Katie Ganshert

I Moved!

2011-11-18T07:05:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! If my posts usually show up in your Blogger dashboard or Google Reader, they won't any longer unless you do one of the following:

From Google Reader: find the red SUBSCRIBE button (top left), hit it, then enter my blog URL (www.katieganshert.com/blog) into the space provided.

From Blogger Dashboard: find the blue ADD button (bottom left), hit it, then enter my blog URL (www.katieganshert.com/blog) into the space provided.

You can also go to my new blog and subscribe via email, which is available on the sidebar.

My new home is: www.katieganshert.com
My new blog is: www.katieganshert.com/blog

So sorry for the inconvenience! I'd absolutely love to see you over at my new home!

Goodbyes and New Adventures

2011-11-16T05:00:00.047-06:00

This post comes with a twinge of sadness.

Because today I'm saying goodbye. Today is the last day I will be posting here.

Endings always make me a bit sad. Especially when I'm saying goodbye to something that's been so good to me. It's sort of like when Ryan and I moved out of our itty-bitty house in Verona (seriously people, this place could easily be mistaken for our neighbor's garage). It was our very first home together and it contained so many fun memories.

Just like this blog.

This was my first writing home. The place where I came out of the closet, publicly labeled myself a writer, stated my ambitions for the entire world to see, and chased after the dream.

This is the place where I met all of YOU! You wonderful, supportive, amazing people who brighten my day with your comments and community and conversation. Do you have any idea what a blessing you all are? Do you have any idea how much I wish I could sit down with each of you over a cup of tea (or coffee if that's your flavor) and talk?

So yes, I'm a bit sad.

But past that twinge of sadness and nostalgia, I'm eager and excited!

Although I'm saying goodbye to this blog, I'm saying hello to my new-and-improved cyber home. A place where I hope the community and conversation continues to grow and blossom. Because unlike real-life moves where you have to say farewell to friends and neighbors and start all over again, I get to take you all with me!

And just like with a real-life move, we were able to pack up my posts and move them over to my new blog. So the furniture should look familiar.

My talented web designer, Jason Walker, will transfer over subscribers and redirect my Google feed later today. That means if you are following me via Google Connect, we think (stress think) that my blog posts should still show up in your dashboard (if you use blogger) even though I'm now on WordPress.

Without further ado.....let me give you my address! From there, you will be able to navigate around the rest of my website.

My blog: www.katieganshert.com/blog

I would absolutely love, love, love to see your face over at my new home. There's lots to see, so come on over and help me break this place in!

Let's Talk: Tell me how you feel about goodbyes here. Then come on over to my new home and tell me how you feel about new beginnings!

Preparing for Launch

2011-11-14T05:00:00.016-06:00

Let me tell you, my life is crazy.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Good crazy.

Fun crazy.

But still crazy.

Here's a brief look at what I've been working on lately:

Promo materials for a sales conference at my pub house, feedback on copypack material, gathering a list of influencers, finalizing endorsers, going through Wildflowers once again to look over copyedits, working on my new blog and website, and trying to find the time to work on my latest WIP.

I found three gray hairs growing from my scalp the other day. People, I am just twenty-nine! Gray hairs have no bidness hanging out on my head.

Anyway, it's been crazy.

But I would not, would not, would not trade any of this craziness for the world.

Because this craziness means one of my dreams is coming to fruition. And all this stuff has been pretty fun.

The most time-consuming task on my recent to-do list has been my website/blog. Can I just tell you how excited I am for this puppy to launch? Okay, let me.

I'm excited!

And now to the point of this entire post.

I am preparing for lift off. My new website and blog will launch this Wednesday. We're hoping to avoid as many hiccups and glitches as possible as we transfer my blog over to Word Press. I apologize in advance for anything wonky that may happen. Please let me know if it does!

With all that said, I hope to see you over at my new digs in dos dias (two days, for all you non-Spanish speaking folk).

In the meantime, here is a blooper reel from various vlogs and website video I've been trying to put together. I hope you will be thoroughly entertained.

Let's Talk: Tell me about the craziness in your life! What've you been up to?

In other news, there will be a limited number of advance copies of Wildflowers for those who want to help me spread the word about my book. Please let me know if you're interested. You can email, FB, or Tweet me! katie@katieganshert.com

If you'd like to know more about what it means to help spread the word, please check out Jody Hedlund's blog post, Being an Influencer isn't Just About Getting a Free Book.

Love at First Sight

2011-11-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

What say you?

Does it exist or does it not?

I say no. It doesn't.

And I might get absolutely slaughtered by the comment I'm about to make. Like, totally clobbered. So imagine me saying this from behind my couch.

But for me, love at first sight didn't even exist with my child. Unlike the movies you see in Hollywood, I was not a teary-eyed mother overcome with emotion and love for my wee little babe. I was more like, "Thank you Lord that this kid is out of me and holy crow, he looks like my brother."

I was enamored by my little one. And excited for what was to come. But I don't think I fell in love with him the first time I saw his squishy, Elmer Fudd nose. He still felt like such a stranger.

It was over the course of sleepless nights and bare-skinned cuddles and his little fist wrapping around my finger and first smiles and all the other million things a mother experiences in that first month of motherhood that made me fall in love with my son.

So I'll ask it again.

Let's Talk: What say you? Does love at first sight exist?

*photo by Maxybon

Dead Ends

2011-11-09T05:00:00.004-06:00

Here's a lesson I'm learning about God.

Sometimes, as we travel this journey called life, He prompts us to go a certain direction. Perhaps through Scripture or a sermon or prayer or a yearning or a heaviness that sits inside our chest.

So we set out on the road with high hopes and expectations.

But sometimes, for whatever reason, we find ourselves at a dead end. And most often, it's painful and confusing. Yet if we open our eyes and surrender our plans, we'll discover a new path.

A path we never would have considered had we not gone down that first road.

I'm learning more and more every day that we don't worship a God of dead ends.

Let's Talk: Have you ever gone a certain way with your life, hoping for something, but God gave you something else instead?

*picture by tatooedfolk

Websites, websites, websites

2011-11-07T05:52:00.000-06:00

I'm not an indecisive person. I don't have a hard time making decisions. In fact, I have to make a concerted effort to pause and pray before jumping in with a yes or a no. I've never been one of those girls who sits and deliberates between two pairs of jeans or two pairs of shoes. I just pick.

At least not until I started working on my website.

Now, all of a sudden, I've turned into one of those women. I waffle back and forth between the silliest things. Like, "Should my signature be in the bottom center or the bottom left of each blog post?"

Thankfully, my web designer, Jason Walker, is incredibly patient and accommodating. If he thinks I'm nuts for having him change the order of the sidebar content for the fifth time, he doesn't let on.

But seriously people, this website thing is heavy on the brain. Especially since we're supposed to launch mid-November. And that's next week!

My amazingly awesome in-house marketer (and good friend) put together this survey, which will help me as I consider what content to upload before launch.

Despite my indecisiveness, there are a few things I have decided.

One of which is a newsletter. Yeah. I'm not going to do one. Mainly because I don't read newsletters and I'd have no idea what to write. So instead, I thought, why not do some sort of welcome pack? Why not write some devotionals that go along with the themes of my two books and send them out with a letter of welcome and thanks and perhaps some book marks or name plates? I have no idea if this will be a hit or a flop, but I figure, I'll never know unless I try, right?

I've also decided I want to incorporate video. Not sure yet how I'm going to do this, I just know I want to. So if you have any suggestions there, have at it! Trust me, I'm all ears!

Let's Talk: What features do you like to see on an author's website? For example, Karen Kingsbury has a place where readers can write prayer requests. I love it, because not only does it show readers she cares, it fosters such a sense of community.

Any and all thoughts are much appreciated as I work on getting my website ready for public eyes. I promise to not to steal any ideas without your full consent!

My Writing Process

2011-11-04T05:00:00.003-05:00

This question is from Ms. Wendy Paine Miller. And okay, I didn't get it under two minutes, like I wanted. But I talked as fast as I could!

For all you pantsers out there, get ready to cringe.

For you readers out there who have no idea what the words plotter or pantser mean, allow me to explain.

I'm a plotter. I plot out my story before I sit down to write the rough draft.

There are others out there who call themselves pantsers. They don't plot before they sit down to write the rough draft. They wing it. Or, they write by the seat of their pants. And somehow they do not suffer from ulcers. It's completely baffling.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer via vlog, please send them my way (either in the comments section or in an email). If you missed my previous vlogs and want to take a look, you can find them on my youtube channel.

Let's Talk: What's your writing process like? For you nonwriting readers, what kind of writer do you think you'd be?

Live Messy

2011-11-02T05:00:00.179-05:00

Do you ever feel like God's calling us to live messy? At least a lot messier than we are?

I don't mean neglecting the laundry or tossing the vacuum. I mean stepping outside the orderly. Stepping outside the safe. Stepping outside the bubble-wrapped. I mean rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty.

