Validation

As someone who writes, a question I’ve been mulling over is “Why do you want to be published?” (referring to traditional publishing) But really, this same question could be posed to anyone… “Why do you want to accomplish ______ in your chosen area?”

I get hung up on this question every time.
I don’t like my answer, even though it’s painfully honest.

I want to be published traditionally because I want the validation of it. I want someone to say that my work is good enough to warrant a contract and even payment. I want that seal of approval on my work. That proof. Something I can hold up and say, “See?!”

But every time I even think those words I hear a still, quiet voice in my heart saying, “Isn’t My approval enough?”

God did not use a cookie cutter when He created us. What’s right for my friend isn’t necessarily right for me. God may have called one of us to walk to the beat of a different drum. The key is to be obedient to what God’s called me to do. My calling, not someone else’s calling.

That means risking being different and maybe even appearing wrong. Sometimes that may mean the appearance of taking the easy way or a short cut. But the truth of the matter is that if it’s what God told me to do, then for me it’s right (and the other way may be the wrong way for me).

I need to obey what God's called me to do and look to Him for validation. Only Him.

So tell me, is validation something you struggle with? 
How do you deal with it?

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I've Missed You

Have you returned somewhere after being gone a real long time? You know that feeling of hesitancy? Nervousness? Even a touch of fear mixed in with the anticipation… Will they remember me? Will they still like me? Have our lives moved on so much that I won’t fit in or that we won’t connect like we used to?

That’s how I’m feeling.
I’ve been gone a long time. I never dreamed I would be gone…silent…for so long. During that time a lot of water has gone under the bridge (yes, a cliché. Forgive me?). We’ve both changed, grown. But friendships can survive time and distance. I hope ours can too.

I’ve missed you.

I’ve come to visit with you often, but like Zacharias, nothing came out when I opened my mouth, set my fingers to keyboard. There was so much I wanted to say. So much to tell you, but it was all too fresh. Too raw in my heart and mind. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know how to start. So I’d leave the keyboard, the blank page disappearing into the fog I was walking through. But I never forgot you. I often thought of you, prayed for you, my friends.

But now it’s time.
The burning in me is greater than the hesitancy, the nervousness, and the fear. I’ve remembered why I came here... Why I write.

Obedience.
And obedience leads to joy.
I can feel it returning even now. Joy welling up, clogging my throat and filling my eyes…

And now that I’ve started, the words are coming fast. Crowding, anxious to catch up with you.

I know I’ve changed over the time. My thoughts, my actions, my voice. Age and experience do that to us. But inside I’m still me. And I bet you’re still you, changed but still you.

Cookie, one of our newest additions to the family.

Remember the old nursery rhyme… Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? Like the cat, I feel like I’ve been to London to visit the queen…only I’ve seen so much more than the queen. LoL. Family, fairs, fun. Mom-stuff, monkey-stuff, mail-stuff. More change than I ever, EVER would’ve guessed. But through it all: God’s presence and faithfulness. Always. In all circumstances and all situations.

And now? Now I manage a shipping warehouse. I have a wonderful, God-given job that I love. My boys go to the warehouse with me everyday and are able to finish their homeschooling even though I work full-time. The family is constantly in-and-out of the warehouse, visiting, working, eating lunch, hanging out. It’s wonderful. It’s like having my cake and eating it too. Something I’ve always enjoyed. ::grin::

So tell me, what have you been up to? What’s new in your world?
I’ve missed you.

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Listen to the Tears

Recently I was rejected.

No, that’s not true.

I wasn’t rejected at all, not in any way. One of my manuscripts was.

But that wasn’t the problem. In all honesty, at this point in my journey, I expect the rejections--they’re part of the process and I’m okay with that. The problem was what it led me to.

Rejection isn’t the problem. What we do with it is. (Tweet this.)

As I processed the rejection, I asked the Lord if I needed to set aside my writing and focus on the many other things in my life, or if I needed to simply stop writing altogether, if it was just a pipe dream or hobby that pulled me out of the rut I was in at one point.

The thought of not writing, of closing my computer and laying aside my pen made me cry. Not just cry, but it brought on the sobs and I am not a sob-er. Thankfully, it made me stop and take notice.

