Content Marketing (noun) def: marketing that tries to attract customers by distributing informational content potentially useful to the target audience, rather than by advertising products and services in the traditional way: content marketing through blogs and email newsletters.
Here’s what we know so far about Susie, our romantic heroine. We’ve made her Jewish, with fears of rejection, and by profession, a rabbi. What she notices when she looks in the mirror, is her nose. Because of it’s length, she thinks she’s ugly. Her voice is smooth and soothing, but she stutters when she gets nervous. She has flowing chestnut hair with great styling body. Her eyes are dark and beautiful, lips the perfect proportion.
[bctt tweet=”The romantic heroine’s flaws leave room for complementary strengths in the hero.” username=”@A3writers @donnalhsmith @AlmostanAuthor”] #amwriting #RomancingYourStory #AlmostAnAuthor #CraftingTheHeroine
This time, let’s change her name to suit who she is.
We’ve been calling her Susie, but maybe we should find a good Jewish name for her, such as Hannah, or Tovah, or Rebekkah. What do you think? Tovah reminds me of the actress, Tovah Feldshuh. I like the name. No one but a Jewish girl would have a name like that. Tovah’s her first name.
Maybe Cohen should be her last name. Tovah Cohen is a great Jewish name. Cohens, as I understand it, are descendants of the Levites, those charged with taking care of the tabernacle and the temple. Sounds good for a woman rabbi.
Thinking of the connotations of the name you choose for your romance heroine is important. And, it’s precisely why in renaming Susie to Tovah, we’ve left little doubt as to Tovah’s heritage, background, and race.
If you name your heroine Bree, what nicknames would other characters come up with? Breezy, as in air-headed? You probably don’t want that connotation.
Once you have this basic information about your heroine, you can begin to add personality traits, backstory, and all those things to make Tovah a three-dimensional character.
Before diving into Tovah too deeply, we can begin to craft the hero. We’ll get to him next time.
[bctt tweet=”In naming your romantic heroine, choose a name that will reflect and personify your leading lady.” username=”@A3writers @donnalhsmith @AlmostanAuthor”] #amwriting #RomancingYourStory #AlmostAnAuthor #CraftingTheHeroine
How are you liking Tovah so far? Leave a comment and let me know.
Donna L.H. Smith is married and lives in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman and holds two degrees in communications, with experience in publication and broadcasting. She blogs regularly and serves two Christian writer’s organizations. Her first novel, Meghan’s Choice, was an Operation First Novel semi-finalist. For more information, visit her website at www.donnalhsmith.com. Facebook: Donna L.H. Smith Twitter: @donnalhsmith
Matt Brough is a lot of things. He’s a father, a husband, a pastor, and a sports fan. He’s also a podcaster and the author of the middle grade fantasy series featuring one of my favorite heroines, Del Ryder.
I met Matt a couple of years ago at a writing conference and thought the week before Christmas would be a perfect time to interview a pastor about his views on writing for middle grade readers. Because he wasn’t doing anything else, right?
I’m always fascinated with authors’ publishing stories––the journey that they took from spark to shelf. In my own career, I’ve written everything from news releases and presentations to picture books and how-to articles. So I was particularly curious about what inspired Matt––a pastor and author of sermons––to write a fantasy aimed at middle grade readers (ages 8-12).
“I knew I loved writing,” Matt said. “I’d tried my hand at several things before––historical fiction, science fiction, and I’d usually get three or four pages in before I abandoned it.
So how does a writer move from dabbling to dedication? “My daughter was five years old at the time, and I wanted to write something that she would like to read. I had the idea for this story, and I was really empowered by the idea that I could publish it myself. “
“I was empowered, and I was very motivated by my daughter. Plus, I was inspired by a podcast to try something that I would highly recommend any writer do. I set small daily goals and I wrote every day. Really small goals, like 250 words per day. When you do that you feel like you can achieve something every day. And when you write every day, even just a couple hundred words, you’ll have a book in three or four months.
“When I started, even though I set a small goal, most days I ended up with 700 words. And what happened then was that I really started to enjoy the story.”
Since kids are often the toughest readers (as in, if something about a story doesn’t make sense or ring true to them, they’ll put the book down), enjoying the story is a critical element. If the writer isn’t enjoying the story, it’s likely the reader isn’t going to be thrilled either.
Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.
What if you could write a magazine article which could be published year after year in different publications? These types of articles are called evergreen because they can be used over and over. To write such an article takes a bit of planning on the front end of the process.
It’s a new year. For some writers it is an opportunity to pick up a previous work that had been lost in the daily grind of life and to finally finish your novel. For others it might be stepping into the role of serious writer for the very first time and beginning a brand new story. Wherever you might be in your writing journey, it always helps to have a list of resources to help you tackle that next fantasy or sci-fi story you hope to write! Here are a few websites that might help get your story written.
A great resource for Christian speculative writers is Realm Makers. Although this is an annual conference, they do offer recordings of past conferences for purchase and even offer a consortium for speculative writers to join on Facebook. This is a great place to connect with other Christian writers and to ask questions.
Lorehaven, along with its companion site, Speculative Faith, is a website dedicated to exploring fantasy and sci-fi writing and books with a Christian worldview. Head on over to their sister site, Splickety Publishing, to try your hand at writing flash fiction.
Other sites that are geared toward fantasy and sci-fi but do not specifically have a Christian worldview:
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) is one of the oldest organizations dedicated to helping published authors within the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Membership to this organization takes some work to achieve but having this on your resume will set you apart if you’re looking to get traditionally published.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Chronicles is a community of fantasy and sci-fi writers that includes specifics on writing and publishing. Connect with other writers on the forums and check out the listing of writer blogs so you can take your research further.
Worldbuilding Stack Exchange is a place where writers can voice their questions about science and geography to aid in creating realistic fictional world building. This is a great resource to get quick answers if you want your world to be believable with specifics about science and technology.
Critters Workshop is a family of workshops and critique groups for speculative writers. This is a free website that offers discussion forums and book suggestions on the writing craft.
No matter where you are in your writing journey, utilize these resources to make this the year that you tackle those stories God has given you to tell.
Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mama to three daughters and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her through Facebook and Twitter @lauralzimm and at her website Caffeinated Fiction at www.lauralzimmerman.com
It’s a new year, and we all know what that means: resolutions! Love them or hate them, we all make them.
I have resolved to lose weight for the last 45 or so New Years. I’ve had success here and there, but I am reminded of my favorite quote from Erma Bombeck:
“In two decades I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.”
Pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
I have been thinking about resolutions as a writer and have decided to call them “goals” instead. That might give me more of an incentive to complete them:
GOAL ONE: Establish a better writing routine. I tend to be one of those “pantsers,” who writes by the seat of my pants without a plan. I’m still that way, but I hope to be more consistent with daily/weekly writing.
GOAL TWO: Finish what I started. I have a few projects that have been stuck in limbo, and I need to finish those. My agent and collaborators will applaud this one.
GOAL THREE: Pray over my projects. Sometimes I try to push through, forgetting the spiritual side. Without God, my writing will go nowhere. What’s the point if He’s not in the center?
GOAL FOUR: Eat less, exercise more. WHOOPS—wrong set of goals! However, the healthier I am, the better everything goes.
There they are, my goals in black and white. Maybe having them in print, in public, will motivate me. Now watch me as I write while avoiding Hershey Bars.
Carlton Hughes is a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, children’s pastor at Lynch Church of God, freelance writer, husband to Kathy, and father to Noah and Ethan. He enjoys long walks on the beach (He really does!), photography, and classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy. Hughes has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Simple Little Words, and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing–The Wonders of Nature, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, Let the Earth Rejoice, and the forthcoming Everyday Grace for Men. He is on the planning committee and serves as a faculty member for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Hughes is a true blue fan of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball and loves to cook and bake, especially anything involving chocolate.
When Benjamin Stillingfleet rejected the norms of 18th century polite society, for the graver pursuits of learning and literature—and the company of like minds for enlightened conversation—his fortunes dramatically altered. No more would he be invited to grand affairs requiring the fashionable formality of black stockings. His daily-wear blue stockings must suffice.
I didn’t speak until I was three years old. To everyone’s relief, I finally talked and did so in full sentences but only to my mother.
Months passed before I spoke to my grandmother for the first time. I said … well, I see no need to repeat the conversation word-for-word. Let’s just say it ended with my grandmother saying, “Any little boy that can talk like that can talk. Now, you talk to me!”
Other than a short bout with laryngitis when I was 11, I haven’t lost my voice since.
Having a distinctive voice is a good thing for a writer, though, right?
Not always. In some of the most lucrative forms of writing, your own well-developed voice will trip you up. During a 2014 interview, Michelle Medlock Adams said, “I worked hard at finding my voice, and then once I found it, I was hired as a ghostwriter and had to lose my voice and find someone else’s.”
If you want to be a copywriter, you’ll lose your voice, too.
Voice, in the writing sense, refers to an author’s individualized style. It includes a writer’s unique use of punctuation, syntax, diction, and word choice to create a piece that sounds like no one else. For fiction writers, voice is a critical component of authorship. It’s how you can tell the difference between a work by Leo Tolstoy and one by Dame Barbara Cartland. Voice distinguishes an author.
As copywriters, however, we don’t showcase our own voices. Instead, we imitate the voice of the brand we write for.
In practice, that means copywriters use the vocabulary, idioms, and sentence structure that best reflect that brand’s image in the public’s mind. Does the brand want to seem top-shelf or approachable, edgy or family-friendly, chatty or formal? Your style needs to match that.
Vocabulary
A company may give you a list of vocabulary words in their style guide and ask you to use them or avoid them. I wrote for one hotel that didn’t allow the word “cozy” because it sounded too rural. A higher education marketing agency didn’t permit me to say “wages” because “salary” was more elegant. And a pet retailer banned the word “owner” because it perpetuates the stereotype of cats as property.
With small companies, you may have to make your own lists. When starting a project for an online home fashions retailer, I spent two hours creating a word bank by combing competitors’ websites for word-choice ideas.
I suggested the phrase, “inspiring good looks” for a brochure on cedar shingles. The marketing folks asked me change it to “inspiring breathtaking beauty.” It matched their audience’s expectations more exactly.
That’s what we’re talking about.
Idioms
What about idioms? One current client, a major international brand, insists I avoid all idiomatic phrases. The rest of my clients are mid-size companies, and they like me to slide some conversational bits into my prose.
A few words of caution on idioms:
First, be sure you’re using an idiom not a cliche. “Buy our brand-new product or be left by the side of the road” may be clever if you’re selling auto parts. For most written pieces, however, “left by the side of the road” or “left by the wayside” is more cliche than idiom. That’s one example. You can determine when you’ve crossed the line yourself.
Second, don’t get overly folksy. Unless you’re writing for a brand modeled on the old TV show Hee-Haw, being too down-home can sound offensive. I’m a Southerner, and I can tell when you’re a Yankee trying to imitate us. Half my family is black. I can tell when a writer isn’t black but is trying to sound like it. Just don’t do that.
Finally, idioms are like jalapeños. A few will add spice. Too many will send your readers sprinting to the bathroom.
Sentence Structure
As with any kind of writing, the best copywriting includes sentences that are long and ones that are short. Punchy sentences. Explanatory sentences. Informational sentences. Questions. Directives. And interjections. Your writing should still ebb and flow with varied sentence lengths. That said, make sure your sentence style reflects your brand.
Here is sample feedback I’ve received from brand content managers about sentences:
Finding your voice is an important part of becoming an author. Losing it is equally vital if you intend to write content for corporate or non-profit clients. Try writing a piece and then rewriting it in the same voice as your favorite author or company. See how it compares to your original.
A bout with writer’s laryngitis might be just thing you need to polish your work. And soon, you’ll have editors and marketing directors saying, “Any writer that can write like that can write. Now you write for me!”
Holland Webb is a full-time freelance copywriter and digital marketing strategist living near Greenville, SC. His clients are leaders in the online retail, higher education, and faith-based sectors. Holland has written for brands such as U.S. News & World Report, iLendX, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, MediaFusion, Modkat, Great Bay Home, IMPACT Water, and BioNetwork. He is a featured writer on Compose.ly, and his monthly copywriting column appears on Almost An Author. You can reach him at www.hollandwebb.com or at hollandlylewebb@gmail.com.