Sometimes I get the feeling that my life's too tidy. Too neat. Too sanitized.

I go the easy way because the hard's too much work.

But you know what?

We don't experience God in the easy. There's no growth to be had in the simple.

We experience God when things are so hard and so out-of-our-control and so untidy that all we can do is throw up our hands and trust that He will show up in the midst of the chaos.

A couple Sundays ago, my pastor said something that spoke so powerfully to my heart. To my husband's too. He said, "If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then get in over your heads."

Too often, I put off the promptings of the Spirit until I have everything organized and figured out and straightened up.

Too often, I ignore the impulses of the Spirit because it feels too messy. Too complicated. Too out of my control. Too over my head.

But maybe that's the point.

Maybe, when we step outside the safe lines that make up our lives, we see His grace and His power and His provision in a way we never would had we stuck with the status quo.

Maybe in those risky, uncertain moments, His glory shines the brightest.

Let's Talk: Tell me about a time you got messy and risked for God.

*Picture by aidan1923

Three Keys to Following Your Heart's Desire

2011-10-31T05:00:00.022-05:00

Guest post by Lisa Jordan

In The Wizard of Oz, Kansas farm girl Dorothy runs away to find her heart’s desire. A tornado hits her area and she ends up traveling to the magical land of Oz along with her three companions who are searching for their own hearts’ desires—the scarecrow, tin man, and lion. Dorothy is a fictional character, but her story resonates with us who have our own hearts’ desire.

This week I’m celebrating the release of my debut novel, Lakeside Reunion. This book is the story of my heart and dedicated to my husband. Achieving my dream of becoming a published author happened because of three Ps—passion, perseverance and patience.

Passion: When I was sixteen, I read a novel by a popular secular author whose words captured my tender heart and held it captive until the end of the novel. Her happily ever after ending made my heart sigh with satisfaction. I credit the novel as the catalyst for my ultimate heart’s desire of becoming a novelist. As a happily ever after girl who loved God, I chose to write contemporary Christian romance.

As with any dream, life has a way of detouring our heart’s desire, taking us down unexpected paths. I fell in love and married a handsome Marine (we celebrated our 22^nd anniversary yesterday), and we’ve been blessed with two sons. Additionally, I operate an in-home childcare business. When my boys were young, I focused on them. After all, as much as we moms would love to, we can’t recapture their childhoods. As they grew older, I returned to my dream of becoming a novelist. The dream never left—it was simply sidelined for a season.

Persistence: Becoming a novelist doesn’t happen overnight. My publication journey took over 10 years. I continued to develop and hone my skills. Working full-time in my home, caring for my family, returning to school to earn my early childhood degree, and my other responsibilities made finding writing time a challenge at times, but I wanted it badly enough, so I fought to find time in my crazy schedule. The late nights, ignoring the piles of dirty laundry and letting the family fend for themselves at meal times finally paid off when my agent called to let me know my dream had become a reality.

Following your heart’s desire requires daring to dream and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Fear of the unknown may have you quitting before you even get started. Stepping out in faith enables you to see beyond by your own limitations and see what God can do through you.

Patience: Your heart’s desire may cause you to create unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Have a teachable spirit and be willing to listen to guidance, particularly to those with more experience than you may have. You have something to offer, so don’t sell yourself short. However, just be aware, every new venture requires a learning curve and a willingness to listen. Dreams take time to achieve. Put a plan in place with SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals. Don’t rush the process. Celebrate each milestone as you work toward your overall goal.

Think about the legacy you will leave behind for others. Do you want to be known as someone who played it safe and shelved her heart’s desire, or do you want to be known as someone a woman who had the passion, patience and persistence to follow her dream? The only person standing in the way of your dream is you, so step aside and allow your heart to lead. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

Your Turn: Are you following your heart’s desire? If not, what’s holding you back?

Lisa is holding a scavenger hunt and lakeside photo contest to promote her Lakeside Reunion release. Plus, blog commenters on her blog hop will be put in a drawing for fun prizes—breakfast basket, Love Inspired Authors basket, autographed copies of Lakeside Reunion. Visit her Lakeside Reunion Contest page for more information.

Bed-and-breakfast owner Lindsey Porter prays she won’t run into Stephen Chase when she returns to Shelby Lake. Five years ago, the cop jilted her to marry another woman, and Lindsey fled town. But no sooner does she hit city limits than Stephen pulls her over for a broken taillight. Despite the past, he’s still able to stir up Lindsey’s old feelings for him. Now a widower and single dad, Stephen recognizes a second chance when he sees one. And he’ll do anything to make Lindsey trust in God and take a risk for love—again. Read an excerpt of Lakeside Reunion

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories that feature them come naturally to her. She has been writing contemporary Christian romance for more than a decade. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, will be released in November by Love Inspired. Her second novel, Lakeside Family, will be released in August 2012 by Love Inspired. Happily married for over twenty years, Lisa and her husband have two young adult sons. When she isn't writing or caring for children in her in-home childcare business, Lisa enjoys family time, romantic comedies, good books, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. Visit her at www.lisajordanbooks.com to learn more about her writing.

**The token for this blog post is a heart**

Katie here! Hey readers, I need your help! Could you please fill out this quick 2-minute survey to help me with my author website? Anyone who participates has a chance to win a bunch 'o books from my publisher! Thanks bunches!

Redefining Romance

2011-10-28T05:00:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I get funny reactions when I tell people I write Christian romance. They look at me like I'm nuts. Like the two terms are completely contradictory. Christian romance? Isn't that some sort of oxymoron?

This reaction makes me sad. Oh so very sad. Because God invented romance. Jesus Christ's sacrificial love for His Bride is the most romantic tale of all time.

So how did we get here?

To this place where romance novels elicit images of bodice rippers and half-naked Fabios? To this place where Christian and romance don't fit in the same sentence?

Let's Talk: What images come to mind when you hear "romance novel"? What's the best romance novel you've ever read? What made it so good? And for the love of all that is holy, are there really women out there who think Fabio is cute?

God and Symbolism

2011-10-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

As a writer, I love me some good symbolism. I love writing it and I love reading it. And I love that we worship a God who created it.

Because when Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn.

We hear that a lot. It's become this cliche thing. Yada, yada, yada, Jesus died on the cross. Yada, yada, yada, the veil was torn. Yeah, yeah, we've heard it before.

But the veil was torn, people. Torn. Which has to be, 100%, the coolest symbol in the history of all symbols.

Because that veil was an incredibly thick curtain that barred the entrance into the Holy of Holies - a very special room in the tabernacle where God's presence dwelt. A room that only the high priest could enter. Once a year, after meticulous preparation, to shed blood for the atonement of sin.

Everyday people like you and me? They couldn't set foot into the Holy of Holies. They could not be in the presence of a holy God and live (Exodus 33:20). Which is why God established the old covenant. We needed a priest to be our middle man. And God needed blood to make us clean.

Until Jesus came. God in the flesh. He took the weight of our sin upon His shoulders and died on the cross. He shed His own blood, once and for all. The ultimate sacrifice. Our ultimate priest.

And the veil was torn wide open.

A new covenant was established.

The covenant of Jesus Christ.

A covenant that rips apart the barrier.

A covenant that gives everyday people like you and me open access to a holy God.

Talk about some amazing, amazing symbolism.

Let's Talk: What symbolism have you come across lately? Or tell me about the coolest symbolism you've ever read in a book. Peace Like a River is filled with awesome symbolism!

It's Starting...

2011-10-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

A few months before my wedding, I started having these dreams. And when I say dreams, I don't mean the pleasant kind. I mean the kind where I slept in and couldn't find my dress and frantically raced across town so I could walk down the aisle with pajamas and bedhead and bad breath.

Yeah. Those kind.

The sweat-inducing, anxiety-ridden dreams that had me thanking the good Lord as soon as I jolted awake.

Which is sort of odd, because in general, I'm a pretty laid back person. I'm not a stressball or a worry wart. Yet the dreams came. Almost as if some sort of latent anxiety unleashed itself the minute I hit my REM cycle.

Well guess what?

Last week, I had my first official debut disaster dream in which my book received horrible reviews. Nobody liked it. Nobody. In fact, I was walking down this hallway and overheard one writing friend say to the other, "It definitely won't win any awards."

I remember feeling mortified and depressed all at the same time.

So when I woke up in bed, with my book still safely tucked away in the vault at my publishing house (they don't really have a vault), relief overwhelmed me.

Followed closely by a bout of nerves.

Because in a little over seven months, people are going to read my book. Real live people. And some of those people are going to write reviews that I will see. And what if those reviews aren't any good? What if I get a one-star reaction? Or worse, what if I get a whole bunch of mediocre ones?

Confession time.