The rejection tears made me realize how important writing is to me, that it’s something I really, really want to do. It’s one of those things that I’ll keep doing in spite of rejections. Writing is therapy and sanity. It clears my head and helps me think and process. I hold my pen carefully—not clutching it so it can’t be taken from my fingers, but firmly enough to write with, and until God takes my pen or impresses on me the need to stop, writing is one of those things I’ll keep doing.

Listening to the tears saved me hours and possibly days of needless soul searching, trying to figure out what I should do. They showed me one of the things that is truly important in my life.

Think about the things that have brought on tears that feel like they’re being torn from your heart. What caused them? What can you learn from them and how can they change or simplify your life?

Listen to your tears—they can clarify the important things in your life. (Tweet this.)

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Stepping Stones or Grave Stones?

If there's one thing I hear over and over in the writing circles I'm part of, it's that failures and rejections can be stepping stones. And it's not just in writing, it's in all of life.

Last fall I sent a requested proposal to my dream publishing house, the goal I've been targeting for years. Many weeks later I received a very nice letter from the editor I'd sent to saying they weren't interested in the manuscript. Rejected. BUT, she took the time to tell me why. She told me what was missing, giving me something concrete to work with.

So, I had two choices. I could see the rejection as a grave stone or as a stepping stone.

Since the proposal was requested as a result of Seekerville's Read Me Contest, I emailed Tina to give her the news and to thank her for the contest which gave me the opportunity. Her reply to me was wonderful. “This is exciting. You have gotten your first editorial critique! Time to revise!”

Rejection vs. editorial critique.
Grave stone vs. stepping stone.

Same exact number of letters, totally different results.

If I were to see that rejection letter as just a rejection, it could easily become a grave stone. I could let it become the excuse to quit writing fiction—for a time or forever. But, if I see it as a stepping stone, the experience becomes the first, and often scariest or hardest proposal under my belt and off my list of things to dread and worry about. Besides, I now know what I need to do to bring that manuscript up to par—through an editor's eyes.

Yes, I failed at my ultimate objective—a contract with my dream publisher, but I took great strides along the journey of reaching that goal. Not just that, but I know a few more things I need to do to help me along that journey toward that goal.

Just think about the game Mother May I. How often did you hear “No steps needed, you win”? (or something like that, LoL) You didn't. It was always a series of small or giant steps forward or backward until you eventually reached the goal.

So why do we expect to immediately reach our goals?
Why do we see failure as bad?

Failing is only bad if we see it as a grave stone on a project. If we see it as a stepping stone we can be happy that we are one step closer. And maybe, just maybe, it's NOT all about reaching the goal. Maybe it's about the journey and the witness we are along that journey or the glory we bring to God through that journey. We can't become so fixated on the goal that we miss all the other things along the way.

As Christians, if we see failures as grave stones, we are neutralized—no longer effective, and Satan wins that round. Certainly not what we want to happen.

It's a mental issue—how we choose to see the failure.
It's part of the war we're in—and wars are made up of many battles. Few wars are won with one decisive crushing victory—especially where our minds are concerned. That means every time we catch ourselves thinking of the failure as a grave stone, we need to stop, turn around and choose to see it as a stepping stone. It's a choice we may have to make many times a day.

So that rejection letter I received... was it a grave stone or a stepping stone? A stepping stone. I'm hard at work on the manuscript, adding in the elements the editor said it was missing and changing the things she mentioned so I can submit it somewhere else. And you know what? If this manuscript never finds a home, it has served its purpose—it's helped me along the journey of life, helped me face lots of fears I had and shown me many cool things. Even if the manuscript is committed to the Dust Bunnies and never sees the light of day, it will have been a stepping stone.

What about you? Is there a grave stone in your life you need to change to a stepping stone? Ask God to help you see it differently then step in faith and choose to think about it differently. It's the difference between stepping backward and forward—between neutralization and victory.

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Writing Craft Books for 2012

Even though I feel like I'm still in a white out as far as goals for 2012, I do know a few books I want (and need!) to read this year. Since this is a very measureable goal, here's my list...

• The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
• Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
• The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
• Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins
• On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels
• Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
• Write Tight by William Brohaugh
• Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

I've read some of these, but I really, really need to read the whole book so this year I'm knocking them out. Eight books in twelve months. Very doable.