Meghan’s Choice, is Donna L.H. Smith’s debut novel. Donna serves A3 as a regular columnist since the beginning, first for Writer’s PenCase, now in Romancing Your Story. She has extensive writing experiences in broadcast and print journalism of all types.
An unusual ultimatum. A Young Woman’s Bold Journey. Two handsome Men. An Amazing God. That’s Meghan’s Choice
Meghan Gallagher’s father gives her an unusual ultimatum to work for one year before marriage to help her learn fiscal responsibility. She complies to his demand by choosing to tutor eight children in a wild Kansas railroad town. She immediately experiences culture shock, as she is rescued by Rosalie O’Roarke, a local dance hall girl.
Duncan Wilcox is the cowboy into whose arms Meghan faints when she’s shot by a stray bullet. He’s tall and ruggedly handsome. They enjoy a lively banter and get along well. but Duncan is sensitive, and there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Dr. Scott Allison has hair the color of wheat with classic good looks. He patches Meghan up. He and Meghan find a lot of things in common, including the church they belong to.
The school children are challenging, but delightful, even though their beginning school term is only one month long.
A June tornado and a divisive August election deciding the town’s fate aren’t the only things Meghan has to deal with.
Her biggest choice: which man? Both are after her heart. Is she scandalous to allow two men to court her at the same time?
And––how close a relationship with God does Meghan want? Will she draw near?
Meghan’s Choice was named a semi-finalist in the last Operation First Novel by Jerry B. Jenkins, late 2014. In late 2015, it was awarded 3rd Place for Best Opening Paragraph and 2nd Place for Best First Page at the Blue Ridge Advanced Novelist Retreat. It was also awarded one of six Honorable Mentions for the Golden Leaf Award.
Donna L.H. Smith is a Kansas prairie girl transplanted to Lancaster County, PA. She is a graduate of Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman program and holds a B.S. in Telecommunications (broadcasting) from Oral Roberts University and a M.A. in Mass Communication from Wichita State University. She’s been married to a wonderful man named Kirby for thirty years. No children, but a dog and her Mom over an eleven-year period. She’s been a freelance journalist, and a radio reporter. She blogs, reviews books, speaks at workshops and retreats and although she is at an age where many begin slowing down, she wouldn’t think of it. Recently, she took on the role of Assistant Managing Editor of Almost an Author.com, and serves as American Christian Fiction Writers Mid-Atlantic Zone Director. She is also a member of the Protégé program of Advanced Writers & Speaker’s Association.
WEBSITE: http://donnalhsmith.com
FACEBOOK: Donna L.H. Smith––Stories Are My Passion
TWITTER: @donnalhsmith
Meghan’s Choice is available through Amazon.com. Here are the links: Kindle version: http://amzn.to/2ngei4n and in Paperback: http://amzn.to/2ngeDUH
When we think of creative writing, we often think of novels, short stories, poetry, or even screenplays. But perhaps one of the most memorable forms of creative writing is often forgotten: songwriting.
The art of songwriting is not just a style of writing in itself, but is an eclectic mix of lyrical forms or ideas. From the sad, descriptive country songs of the balladeer, to the urban hip hop crooning comprised of rhythmic angry poetry, to the raw, unprocessed, rebellious rioting of the rock and roller, to the religious melodic praise and prose of the psalmist, all great, memorable songs revolve around one thing: a remarkable lyricist.
I mean, sure, a great song is not a song at all until there is a melody put to it. Perhaps that’s what makes songwriting one of the most incredible, elevated forms of creative writing. An unforgettable song that connects with people and survives the decades is either a collaborative effort by brilliant people, each gifted on his or her own instrument (including the pen), or it’s the genius brainchild of someone who speaks both the languages of music and lyrics, such as Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters—talented multi-instrumentalists who also write with passionate lyricism.
Like a great novel, a carefully crafted song is not only memorable, but will speak to multiple generations for years to come. Bands like Aerosmith, that were popular during my father’s generation, impressively maintained their popularity with chart-topping hits during my generation, followed by my children’s generation as well. They’re one of the few bands who have a fifty-year span of incredible music. Their well-written songs are catchy melodic stories with deeply flawed characters who are hard to forget.
But, what gives a song lasting appeal? There have been a number of prevalent songs over the decades that have topped the charts with little longevity—songs that I would call trivial and trendy. Trendy songs often fit the sounds of the current culture, but lack lyrical substance. So why are they so popular? Is it because of a catchy hook? A mesmerizing melody? While these traits may help songs hit the charts, powerful, creative, lyrical imagery is what makes a song truly unforgettable.
Some of the songs I most cherish were written in the 1990’s, because the nineties were all about raw emotion—writing words with zealous fervor and honest passion. One of the most underrated lyrical storytellers of the nineties has to be Adam Duritz from the band, Counting Crows. I remember listening to their first album, August and Everything After, and being blown away by the mystical allure of Duritz’ lyrics. The way he fused his feelings to the music made them an instant treasured classic.
Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog where no one notices the contrast of white on white / In between the moon and you, angels get a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right / I walk in the air between the rain through myself and back again / Where? I don’t know / Maria says she’s dying / Through the door I hear her crying / Why? I don’t know…
The words alone to his song, Round Here, are so poetic, the music isn’t even necessary to appreciate the imagery involved. Add the warm, escalating sounds of the strings and the off-plucking rhythm of the electric guitar and the song becomes a well-rounded gem loved by people for almost thirty years.
So what are you waiting for, my creative writing friend? Are you ready to pen your first song? Perhaps you are reading this and saying, ‘But I don’t know how to play an instrument.’ But the truth is, there are people who are musically gifted but can’t write lyrics. And there are lyricists who are gifted at writing words but can’t play music. Your pen is an invaluable instrument in the songwriting circle, as much as the guitar, the piano, or the drums. Most drummers can’t play guitar or piano, and vise versa. I often think of the movie, Music & Lyrics, starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, where Grant plays a gifted has-been musician who can’t write lyrics. Barrymore, a poet, is drafted by Grant to help him write a song and they become a best-selling songwriting duo.
Find a friend gifted on the guitar and suggest a songwriting session. If you can’t sing, you can bring in a vocalist to join you as well. What a treat it is to hear someone else singing your words crafted on paper. So what are you waiting for, writer? Who knows, you may just have a gift for songwriting!
What aspect of songwriting would you like me to discuss?