I care way too much about what other people think. I seek approval. I like acceptance. I want to please. Which is something I have to surrender to God every single day. I do not want my self-worth to hinge upon people's acceptance or rejection of my work.

I want to keep my eyes focused upward. Because at the end of the day, I can't control how readers will respond. I can only do my very best with the gift God's given me and let the rest go.

Let's Talk: How do you respond to reviews? Or how do you hope you'll respond? And for fun, tell me about the worst anxiety dream you've ever had. I'm sure there's some good ones out there!

The Tortoise or the Hare?

2011-10-21T05:00:00.004-05:00

This question is from Eileen, who asks a very important question for writers seeking publication.

Sorry about the interruption midway through. I have a black lab and his hair gets everywhere. Even my lips!

Remember, people, it was the tortoise who beat the hare.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer via vlog, please send them my way (either in the comments section or in an email). If you missed my previous vlogs and want to take a look, you can find them on my youtube channel.

Let's Talk: Are you the tortoise or the hare? Or does it depend on the situation?

Suffering

2011-10-19T05:00:00.006-05:00

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

I have to tell you, this verse used to confuse the crud out of me. I'd hear well-intentioned Christians quote it at each other and my forehead would go all wrinkly.

Because in reality, Christians suffer. They lose their jobs. Or get cancer. Or struggle through infertility. Or find out their child needs a new heart. Or (insert any number of bad things here).

And the whole idea of patting their shoulder and saying, "Don't worry. God will work this out for your good" feels a little insensitive to me.

Especially since sometimes, another job doesn't come and they have to foreclose on their house. Sometimes the cancer wins. Sometimes they'll never get a positive pregnancy test. And sometimes the child doesn't get a heart.

So how can we possibly say God's working for their good? It doesn't make any sense.

At least not by our definition of good.

And there's the crux of the verse. That one simple word.

What is good?

We know the world's definition. To the world, good equals comfort. Good equals prosperity and health and popularity and independence and getting what we want.

But maybe that's not what good means to God.

Maybe to God, good means becoming more like Jesus. Relying more on Jesus.

And maybe that doesn't happen during times of prosperity. Maybe it's during those times of discomfort, or financial struggle, or failing health, or rejection, or grief, or unmet expectations, when we take our eyes off the temporary things this world has to offer and draw nearer to Him.

Let's Talk: What do you think God means by "good"? Have you grown closer to the Lord because of hard times?

The Facebook Page

2011-10-17T05:00:00.019-05:00

Do you think a Facebook Page can be used to build a readership? Or is it mainly a place for pre-established readers to interact with the author? And while I'm asking questions, what's the best way for an author to use a Facebook page?

Because I don't think I utilize mine like I should.

I mean, I link to blog posts and I post exciting news whenever I have something to share. But after that, I'm sort of stumped. Do I get personal? Do I stick to my writing journey? Do I post things on my page that I've already posted on my personal account?

Ideally, I want my page to be a place where I can have a conversation with readers. A place where I can get to know them and they can get to know me. A place where we can all chat. Only I'm not sure how to go about accomplishing that.

So while I ponder these big questions and try to figure out what to do with my page, I like to watch what others are doing. Because I think a lot of authors use their Facebook Page well. Like Wendy Paine Miller. She does a great job stimulating conversation, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's ever checked out her Moving Thoughts Friday posts.

Then there are authors like Karen Kingsbury, a publishing power house. And well, the interaction she gets on her page is pretty mind-blowing. Of course it helps that she's crazy-prolific and has a gigantic fanbase, but still. She engages with her readers. And she shares just as many personal updates as she does writing-related ones. So what do you think? Is she onto something here?

So whadaya say? Why don't we get this conversation started?

Let's Talk: What's the point of a Facebook Page? Do you have one? If so, give me a link! I'd love to check it out. And while we're at it, how do you use your page? Or maybe tell me what you hope to accomplish with it.

If you'd like to drop by my Facebook Page and say hi, I'd love to see you! You can find me here.

Romance and the Bible

2011-10-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Those words aren't paired together too often. Yet whether you know it or not, the Bible is filled with romantic tales. And some of those tales are downright steamy.

We've got...

Adam and Eve
God created Eve for Adam. If that isn't the definition of soul mates, I don't know what is.

Rebecca and Isaac
A beautiful story of love at first sight.

Jacob, Leah, Rachel
One of history's oldest recorded love triangles. With a twist. Instead of a woman choosing between two men, we have a man torn between two women.

Samson and Delilah
A story of deception and betrayal.

David and Bathsheba
The epitome of forbidden lust. With devastating consequences.

Ruth and Boaz
Ruth would get along well in our modern-day world. Because in this story, she's the one who does the pursuing. And guess what? God blesses her boldness.

Esther and King Ahasuerus
Think Prince William and Kate's story, only on steroids. A commoner marries royalty, but instead of happily ever after, she must use the king's favor to rescue her people from death.

Hosea and Gomer
The Biblical version of Pretty Woman. A story of a man burdened with love for a fallen woman. The prophet and the prostitute.

Joseph and Mary
They fall in love. Get engaged. Mary gets pregnant. Only it's not Joseph's child. Then an angel appears and the story goes all paranormal.

Song of Songs
An entire book of the Bible written between two lovers. It drips with passion. In fact, anyone who thinks Christianity is a prude religion must have skipped this book.

How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant.

Song of Songs 1:16

Brief vocabulary lesson. Verdant means green. Green symbolizes life. You make the inference.

Jesus and His Bride
Battered. Bruised. Broken. Marred with scars. Covered in filth. Yet Jesus looks upon her with so much love, so much yearning, so much passion, He lays down His life to rescue her.

Let's Talk: Do you think of the Bible as romantic? Why or why not? Did I leave out some stories that should be included in the list?

The Joy Thief

2011-10-12T05:00:00.168-05:00

He plays with light and dark, casting shadows of enormity, disguising himself as a towering monster. When really, behind the trick, lies something silly and small and inconsequential.

I call him the Joy Thief.

More popularly known as Worry or Inconvenience.

He likes to watch us, like some warped version of Santa Claus, waiting for that perfect moment. The moment we let our guards down so he can creep into our soul and feed. Feasting on our busyness. Our distraction. Our tiredness and irritability. Until he grows so big and bloated there's no room for joy.

The Joy Thief is a monster we invite into our bellies. A monster that gives us wrinkles and ulcers and chest pains and quick tempers. A monster that doesn't add a single day to our lives.

Our time on this earth is so fleeting. Like grass, we are here today and gone tomorrow. So why in the world do we let these silly, small, inconsequential things grow bigger than they are and steal our joy?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Luke 12:25

Let's Talk: Do you know the Joy Thief? How does he disguise himself in your life?

Casting a Vision

2011-10-10T05:00:00.088-05:00

There is something powerful about spoken words. But I think there's something extra powerful about written ones. There is a permanence about them, a visibility that we can't forget or dismiss or shoo away as a passing whim.

Written words have a physicality. There they are on a page we can feel or a computer screen we can touch. Captured not just for our own eyes, but for other's as well.

So today, with that power in mind, I'm encouraging anyone with a goal, anyone with a dream, to write it down. To type it out. To make it physical and permanent.

This is something I did a year and a half ago. And I think it's one of the most helpful things I've done for my writing career.

I wrote something called a vision statement.

Let me just tell you, I love, love, love vision statements. They are fearless. They are honest. They don't contain doubt. Or what-ifs. Or settling for less. They are filled with possibility and hope and anticipation.

But before you can pick up a pen and write something so glorious, it would probably be helpful to know what one is.

Simply put, a vision statement is a picture of yourself in the future. It's what you aspire to be, deep down in your heart. In that place you keep hidden, because maybe your dreams are big. And maybe the odds are against you.

Creating one involves casting a vision for yourself. It means fast-forwarding ten or twenty years into the future. Giving serious thought to what you hope to be. What you hope to accomplish. Then capturing that vision in the shape of a bio.

So instead of: Katie Ganshert is a debut novelist.....

Mine starts: Katie Ganshert is a multi-published, full-time author....

The first is true right now. The second is my vision. What I hope to someday accomplish.

I think it's important to write it in present-tense, as if that vision were truth. And it's important to have it down on paper or saved in the computer as your stake-in-the-ground. These are your dreams. Your wishes. Your hopes. This is what you're striving toward.

So be honest. Be confident. And write it down. Make it permanent and physical.

I wrote mine in a journal on April 11, 2010. And all the doubt and rejection and fear and waiting I've passed through since that day has led me back to my vision statement. A vision statement that keeps me focused. On course. Striving onward.

Let's Talk: What is something that would be or already is in your vision statement? Let's get real. Let's dream big. Where do you hope you'll be in ten, twenty years?

I know that's a pretty personal question. So it's only fair if I open up first.

One of the lines in my vision statement says this:
Her novels are known for their tension-filled pages, evocative prose, and hope-filled endings.

This doesn't mean I'm there yet. It doesn't mean I'm currently writing stories that capture this vision. But it does give me something to reach for.

Come Inside, Have a Look

2011-10-07T05:00:00.017-05:00

If you've ever wondered what it's like transitioning from a writer without a contract to a writer with one, then come on in. I invite you to take a peek inside my head. It's not as scary as this freeze-frame makes it look. I promise.

Thanks for the question Sherri! I assure you, your question was not off the wall. At least not to me.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer, please send it my way (either in the comments or via email). I'm having so much fun answering them! If you missed my previous vlogs, you can check them out on my youtube channel.

Let's Talk: Where's your head at right now? What's going on in your life? What are you working on? What transitions have you gone through?

Giving it All

2011-10-05T05:00:00.006-05:00

There's this scene in the Bible where thousands of people are gathered to hear Jesus teach. Only it's getting late. People are hungry. And the only food around is in the possession of a young boy. He has five loaves of bread and two fish. Nowhere near enough to feed the crowd.

When I read this story, I can't help but wonder....

Did that boy worry over the smallness of his offering? Did he think about breaking the loaves into teeny-tiny pieces? Was he tempted to keep the food to himself?

Any of these would be normal reactions. Human reactions. Because the task before him was 100% impossible.

Until he gave the food to Jesus. And somehow, those five loaves and those two fish fed five thousand.

How silly would it have been if the boy had taken credit? He didn't feed those people. He didn't perform the miracle. He didn't multiply the food.

But he did give his all.

Dan Walsh, author of The Unfinished Gift, talked about this story in one of the workshops I attended at the ACFW conference last weekend.

And it hit me with so much power. So much truth.

There are people who try to break up the bread and do impossible things on their own.

There are people who don't even try, because they see the impossibility before them.

And there are people like that boy. A kid who gave everything, knowing it was nowhere near enough. But he gave it anyway and trusted Jesus with the rest.

Man.

I want to be like that kid. I want to put forth my best effort. I want to give God my all. But at the end of the day, I want to remember that my all will never be enough. So if or when God chooses to multiply the work of my hands, I won't ever question who deserves the credit.

Let's Talk: Are you more tempted to try to do it all on your own, or are you more tempted to not try at all?

Author Philosophy 101

2011-10-03T05:00:00.017-05:00

When I got into the education program at college, the first class I had to take was Philosophy of Education. I think that was first in the program because philosophy is important. It's the wellspring of everything we do. And there are all kinds of different ones.

As a teacher, my philosophy dictated the way I treated my students, my interaction with parents, how I managed the class, the way I went about planning lessons, what I did with the curriculum. All those practices could be traced to my underlying philosophy of education.

So the other day, when I came across my Philosophy of Education paper, it got me thinking.....

If I were to take a course titled Philosophy of Being an Author, what would my paper say?

Whether we know it or not, we all have a philosophy. And this philosophy influences the way we go about being authors. It influences the kinds of stories we write, how we interact on social media, what we're willing to sacrifice to reach our goals, and the list goes on.

So why not actively consider our philosophy? Why not pin it down so we can better understand why we're doing what we're doing?

It seems like a good idea.

Which is why I came up with a list of questions. Questions I've been considering as I think about my own philosophy. Questions I hope will get you thinking about yours.

Questions to Consider:
- What is a successful author?
- How much control does an author have over his/her success?
- What is the point of story?
- What's the role of an author?
- What's the ideal reader/author relationship?
- Is writing a career, a hobby, or a ministry?

You know what's crazy? If we gathered a hundred different authors together and asked them these questions, their answers would all look different.

Some authors base success off of book sales, while some look at reviews. Some authors believe success is outside of their control and some think the ball's completely in their court. We have authors who think the point of story is to entertain, but we have others who think the point of story is to change lives.

I think the reason this industry is riddled with so much conflicting advice is because there are so many different philosophies. And maybe, figuring out our own, will help us better choose which pills to swallow.

Let's Talk: I'm dying to hear your philosophy. Pick any or all of the questions above and answer. Or, if you think there's an important question I left off the list, please add. I'm not at all a moral relativist, but here's a situation where there's definitely no right or wrong answers.

Love Triangles

2011-09-23T05:00:00.011-05:00

I write romance, but I've never written a love triangle. The tension in my stories doesn't arise from a girl choosing between two guys. It arises because the hero and heroine have conflicting goals.

Yet love triangles are popular in the world of romance. And in the world of vampires, apparently. Because Bella has to choose between Jacob and Edward, just like Elena will ultimately have to choose between Stefan and Damon.

Only in Twilight, we all knew who Bella would choose. Sure, there are people who wear Team Jacob shirts, but I don't think many of them truly thought Bella would choose Jacob in the end. It was obvious. Jacob would not win.

Yet in Vampire Diaries, I have no clue who Elena will end up with. And I'm genuinely torn, because I love her with Stefan, yet I'm rooting for Damon at the same time.

This is rare.

Love triangles tend to be obvious. The heroine might have feelings for two guys, and those feelings might add some tension to the story, but usually the reader knows who she's going to pick. I don't think any of us watched The Notebook and really thought Alli would go with Lon. Of course it had to be Noah, even though Lon was an attractive, likable man.

I tweeted about this recently. Love triangles. I asked if it was possible to write one where the reader truly has no clue who the heroine will choose. And my friend Heather Sunseri replied: Yes, but apparently it makes readers a little angry with the writer.

So this leads to a conundrum.

The majority of love triangles are obvious. But even if a writer manages to write one that isn't, she risks angering 50% of her audience.

Or maybe I'm missing the point. Maybe it's okay for love triangles to be obvious. Maybe the point of them isn't to keep the reader guessing.

Which leads to my question....

Let's Talk: What's the point of a love triangle? Do you like them? If so, what's your favorite one?

After an insanely intense round of final line edits, followed by a trip to St. Louis, this girl needs a blogging break. I'll see you in October!

God's Voice

2011-09-21T05:00:00.004-05:00

Do you ever feel like God is speaking to you? Do you ever have these moments of clarity, where something presses so firmly against your heart that it can't be ignored? You just know He's inviting you to do something. To take part in something. The urge is undeniable.

But then fear or laziness or selfishness creeps in, and we start to think about all the reasons why we can't do this thing. It's too expensive. It's too time-consuming. It's too crazy. It's too (fill in the blank).

And then we start convincing ourselves that it wasn't really God who pressed that thing on our heart. It was just this strange urge. An impulsive, irrational moment. We were emotional that day. Or over-tired. Or (fill in the blank).

And so we go about our every-day, humdrum life. We don't do anything bad. We go to church. We read our Bible. We pray. We cling to safety. To familiarity. And we wonder why we can't hear God's voice as well as we used to.

But what would happen if we listened? What would happen if we obeyed before we talked ourselves out of the things He calls us to do? How clearly would we hear His voice then?

Here's my confession.

I settle for the easy because I'm too selfish to embrace the hard.

But you know what?

God's going to carry out His will. God's going to do His thing. And it will be glorious and awe-inspiring and 100% breathtaking. But because I'm too scared or logical or self-centered or lazy or (fill in the blank), I will miss out on being a part of it.

If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place....

Esther 4:14

God was going to save the Jews, with or without Esther's help. But He invited Esther to be a part of His plan. She said yes. And because of that, experienced God's power and grace in a way she never would have had she said no.

God spoke to me recently. It was clear. So very clear. I don't want to ignore His invitation.

Let's Talk: Tell me about a time in your life when God spoke. How did you respond?

My Embarrassing Lesson

2011-09-19T05:00:00.004-05:00

Awhile ago, I blogged at the WordServe Water Cooler about an audio span recording I did with my publisher.

It was my very first experience doing an author interview.

The interviewer asked me five questions over the phone, all pertaining to my book. He did this with several other Waterbrook Multnomah authors. The interviews were put together on a CD that will go to the sales reps, who will use them to help sell the books to retailers.

Anyway, after the interview, I felt pretty confident in my answers. I thought things had gone well.

Until I got the CD and listened to myself speak.

My confidence? Yeah....it melted into mortification. My cheeks flamed with heat as I listened to myself insert "um" after "um" between my words.

It was horrible, you guys. I'm not kidding. Um became my own personal overused comma. Anytime there should have been a pause, I inserted an "um" instead. My answers were decent, but they were almost impossible to listen to in light of all the distracting um's.

I sat there thinking, "When in the world did I say all those?"

Then I remembered my first ever vlog recording.

When I watched that vlog, I knew right away I couldn't publish it. To my complete surprise, I said um. A lot. So I re-recorded it, making a determined effort to avoid that particular syllable. And I barely said um at all. Only by then, I'd already done the audio span thing and it never dawned on me that I might have said um a bunch during that too.

Until I got the CD.

