How to Keep Your Head in Your Story by Jennifer Slattery

Jennifer Slattery writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. She also writes for Crosswalk.com, Internet Café Devotions, and the group blog, Faith-filled Friends. When not writing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her teenage daughter and coffee dates with her handsome railroader husband.

They say, to write the best tales, writers must become completely immersed in storyworld. This is great when the house is quiet, the kids are gone, and the rest of your world stops. But how we stay in the story when life pulls us from it?

It happens to me every story. 50K or so words in, I encounter something unexpected that steals my time and keeps me from my work-in-progress. When this happens, the plot I’d just begun to immerse myself in begins to disintegrate. The longer I’m away, the more it fades until I’m left with a looming deadline and a bunch of random ideas on Post-it notes.  

The longer I’m away from my keyboard, the harder it is to write. Perhaps you can relate. If so, the next time life pulls you from your computer, try the following to keep your head in the game:

Work on your story daily even if for only ten minutes.

I can already hear your retorts: “I don’t have time. Life got crazy, remember?”

My counter: I doubt that any of us truly don’t have ten minutes to write, revise, or read our work-in-progress. Ten minutes.

We can all do that, right?

Steal a few moments during commercials, maybe? Revise the last page you wrote while you’re waiting for noodles to boil? Or maybe all you do is jot down some random brainstorming ideas on a notepad. What you do isn’t as important as the doing.

We all have lots of hidden moments sprinkled throughout our day, moments wasted mindlessly. So why don’t we use them to further our stories? I suspect the answers to that question are:

1.     We haven’t developed the habit of making the most of every moment and therefore live a chunk of our life on autopilot.

2.     We assume our time is only valuable when we produce something. For example, we might dismiss the idea of doing anything writing related while watching television, convinced we haven’t enough time to write anything of value. But during times of chaos, we should alter our goal from production to caring for our muse.

Don’t have access to your computer? That doesn’t mean you have to leave storyworld completely. Simply print your novel out and set it by your bedside table—on top of your remote. Ah-ha! Are you rethinking your availability? Then read it for ten to fifteen minutes before going to bed.

Here’s why it works: Our brains are amazing, slightly obsessive machines that love to camp out on whatever is dominating our lives at any given moment. When chaos comes, that chaos fights to occupy our every thought, stealing our creativity and making it all the harder to rekindle it. But if we’d but find ways throughout our day to think dig into our story, we’ll find our brain will have a tendency to stay there, working out details and visualizing scenes. Then, when we return to our keyboards, not only will the plot and characters be fresh, but they may have even deepened as they’ve had time to percolate.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever tried any of the above, and if so, what were the results? What do you do to stay in the story when life gets crazy? Share your thoughts with us; we can all learn from one another. 

Visit with Jennifer online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud. 

When Dawn Breaks:

 

As the hurricane forces Jacqueline to evacuate, her need for purpose and restitution motivate her to head north to her estranged and embittered daughter and into the arms of a handsome new friend. However, he’s dealing with a potential conspiracy at work, one that could cost him everything, and Jacqueline isn’t sure if he will be the one she can lean on during the difficult days ahead. And then there are the three orphans to consider, especially Gavin. Must she relinquish her chance at having love again in order to be restored?

Read a free, 36-page excerpt here: http://issuu.com/newhopedigital/docs/slattery_sampler/1

You can buy a copy here:

On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Dawn-Breaks-A-Novel/dp/1596694238/

On Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-dawn-breaks-a-novel-jennifer-slattery/1120694122?ean=9781596694231

On CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/when-dawn-breaks-a-novel/jennifer-slattery/9781596694231/pd/694231

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Tips to Adjust Your Writing Schedule and Enjoy the Holidays!

by Edie Melson

The holidays can be stressful

The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone. But for those of us who work from home, the juggling act can be a minefield of unreasonable expectations and disappointments. And turning off your computer for a month and half isn't the answer. It's hard to restart a productive routine after taking a month off.

Today I want to share some tips to adjust your writing schedule and enjoy the holidays.

Observe. Refill your imagination tank. When you’re at a Christmas party or the mall, take a small notepad and notice something interesting about everyone there. Maybe it’s a small quirk (like a woman who constantly tucks her hair behind her ear or a new turn of phrase – like Oh for Crying in the Sink. I thought I’d die the first time I heard Susie say that)

Set small goals to stay on track

Set small goals. I struggle with my weight because I love to eat – especially baked goods. Now I have a rule for every Christmas treat I eat, like a cookie, I’m going to write 250 words first. Or Finish a blog post, or write a portion of a devotions. Something productive. I learned this one from a friend of mine, Lynn Blackburn

And on this, rethink your blogging schedule. Maybe you should reduce the number of posts you put up during the holidays. Truthfully it won’t hurt your presence because people have less time to read blogs during December.