And that's all I'm going to list for goals for 2012. I still don't have a clear cut goals list and I'm not sure about a verse for the year. And that one word I wanted for 2012? Nope.

In many ways I feel like God has put a blindfold on me and wants me to thank Him for it. So that's what I'm going to do.

Happy New Year, my friends! Thanks for being with me on this journey. You've made my time much sweeter. Hugs all around...

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Fear's Role in Procrastination

Okay, so even by writing this post, I'm procrastinating.
I'm using this to put off doing what I really, really need to be doing, but I just can't pass up the opportunity. (Even that is pathetic because my past procrastination is making it so I'm missing out on a great opportunity today. And yet, here I am writing this.)

I'm a procrastinator at heart. Pathetically so.

I know all the reasons I need to push on. I know the importance of it. I know that procrastinating could easily kill all hope of what I'm hoping for and what I've been working for and I feel God has for me. But sometimes there's something even bigger than all those things I know.

Fear.

Fear of what? Fear of failure.
If it's not done, it can't fail.

Am I the only one who deals with this??

And I even know the verses to fight this fear—because I've searched them out so often!

So here's the verse that's pulling me out of this bog fueled by fear:

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. ~2 Timothy 1:7 NAS

Timidity. Cowardice. Fear. It's NOT what God has given us!

God's given us power. His power. “Miraculous power,” might and strength.
And love.
And discipline. Now there's a word we love to hate. Discipline. Self-control.

THAT's what God has given us.
That means that any time I let fear have control, I'm turning my back on God and what He has given me and choosing the hog swill of fear instead.

How dumb is that?!?!

Sooooo, now that I've put that in perspective (for myself), guess what I'm off to do?
Work. In power, love and discipline—those awesomely cool gifts God gave me.

So tell me, why do you procrastinate?

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Flying whats?

Today is elephant appreciation day.
Uh huh. I heard you say “So what?!”

Since you asked (hehe - see the line above, it has a question mark), I'll tell you.

An elephant has helped me on this writing journey I'm on.
Really.

Almost three years ago, still in my first year of blogging, I participated in WordFilled Wednesdays several times, and it's still one of my favorite memes. The very first time I joined in, Ellie the Elephant came to be in If an Elephant can fly. Lemme tell ya, I loved Ellie—she inspired me, but I was a little embarrassed by her. See, all the WFW I visited were very dignified pictures, and then there was mine. Whimsical. eh. Once I got over feeling like the oddball, I didn't worry about it. She was exactly what I needed. So much so that she became the theme for my year (2009) and lived at the top of my sidebar.

"Un Petit Voyage I" by Ségo

Many, many times I've thought of Ellie and her verse and it's helped me keep going.

If an elephant can fly, then I can do what God's called me to. I can write for Him. Can an elephant fly on its own? No! All the more reason for me to hold fast to God because it's by HIS strength and power that an elephant can fly and I can follow Him. Which ties in with this year's theme verse Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6) That one's in the sidebar now and it's been crucial this year.

So tell me, what is it God's called you to do that you need His help to fly?

Oh yeah, and since it's Elephant Appreciation Day I'm guest posting at the Faithwriters blog. Why? Because when I told Joanne I really thought she should post on elephant appreciation day (since she's the one who learned about that juicy tidbit) she challenged me to come up with a tie-in to writing, and when I did, she invited me to post, instead of doing it herself. *eye roll* Somehow that's not what I had in mind. LoL. So, come join me there and see how else elephants tie in with writing. ;-)

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A Few -apparently needed- Hints and Tips From an Agent

Join me welcoming my agent, Linda Glaz.(Wow. I still don't know whether to flop back in shock or dance when I say that. My agent. hehe. Sooo cool.) And she's a very cool lady and friend. We're even friends on days other than Fridays.

And now, here's Linda with

A Few (apparently needed) Hints and Tips 
From an Agent

When you approach an agent or editor, what makes you stand out in the crowd?
In a good way…

Let’s first analyze a few of the bad ways to stand out.

Agent: I enjoyed your query and am very intrigued by the premise of your book. Could you please send along a proposal per our agency guidelines at your earliest convenience?

