Guest Blog ~ Tricia Goyer ~ Switching Hats

Tricia Goyer has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Today's Christian Woman, Guideposts for Kids, and Focus on the Family, and is the co-author of Meal Time Moments (Focus on the Family). She has led numerous Bible Studies, and her study notes appear in the Women of Faith Study Bible (Zondervan).

She has written seven novels for Moody Publishing:
From Dust and Ashes (2003)
Night Song (2004)
Dawn of a Thousand Nights (2005);
Arms of Deliverance (2006)
A Valley of Betrayal (2007)
A Shadow of Treason (Fall 2007)
A Whisper of Freedom (February 2008)
Night Song was awarded American Christian Fiction Writer's 2005 Book of the Year for Best Long Historical. Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.

Tricia has also written Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004), 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004), and Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006). Life Interrupted was a 2005 Gold Medallion finalist in the Youth Category.

Also, coming out in the next year are: My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, Spring 2008), and 3:16-the teen version of the a book by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, Spring 2008).

Tricia and her husband John live with their three children in Kalispell, Montana. Tricia's grandmother also lives with them, and Tricia volunteers mentoring teen moms and leading children's church. Although Tricia doesn't live on a farm, she can hit one with a rock by standing on her back porch and giving it a good throw.

Click here to read the first chapter of A Shadow of Treason and here to see a review. Or visit Tricia's website.

Wearing Two Hats - Fiction Vs. Non-fiction

When I first started writing, I wanted to write fiction. In fact, I have a half-dozen half completed contemporary novels on my hard drive! Basically, I started writing non-fiction articles to get some writing credits under my belt, and I discovered I loved writing non-fiction too. I started out with parenting articles for magazines like HomeLife and Christian Single. I thought it was great because I'd propose an article for any parenting problem that I was having, then I'd interview experts to get advice! I've received advice from people like Greg Smalley, John Trent, Gary Thomas, John Townsend, Dr. Mary Manz Simons ... and other cool people. What parent gets to do that?

My dream of writing fiction came true after hearing the amazing, true story of the liberation of a concentration camp in Austria. I fictionalized the true events and it became my novel, From Dust and Ashes. Through that book I discovered I love writing historical fiction, and my seventh historical novel will be published February 2007. I benefit from fiction because I'm swept away into another time and place. I feel as if I'm a part of the story, and I learn more about myself through the lives of characters.

My first solo non-fiction book was Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom. Once a young mom myself, I wanted to give specific help and advice to those who had kids, yet were still kids in many ways. Because I write so many articles, I find all my non-fiction books have the same flavor. They chapters are short with lots of sub-headings and bulleted points. I have quotes, stats, and other interesting stuff. I also write as if I'm talking to a friend over coffee. I try to be real, because I know I won't fool anyone if I try to be stuffy. That's just not me!

In a way, I approach both my fiction and non-fiction project the same. For both I do some basic researching and some brainstorming before I “jump in.” They are different because I can work in chunks with my non-fiction. I can do a little here and a little there, yet my fiction needs larger chunks of time for me to get into the flow. Of course with both there is a time when I hit "prime." To me this means the book is in my thoughts every waking moment. In fact, it keeps working at it as I cook dinner or shop. I get to the place where it become impossible NOT to write.

I also have the same type of system for writing both non-fiction and fiction. First, I break the book into either scenes or themes, depending on if it's fiction or non-fiction. Then, as I research, I plug in the data where it goes. For example, if one of my fiction scenes is about a bull-fight, I'll type in all the research for that into the place where I think I'll use it in the book. Or if my non-fiction chapter is on sex as a married person, I'll create a file where I put all my research info. So with both types of books I have a large chunk of the research done before I ever started on page one. I find I can write fast when I don't have to stop and look stuff up all the time.

Also, with both I LOVE input. Writing is not solitary for me--I need people involved. For my non-fiction books I always interview others. For example, for Generation NeXt Marriage and Generation NeXt Parenting I interviewed dozens of Gen Xers. I did the same for all my teens books. I feed on the comments and ideas of others. I also invite those who comment to get a "peek" of my chapters ahead of time. I seek their input. I write with them in mind. It helps me to know if I'm on the right track.

With my fiction, I often interview veterans or I find experts to give me insight on the time, setting, or machinery. If I interview veterans or historians, I also ask them to read my chapters ahead of time to make sure I got my information right. I also have writing friends who read my stuff for me. Like I said, writing is not solitary for me!

I love writing both. I feel God’s pleasure as I write both. I couldn’t imagine choosing one over the other. I think that’s because I’m a teacher at heart. Anything I learn I want to share with others. I do that with sharing ideas and sharing stories. And ... you will be seeing both from me soon!