7 Things #Writers Do ... Besides Write

by +AneMulligan  @AneMulligan

There are times when life gets in the way of writing. Then there are times when our muse refuses to come out an play. So what's a writer to do? Here's what I do:

1. Read. It's all about story. Besides a good story, I learn from reading other author's books.

2. Take pictures. I drive around with my phone poised and ready. After all, I might capture something in the background that sparks a story. You'd be surprised what's going on in the distance.

3. Eavesdrop. We might hear something that sparks a story.

4. Bang my head. I admit my head against my keyboard when nothing comes. It's like my imagination has gone on vacation and forgotten to invite me along.

5. Make up memes about writing or reading. I have always loved to do craft projects. Making a meme is a digital craft project. I can call it marketing and procrastinate for hours.

6. Quiver in fear. Writers are an insecure lot. We're gelatinous blobs of quivering fear that the story well has dried up. We're hacks. We'll never come up with another salable story.

Hubs & me with Lord Graham

7. Share photos on Facebook. They say a photo is like 1,000 words, so I keep posting them to see if the words come. I've posted some in the hopes my life would look glamorous, when in reality, I'm home scrubbing toilets and sorting laundry like the rest of the world.

So, if you're a writer what do you do besides write?

Leave your answer in the comments and be entered in a drawing to win a book.

While a floppy straw hat is her favorite, novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many including pro-family lobbyist, drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. Ane writes her Southern-fried fiction in Sugar Hill, GA, where she resides with her artist husband, chef son, and a dog of Biblical proportion.

Home to Chapel Springs

A homeless author, a theatre ghost, and a heartbroken daughter ~ 

there’s trouble in Chapel Springs

There’s always someone new in Chapel Springs, either coming home or stirring up trouble. Bestselling author Carin Jardine’s latest book is a flop. Homeless and broke, she and her little boy have no choice but to retreat to the house she inherited from her nana in Chapel Springs—the house that’s been gutted. Then, a stranger knocks on her door. One that will change the course of her life. With one of her daughters in love with the wrong boy, a theatre rumored to be haunted, and Howie Newlander and Mayor Riley go head-to-head in a hot election, Claire gets caught in the middle. 

TWEETABLE: 7 Things #writers do ... besides write. 

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I Read, I Write, and My Daughter Does Arithmetic

My twelve-year-old daughter crafted a way to bolster reading time.

Why does my reading time matter to me?

Readers know when authors don’t study.

We all know the books written by men and women with no interest in literacy. The book has no hope of lasting works defined as genius, and there's no motive other than a bit of an ever-diminishing paycheck. These stories litter the shelves of both general and Christian market.

Of course, you write works of genius. That’s why you read books. And read Novel Rocket. And read Peter Leavell novels.

Reading, to an author, is more important than writing.

What happens when you don’t read? Is there danger in not feeding fiction plotlines into your brain? What does it matter if you don’t study interesting characters of biography? What if the ‘little gray cells’ never grapple with the fascinating biosphere of nonfiction?

Or more harshly said—can you live in a vacuum filled with fellow lifeless drones who strive for their next phone and reproduce nothing other than artless humanism?

If you need an excuse to read more, here’s your stamp of vindication on your timecard—your writing is shallow when you don’t read.

The thought’s brutal, but your characters, plotlines, and the worlds they live in are only as brilliant as you. And you’re not getting any smarter unless you’re reading.

Reading expands your thinking. Reading bolsters your writing skill. Reading strengthens your writing voice.

My daughter made 10 bookmarks, numbered 1 through 10.

My crafty daughter!

Any given book I should be able to finish in ten days. When I divide a 300 page book by 10, I place the first bookmark at page 30, the second at page 60, third at page 90, and if you don’t get the pattern yet, read a math book. Marker 10 is on the last page, unless the book is over 400 pages, then I divide the total pages by 11 and give myself an extra day.

If life is going smooth, I’ll be reading three books at a time. I rarely read over the bookmark, unless the book is so compelling I can’t help myself, or I’m close to finishing a chapter.

I also keep one nonfiction history with 1000 or more pages I read, simply when I need a history fix. I have 10 markers, but 1 represents the first year. Ha!

Happy reading!

Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author. Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. www.peterleavell.com.

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Countdown to Christmas - by DiAnn Mills

It’s fifteen days until Christmas. If you’re like me, you can’t sit still. The excitement has me wiggling to the tune of Jingle Bells. At times I think I’ll explode with the pure joy of the season. It’s in the air I breathe, the thrills of Christmas.

Are you a writer on deadline?

Yet the writing life goes on, and I can’t think of anything worse than an approaching deadline at Christmas. If you’re like me, it’s difficult to concentrate on finishing up a novel, respond and create social media, and explore content for blogs when I’d rather turn up the Christmas music and bake cookies.

Dear writer, this may be the year to slow down, especially if you’re on a time crunch.

How do writers balance family, work, and holiday responsibilities when we want

to create the perfect Christmas? To counter my perfectionism to complete all projects and meet all demands, I made a list of fifteen things every writer can do to make the season more fun and less stressful.

Too many things to do!

1. Calendar the church’s Christmas program and plan to attend.

2. Cut the amount of Christmas decorations in half.

3. Order the holiday baking goodies instead of melting butter and measuring sugar at 1:00 a.m.

4. Stuck with hosting the holiday dinner? Consider a maid and catering service.

5. Shop online and avoid the traffic crunch.

6. Do a Christmas craft with kids. It’s amazing how much fun, and it’s also a creative outlet.

7. Send e-cards instead of mailing traditional ones. It’s cheaper and the selection is amazing.

8. Exercise—you’ll feel better.

9. Eat healthy—your body will thank you.

10. Sleep late and nap so you’re rested for the big party.

11. Read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

12. Have a Christmas movie marathon.

13. Sing all your favorite Christmas songs at the top of your lungs!

14. Take time to thank God for all His blessings.

15. Create a silly poem. Here’s mine:

Up on the Bookshelf

Up on the bookshelf

Editors call.

Out jump agents, writers on call.

Down through the aisles

With lots of books,

All with metaphors and lively hooks.

Ho Ho Ho

A writer would know.

Ho Ho Ho

A writer would know.

Oh, up on a bookshelf

Click Click Click

Down through the aisles

Comes a best seller’s pick.

I can enjoy this countdown!

How are you going to celebrate Christmas this year? This might be the year to relax and allow the quiet beauty of the first Christmas be your inspiration.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; the 2015 president of the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope, & Love chapter; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and International Thriller Writers. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

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