Writer: I appreciate your interest, while I’m too busy to put together a formal proposal, feel free to stop by my website and have a sample read. www.bigdopeywriter.com

~*~

Writer: You’ve been selected out of all the agents I’m submitting to as the one to have the first crack at this work. I just know you’ll see the potential for the future of this book. Hopefully you will have the intelligence to see this and the connections needed to get this book into the right hands. From what I’ve heard about your agency, I’m sure you do.

Agent: I don’t want to hold you back. Feel free to send to Number Two on your list.

~*~

Please stop sitting at your computer laughing. Worse has been done and said.

So now we know how to get negative attention. Let’s look on the positive side.

~*~

Agent: Your premise is very intriguing. I would love to have a look at a well-polished, professional proposal. Please see our agency guidelines and submit to me at your earliest convenience.

Writer: I’m anxious to show you my proposal. Let me freshen it according to the agency’s guidelines, and I’ll have it to you within a week. Thanks for this opportunity.

~*~

Do agents and editors want people groveling? No, but a person who shows that they can follow directions and are eager to make a presentation in a timely matter will find themselves at the top of the pile for a read. While others with VERY good books will never be seen. Few people are willing to wade through giant-sized egos to be lucky enough to have that read.

The way an author responds with a proposal shows the editor or agent how well and how timely the writer will be when editing a manuscript. There’s nothing worse than working with someone who doesn’t “have a clue”.

Sending children’s books to an editor who only handles adult fiction is a tip-off that the author didn’t do his homework.

Sending erotica to an agency that considers novels from a Christian world view, is not only foolish, it closes doors that didn’t need to be closed.

Please don’t get me wrong. We all have foolish and embarrassing stories from when we started out. You don’t? Ooh, I’m bad. I have a drawer full, but I learned from the mistakes and moved on.

I would rather have one good author who is willing to work his or her behind down to a size one than forty amazing authors who are difficult to work with, having egos that are a size 18. There isn’t enough money in the world!

That being said. Send me your proposals:
per the agency guidelines…I love nothing better than a good read.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Linda Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency and is always looking for the next great book and wonderful writer to work with. While she will look at any proposal other than children's, fantasy, and erotica, her heart is with fiction. No graphic sexuality or language. A veteran of the Air Force, she's already had the opportunities in life to meet a lot of characters; show her some interesting ones in your book. Please check the agency guidelines before submitting.

You can find Linda online at her blog http://lindaglaz.blogspot.com/ and at Harline's blog.

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Milestones

This month I came to a milestone in my life. One that I seriously doubted I'd ever reach, and most certainly not this year. I'm still waiting for the reality of it to descend, and gradually, as July has progressed, it is.

I have an agent.

It still makes me shake my head in wonder because I was on the verge of putting those thoughts off for another year or two. To make it better, I'm especially tickled with who my agent is and how God worked it out.

Last year, when I volunteered to teach a workshop at the Faithwriters conference, I didn't realize I was trading the Faithwriters conference for attending the ACFW conference. It's the way things go though, and I was thrilled to be able to give back to Faithwriters—the place that helped me overcome so much fear, and doubt and taught me so many things about writing. So, I went to the Faithwriters conference and got to room with Linda Glaz, who was there representing Terry Burns of Hartline Literary. She was one of his assistants and was teaching a couple of sessions and fielding pitches for Terry. Linda is a gem. She didn't bat an eyelash at the group she ended up with at Red Robin, and that's saying something because if I remember right, we were all fairly loopy at that point.

I am not a people person. In fact, it's work for me to be with people I don't know well, and conference totally exhausts me, even with some of my best friends being there. By the time it was my turn to pitch to Linda, my brain was... well, it felt like yesterday's oatmeal, and functioned about as well. Ideal for making a professional impression on someone. Not. But Linda didn't choke on my mush-for-brains, she took it in stride, which, now that I know her better doesn't surprise me a bit.

Over the next ten months we kept in touch as we worked together at The Barn Door and in regard to my manuscript as it was volleyed back and forth for changes. The surprising result is that Linda's now my agent. I had no idea things were falling into place for her becoming an agent with Hartline—I didn't even know it was in the works, simply that she was busy working on “some things.” When she emailed me last month it took a bit to sink in. I had to leave the computer, do some work around the house and come back to read the email...about five times because I was so caught off guard and surprised.

