Got fears?

Dana Mentink here, thinking about fear today. We just made it through a scary month, no? I mean aside from the fact that our property taxes are due, this Halloween business can be downright frightening. Seeing five hundred plus elementary schoolers hopped up on sugar and wearing costumes is enough to scare even the most stalwart. It got me thinking about fear and how writing can be the perfect way to get up close and personal with what scares us (without that nasty reality ruining the fun.) So here are my top three fears to date.

#1) Losing a loved one. Oooooh! I hate that one. Since I’ve had children, I now understand the wise person who said it’s like having your heart walking around outside your body. I fear that something will happen to them or Papa Bear or my darling parents or siblings. Imagine if I lost one of my beloved sisters? I spent some time imagining that, and I wrote a book about a gal who does. Talk about getting out all that emotion on the page!

#2) Okay, so I’m a teensy bit scared of the dark. Bad things happen in the dark, you know. So why not face that fear head on by crashing a plane into a darkening wilderness and the only way to survive is to hide in the glacial tunnels bored into a mountain? Uh huh. I imagined that too and to add to the drama, my poor heroine was also grieving over the loss of her twin nieces. Acck! Double whammy!

#3) Birds. I know, I know. It’s silly to be scared of birds, but there’s something about those beady eyes and razor sharp beaks that just gives me goosebumps (if you’ll excuse the expression.) Of course, being a writer, I can deal with those fears perfectly, by creating a heroine who is surrounded by a squadron of rescued sea birds. As a matter of fact, I wrote an entire mystery series with Ruth and her gaggle of naughty birds.
Isn’t being a writer awesome? I can face my fears without ruffling my feathers in the least. What about you? Got any fears that find their way on the page?

Fall and the Suspense Writer!

by Debby Giusti

The leaves are turning colors and the air is crisp and cool, at least in Georgia.  After the hot days of summer, the fall offers a refreshing change I always enjoy.  It also provides a great season in which to set a suspense story. 

I'm working on book two of my new Military Investigations Series entitled, THE CAPTAIN'S MISSION.  Set in Georgia, the story takes place in the fall when cool nights and warm days are the norm.   

The heroine sets out to investigate a military training mission and finds her life turned upside down...literally.  The hero is there to save her time and again, despite inner warnings that the female Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent will complicate his life.  Bottom line, she spells trouble. 

Actually she spells love interest, but this fall, he's not seeing things as he should.  Instead, he's seeing Fort Rickman and the surrounding area through his own trouble past. 

An isolated farmhouse, a snare trap big enough to catch human prey and an angry mob betting on a fight to the death signal excitment for the writer and reader alike.

What are you doing now that the days are cool and the leaves are awash in color?

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/ -- Our 3rd Birthday Bash all month in October!  Visit today for two giveaways and a chance to win a Kindle.
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
  

Digging Deep

This year has many new steps in the writing journey for me. My first trade (it's kind of a big deal!) releases in July. And I'm writing for two new publishers...getting pushed in my writing in ways that is making me better.

But I've also been working hard on the marketing side. That means taking steps and doing the hard work of figuring out who I am.

I don't know about you, but that isn't easy for me. There's a strong people pleasing side to me and I've always been able to sense the "right" answers to questions...know what I mean...

So I've brought some people around me to help me dig deep.

It's actually been an exciting process as we've refined who I am as a speaker and writer. The theme was there. I actually did know it, but I needed help to mine it from its hiding place.

You see, I'm convinced Satan doesn't want us to know who we are. Or to truly get it. At the heart level. Because when we do, we are willing to do things for God that would seem impossible. But as He reveals who He created us to be and who we are in Him, a freedom and strength is released that has us running to tackle challenges and dreams.

So today my challenge to you: dig deep. Ask God who He sees when He looks at you. And be amazed!

Flying Solo ... or Not?

Hey there! Liz Johnson here again. Today I thought I'd share a bit about how I like to write--alone.

Writing is, by nature, a solitary act, and I've heard many an author lementing this fact. It can be hard to close yourself off from friends and family to put ideas to paper. It might be easier to write in the company of others, but I've never thought so.

Maybe I'm the exception to the rule, but one of my favorite parts of being a writer is being alone with my laptop. And a few impatient, over-zealous characters. I love losing myself into the story in a way that never really happens when I try to write with others around. So I always believed that writing alone was the way to go.

But when I started really working on my first book, I discovered a terrible trait. I'm not disciplined at all. Apparently without having someone regularly check in on my progress, I was pretty much useless. So I buddied up with another writer friend, and for the last three years we've gotten together nearly every Monday night to write together for an hour. (Then we watch Castle! But that's another story.) My mom thought I was crazy, thought we would only ever chat for the whole hour. We did that once or twice at the beginning, but now we've gotten into an easy routine that includes much more writing than it does talking.

Don't get me wrong, we certainly talk. But it's about our books and our stories and our characters and those elusive words we want to use, but just can't seem to find. And a surprising thing has happened--I think my books are getting better.

I'm sure that part of it is just growing and maturing as a writer. But I'm just as sure that a chunk of that is owed to having another writer to bounce ideas off of, to ask on opinion of, and even to be teased by when I write something truly terrible.

As a solitary writer, who liked it that way, coming to this realization wasn't easy. Writing by myself and for myself was good enough. But that's just it. I don't want to be just good enough. I want to get better.

And I am, thanks to my Monday Night Writing Buddy.

So, who's your writing partner? Or do prefer to fly solo? What works best for you?

Thinking, by the power of three

Recently, I met with friends Cindy Gerard and Kylie Brant for a weekend at a casino hotel midway between our home towns.

Nope, we weren't out enjoying the sights, the shows, or having fine dinners...and we didn't even get close to the casino itself.  We were holed up in the room, working!

We do this once or twice a year---an intensive round of brainstorming for  individual, future projects.

It's amazing, what happens.  The energy, the excitement, the moments of clarity... synergy that  generates ideas which (we hope) will gel into solid story ideas for each of us to work on later.  Cindy and Kylie are amazing, by the way!

By the time the weekend ends, I am deeply thankful to my friends, deeply hope I have been a help to them, and I can't wait to get home to translate my pages of rapidly scribbled notes.  Are you a writer?  Do you ever brainstorm with others?

Roxanne Rustand
http://roxannerustand.blogpsot.com

Christmas Gift Ideas for Writers

I love books. Step into my house, and it's obvious, because they are everywhere! And my office--oh, my! Every inch of wall not covered by windows, doors, or the huge bulletin board above my desk is filled with overflowing bookshelves. Fiction of all kinds, of course, and also evidence of my passion for books on writing. I really, really need to stop collecting every book on writing that I see! I could probably weed all of them down to a dozen favorites...though I'm always on the prowl for new titles that offer something special. And boy, have I found some great titles lately!

I recently came across two new ones that are truly excellent--both by members of ACFW.

I've come to realize that if James Scott Bell pens a book on writing, I want to be first in line at the store. His Plot & Structure and Revision & Self Editing are two titles that I'd pack if I knew I was going to be stranded on a desert isle. I can't recommend them highly enough. And now, he has come out with a third-- The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics and Exercises with perhaps the most unique approach ever--and packed with excellent information and advice. I love this book! And it's just the right size and price to be a perfect gift for my critique buddies. But shhhhh....don't tell!

The other new title that I love is The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke, and it is absolutely packed with wonderful information for anyone who hopes to write Christian fiction, or even if s/he has a dozen books written. Reading it was like sitting down with the author and receiving an in-depth workshop in my home.

So now...I would just love to hear about your favorites!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas filled with joy for the true reason for the season, and a wonderful coming year,

Roxanne