Use the buddy system. I have several writer friends with whom I have a standing agreement. Anytime I’m in a jam for a blog post, I’m welcome to steal something they’ve written on their sites.

Catch up on your reading

Catch up on your reading. Visit those blogs you’ve been meaning to read. Find a book on craft and read it. There’s lots of waiting that goes on during the holidays, use it.

You can also use this time to read books in your genre and/or hang out on Goodreads making a to-be-read list for next year.

Rest. Set realistic goals and give yourself a pass on pounding out thousands of words on your WIP. Enjoy your family and friends. You’ll be fresher and stronger when the New Year rolls around.

Now I'd love to hear from you. What are some things you do to readjust your schedule and enjoy the holidays?

Edie Melson is the author of four books, as well as a freelance editor with years of experience in the publishing industry. Her popular blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month, and she’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been updated and re-released as Connections: Social Media & Networking Techniques for Writers. She’s the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy and the social media director for Southern Writers Magazine. You can connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

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Writing on the Move, by Elizabeth Musser

Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ Her novels have been acclaimed in the United States and in Europe.  The Swan House (Bethany House, c2001), set in Atlanta in the early sixties, was named as one of Amazon’s Top Christian Books of the Year (2001), was an ABA and SEBA bestseller and was recently named one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of the past 100 years, right behind Gone with the Wind (from Georgia Backroads, Autumn, 2009).  

For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams. They presently live in Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a brand new grandson. 

To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please visit www.elizabethmusser.com.

Writing on the Move

How does an author write when she is constantly moving?

I am a missionary and I am an author.  I love both of my vocations and am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to use these gifts and talents for Him.  For about fifteen years now, I’ve juggled the missionary and writing life.  When I received my first contract for a novel, back in 1994, my sons were young and the only time I wrote was in the mornings, when they were in school.  Ministry and family time came in the afternoons and evenings.

This schedule worked pretty well for many years. 

Then two years ago, my husband and I received a new role within our mission.  Instead of doing ministry uniquely in a local church in France, we were asked to become Pastors to Members—providing spiritual oversight for our colleagues who work all over Europe.  As empty nesters, the job fit well.  I could travel with my husband.  Except for one problem:  how could I write creatively when we traveled so often with virtually no ‘alone time’ to cogitate and dream.  How, Lord?

Ah, that was the best starting place—on my knees before the Lord, asking Him how to manage.

And the Lord reminded of this simple truth: I do write when I travel.  I write in my journal.  I was ‘journaling’ long before that word was considered a noun.  The day I left for college, I bought a yellow spiral notebook and started recording my thoughts, feelings, prayers and descriptions of life.

That practice has continued for thirty-five years.  Now, my journal is on my laptop, a folder filled with hundreds of word documents that record snippets of thoughts and feelings and experiences and adventures.

So as I begin a new novel, I go back to my journal entries, and places like Venice and Tuscany and Vienna all come alive to me as I read about what inspired me back when I walked those ancient streets.  I’ve already done the research!  Now, as I read and remember, I create new scenes for a novel.

Of course, most of my journal entries are letters from my heart to the Lord, praising Him as He shows up in the midst of the mundane.  And those life experiences make their way into my stories too because life is a mixture of the exotic and the mundane.

So, dear readers and writers, if you too find yourself on the move all the time—whether you are running around caring for kids or neck-deep in a career or traipsing around the world like me, my advice is simple.  Jot down your adventures in a journal or on the computer or on an Ipad.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.  Then later, sometimes much later, those entries may serve as fodder for a new story.  It has worked for me.  As I sit down to create, in between the rest of life, there’s a prayer on my lips and thankfulness in my heart for all those ideas I jotted down somewhere long ago.

Her Secrets of the Cross trilogy is now available in its entirety in English.  Elizabeth wrote Two Crosses, Two Testaments and Two Destinies back in the 1990s. The first two books in this series came out in the mid 90’s, but a company buy-out led to a moratorium on adult fiction – thus the third book was never published in English.  In spite of that fact, all three books have been best-sellers in Europe. 