I couldn't be happier.
Who better to have in your corner than a friend?

Come back tomorrow for Friendly Friday and meet Linda—my friend, my agent.

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Maintaining Momentum

Okay, this last week, as I've been thinking about my system of doing things, I realized I forgot a couple of huge components. I also realized that this mini-series has helped me see the things I'm doing that work, what doesn't work, and also the things I could do to make things work better. As a result, I took a day or two and did some major organizing here online and on my computer and it should help me tremendously. *grin* It already has.

So, thank you for humoring me and helping me see things more clearly. =)

Here are some other things that really help my productivity level—they all fall into the category of accountability.

First: In the comments on Time Management Ala Patty, Joanne mentioned the note we send each other every night. It's simply an accountability note of what we accomplished that day and our writing related plans for the next day. The note often includes more, but those are the “required” items. So that provides daily accountability for us.

Second: Over a year ago I joined a small group set up to help provide accountability in our writing goals. It's a yahoo group and every Friday night a Roll Call email is scheduled to go out automatically. Usually it's on Saturday that we email in to the group with two lists: our goals for the past week and how we did on each item and another list of our goals for the upcoming week. These are bullet point lists with measurable goals, and we do measure.

Some weeks every item on our goals list is followed by no. LoL, or nope or a variety of other negative responses, and we can get creative because it's really depressing to write NO on five out of five goals. Thankfully, other weeks there's more cheering than nopes on there. Those simple weekly lists keeps us on target. Progress is progress, no matter how small the steps are. Little things add up over time and we've accomplished far more since we started reporting in than we did before.

Sure, some weeks come when life explodes and all hope of progress is blown to smithereens. Some weeks our accountability group resembles a prayer group, and that's good. We cheer each other on, pray each other on and cry on each other's shoulders. Through it all, we encourage—even when we're wielding the fabled wet noodle. And yes, we do pull that out on occasion. It's part of holding each other accountable even as we encourage.

Third: The private yahoo group I have. I'm the only member of this group and there are two purposes for it. One, to act as an off-site storage for a few items, making it so if my computer crashes (banish the thought!) I haven't lost all my work. Two, to act as a reminder system for me. Yahoo groups have a calendar feature that you can schedule email reminders, and I need them.

Here are some of the things I have reminders set for:

• the due dates for the four sites I write for
• chores I have for the sites I own/manage, including backing up those sites
• changing the filter on the AC/furnace (LoL, and other such household things I tend to forget)
• to back up my manuscripts and the spreadsheet I use as a master index for EVERYthing

Without this reminder system I tend to forget many things—I am a very forgetful person, just ask my husband and kids. Yes, I have a daytimer, but to be honest, weeks sometimes go by with me forgetting to look at it, so the automatic email reminders are a lifesaver. It's worth the hour it took me to get the dates entered—many times over.

The key for me has been accountability and a system to be reminded. It's taken me time to find a system that works for me, but right now, this is what I do.

So tell me, what are some of your tricks that keep you productive?

The first two posts in this mini-series:
Time Management Ala Patty
Treasure Hunting Marathon

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Treasure Hunting Marathon

Another thought to tack onto Thursday's post on Time Management ala Patty, and it applies to any goal you have, not just writing...

If you're relatively new to this writing thing, remember it's a marathon and you can't sprint a marathon. Trying to burns you out long before the finish line is in sight. Use these first years (yes, years is plural) to lay a foundation, to practice, to make contacts, to build your platform, and to build your endurance muscles.

How do you
eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.

If you have young children at home, realize it might take a little longer because you're a wife and mom first, writer second. The two combine well, but you have to keep the writing balanced. If the writing outweighs the family, you probably won't like the end results.

When I first started writing I knew it would take time so I set a realistic goal for my writing. LoL, I was so... scared and lacking confidence that the goal gave plenty of leeway. With the goal in place, I studied what I needed to do to get me from where I was then (homeschool mom of 5 with a platform of maybe 15 people, techno-challenged, and scared silly) to where I wanted to be. Then I started working in the cracks of my mom-day. Baby steps. A little here and a little there add up.

The reasoning that kept me going:
These are years for preparing. Invest them wisely.

You don't want to race to the finish line only to discover that it wasn't just a race, but that it was a treasure hunt and you don't have any of the things you need. Take the time to hunt out that treasure so when you reach the finish line your goodie bag is brimming with things you've gathered on your journey.

This doesn't apply just to writing—it fits for any long term goals you may have. Life is a treasure hunting marathon.


So tell me, what are some goodies in your bag? Found any treasure lately?

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Time Management ala Patty

Since I get this question fairly often, I thought I'd answer here...
How do you keep up with everything you do?

(Must read this with a frazzled voice!!) First, please understand that I don’t keep up with everything. I really don’t. =( My house is perpetually messy—but with 7 of us still here I settle for that excuse. My kids are to the ages where my mom-job is much less constant hands-on, meaning it’s more supervising. My youngest will be 10 next month and my oldest is 18, so although things are crazy, it’s a different crazy than it used to be. Even the homeschooling is down to routine. I have lesson assignments from when the older kids went through, and I simply recycle them for the younger two. *eye roll*

That said, here's how I juggle the things I do:
Blog commenting. I no longer do a lot of commenting on blogs. While Joanne faithfully uses her Google reader for keeping up, that tool gives me nightmares, so I utilize the email subscriptions people offer. Posts arrive in my inbox, I skim them and if they catch my attention, I stop by and leave a comment. There are a few sites I've resolved to “be present” on and I comment a few times a week. Key word in that sentence: FEW. It's not enough, but I'm gradually getting better again.

Spreadsheets. I have spreadsheets to keep my sanity, and I use them. Religiously. In my master spreadsheet I have 11 tabs. And that's not anything for my WIPs. This set of sheets contain an index of all my writing, broken down into a couple categories for:

Fiction (short stories), Devotionals, and Marriage.

(I index my writing so I have easy access to it and can recycle my posts.) There are tabs for posting schedules of the 4 sites I either own or co-own, and for the online class I teach.

This spreadsheet stays in my tray and I access it several times a day. At least. I also send it to the private yahoo group I created to act as a back-up site because if I lose that sheet, I'm peanut butter.

Aside from that spreadsheet, the thing that helps me the most is how I chunk and group.

Chunks of time work best for me—granted, that chunk of time may be divided into 5 sessions throughout the day as I oversee and direct things here at home, but usually I can string enough bits of time together to create a chunk.

Grouping turned out to be a life saver for me! I write monthly for At the Well, the Internet Cafe, and Jewels of Encouragement, and bi-monthly for The Barn Door. That's a minimum of 5 posts a month, plus any guest posting I might do. I felt like my head was constantly in a noose. Not a warm fuzzy feeling at all. One day, working on an At the Well post, I had an idea for another post for them (they assign the topic each month) so I checked my calendar and saw it would fit for a different month. I took about a day-and-a-half and put together six months of posts for that site. Then I listed the months I had yet to do for this calendar year, jotted down my ideas for those posts and moved on to my next group. By the end of the week I had not only pitched that noose out the window, but I had accomplished a huge amount. Last weekend, rather than putting up one Jewels of Encouragement post, I did two. I would've done more but I had to run out the door to church.

While my mind is focused on a particular site and their unique audience, I do a minimum of two posts at a time, preferably more. Then I can let my mind move on to another area.

The same thing with the non-blog things—I group them together. I'll take a day or two and update lessons or work on the scheduling and interviews at The Book Loft or doing all the little odds and ends at the sites. It helps save my sanity.

Relaxing time is spent sorting pictures, resizing them, adding watermarks and uploading them, or I'll work on new blog designs or hunt for things online. The only TV my family watches are movies and if I've seen the movie, I carry my computer to my chair and work on things I don't need concentration for. Occasionally I crash, doing nothing, but not often.

This is simply what's working for me at the moment.

So tell me, what are some tricks that help save your sanity?

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The Hang of Humor

After 6 weeks of blogging our way through the alphabet together, I thought it'd be fun to take a week, introduce ourselves and to get to know each other. So next week, for the letter I, let's post about ourselves! Any angle will do, but if you're looking for one, how about...