So there I was, listening to the interview, 100% embarrassed. It only got worse when I listened to Liz Curtis Higgs. Her interview was amazing. She was well spoken and completely charming. And in the midst of blushing my brains out, my husband said something.

"Kate," he said, "Liz Curtis Higgs is a pretty established author, right?"

I hid my face behind my hands and nodded.

"She's probably done interviews and stuff like this before, don't you think?"

"Yes."

"I'm willing to bet she's learned some things over the years."

I peeked at him between my fingers.

"You should cut yourself some slack. This was your first interview. Next time you do one, you'll know better."

My hubby. So logical.

But he's right, you know? I do know better. In fact, I'm completely aware of every um that comes out of my mouth now. And awareness is the first step to kicking a habit.

So why am I telling you all this?

Mainly as a cautionary tale.

When you listen to your first author interview, I don't want you to feel like crawling in a hole because of how many times you said "like" or "you know" or "um".

So here is my tip to you:

Record yourself.

Sure, I practiced. But I never actually listened to myself talk. I had no idea, while I was practicing, that I was inserting a whole bunch of um's into my answers.

You won't know your speaking ticks until you hear yourself. And there's no way to fix those buggers until you're aware of them.

Let's Talk: Please tell me I'm not alone here. Have you ever had an experience like this? How do you prepare for speaking engagements or interviews? How do you keep yourself from saying "um"?

Vlogging: Round Three

2011-09-16T05:00:00.004-05:00

The fun continues! Or at least I hope you're having fun with me. This question is from Esther and includes a sneak peek into a scene from my upcoming novel, Wishing on Willows (releasing April, 2013).

So you see, my love-affair with romance started at a young age.

If you have any questions you'd like me to answer via vlog, please either write them in the comments section or shoot me an email. And if you'd like to see previous vlogs, you can subscribe to my youtube channel.

Let's Talk: What genre do you read or write? What is it about this genre that draws you in?

God's Silence

2011-09-14T05:00:00.006-05:00

Do you ever feel like God is silent?

Are you convinced the silence means He's not listening, or He doesn't care, or maybe He's not even there?

Perhaps you've prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed about this one person, or this one thing, or this one situation. You're desperate for relief or confirmation or acknowledgement or peace. Your knees are sore from all the praying, from all the waiting. And yet....

God is silent.

I recently heard an incredibly powerful sermon by Dan Buraga, the young adult pastor at my church.

He preached from the story of Esther.

He talked about how Esther, a Jewish queen, delivered God's people from death.

Then he made the connection to Jesus - our ultimate deliverer.

He made the connection to the most crucial moment in history, when God's beloved son hung on that cross and cried out to His father from the depths of his soul, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

And the Father, who had perfect communion with the Son, did not answer. He did not reach out and save His boy.

God was silent.

And in that silence, He offered deliverance to us all.

This is the same God whose name can be found in one form or another in every single book in the Bible.

Every single book except one.

The book of Esther.

A story of deliverance.

And God is not mentioned once. He is completely and utterly silent. Just as He was completely and utterly silent that day on the cross.

Yet His presence shouts.

From the pages of Esther, where a Jewish queen saves her people. From Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. From the temple, where the curtain was torn. From the earth that shook. And the sky that darkened.

His presence shouts.

And we're reminded that God's silence does not mean His absence.

Let's Talk: How do you handle God's silence?

Evocative Writing: An Ah-ha Moment

2011-09-12T05:00:00.010-05:00

Thanks to my amazingly talented editor, Shannon Marchese, I recently had a big-time epiphany. She shared with me a writing tip I have yet to find in any craft book. Which is saying a lot because I've read so many.

Lately, I've been working on line-edits. I did my first big round a couple weeks ago. There were several places where my line editor would highlight something and write, "This doesn't work."

90% of the time, I'd delete the line. The other 10%, I'd keep it and try to explain why I wanted to keep it. Usually, the reason boiled down to emotion. I felt as if deleting the line would weaken the emotional punch I was trying to pack with my words.

Here's the thing.

I want to be an evocative writer. I want to transport my readers into the story. I want to make them feel what the characters are feeling. Which means I spend a lot of time trying to imagine what something feels like, and then trying to figure out how to translate those feelings into words.

Which is exactly what I tried to do when my hero touched my heroine's arm for the first time. I sat in my chair and I tapped my chin and I tried to think, "What does this feel like? And how can I write this feeling in a fresh way?"

I didn't want to write: electricity sizzled up her arm.

How many times have we read that line?

So instead, I wrote: Something warm spread through her arm, as if she'd dipped her elbow into a bowl of hot pudding.

Okay, I'm laughing as I write this, because in hindsight, I can see it's pretty silly. But let me tell you, I really liked this line. It made me feel clever.

So when my line editor highlighted it and said, "This isn't working", this fell into the 10% where I pushed back. I wrote, "But that's totally what it feels like!"

Here's where the epiphany comes in.

Shannon gave me a call and as we were talking she said, "You're right. That is what it feels like. But elbows in pudding are not appetizing to people. It's warm, but it's messy and makes a person feel like they need a paper towel to wipe off their elbow. So what else does it feel like?"

Something in my brain started to click.

She went on to explain that just because a line isn't working doesn't mean I'm supposed to delete it. In fact, Shannon didn't want me to delete it. She wanted me to make the line work. To keep the feeling intact using different imagery.

The clicking became very clear and all of a sudden, I got it.

Pinpointing how something feels is important. But using the right imagery to evoke those feelings is equally important.

Instead of deleting those lines, I needed to figure out how to evoke the same feeling in a way that works for my audience. I write romance. So when my readers read that scene, I don't want them to feel like they need to wipe off their elbow. I want them to feel warm and giddy. Not warm and messy.

So here's what I did:
1. For each of the lines that weren't working, I asked: How does this feel?

2. Once I pinpointed the feeling, I asked: What imagery or words can I use to evoke this feeling?

3. I brainstormed several options.

4. I picked the one that captured the feeling in a way that enhanced the story, rather than distracted from it.

I worked through many of my problem lines in this way, and I have to tell you, my writing is better for it.

Deleting the lines would have been easy. But my writing would have lost some of it's spark.

Keeping the lines would have been easy. But my writing might have distracted some of my readers.

Changing the lines took time and effort and hurt my brain a little. But it made my writing so much better.

Isn't this so true for life? The easy way is very rarely the best way. And good enough so often gets in the way of just right.

Let's Talk: When your agent, critique partner, or editor tells you something isn't working, are you most tempted to delete it, keep it, or change it? Do you ever let good enough get in the way of the best?

Please stop over to Kristen Johnson's blog, where she asks me some really great questions about dealing with discouragement, facing insecurity, and pressing on toward publication.

Real Life Romance

2011-09-09T05:00:00.093-05:00

In the wide genre of romance, there are all kinds of romantic pairings.

We've got the opposites who attract.

The best friends.

The soul mates.

The good girl who falls in love with the bad boy.

The nice guy who falls in love with the hardened woman.

And that's just scratching the surface.

Ryan and I were complete strangers. All I knew about him was that he made me giddy whenever he'd come to my workplace to deliver a new package. Now, nine years later, we're married and it's hard to think I lived nineteen years without him.

In some ways we're opposite. I'm pretty outgoing, I have an easy time opening up to people, and I have no problem being in the spotlight (shocker, I know!). Ryan, however, is shy. He has a hard time opening up to people until he gets to know them and he most definitely does not like being in any sort of spotlight.

But in other ways, we're similar. We have the same faith, the same sense of humor, and the same living habits. All of which made becoming man and wife quite easy. Some people say that first year of marriage is the most difficult, but for Ryan and I, living with and adjusting to each other was as easy as one, two, three.

Let's Talk: Tell me about your real-life romance (even you lurkers out there)! I love hearing these stories! Did you fall in love with your best friend? Your enemy? The bad boy? The nice guy? If you have yet to give your heart away, what prototype do you envision for yourself?

In other exciting news, the winner of Jody Hedlund's novel, The Doctor's Lady, is.....Jeanette Levellie! Congrats Jeanette! It's a wonderful book!

How a Perfectionist Learned to Bare her Warts

2011-09-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

By Jody Hedlund

I was born a perfectionist.

But strangely my perfectionism doesn’t carry over into every area of my life. If you checked the floor of my van you could probably have a feast if you collected all the spilled food and crumbs. I don’t get bothered too easily by weeds in the mulch, or dust on the blinds, or cats eating on my counters.

However, I am a perfectionist in many other ways—especially relationally, spiritually, and within my work. I expect a lot of myself in those areas.

In some ways those expectations are good. The perfectionism pushes me to strive harder and reach higher. Without sufficient standards, we often sink to the lowest common denominator. I’ve come to accept that perfectionism isn’t a dirty word. It’s the way I’m wired, and I wouldn’t change that trait even if I could.