Matthew Hawk Eldridge is a sleepless, coffee addicted, Renaissance man currently working in the film industry. His latest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, can be found on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble. Catch him playing guitar in the new film, Pitch Perfect 3.
…make the most of every opportunity. (Colossians 4:5b, NLT)
Most of my best ideas come when I’m in the shower. And most of them are gone by the time I dry off, moisturize, get dressed (change my mind and get dressed again), dry my hair, and finally make my way to my computer.
So my best ideas come in the shower and go right down the drain. No matter what I tried to remember the golden nugget, sure to unfold into a great article or life-changing devotion, it floated away on a cloud of soap bubbles.
Until today.
Today I got the idea for this post. Today I realized I could call out to my personal assistant Siri, and tell her to take a note. Not a part of the Apple Nation? Let me introduce you to Cortana, the Droid version. Still have room for one more gift on your Christmas gift list? I hear they’re running great deals on the Google personal assistant and Alexa from Amazon.
Don’t like all the technology? Put a pen and tablet on the back of the commode. In most bathrooms, the toilet is within a couple steps of the shower. Don’t step off the bathmat until you write down the amazing idea God just gave you.
Truth be told: To do any less is to squander, or waste, the opportunity God gave you.
What if that nugget or devotional thought is just what someone needs to read in your blog, or in the Upper Room? What if God gave the idea that you needed to hang on and keep going to someone, but they didn’t think it was important enough to jot down or dictate. Technology can be so overwhelming, you know…
My phone is always in the bathroom with me. Why not make it work for me instead of being a distraction?
Use it…or lose it…the idea, that is.
Hey, Siri. Thanks for taking this note.
Tina Hunt writes to inspire. She loves the challenge of a devotion’s brevity, a Bible study’s clarity, and an article’s ability to change lives. Communicating truth, whether written or spoken, defines Tina’s passion and purpose. Tina’s thoughts can also be found at PotOfManna. Tina is an active member of Word Weavers, serving as a chapter co-president, online president, and mentor
We’re still building a heroine named Susie. We don’t know too much about her yet.[bctt tweet=”Creating a Great Romance Heroine: – here’s a good tip: use little flaws or imperfections to make your heroine someone your readers can identify with.” username=”@A3writers @donnalhsmith”] #amwriting #writingromance101 #craftingtheheroine
I’ve been baking for a couple of weeks now. The wonderful aromas of spices, sugar and chocolates fill my house. My kitchen is a big mess with flour & sugar everywhere. Chocolate chips & sprinkles decorate my countertop. My little freezer is bulging with the goodies I’m making to share with the people I love.
Today, people love to communicate with texts and private Facebook messages and emails and tweets, but around Christmas people still send real cards through the mail.
Unfortunately, people are still making mistakes when it comes to pluralizing proper names in the addresses.
Here are some simple rules to follow so that you can write names correctly and make sure your cards convey the happy messages you intend.
Langston = Langstons
Paterline = Paterlines
Haddock = Haddocks
Dougherty = Doughertys (not Dougherties)
Capps = Cappses ( I know it looks strange, but trust me.)
Wellons=Wellonses
Edwards = Edwardses
Crews = Crewses
Rakiewicz = Rakiewiczes
Notice that at no time have I used an apostrophe. I haven’t used one because I’m making the names plural, not possessive.
Three rules.
That’s all you need to write your Christmas cards correctly. If you can’t bring yourself to add the es to someone’s name or you can’t bring yourself to leave off the apostrophe, there’s always an easy fallback…Merry Christmas from The Dougherty Family.
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include two novels, Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons. Visit her at hopetolerdougherty.com.
Life brings each of us strange personal experiences. This spring I traveled to visit my mother in Kentucky. When I checked into the airport, my suitcase had four wheels. When it came out of the baggage claim, this same suitcase only had three wheels. In transit, the airline had broken my suitcase. During that trip I learned to immediately file a form with the airline and they repaired my suitcase. My personal experience has some lessons and insights for the reader and is ideal for a personal experience magazine article.
The first page of your book determines whether the reader will continue reading or if they will move on to another book. Sometimes fantasy and science fiction writers forget how important this first glimpse into the story can be for a reader. Far too often I’ve critiqued a fantasy or sci-fi story only to find that the writer has chosen to rely on the book blurb to fill in major gaps within the story. This is a mistake if we want to keep that reader interested. As writers, it’s easy to get excited about the fantasy or sci-fi world we’ve created. We are all eager to get into the meat of the story, but do the reader a favor and pay close attention to that first page.
We all have things that inspire us. Some may marvel at a glorious sunset; others may find inspiration in a painting or in (gulp) reading a good book.
Those things are fine, but one of the main things that inspires me is music. When I am down and feeling “blah,” many times I will find what I need in a song. I often have church in my car during a commute . . . I sometimes wonder what the people who pass me think . . . and writing ideas flow. I love to sing along in my vehicle, but I will refrain from doing that in public (unless you need me to clear a room).
I love Christmas music, though my flea-sized attention span is challenged when I hear artists singing the same songs with the same arrangements. Imagine my delight when I recently downloaded the new release Decade the Halls by Christian music group Tenth Avenue North. It is the most creative, off-the-wall, funny, clever Christmas album (or regular album) I have ever heard.
Yes, hyperbole is one of my spiritual gifts. But it really is THAT good.
The guys in the group took ten Christmas songs—mostly traditional with a few originals thrown in—and performed each one in the musical style of a different decade. Starting with 1920s-era Good King Wenceslas and running through a poppy 2010s version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, it is a delight, full of surprises and treats for your ears.
I laughed out loud several times on first listen and marveled at the creativity that brought this project to fruition. For me, favorites are an ‘80s-tinged rendition of Go Tell it on the Mountain, which sounds like a forgotten track from Huey Lewis and the News; The First Christmas, a ‘50s rockabilly throwdown with Zach Williams (of Chain Breaker fame); and Mistletoe (The Christmas Sweater Song), a hilarious riff on 2000s-era alt-rock.
I watched an interview with the lead singer Mike Donehey, who said the group wanted to create an experience that wouldn’t bore listeners. Boy, did they deliver. Do yourself a favor and pick it up now.