Will the real ____ please stand up?

Of course, if you have your idea for the letter i, you can always to do this as an extra post, or any time you'd like. ;-)

Now, for this week's installment of our a 2 z 4 u & me meme,

the letter H... in the Hang of Humor

I just couldn't resist combining two things in one post: the a2z meme and Reading to Write Right. Won't you help me kick off this new series?




Last Saturday my husband invited me along for a “quick trip to the parts store” and I accepted--knowing the chance of it being "quick" were slim. The book I'm currently reading was at the other end of the house, he was ready to go, so I grabbed the top book off my to-be-read stack and took off with him. While he spent FOREVER in the

parts store, I lost myself in Lorna Seilstadt's A Great Catch.

I was immediately drawn in and totally hooked—in 40 words! Yes, I counted them.

Lorna had me smiling and chuckling as I turned the pages. My favorite books are those that make me laugh, and Lorna's books have proven to be ones that make the grade.

Last week Trish Perry posted at Seekers, my all-time favorite writing site. Those girls seem to party 24/7 AND get huge amounts of work done. Trish posted on humor and gave us a few pointers on how to write it. The article was excellent, and if you missed it, go read it! Trish gave me hope that I can learn to add some humor to what I write.

Trish said: If your hero and heroine share an inside joke with one another in the middle of a well-populated scene—something strictly between the two of them (and us, of course)—their intimacy develops before our very eyes. Ooo la la!

So there I sat, in the car on a very hot Saturday morning, reading A Great Catch, enjoying myself. When I came to the closing paragraph of chapter 3 and first paragraphs of 4, a neon sign flashed on inside my head. Lorna did something very similar to what Trish said and it worked soooo well. Not only did I laugh out loud (not just an LoL, but an honest-to-goodness laugh out loud) but I saw the connection... the intimacy between the characters develop right before me. And I loved it.

Here's the scene...

Her grandmother thumbed through the ledger. “And Carter studied finance, Emily. Since your brother is busy running your father’s business, I’ve asked Carter to help me manage my assets.”

“But I thought—” Emily jerked. The bite of waffle on the tip of her fork, drenched in strawberry syrup, went flying across the table.

Instinct alone propelled Carter to catch the chunk of waffle midair. The contents squished in his palm, and he grabbed his napkin from the table. When he’d managed to scrub the worst of the berry stain off, he looked up and met Emily’s horrified gaze. Laughter rumbled in is chest, but with great effort he kept it in check.

“Carter, here are the current investments. As you can see, they are quite diverse.” Grandma Kate nudged the open ledger in his direction, clearly unaware of the entire waffle fiasco. “Of course we’ll have much to discuss, which means you’ll have to join us for breakfast on a regular basis. Will that be a problem?”

He grinned at Emily and watched her cheeks bloom pink. “Not at all, ma’am. Not at all.”

Grandma Kate glanced at Emily's plate. “Why haven't you touched your waffle? Oh my, I forgot. You can't cut it.”

“I can take care of it, Grandma.”

“Nonsense, dear.” She pulled the plate over and began to cut neat squares. “We wouldn't want any mishaps, now would we?”

Carter snickered, and Emily shot him a glare. His midair catch obviously hadn't won him any favor in her eyes. If he had to guess, she'd tried and convicted him of being a cocky baseball player, not worthy of thinking beyond the field. Fine. He'd change her mind. He enjoyed a challenge. And she should realize he wasn't used to losing.

She pushed back from the table, stood, and pressed a hand to her stomach. “Never mind, Grandma. I'm not hungry anymore. Besides, I need to prepare for my meeting this afternoon.”

Carter rose to his feet beside her. “I enjoyed having breakfast with you, Emily. I'd offer my hand but...”

Her cheeks flamed afresh, but she met his gaze defiantly. “You should be more careful about the syrup.”

“Maybe so.” He pushed a nest of curls off his forehead with the back of his berry-stained fingers. “I don't mind a little mess, even when things get sticky...”

This might not be an inside joke, but it's something that could become one. And it's not something either one of them would forget. The scene would've been funny on it's own, but the fact that Grandma totally missed it, amplified the humor of the situation, as did Emily and Carter's response to it.