Two Destinies

Faith and love could cost them everything

When Rislène Namani meets Eric Hoffmann in 1994 France, the spark between them ignites a firestorm of trouble. She fears the repercussions from her staunchly Muslim family for her attraction to a Christian. Yet Eric captures her heart. More than that, his faith captures her soul—a faith she comes to embrace. And it all stirs up a wasps’ nest of danger, mystery, and love that could cost her everything, even her life.

The risk is real, especially when Rislène’s family discovers her secret. Eric must save her from a forced marriage in Algeria. As the civil war in Algeria escalates in the midst of Ramadan, and poverty and social ills in France boil over, their lives become as tumultuous and uncertain as the world around them. Clinging to faith, they fight a battle as contemporary as today’s headlines.

The first two novels in her Secrets of the Cross trilogy, (Two Crosses, Two Testaments) which take place during Algeria’s War for Independence from France, were republished by David C Cook in June, 2012.  At last, the third novel in the trilogy, Two Destinies, will be available in bookstores everywhere starting September 1, 2012.  Set in France and Algeria near the end of 1994, it is the story of the persecuted church in North Africa, the terrorist activities in the midst of Algeria’s civil war, the desperate homeless people in France, and courageous individuals willing to risk their lives to help those in need.  The issues addressed in this novel are more timely and relevant to Americans than when Elizabeth wrote Two Destinies back in 1998.  Ever since 9-11, Americans have become much more aware of the Muslim world.  In the trilogy, Elizabeth tackles faith questions and issues which Americans now read about and see on the daily news.

From an interview with Publisher’s Weekly, “Elizabeth Musser likes to say she has two part-time jobs. Not only is she an award-winning novelist, but she and her husband serve as missionaries at a small Protestant church in Lyon, France. In both lines of work, she avoids preaching and simplistic answers, choosing instead to portray a God who cares in the midst of life's complexity...”

Elizabeth adds, “My desire is to offer the best literature I can write, drawing the reader into a story that is compelling, believable and sprinkled with historical detail.  I seek to give a realistic picture of what faith lived out in this world looks like, and, as always, I hope that my stories can be appreciated by all audiences, not just those readers who hold my same religious beliefs.  It is a delight to receive confirmation of this through reader letters.”

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Get Taken Seriously as a Writer by Your Family and Friends

"Nobody takes me seriously or respects my time."

This seems to be a common refrain I hear from newer writers. They’ve finally worked up the courage to get serious about writing regularly and some of their closest family and friends won’t respect their time. They get calls during the times they’re writing and attitude if they don’t stop to talk. They hear comments that undermine their newfound confidence.

“You can do that, after all you stay home all day.”

“Oh come on, you’ve got nothing better to do.”

And my favorite. “It’s not like you have a real job.”

So what’s a writer to do?

To begin with, take a deep breath and realize this problem isn’t unique to writers. It happens to everyone who works from home—I should know—my husband and I have shared a home office for the past thirteen years. For some people an office isn’t an office if it isn’t off site. Not logical—but an all too common misconception.

I’ve fought this battle—sometimes more successfully than others—and these are the strategies I’ve come up with. 

• First, make certain you’re setting the example you want followed. By that I mean keep regular hours. Notice I said regular hours—not normal ones. For years I wrote with young children. That meant writing in the afternoons and after they were in bed. Just because you’re working odd hours doesn’t mean you can’t have a schedule.

• Second, treat what you’re doing like you’re serious. If you blow off writing for shopping and lunch several times a week your friends and family won’t understand if you don’t stop for them.

• Third, be consistent. If you’re not accepting calls from your mother-in-law because you’re working, don’t spend the afternoon on the phone with your best friend. Stay focused on your writing. This is even more critical if your time is at a premium.

• Fourth, recruit a support team. Instead of adversaries, enlist your friends and family to help you reach your writing goals. Communicate those goals, clearly and frequently. Ask for their help to reach them. After all, what mother doesn’t want to help her baby succeed!

• Fifth, share your victories. Let those that help you share in the joy of goals accomplished and milestones reached.

These five things have helped me immeasurably over the years. But they’re not a cure all. There will still be those who think what you do is fun and not work. Expect that, anticipate it even. Knowing it happens to everyone takes away a little bit of the sting.

So what have you found to help when you struggle with sabotaging friends and family?

Edie Melson is a freelance writer and editor with years of experience in the publishing industry. She’s a prolific writer, and has a popular writing blog,The Write Conversation. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, as well as a popular faculty member at numerous others. She currently has two books available, the best selling eBook, Social Media Marketing for Writers, and her latest project, a devotional for those with family members in the military, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle.Married 30 years to her high school sweetheart, Kirk, they have raised three sons.

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