By now, you probably feel like you’re reading the music review section of CCM Magazine, but there is a point for writers. This album has inspired me in my creative work. If Tenth Avenue North can take the time to craft such a unique piece, I should be able to do the same. I am not going to produce anything musical anytime soon (you’re welcome), but I am going to work on my blog posts, devotions, and other projects with that same spirit of creativity.
Now, I am going to give Decade the Halls a spin for the 100th time (apologies to my family, who would probably like to listen to something else by now).
My arm felt like it was going to fall off.
I was in my forties at the time, and I was pitching batting practice to a bunch of high school baseball players. In batting practice, my usual goal was just to get the pitch over the plate—nothing fancy. But for some strange reason, on this day I decided to throw my first curveball since my high school days.
Bad choice.
When throwing a curve, you bring your arm down in a twisting motion that is not natural for a normal arm—especially a 40-year-old arm. My elbow ached for hours, and I have never thrown a curveball since.
So what in the world does this have to do with writing?
Writers are always searching for ways to throw a curveball to their readers—ways to give them an unexpected twist that catches them unaware. But, just like in baseball, if you don’t throw a curve at your readers in the correct way, your story will suffer as badly as my elbow did on that day when I pitched batting practice.
If we break down the mechanics of throwing a curveball in baseball, we can learn something about throwing a curve in writing.
Get a grip on your characters. When throwing a curve in baseball, it’s all about the grip. How you position your fingers helps to determine the rotation of the ball.
Similarly, in writing a story, it’s all about getting a good grip on your characters. When you understand your characters—their motivations, their desires, and their fears—you stand a better chance of figuring out a twist in their storyline. The twist will rise up naturally.
Set up your reader for an unexpected curve. A good pitcher mixes it up, so the batter doesn’t know what to expect. Will he be throwing a fastball, slider, curve, or what?
It’s the same with writing. Give your story the freedom to go off in multiple directions that even you do not anticipate. Don’t be locked into one set storyline.
As you think about the many paths that your character might follow, jot them all down. Then ask: Which paths are too obvious? Which path will propel the story in exciting and surprising ways? Which path will create the most tension and conflict?
Be natural. The ending to the classic baseball movie, The Natural, is quite predictable. But the movie does include a nice twist or two leading up to this dramatic (but inevitable) ending.
A good twist is surprising but doesn’t seem artificial or forced. To use the title of the movie, a good twist should feel natural. It should surprise the reader but also leave them thinking, “Oh yeah. I should’ve seen that coming.”
A good twist is logical and organic to the story, while an arbitrary, ineffective curve comes out of left field…or right field…or center field. So think it through. After all, you don’t have another writer warming up in the bullpen to bail you out. The ball is in your hands. So is your story’s plot.
* * *
5 for Writing
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV
For I am not instructed in the vision to write as the learned write, and the words in the vision are not as words sounding from a human mouth, but as flashing flame and as a cloud moving in clear air.
Hildegard of Bingen
Letter to Guilbert Gembloux
Henry Osborne Taylor translation
Most writers can attest to some level of visionary experience in the crafting of a novel or the development of a writing project. It might be called inspiration. Modern women writers follow up their vision with the scholarship of research to the purpose, and Christian women dare not venture to put pen to paper apart from prayer.
But medieval women writers of devotional literature possessed precious little ability for scholarly research. They relied chiefly on prayer and a passionate love of God according to whatever religious teaching they had been allowed by the church. The writing lives of medieval women remained relegated to the noble-born classes and the convent, but their level of education was not level with the men of the time. Women submitted to the authority of men in every sphere of living. Though they felt the deficit, few chaffed at the misapplied subjugation of women as second-class citizens. The emancipation of women and balanced interpretation of biblical principles on the subject have come a long way in the last millennium. Even so, the controversial topic remans a hotly debated.
True in both contemporary and medieval times, writing and speaking from a place of authority is necessary. Latin, the language of the church and scholarship in the 12th century, was enjoyed by men as a complete education in literacy, be they noblemen or clergy. But, not so with women, who might understand Latin, but not be able to speak or write in it. Those who possessed even more limited literacy skills dictated their works to scribes. Women were acutely aware of their limitations in authority, but due to the rapt nature of their visions, meditations, and prayer life, they were compelled to write in the authority of the vision. They used whatever abilities they had to the fullest obeying their call to write His vision.
The ascetic women of the medieval age lived a monastic life, wholly devoted to God, in convents free of the cares of home and family. The intensity of their works became a force of change in their own soul and spirit, transforming them into selfless servants seeking the ways and means to help the afflicted in their communities. The ultimate purpose of the vision was to change their lives, so they might be agents of change in the lives of others.
The middle ages leave a plethora of devotional writings by Christian women, autobiographical in nature, that are memoirs of intense moments experienced in the secret place of prayer and meditation. These visionaries and mystics, though their words may give the biblically astute modern reader pause, must be judged by the era in which they lived and the language they were able to fully experience in a living relationship with God.
Visions and dialogue between God and man are regularly recorded in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. So, too, in the subsequent generations of Christian writers over the past 2000 years. This was the major element in the written works of medieval women:
The most obvious single narrative unit of [medieval] women’s writing is the retelling of a vision, and that vision has two mnemonic structural elements: visual iconography and dialogue. Visions are creative acts, and they seem to have been experienced by medieval women as direct seeing and hearing, not as reading. To have a vision was more like seeing a film than it was like writing or reading. Visions were images, texts, and glosses on a woman’s spiritual growth; there spiritual insights found visible form, which could be further explored and meditated on.
Elizabeth Alvilda Petroff
Medieval Women’s Visionary Literature
There is something striking in the words and life experiences left to us by visionary medieval women writers. Those—male or female—seeking greater vision as a 21st century writer might want to take note and be encouraged:
Journal Prompt: Are you a visionary writer? Compare the meanings of vision and inspiration—where do they come from? How do you experience the inspiration to write? Do you see pictures? Do you hear words or phrases? Is there a recurring imagery that draws you into meditation or the day-dream of story? How do you describe what you are thinking, sensing? What part does prayer have in the perfecting of the vision, the inspiration, and the call to write what you see and hear? Where does your confidence and authority come from to write your vision?
