Tag: write what you know

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Inside the Ten-Foot Line: From Conception to Publication Part One

As I wrote this article, I got an email from my publisher letting me know that the pre-order sales of my book Inside the Ten-foot Line earned three #1 bestselling banners on Amazon. Wow! Which leads me to believe I might have an insight or two to offer about the whole publishing process.

Keep in mind, every author’s path to publication differs. Some things I mention might resonate with you. Others may provide an ah-ha moment. You can also visit Kelli’s article on three lessons she learned on her way to publication.

My story is too long for a single post, so this month, I’ll explore the birth of the idea and draft proccess behind Inside the Ten-foot Line, and next month I’ll target what happened after the manuscript was complete.

The Idea

While there is no hard and fast rule for finding an idea for your book, write what you know is a good starting place. I took that advice and made a list of all the topics that interested me. I compared that to a list of topics that might interest my target age group to trim down my options. I mean—I know a lot bedtime routines. And while that’s a great topic for picture books, it’s less palatable for a middle grade novel, right? (Unless I work a hilarious bedtime routine into a scene where my protagonist is dealing with pimples and self-doubt.)

For me, one theme continued to rise to the top and melded well with the interests of my reader. Sports.

Question: What idea rises to the top for you?

Action: Check out another article on content issues from Kelli McKinney.

What’s Out There

Where does your idea fit in the current market? What other books will sit on the shelf next to yours? I found my answer in the local library. Sports had its own special identifying sticker and location in the building, making it easy for me to pull down and compare titles. Books geared for male athletes dominated the genre. However, even though the niche offered only a handful of books for female athletes, the market showed recent growth. And that was promising.

Question: Does your book can fill a gap in the market?

Action: Visit a library and look for books with a similar idea to yours.

Know the Genre

Determined to balance the scales, I read through several books, looking for similarities in plot, mood, and resolution. Most used sports as a setting to deal with larger social or emotional issues. After dissecting a whole stack of novels, I had a good idea of how to move forward.

Question: What genre are you writing? Contemporary? Speculative fiction? Historical fiction?

Action: Do your research. Take time to read books you will find next to yours on the shelf.

Write the Story

I wrote an outline for the plot using one paragraph descriptions for each chapter. Then I took one summary at a time and expanded it into a full chapter. This loosely structured approach left room for my characters to nudge (or throw) the story in a new direction. And trust me—when they take on a life of their own, they will! When that happened, I could easily go back to the summaries and adjust the plot accordingly.

Even though my book addresses social issues, I also made sure to pack plenty of sports action into the plot. In that way, I catered to my target audience.

Question: Will your story be written in first or third person?

Action: Create a detailed outline for your story.

That’s where the series started for me. How about you? Stop back next month to find out what happened after I completed my manuscript.

Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lame jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/dogs/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing.

Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 175 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books.

Lori enjoys speaking, leading workshops, and visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Stories.by.Lori .

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Write What You Know

lighter look at a writer's life

They say to write what you know.

Have you ever wondered who they are? I think they are the same people who tell us to eat our vegetables, to use signal lights, and to not wear white after Labor Day.

Anyway, whoever they are, writing what you know is good advice. If it is a subject in which you have experience, you are more likely to be confident in your work, and your audience will likely trust you more.

For example, I could never be the author of Basic Car Repair or Technical Stuff and You. I am totally inept when it comes to such things, but, if you need advice on tools or repairs, ask my wife. I can write you a book with funny remarks in it; she can build you something. It’s how we roll.

I have been thinking of writing about what I know in these current weird times in which we are living. Some possible titles might include:

Herding Cats: Teaching Virtual Classes to High School and College Students

The Spider Solitaire King

Tubbo: An Easy Guide to Gaining Weight During a Pandemic

Oh, I Wanna Hug Somebody

Procrastination, How I Love Thee, Let Me Count the Ways . . . Tomorrow

Just One More Zoom Meeting

Sweatin’ Under My Mask

Amish Alien Abductions

(I actually made that last one up. Seriously. I know nothing.)