At the same time, however, perfectionism can become a ball and chain around our legs that drags us down, until we can hardly move forward. We can let the pressures, the fear of failure, or even falling short of goals paralyze us. Or we can let the striving after perfection zap us of our joy and distract us from the things in life that are most important.

How do we strive to do our best, but at the same time keep perfectionism from taking over? Here are several lessons I’ve learned over the years while wrangling with my own perfectionism—trying to keep it alive and healthy, but not out-of-control

1. Relationally: My family doesn’t expect a perfect wife or mom.

Early in my marriage and in my parenting, I put high expectations on myself for being the perfect wife and mother. I devoured all of the latest how-to books and strove to implement everything I was learning. While there’s nothing wrong with reading parenting or marriage books (they can actually be quite helpful), I had set the bar too high. When problems occurred (and they inevitably do!), I became frustrated with myself and those around me.

Over time, I’ve learned that it’s okay if my kids misbehave in public or if my husband and I don’t agree on everything. When I expect too much of them, I set them up for failure and frustration. Yes, I can challenge my family to grow and to do great things, but I can take the pressure off all of us of having to live up to unrealistic ideals.

2. Spiritually: God doesn’t demand perfection, but rather commands affection.

I grew up a PK (Pastor’s Kid). For a long time I struggled with the need to be a perfect PK’s daughter. I wanted to do everything right. But the problem was, I couldn’t. I fell short, just like we all do. But because I’d set such high standards for myself, I felt like a failure, and for a time gave up trying altogether.

Eventually I came to the realization that God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. In fact, he doesn’t look at our outward qualifications as much as he looks at our hearts. Ultimately he’d much rather have our love than our striving, which is one of the lessons the heroine of The Doctor’s Lady learns on her journey West.

3. In Work: Do the best I can but then let it go.

In my housework, home-teaching, and in my writing, there are times when I have the tendency to put too much pressure on myself or try to do too much. While I can occasionally multi-task (i.e. fold laundry, give a spelling list, and answer emails—all at the same time), I’ve found that maintaining that momentum is very difficult and it only leads to exhaustion, irritability, and defeat.

I’ve learned (and am still learning!) that I can’t labor over any one thing too long. For example, if I write a blog post, I can’t spend hours over it. I need to write it up, edit it, and then let it go without analyzing every sentence. When I respond to an email or write an interview, it’s okay if I have a spelling mistake or a missed word.

My Summary: Nobody else is perfect—they make spelling mistakes and their kids have meltdowns at the grocery store too. So why do I expect perfection of myself?

For me, it has a lot to do with PRIDE. I want to be successful. I want others to admire and respect me. I want to look good.

My solution is to cultivate HUMILITY. While perfectionism isn’t a dirty word, I also need to be able to bare my warts. People want to see the real me. They want to know that they’re not the only ones who struggle, that others experience the same frustrations they do.

How about you? In what areas do you struggle with perfectionism? Is it hard for you to bare your warts?

©Jody Hedlund 2011

Jody Hedlund is a best-selling historical romance author of The Preacher's Bride, free right now on Kindle, and The Doctor's Lady, which just released last week. Here's a preview of Jody's latest:

To celebrate the release of The Doctor's Lady, Jody is running an epic contest throughout the month of September with a prize package worth $300. For more details, please click on the button below.

Jody's also giving away a free copy of The Doctor's Lady to one lucky reader of my blog. To be eligible, you must have a U.S. mailing address and you must leave your email address in the comment section of this post. The winner will be announced this Friday.

Congratulations. You’ve just discovered Puzzle Piece #3, in Jody Hedlund’s BE A TRAILBLAZER Scavenger Hunt! If you want to learn more about the scavenger hunt, and earn 20 extra entries to her contest, visit this page on her web site.

Vlogging: Round Two

2011-09-02T05:00:00.095-05:00

The vlogging adventure continues! In case you missed my debut, you can find it here.

This first question is from Lacie Nezbeth. I hope it will be helpful for anybody attending a writing conference. Especially one where you get the opportunity to eat lunch with an agent or editor.

Lacie also asked if people still take notes the old-fashioned way at the workshops. You know. Using paper and pen. The answer is yes. In fact, in your ACFW goodie bag, you'll most likely find a pen and a pad of paper for this very purpose.

Originally, the plan was to vlog the first Friday of every month, but if I stick to that, it will take forever to answer your questions. So the new plan is to vlog biweekly. I'm enjoying this more laid-back, personal format. I hope you're enjoying it too! If you have any questions you'd like me to answer via vlog, please put them in the comments section of this post.

Let's Talk: Have you ever gone to a writing conference? If so, what were you most nervous about? Most excited about? If you're going to the conference and have any questions, please ask them below and I'll do my best to answer.

Because of the holiday, I will not be posting on Monday. Have a happy Labor Day everybody!

Laughter and Division

2011-08-31T05:00:00.008-05:00

In junior high and high school, I had this friend. We were best friends. And we laughed.

In sixth grade, we'd walk home from school together and every single day, we'd end up laughing so hard our stomach's would hurt. And okay. Maybe on occasion, one of us would pee our pants just a little.

We were inseparable. We played sports together. We fell through the ice together (why yes, yes we did). We had this ridiculous bike we would ride together. Usually to Taco Bell at midnight. And whoever sat on the rack in the back would scream to the one in front to peddle faster, terrified of the dark that chased us. These Taco Bell rides often led to insane, stomach-hurting laughter.

Throughout junior high, we'd write notes to one another. She'd always put BFF on the bottom of the page. Only I had no clue what BFF meant. And my insecure preteen self wasn't about to ask. So I'd write it back, hoping it made sense.

I know what it means now.

Best Friends Forever.

Our senior year, about a week after we graduated high school, she and I were sitting on this dock at night. The Mississippi River swirling in front of us with all it's mysterious currents. Bob Marley playing in the background. And we had this conversation. The kind of conversation that sticks with you.

I remember one of us saying, "Isn't it weird, how in ten years, we won't know each other like we know each other right now?" It seemed impossible. But we both knew it was true. She was going to Iowa. I was going to Wisconsin. Things were bound to change.

And they did.

Freshman year. Madison. Witte Hall. Tenth floor. My dorm room. I gave my life to Christ.

In my fervor to share this indescribable feeling bubbling up inside me, I sent my friend an email. I wanted to share this joy and this hope. I wanted her to have it too. My passion could not be contained. It spilled over into a letter. And it absolutely freaked her out. I don't blame her. I would have been freaked out too.

Christ is love. Christ is life. Christ is light. But sometimes, Christ divides.

My friend and I tried to recover. When we came home for the holidays, I tried to smooth over the damage my uncensored passion created. With a little perspective, I could see that perhaps I'd handled things poorly. My friend tried too. But things were different. We were different. Headed in opposite directions.

I don't write memoirs.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't pull from personal experience when I write my fiction. My debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, is a romance. But it's also a story about two friends. Two friends who were once inseparable. Two friends who went their separate ways. Two friends pulled back together by tragedy.

And this Christ who divides?

He also heals.

Let's Talk: Who was your best friend growing up? Are you still friends today?

Confessions of a Word Miser: My Experience with Line Edits

2011-08-29T05:00:00.015-05:00

I have a confession.

I hold tightly to my words. Letting go of them is no easy thing.

But that's exactly what I've had to do this past week as I've worked through line-edits.

I have another confession.

Of all the things that lay ahead as a contracted author, line-edits made me the most nervous.

Here's my truth. I'm in love with words. I love stringing them together in creative and clever ways to paint pictures for the reader. I don't like deleting them. And I'm super protective of my voice.

So the idea of line-editing scared me.

I admitted all this to my incredibly talented line-editor, Lissa Johnson, and she said it's a common malady for writers, especially beginners. Which makes sense if you think about parenting. We tend to be much more uptight with our first born, don't we?

So how did line-edits go? Did I have to get rid of words I wanted to keep? Does the writing still sound like me? Was it as painful as I feared? Is the story better?

Good. Yes. Yes. Yes (but not in the way I expected). Very much.

Allow me to elaborate....

I deleted words I wanted to keep.
This is a reality for line-editing. I had to delete some of my more creative descriptions. One of the things I loved about Lissa was that she didn't just tell me to delete them. She explained why they weren't working.

Descriptions shouldn't pull the reader from the story. Not even for the sake of admiring the prose. We can get away with it on occasion, but the more often we do it, the more we risk creating a choppy read for our audience. And choppy's never good.

I'm learning that subtle and simple is usually best. A hard lesson for a writer who tends to go purple.

My voice is still my voice.
Lissa suggested changes, and even made changes, but she did so in my voice. She stayed true to who I am on the page and put to rest my biggest fear: That by the time this story makes it to the shelf, it will no longer sound like me.

Line-editing is painful.
Yes, it is. But not for the reasons I expected.

Deleting a beloved description wasn't the painful part.

Having to scrutinize a novel I didn't want to scrutinize was.

I had to look at so many of my words and make sure they meant what I wanted them to say. I had to look at so many of my details and make sure they were accurate and well-researched.

And I had to do it all while wanting to chuck the story out the window. At this point, I've edited this thing more times than I can count.

Combing through it so meticulously yet again made me cross-eyed. My lovely editor, Shannon Marchese, assured me that my strong feelings of dislike toward my story were very normal.

The pain is worth it.
Saying goodbye to some of my words was hard. But after stepping back, I discovered that Lissa was usually right. The changes improved the story. And although I might be permanently cross-eyed, it's now much cleaner. Much smoother. Much better.

I'm learning something I always suspected. Editors are amazing. At least the good ones are.

And when it comes to editing, we're wise to ignore those feelings of defensiveness, embrace some humility, and trust that they know what they're doing.

Chances are, they've been doing it a lot longer than we have.

Let's Talk: What scares you most about getting a book ready for publication? What excites you the most?

Books

2011-08-19T05:00:00.006-05:00

Oh how I love a good book. To me, it doesn't matter if it's an actual book or an audio book or an ebook on my Kindle. I just want a good story. One that will sweep me up and make me forget that I'm sitting on my couch or walking my dog (yes, I read while I walk).

It's always interesting to me how certain books end up in my hands. How some can languish in my to-be-read pile indefinitely and others come out of nowhere. Makes me wonder what will happen to my book when it hits the shelves.

So far this summer, I've enjoyed:

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
My friend Wendy raved about this one so I had to check it out. I'm glad I did. The narrator's voice is unbelievable and it's got so much amazing symbolism. It's a great book club book.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I remember asking for book recommendations a long time ago on the ACFW loop and Jenny B. Jones highly recommended this one. A while later, Chip MacGregor recommended it too. It took me several months to finally pick it up and when I did, I couldn't put it down. The entire narrative is beautifully told via letters.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Several of my girlfriends and I started a book club a few months ago. Talk about fun. Girl talk, treats, and books. Life doesn't get much better. This was our July pick. It's not something I would have read on my own (which is why I love book club), but the writing is amazing and the ending made me emotional. It's a nontraditional story where the protagonist is actually an entire group of women.

Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
Rosslyn is a writing friend of mine and ever since I heard she signed a three-book deal with Thomas Nelson, I was super excited to read her debut. This one was so good I finished in two days, reading well past midnight to see what would happen.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
This was our June pick for book club. It's very mysterious. The vibe reminded me of Jane Eyre.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This one took me a long time. I kept starting and stopping. But every time I stopped, I'd see a tweet or a hear somebody rave about it, so I'd give it another try. I'm glad I stuck with it, but some parts were really hard to read.

Oddly enough, I think all of these (except Rebecca) are debut novels. Right now I'm reading Heaven is for Real (our August book club pick) and Little Bee by Chris Cleave (which is also a debut novel). And a book on my to-be-read list that I can't wait to read is The Language of Flowers.

Let's Talk: What books have you read this summer? If you could recommend only one book to me, which book would it be?

Due to my obsession with my latest novel, I will be taking a blogging break next week. I want to give these revisions the attention they deserve and meet my self-imposed deadline!

The Title of my Debut Novel

2011-08-17T05:00:00.021-05:00

Did you know the snowier the winter, the more abundant the wildflowers are in the spring and summer?

I love when truth reveals itself in nature.

Because this is truth.

God uses the dormant seasons in our life, the harsh seasons in our life, to bring about beautiful things. Breathtaking things.

Like a once-snowy field bursting with wildflowers.

Which is why I'm so pleased with the title of my debut novel.

Wildflowers from Winter releases May, 2012 through Waterbrook Multnomah.

My baby has a name. A real-live name. I hope you like it.

Let's Talk: What truths do you see in nature?

Three Criteria for a Killer Title

2011-08-15T05:00:00.020-05:00

My brain refuses to rest with a good title. It scrambles about until it finds the best one. That perfect fit. And searching for the best is not easy. Often times, for me, it either comes or it doesn't.

When it comes, what a glorious feeling. But when it doesn't? No fun at all. My brain turns into a stubborn donkey. The harder I push, the more it refuses to budge.

Which is exactly what happened these past couple weeks as my editor and I discussed potential titles for my debut novel. My brain refused to cooperate. Sure, I came up with a few suggestions. And some of those suggestions were okay. But none were great. None really resonated. None fit my idea of a strong title.

Which for me, involves three criteria:

It has to represent the story.
It can be the most poetic phrase I've ever read. But if it feels like the author forced the line into the book just to make the title fit, I don't like it. I want a title that is unique and meaningful to not just a line in the book, but to the entire story. Some great examples would be Thin Places by Mary DeMuth, Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan, and of course, The Help by Kathryn Stockett or Room by Emma Donoghue. These titles not only sound cool, but are chock-full of meaning.

It has to be intriguing.
I don't want it to sound like a million other titles already published on Amazon. I look for something different. Original. Not cliche. Something that elicits a sense of intrigue. A great example of this is Summer Snow by Nicole Baart. The juxtaposition of snow in summer catches my attention. Makes me curious. It's what I aimed for when I came up with the working title for A Broken Kind of Beautiful (which isn't my debut). We don't often describe beauty as broken. If this book ever gets contracted, I hope the title stays the same.

It has to sound good.
Titles shouldn't make tongues twist or noses wrinkle. They should be pleasing to read and say. I'm a big fan of alliteration. I love When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. Not only is it intriguing, it's poetic. The repeating C sound works really well. I bought this book because I fell in love with the title and I haven't even read it yet. Talk about an effective marketing tool.

So I had these three criteria in my head, but my donkey of a brain could think of nothing. Yet despite my inability, my debut has an official name. One I'm very pleased with. All thanks to the talented editorial team that's been brainstorming on my behalf.

The title is very meaningful to the story. It has a contradiction that will hopefully intrigue potential readers. And I like the way it sounds.

An added bonus?

It goes really well with Wishing on Willows, which is the official title of my second novel, scheduled for release in April, 2013. I like when titles go together. A great example of this is Jody Hedlund's The Preacher's Bride and The Doctor's Lady. Or Rosslyn Elliott's Fairer than Morning and Sweeter than Birdsong.

So....what is the official title of my debut novel?

You'll have to come back on Wednesday to find out. In the meantime, here's a hint.

Let's Talk: How important are titles to you? What are some of your favorites? Have you ever bought a book just because you loved the title?

In case you missed it, I'm starting a new adventure with vlogging. Here's my debut vlog. I'm hoping this will be a fresh, fun way to connect with readers.

A Vlogging Adventure

2011-08-12T05:00:00.017-05:00

I'm always looking for fresh ways to connect with you guys. So guess what? I'm starting a new adventure.

Do you like how I'm rocking the book case in the background?

If you want to send me questions, I'd love to hear from you. I promise to answer them, whether that be via email or a vlog. You can send them to keganshert(at)gmail(dot)com. Or you can ask them on my Facebook Author Page.

On a different note, my debut novel has an official title! And it's not Beneath a Velvet Sky. I'll share next week, so stay tuned!

Let's Talk: How do you feel about vlogging? I have to say, I was a skeptic at first. But then my agent started doing it, and I loved hearing her voice and seeing her face (in a non-stalkerish way, I promise you).

Choices

2011-08-10T05:00:00.004-05:00

Do you ever think about the craziness of life? All the choices? All the forks in the road? Accumulating over the course of your existence? Bringing you exactly where you are today?

Sometimes I find myself thinking about these pivotal moments that might not have seemed so monumental at the time.

Like when I chose to go to the University of Wisconsin instead of the University of Iowa. It was freshman year, in my dorm room in Madison, when I gave my life to Christ. Would I have done that in Iowa?

Or when I chose to take two years off after my freshman year so I could gain residency and pay in-state tuition. During my college intermission, I got a job as a receptionist and met my husband. Would we have met if I hadn't taken those two years off?

Or when we chose to wait five years before having kids. Would my son be here if we'd decided to try earlier?

How different would my life look if I would have gone to Iowa, if I wouldn't have married Ryan, if I never had my son?

Would I be writing?

What about all the people I know because I'm exactly where I'm at right now? Where would they be? What would they be doing? Would I be who I am today, would they be who they are today, if we never would have crossed paths?

Our lives and choices make splashes that ripple so much farther than we know.

I love looking back at those pivotal moments and seeing how God has orchestrated so many things, even before I knew Him, to bring me right here.

Living in Iowa. A stay-at-home mom. A wife. A writer. A believer.

Let's Talk: What are some pivotal moments from your past? Do you ever think about what life would look like if you'd gone left instead of right?

The Art of Stringing 'Em Along

2011-08-08T05:00:00.009-05:00

Readers don't need to know nearly as much as we think they do. In fact, the opposite is often true. The less readers know, especially in the beginning, the better. Yet so many writers use the beginning of their novels to dump loads of information.