[bctt tweet=”How Hildegarde wrote from #vision “as flashing flame and as a cloud moving in clear air.” How does #vision inform your #writing? ” username=”@A3writers @misskathypwp”]
[bctt tweet=”#Women Writers in Life and Letters— #Medieval Women Ascetics: #Writing the #Vision ” username=”@A3writers @misskathypwp”]
Reference: Medieval Women’s Visionary Literature, by Elizabeth Alvilda Petroff, Copyright © 1986 by Oxford Univertiy Press, Inc.
Writer-speaker, Kathryn Ross, ignites a love of literature and learning through Pageant Wagon Productions and Publishing. She writes and publishes homeschool enrichment and Christian living books for home, church, and school. Her passion is to equip women and families in developing a Family Literacy Lifestyle, producing readers and thinkers who can engage the world from a biblical worldview. She blogs and podcasts at TheWritersReverie.com and PageantWagonPublishing.com. Connect with Miss Kathy on Facebook.
Email campaigns work wonders. It’s true that emerging college graduates consider email an outdated form of communication, but the rest of us still happily open and read the informative goodies stashed in our inboxes.
Companies, in particular, rely on email. It’s cheap and effective. So they send us information, articles, coupons, stories, and videos through email. Most marketers use a drip campaign, which is a series of automated emails created in advance, sent over time, and intended to accomplish a single goal.
The folks at Pinpointe Marketing tell us that drip campaigns get 80% higher open rates than single emails and generate 50% more sales ready leads. These leads make larger purchases more often than those who don’t experience the drip campaign.
What does all that mean for us writers? Drip campaigns make money for businesses and nonprofits. In turn, they fork out cash to savvy copywriters who create their email content.
How to write an email drip campaign:
Add value to your reader’s life.
Do you read every email you get from all the lists you signed up for? Of course not. No one does. You open the messages that appear to give you something valuable, such as a coupon, a free gift, helpful information, or valuable connections.
When you compose a marketing campaign, send something free with each email. It can be a link to a blog article or ebook, a short video clip, or a coupon. You don’t have to give 50% off every time, but you do need to make sure your recipients have a reason to click “open.”
Test everything.
Unless you’ve run tests, you don’t know what works for your readers. Choose different kinds of subject lines. Vary the length of your emails. Try image-heavy versus text-heavy content. Send the emails on different days of the week and under different signatures.
Too many writers decide that short form copy works or that images aren’t necessary without knowing for sure what engages their unique audience. If you have 5-10 emails in a campaign, you have a lot of opportunities to uncover the truth about what your readership will respond to.
Use a warm, friendly style.
Gone are the days when marketers could send out emails that sounded like corporate memos or old-timey letters. Today, few readers perceive a formal message as respectful. Instead, they think it’s cold or impersonal.
How can you sound friendly in online communication?
Remember the P.S.? It’s the best part of the whole email!
As a kid, I thought it was so cool that you could add something after the signature just by saying P.S. (I was easily enchanted.) But guess what? Everybody loves the P.S. When scanning a letter or email, your reader looks for their own name, the signature, the P.S., and the first line before deciding if they want to read it.
What do you include in a P.S.? Try to encapsulate your entire message into one or two sentences. If that’s not possible without Herculean effort, go for restating the call to action.
Send one last email.
After the campaign ends, write one last email to your readers. Thank those who responded. To those who didn’t respond, tell them they missed out and you’re a little annoyed. It hurts to send this email, but often that final (slightly huffy) message gets results from fence-sitters who don’t respond to charm. Send it when you have nothing to lose.
Email drip campaigns are one of content marketing’s most effective and cost-friendly strategies. Learn to write them well, and you’ll improve your value to your customers.
What’s in your inbox? Have you seen some great examples of valuable emails from companies or non-profits you support? Share them with us in the comments!
Holland Webb is a full-time freelance copywriter based in the lush upstate of South Carolina. His writing focuses on making technology accessible to non-techies and selling household goods to urban-dwelling Millennials. He can be found at www.hollandwebb.com.
There is a unique magic to epiphany. That “A-HA!” moment when all of the elusives tumble into perfect place, and the picture is illuminated. We live for those moments of sudden, and often precipitate, clarity. Indeed, sometimes it feels as if the universe is fed up with our ignorance and, like a weary and sighing parent, holds out the “eureka!” to us in a neatly wrapped gift box of blood, sweat, tears. Yes, “eureka!” is good, necessary, and with consistent work, inevitable in any endeavor. Its children are confidence and momentum, two elements that must offer themselves up to any process if there is to be success (however you measure it).
I recently had an “eureka!” about the creative writing process, a process that has been a part of my routine for nearly two years now (since I began drafting my first novel in December of 2015). I’d been waiting for this one for quite some time when there it was, late to the party, wearing a tired expression of amusement. When I finally could grasp it in my hands, I understood something that both terrified and exhilarated me––when it comes to writing a narrative (or really, anything)––there is no “eureka!”
A well-written story has the following:
Each scene should be compelling in its own way, depicting detailed action either in a simple conversation between two human beings, or in an epic battle in a war to save the world (whichever is your cup of tea).
With all of these moving parts, I became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff I had to keep track of while drafting my story.
Movement of characters, natural dialogue, plot holes, pacing. I knew the masters did it, the talented authors I’ve looked up to for years, the genius storytellers that inspire me to create as they do. They could keep track of it all.
Somewhere in their process, there was that “eureka!” moment when they could see how everything could be tracked and connected to weave a great tale. In short, I knew that at some point, things would finally be completely developed on the page, the story reaching its own kind of epiphany.
But that is not the way of… well, anything. There is never a moment of completeness in a story. No character is ever “finished” (even when he/she dies). Just as in life, development itself is perpetual, evolution an unstoppable force. If you do not change, you do not live.
Stories know this same truth. In terms of character, plot, pacing, stories are never truly finished and there is never a “eureka!” moment of completeness. You may finish a novel, pleased with the results and the hard work that infused the process of its creation, but no writer, artist, creator is ever completely satisfied with their work. We all know that our work is still developing, changing. This truth is the familiar ache in our bones. It sits in us through the duration of our grandest endeavors.
If the story does not change, it does not live. My “eureka!” was the realization that there would be no “eureka!”, the whole story would never come together completely. It will always be transitioning.
After my first “eureka!” moment, I had another, more subtle one, and it has been my battle cry every time I sit down to engage with the page: there is no “eureka!” moment, and that’s a good thing.