On a semi-serious note, writing what you know can be an effective way to reach a specific audience by sharing your experiences and knowledge. I recently co-authored a devotional, Adventures in Fatherhood, with my friend Holland Webb. We wrote stories about rearing our children and what God taught us along the way. The book has two unique perspectives.

I approached the stories from the point of view of a married man who raised his two sons alongside his wife; Holland is an adoptive single father. I could not write about raising kids on my own, as I know nothing about that, while Holland doesn’t know any other way. Hopefully different people can relate to “what we know.”

I recently received a 30-Year Service Award at the college where I teach. It will come as no surprise that I am “stewing over” ideas for a devotional about . . . you got it, teaching. It’s what I know.

So, if you are stuck about what to write, look around you. What experiences do you have that can speak to others’ lives? You might be impressed at the ideas that come.

Now, I need to get back to work. I have stories to write and classes to teach, and those Solitaire games are not going to play themselves.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate–all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Able!

Recently, I was asked by a fellow writer to work with him on a project. Admittedly, I was pretty unfamiliar with the subject matter of the assignment. But, I was excited about the opportunity to work with another writer and possibly learn something new.

However, it wasn’t long before that excitement turned into dread. After spending hours sitting in my creative workspace staring at a monitor bursting with information, I was unable to parlay the information into a cognitive summarization which would motivate others to care about what I obviously didn’t.

Once I realized this, I began to feel bad about having to back out of my commitment. Until I remembered a lesson I learned years ago when I first became disabled. It’s a truth that not many people are able to admit and it has become a principal I live via my personal and creative lives.

It is okay to say you are not able to do something, for whatever reason (physical, mentally, financially and emotionally). Sure, the world and my faith tell me to never give up and I can do anything.

But, over the years I’ve come to learn this is a fictional lie and I can’t accept it, I’m at peace with that. You see everything about me, including what I don’t know and can’t do is what makes me Martin Thomas Johnson.

If I spent my life doing what everybody else can and wants to do, then I’m not being authentic to myself and who I’m meant to be. Speaker and author Mike Foster says it best, “Embrace it all. Every flaw and imperfection. Every wound and broken place. Everything belongs in the story of you.” Do what you are able to and don’t worry about what you are not.

Able?

 Webster’s defines able as, “Having the power, skill, money, etc. that is needed to do something.” Being disabled has taught me to understand better what I am able to do. I don’t like putting on façades.

This vulnerability and transparency has drastically shaped my writing style. It’s given me my writing voice and a connection to my audience. I learned quickly after my accident that I was different from who I used to be.

I remember falling off of the toilet after lying to the nurse about being able to walk. To say I was humbled would be an understatement. It was devastating for 22-year-old man to be unable to do basic things for himself. It wasn’t until a month later when I entered a rehabilitation hospital to relearn basic functions (smiling, eating, and walking) that I realized I wasn’t alone in being broken, suffering.

I remember watching another patient who was younger than I struggling to get out of his wheelchair so that a nurse could help with his bath. At one point we locked eyes and I could feel his shame and embarrassment. Although he couldn’t even talk, I understood it was taking every ounce of his strength to attempt to do what he was no longer able to. He couldn’t fake it if he wanted to.

Fake?

 Just in case there are some reading this who believe you can do enough research and write anything–think again. Research can be fun and informative. But, there are people who know more about what you are researching and even those who don’t can tell when you’re faking it. For fiction it works, but I write mainly nonfiction and someone who knows more about a subject can easily spot my lack of expertise.

Take for example sports; although I am a fitness fanatic, when it comes to more popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, I’m clueless.

I grew up playing sports like soccer, volleyball and tennis and living in the deep South that really makes me different, if I were to try to write about any of the previous sports; people would know immediately that I have no idea what I’m writing about. So I choose to stick with what I know.

In closing I’ll quote Dirty Harry, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Write what you know about. Regardless of how much research or brainstorming you do, you just may not be able.

About Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.