LESSON NINE: THINKING BIG

MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA hit the bookstores yesterday! I was working on pages that needed to get to my editor so I didn’t have a chance to check the shelves in my local area. Today I’ll do a little shopping. It’s always a thrill to see my book displayed on the racks. Inevitably I get a “pinch me I must be dreaming” feeling!

My debut Love Inspired Suspense, NOWHERE TO HIDE, was released last April. I’m a month short of my first year of publication and my third book is out—maybe I’m doing something right! Usually I think of all the things I haven’t been able to accomplish so, in this case, it’s nice to focus on the positive.

God has blessed my writing, and I continue to be filled with gratitude. I pray everyday for my readers and all the members of my Cross My Heart Prayer Team (go to my Website, www.debbygiusti.com to learn more), which means I’m praying for YOU. If you’re also a writer working hard to be published, my prayer is that you, too, will know the joy of seeing your book in print.

Working through Donald Maass’ WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK is an excellent tool for all of us to use to hone our craft. I just wrote the first three chapters for a new book that will be out in early 2009, currently titled, LEGACY OF DEATH. Keeping Maass’ tips in mind helped me tighten my writing and create a fast-paced beginning for the new manuscript.

This week’s lesson focuses on our characters’ internal thoughts, which should reveal who they are on a deeper level. As writers, we need to ensure our heroes and heroines grapple with pertinent issues that strike a cord with those who read our work. So cut the fluff and zone in on core principles, universal truths and moral dilemmas that engage readers, whether contest judges, editors looking to buy a manuscript or customers in the bookstore.

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings!