larry is riding with us?” Mary queried.

“That’s awesome!” he exclaimed.

 

Explanation:

We don’t need to include words like asked, queried, or exclaimed if punctuation is already doing the job. It’s much better to use an action beat. Have the person do some type of physical movement or display a facial expression.

Tip # 2

“I thought you were going to get the car fixed by Monday,” Kathy said.

“I never said it would be done by then,” Greg denied.

Explanation:

If the dialogue does the job, there is no need to explain. In this case, we don’t need to write that Greg denied saying the car would be fixed by Monday. His words are enough.

Tip #3

“I bet those flowers are from your secret admirer,” Mark winked.

 “Mark, they’re an anniversary gift from my husband,” laughed Carrie.

 

Explanation:

It’s impossible to have verbal words expressed through action. While we can wink before, during, and after speaking . . . we can’t “wink” words. Nor can we “laugh” them. Well, maybe if we tried really hard, but we would look and sound pretty funny. And we might choke in the process. ;-)

Tip #4

Kelsie walked to the department store because she needed to shop for clothes. But she also needed some blush, so she first walked to the makeup counter and purchased some blush. Then instead of taking the escalator, she walked up the stairs to the second floor. After walking around that area, she tried on some clothes and then decided to purchase several pieces of designer clothing.

Explanation:

Phew! Okay, that paragraph is pretty silly, and perhaps a little exaggerated. But you get the idea. I frequently see repeated words in the same sentence, paragraph, and page in manuscripts I edit. The writing starts to feel redundant and doesn’t make for exciting reading. It can be challenging at times to find alternative words, but most of the time, it’s possible. For instance, the following words can be used for walk: stroll, saunter, meander, amble, march, pace, stagger, hike, etc.

Kelsie walked to the department store because she needed to shop for clothes. But she also needed some blush, so she first walked to the makeup counter and purchased some blush. Then instead of taking the escalator, she walked up the stairs to the second floor. After walking around that floor, she tried on some clothes and then decided to purchase several pieces of designer clothing.

Those are my four pet peeves—ah—self-editing tips. What are yours?