Seeing little things like this in books as we read will help us get the Hang of Humor. =)

{{Here's a little about Lorna's great book...

A Great Catch

She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.

It's the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham's meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.

When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?

The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant you with its breezy setting and endearing characters.}}

If you're joining us for the a 2 z 4 u & me meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter H, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here. And don't forget about our Introduce yourself posts for next week's letter I! See ya then!

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Called vs. Offering

In this month's ACFW course, Terry Burns is teaching a class that changed my life last year and started me down a path that still surprises me. A path where I have to use my mouth instead of my pen—which is NOT easy for me! I'm a wall flower and I love being one. One of my favorite places is the airport because I can just sit and people-watch. It's one of my favorite past times and at the airport no one thinks you're shy or worse yet a snob because you aren't talking to anyone.

One of the points Terry made this last week in the class is that of being called to write vs. your writing being an offering to God. It's a topic that made me do a lot of deep thinking last year, and now I'm doing it again this year.

A big part of me says writing is my offering to God. But peace hasn’t come with that thought. Yet it scares me to death to think that God called me to write. There seems to be so much more responsibility with being called. Yes, regardless of called or offering, your writing must be your best, but being called deals with God's purpose for you. Sometimes I hope that being called to write (if indeed I am) is about what God has for me to learn because let's face it—I learn and think best with my fingers on the keyboard or a pen in my hands. But then I see my thinking and laugh. The world doesn’t revolve around me. I’m here to bring glory to God, to fulfill His purpose for me. Could a call to write be for something as simple as what it will teach me? Does it have to go further than me and the files on my computer or my journal?

For fifteen years I tried to ignore the feeling that God was calling me to write and it just about destroyed my family. It seems that writing isn’t an option for me—as much as I’d like it to be. Life would be so much simpler if I weren’t trying to juggle four teens, one grade-schooler, marriage, homeschool, computer work, and writing. So much easier! But the best things in life usually are NOT the easy things, and God didn’t call us to a life of ease.

Not all of us here are writers but I think the same principle applies. Are you called to what you're doing or is it your offering to God? Does it make a difference in how you do things?

So tell me, do you see there’s more responsibility if you’re called to write (or whatever it is you're doing) vs. it being your offering to God?

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Knowing Your Character, Knowing Yourself

Lately I've been interviewing the characters for my manuscript "Beyond the Rapids" and it's made me stop and think about more than just those characters. It's made me think about myself. It's also made me think I need to interview myself. Now there's a scary thought.

Here's just a small sampling of the questions I've been answering for Seth and Torie, the major characters in my manuscript...

1. What does your character want more than anything else in the world?

2. What is his/her goal?

3. Whom does he/she dream about, yearn for, hate?

4. What virtues characterize this person?

5. What is your character's greatest fear?

6. What one thing does your character hope no one will ever find out about him/her?

7. In one word, what motivates your character?

8. How would your character describe him/herself? (Self-concept determines destiny.)

9. What makes him/her laugh?

10. What is your character's personality temperament?

11. What is their deepest unfulfilled desire of their heart?

12. What is he/she most proud of accomplishing?

13. What is he/she least proud of having done or being a part of?

14. What are their warts?

15. What are their phobias?

16. If they had only one day to live, how would they spend that day?

17. What kind of obstacles will most challenge them?

18. What will it take for this character to get to where they need to be with God?

19. What is the pivotal issue of faith that will draw them to a closer relationship with God?


I don't know about you, but it would take me more than a few minutes to answer these questions about myself. In fact, some of these have had me pondering for several days now. Not just idly thinking or wondering, but heavy-duty thinking. And I don't know that I've come up with the answers even now!

Knowing our characters as we write fiction is important if we're going to tell their story and show how they get from point A to point B. Especially as we write Christian fiction that carries a message with it. But yanno, knowing ourselves helps us get from point A to point B without going around Robinson's barn 30 million times, or without wandering in a wilderness for 40 years.

Just like knowing the answers to these questions (and at least 100 others like this) will help you plot your characters' stories, knowing the answers about ourselves will help us plot our lives so the message of our lives is crystal clear to those that are watching and reading our lives.


So tell me, are you open for an interview with yourself?

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