Yes, nothing would ever truly make full sense. There would be characters whose motivations still eluded me, pieces of the plot that seemed too contrived or shallow. Mysteries of the world would keep both my characters and myself up at night, pondering and postulating. And it was not just okay, but good.
Let the simple fact that you’ll never truly know what you’re doing (as odd as that sounds) make you more confident and free in your writing. It’s the only way to write any narrative. Once you accept that there is no “eureka!”–– you accept that there is no right process, no right set of rules for reaching fruition.
Accept this fact, and watch how free your writing becomes (and how sane you remain). Never think you know more about your characters than they do, and never believe your story will follow the set path you initially create for it. It will veer, float off to new places, breathing in new ideas like some beautiful, fascinating beast. Let it.
BIO:
Aidan Laliberte is a non-union actor and creative writer living in North Kingstown, RI. He began performing at eight years old when he was cast as Baby Wilbur in a local community theater production of Charlotte’s Web. After secondary school, Laliberte, originally intending to pursue a career in medicine, dropped out of college after one semester and began building a career in performance, more specifically, in film. Laliberte performed both lead and supporting roles in several short and feature-length films. He currently works as production coordinator on a YouTube variety series for one of the world’s largest brands. After years of journaling and dabbling casually in writing (he won several academic awards for his various short stories and essays throughout his schooling), the craft has became more than a frequent outlet, but a creative and career priority. In December 2015, he began drafting his first fiction novel and is expected to finish in the coming months. Apart from drafting his current novel, Laliberte continues to journal every day and write in a variety of formats, including scripts, short stories and essays. He has many projects in development.
Progress has stalled on our latest writing project. We avoid our desk, tamp down the guilt, and stay busy doing anything but writing. Another day slips by with few words on the page. What’s an anxious writer to do?
Try these 5 techniques to stay motivated and keep the words flowing:
Have realistic daily, weekly, and monthly goals marked on a calendar for quick reference. These can range from word counts to number of pages. There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush of meeting a goal. A disciplined writer is a happy, productive writer.
Oh, how we abhor procrastination guilt! But if goals are met—even small ones—rewards can be enjoyed guilt-free. Take a walk, enjoy a sweet treat, meet a friend for lunch—anything to give our muse a break so we can return rejuvenated.
This is my favorite motivation technique. Before I sit down to write, I have my morning coffee or tea, a light breakfast, devotion/quiet time, and then I dress for work (even though I’m working at home). Throughout my routine, I can feel the creative energy building. When I sit down at my computer, I’m ready to be productive (most of the time).
This journal or notebook needs to be a part of us, something that never leaves our side. Ideas will come at the most unusual times—while trying to fall asleep at night, in line at the grocery store, during the Sunday sermon, in traffic, watching a movie, etc. If we don’t write it down, it may be gone forever. When we’re short on ideas, our journal is a treasure trove of inspiration.
We must have accountability in our work. Writing is about community. We need someone to ask about our progress and to simply check in regularly. Another writer knows and understands the unique struggles we face and can help us through the dry times. Also, creative brainstorming with other writers can be pure joy, inspiring myriad projects, ideas, and story plots.
Are we ready?
Fire the laptop. Prime the pen.
Keep writing!
[bctt tweet=”5 techniques to stay motivated and keep the words flowing @A3Writers @LThomasWrites #writing #motivation” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”Establish pre-writing rituals and build creative anticipation @A3Writers @LThomasWrites #write #pubtip” via=”no”]
Leigh Ann Thomas is the author of three books, including Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace—Inspiration for the Mother of the Bride (SonRise Devotionals). A regular contributor to AlmostAnAuthor.com, Just18Summers.com, and InTheQuiver.com, she has also published with Southern Writers Suite T, The Write Conversation, and Power for Living. She is a contributing author in 10 books and her award-winning fiction is included in three editions of Southern Writers Magazine’s Best Short Stories. You can find Leigh Ann on her front porch daydreaming story plots, or blogging at LeighAThomas.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lthomaswrites
My pastor and mentor, Larry, grimaced at me back in my early twenties. “Why do you like those scary movies and books? They’re disturbing, violent, and weird.”
I grinned at him. “Have you read the Bible?”
God got a hold of my life at the age of fourteen, and I dove in with everything I had, learning, growing. I couldn’t get enough.
I also loved speculative fiction. I read and watched horror, sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, all of it. Novels, movies, stacks of comic books. I consumed it all.
Now, I love all kinds of stories, but I always felt drawn to the weird and dark ones. Today, as a pastor and author of epic and urban fantasy, I have studied writing, literature, and scripture, and I understand why.
The best of sci-fi and fantasy (even horror) does the same as all great literature – makes commentary on the human condition. Whether it was Verne with the Time Machine or Tolkien with the Lord of the Rings, these stories connect and endure because of universal questions of identity, humanity, or good and evil. Oh, there may be spaceships or dragons or serial killers, but at the heart, they tell us something about ourselves.
As I told my mentor, there are disturbing parts of the Bible that I didn’t learn about in Sunday School. Judah has sex with his daughter in law, who he thinks is a prostitute, and then she gets pregnant with a kid God used in Jesus’ lineage. And in Judges! We would love to forget the Levite who allows his concubine to get raped, and then when she dies, he cuts her into twelve pieces to motivate the other eleven tribes to go to war with the Tribe of Benjamin.
I could go on with stories from David or Lamentations and even the New Testament. They express an important truth. Life is sometimes tragic and violent and disturbing. Is God good in those moments? Can God redeem those stories and the people within them? He can and does. Christian literature, whatever the genre, should show the tragedy and the redemption.
C.S. Lewis said, “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
Jesus spoke in parables, stories to teach a point. Often, however, those stories only confused people. His disciples begged him to stop speaking in parables and rejoiced when he spoke clearly (John 16:29). Jesus didn’t speak in parables to fully express the truth but to start a conversation, to hide the truth and see who would dig further than a story into the God telling the Story. (Matthew 13:10-17)
Not to mention, God is a creative God. His people should be the most creative. Speculative fiction gives us new worlds, future technology, and impossible creatures. Sounds like our Father.
And here is where writing speculative fiction, at its best, comes in. Yes, it can entertain, but it should use that wild imagination to begin spiritual conversations. Who better than pastors and Christians to be creative and tell the types of stories that engage the culture?
Tips for Christian authors as they write speculative fiction:
Peace.
MB Mooney has traveled and ministered all over the world. He writes fantasy and non-fiction, works for #CoffeeThatMatters, and pastors a church where he lives in Suwanee, GA with his amazing wife and three great kids.
At any given time, I have at least half-a-dozen stories binging around in my head. That’s just how my brain works. I think in narrative form. That worked well for me as a child; I could captivate an audience of peers with little effort by weaving characters out of thin air and commissioning them to make my friends laugh, cringe, or cry.
But when I began writing, I soon discovered story-telling and writing are not the same thing. In writing, there are rules to follow and genres to consider. So many genres. Gone are the days when I can start a story on a fantasy note then morph it into pure romance and end it as a thriller. Why? The ominous bookstore shelf, with its neatly arranged sections, acts as the all-seeing-eye that keeps me on task.
I had no idea how many categories and sub-categories there were in literary fiction until I tried to classify my half written novel. Talk about confusing. Really—an allegorical romance is considered Speculative Fiction? Okay, who am I to question such things. Here’s the dilemma, the characters who are waiting in the long line in my mind to be birthed onto paper tend to have a will of their own. They’re too diverse to cram into one succinct class. And I’ve been told that it is difficult and risky for a new and unknown writer to attempt writing in multiple genres.
That leaves me with the precarious task of mentally shifting and blending my unwritten characters, stories and plot-lines into a common de-genre-nator. That is not working. They’re anarchists.
Unlike my cast of fiction-hopefuls, I am not the rebel type. I see the wisdom in finding my niche, creating a brand for myself, and building a strong platform before branching out. So, instead of trying to make the residents of my imaginarium conform to a genre I choose, I’ll leave them be. They can stay in their own little slots while I pluck a few to move to the top of the heap as submissions. Whichever brings in a contract first will be the genre I focus on, for a while. I have no doubt the others will get their shot after I’m established. But I’m discovering that a big part of writing game involves timing, patience and balance. Ultimately, I know my writing is in God’s hands and His timing is perfect.
If you are a new writer trying to determine whether writing in multiple genres is best for you, here are a few pros and cons to consider:
Pros:
Creative Freedom: You don’t have to limit your artistic flow and banish your binging stories to the back burner.
Potential To Reach More People: It makes sense that by branching out into multiple-genres you could reach a broader base of people with differing interests.
Opportunity To Expand Your Craft: Since each genre has its own style, flair and rules—writing in multiple genres helps you regularly exercise a well-rounded set of literary muscles.
Cons:
Branding Confusion: If you are trying to introduce yourself to the reading world, you might not want to give them multiple personalities to deal with right from the get-go. It’s kind of like a blind date. You show them your steady-shiny-side first and save the yoga-pants-pony-tail days for when you know it’s gonna last.
Blurred Edges: Even if you are a masterful of keeping all your players in their own genre playing fields, it takes incredible versatility and skill to keep the fields from crossing. The amount of time and organization it will require to do this may be too taxing when you are heavy in the throes of establishing your brand.
Marketing Mayhem: Be ready and willing to divide your time and efforts between multiple publishers while keeping multiple groups of readers satisfied and content—a literary Sister-Wives arrangement.
Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning writer and aspiring author. She and her husband John have five children (three grown and two still at home) and two adorable grand-kids. With a heart and passion for serving and protecting kids of all ages, they worked in children’s and youth ministries together for over twenty years and remain active in the community serving kids and families today.
Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Enlightened.
I struggled to stay awake on the drive home from the Ohio Christian Writers Conference, my conference companion and I too tired to even speak to each other. Air1 and 104.9 in the background, I sang along to myself, thoughts drifting to the wonderful time of worship at the conference then to the conference itself. Those three words became the basis of my thoughts.
The OHCWC was my first writers conference. I’d attended writing workshops before, but never a conference with pitch appointments or that many agents, editors, and publishers. I didn’t realize how tired I would be.
Three days of sitting around taking notes, listening to writing workshops, pitching my WIP, and connecting with other writers shouldn’t be that tiring, right? However, I, and I think a lot of other writers, forget how mentally taxing writing is.
As you prepare for your next writers conference or are readying to return home from one, take time to recover afterwards. I’m sure upon your return home, family and friends will flood you with questions: “Did you publish your book?” “Who did you meet?” Your brain will need a rest from all that happens at a writers conference, and questions can quickly become overwhelming.
That recovery time is needed; thus, here are four ways to recover from your next writers conference:
Writers conferences are a wonderful time of networking with others. When you return home, you won’t want to be swarmed by more people and questions. While it’s great that your family and friends care to know about the conference, make sure that you tell them before your departure that you will need alone time afterward. Tell them that you appreciate any and all questions about the conference, but to please, save them for the day after you return.
It’s a strange yet well-known fact that writers think well in the shower. When your brain is overloaded from all the information you received at the conference, a nice warm shower may be just what you need to relax and to begin processing all you learned.
You’ve learned so much about writing and talked so much about your own book that it will be beneficial to disappear into the world of another author for a few hours. Curling up on the couch with your favorite drink and taking a break from reality will help you relax and recover from the conference.
After the OHCWC my thoughts were in a jumble. All the information from the sessions swirled around in my head, and I didn’t even know where to begin sorting through them. So, I pulled out my notebook for writing thoughts, a ballpoint pen, and I wrote. The writing wasn’t pretty. It was hardly coherent. But by the end, I knew where to start formulating my writing plans and knew how to answer the questions others would undoubtedly ask me.
Most of us won’t have much time to relax and recoup after a writers conference, but these four ways don’t require a lot of time. A couple of relaxing hours will go a long way to helping you continue your writing journey.
If you’ve ever been to a writing conference, how did you feel afterwards? What did you do to recover?
Galaxy tights, mismatched socks, and a cup of tea in her T. Rex mug often accompany Megan when she sits down to write. Her passion for story has impacted her life since she and her sister first began enacting stories with their dolls and using their imaginations to create worlds of stories in their backyard. After graduating with her BA in English, she is currently earning a Graduate Certificate in Editing through UC Berkeley. Megan is using her love of story and purpose of serving Christ to write and edit at Literary Portals Editing. Find more about her services at www.literaryportals.com.