This is harmful, people. Seriously, seriously harmful.

First, it bores the reader.
Think for a minute. Why do you read? To get caught up in a good story, right? Yet when we stop the flow of the story to fill the reader in, they're no longer getting a story. They're getting a biography on a character they neither know or care about yet.

Second, it's not natural.
How do you get to know a person? How do you move from first-time acquaintances to full-out friends? Usually there's a process. When we're introduced to somebody for the first time, we know better than to reveal all the personal details of our past. That would be awkward. And again, boring. In order to care about somebody's past, we have to get to know the person. And we get to know a person by what they say and do. Otherwise known as action and dialogue.

Third, it squashes all intrigue.
This is huge. Huge, huge. The biggest reason why we shouldn't reveal too much in the beginning. Think about what keeps readers turning pages. It's intrigue, right? That enticing unanswered question. The minute we jump in and reveal too much information is the minute we squish all the questions.

Last week, we had issues with our plumbing.

First, there was this mysterious drip coming from the ceiling in our laundry room. That drip caught my attention. I found myself thinking about it throughout the day. Visiting the laundry room more often than usual.

The next morning, the rug in our upstairs bathroom was wet. It was a mystery, because I couldn't find a leak anywhere. You can believe my curiosity (and okay, fear) doubled. Were the two related? Where was the water coming from?

The day after that, more wetness on the bathroom floor. The leaky ceiling was worse. And get this. Another pipe in our basement, nowhere near the leaky ceiling, started dripping.

I went upstairs, got on my hands and knees, and searched everywhere. I was hooked. I was engaged. I was obsessed with finding this dang leak.

My plumbing gets it. It understands the art of stringing an audience along, bit by bit, unveiling just enough to keep a person hooked.

What an important skill to master as a writer.

We need to know how to reveal tantalizing scents that make our readers want to take a few steps further to see what's up ahead. And when they move forward, the scent needs to get stronger. More tantalizing.

Okay, maybe I'm mixing metaphors here. Tantalizing scents and plumbing problems probably shouldn't go together. But you know what I mean.

Of course, there is a fine line. We can't reveal so little that the reader gets confused. All I'm saying is, many of us error on the side of too much. And I'd take a confused reader over a bored one any day. Because at least a confused reader keeps turning those pages.

Let's Talk: What do you think? Do you tend to reveal too much, afraid the reader won't understand or like the character unless you explain everything? Have you mastered the art of hinting?

*Photo by missy &the universe

Ode to a Children's Book

2011-08-05T05:00:00.005-05:00

This has been quite a week.

We had a mysterious leak in our laundry room and I hate mysterious leaks. We had water on our bathroom floor and I hate water on the floor. We found out we'll have to tear up our tile. My son decided to drink Tide and I had to call poison control. On Thursday he didn't want to go in the potty anymore. And on Wednesday I was supposed to meet a fellow writer at nine but I completely forgot. I was also supposed to order pizza for a friend but I forgot that too. And I hate when I forget.

My mom says some weeks are just like that.

Even in Australia.

Can you tell what children's book I bought for my son at the Borders' closing sale? It's one of my favorites. I've been reading it to him all week and couldn't help but imitate the voice. Really, my week wasn't as bad as it sounds when it's all strung together like that.

Time for something that will make us smile.

Let's Talk: When it comes to romance, what makes your heart beat faster? The almost-kiss or the actual-kiss? How was your week? Have you read Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day before?

Preach It, Sista! (or maybe don't)

2011-08-03T05:00:00.066-05:00

A couple Wednesdays ago, I asked a lot of questions about Christian fiction and got a lot of amazing answers. I discovered that by and large, the biggest complaint about Christian fiction is this idea of preachiness.

Which is definitely something I've heard before. Readers want a story, not a sermon. Not only do I totally get this. I agree with it.

But.....

What makes a novel preachy?

This question keeps popping into my head.

Followed closely by....

Uh-oh. Is my novel preachy?

I don't want any of my readers to feel preached at. I don't think any writer sets off with that goal. Yet inevitably, it happens. Because preachiness is in the eye of the beholder. What feels preachy to one reader might not to another.

Then, Matthew MacNish said: Personally I read for entertainment, so I'm not interested in message books, regardless of whether they go with or against my own system of beliefs.

Which made my brain explode with even more questions.

What makes a book a message book?

Does a Christian novel have to be a message book?

So today, I'm interested...

Let's Talk: What makes a novel preachy to you? Do Christian stories have to be message books?

If you want to know about my first experience doing a phone interview for my book, please check out my post over at The WordServe Water Cooler.

Ten Ways to Market a Book

2011-08-01T05:00:00.238-05:00

I'm a debut author. My first book, a contemporary romance, will hit shelves May, 2012. And as soon as I signed that I-could-kiss-you-you're-so-lovely contract, my mind jumped from "How can I get published?" to "How can I get read?"

Last Monday, I wrote a post about my marketing philosophy, titled How May I Serve You?

Philosophy is good. Philosophy is fun. But today, let's get practical.

I'd like to share ten things I've done or will do to market my upcoming book.

As you read through the list, I hope you feel encouraged. None of these things are difficult. Many are practical. Most are free. And I'm willing to bet you're doing some already.

I've defined my target audience.
Nobody can write for everyone and the minute we try is the minute we write for no one. Defining our target audience is a prerequisite if we're going to market effectively.

I blog.
Ever since I signed my contract, I've put more thought and time into blogging. Consistency and content is key. I've tried to consistently post three times a week about topics that will appeal to my target audience.

I created a Facebook page.
I have to be honest here. I'm not utilizing my page as well I could. But I'm hoping, as my book gets closer to release and then hits the shelves, that my page will be an easy place to connect with readers.

I tweet. (Oh, how I love Twitter.)
If you don't have a Twitter account yet, get thee to Twitter right now. It's a great way to meet new people and as Thomas Umstaddt pointed out in a recent webinar, it's a great place to listen. Listening is key. If you sign up for Twitter, make sure to download Tweetdeck.

I joined a writing community.
Because I write contemporary romance for the Christian market, the best organization for me to join was ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). I can't tell you how many amazing, supportive, encouraging people I've met within this community, many of whom will help promote my book when it releases.

I'm in the process of creating a website.
If a reader finishes my book and Googles my name, I want her to be able to find me easily. A website is like a cyber office. It gives readers an easy way to find information about us and our books. I also hired a professional photographer to take some high-quality photos that I can use on my website.

I'm establishing (I hope) positive relationships.
With readers, yes. But also with the people at my publishing house. I listened to a workshop given by Colleen Coble and she believes one of the smartest things a writer can do to gain a readership is establish positive relationships with their publisher. Sounds weird, maybe, but it makes sense. I want to be a blessing to the people at my publishing house.

I've done interviews.
I recently completed a telephone interview with my publishing house. They recorded it and will use it for promotional purposes. More information on this fun adventure is coming soon!

I completed a questionnaire for marketing.
Not a quick one either, but nine pages of questions. I answered as thoroughly as possible in order to best help the marketing department market my book.

I will take advantage of local connections.
I have a friend who writes for the newspaper and a family member who works for a local news station. As my release gets closer, we're planning on doing an article in the paper and an interview on the news.

So there you go. Ten things I've done or will do in order to market my debut novel.

As my release date approaches, I'm sure I'll give other things a try. Some of which might help. Some of which might not. And that's okay. Marketing is a try-and-see adventure. One that can be as stressful or as fun as we make it.

Let's Talk: What are you doing right now to market your work? What marketing strategies have you seen authors do that have been effective?

I drafted this post a few weeks ago, and since then, Jody Hedlund published an amazing post that goes well with this one, titled 10 Ways to Prepare in Advance for Publication.

The clients of WordServe Literary Agency have launched a new blog, The WordServe Water Cooler, where we hope to build community and discuss all things writing and publishing. Please come say hi!

Friends or Enemies?

2011-07-29T05:00:00.006-05:00

There's this part in Vampire Diaries (stay with me here) where this slightly evil character named Catherine professes her love for one of the good guys (seriously, stay with me) and he says, "The problem, Catherine, is that I hate you."

Then Catherine stabs him (of course) and says, "That sounds like the beginning of a love story, Stefan. Not the end of one."

How true is this quote?

People say the opposite of love is not hate. People say the opposite of love is apathy. Because hate....hate is such a strong emotion. Hate means you care. And love means you care. So hate and love? It really is a fine line.

I've noticed there are two types of romances.

The kind where the hero and heroine start off as friends.
Right away, they care about one another. They are on the same side. They're working together to reach a common goal. This is the friends-turn-into-romantic-couple story.

On this side, you have Joey and Dawson, or Joey and Pacey. (Who's having flashbacks?)

Then there's the other type.

The kind where the hero and heroine start off as enemies.
They don't like each other. They rub each other the wrong way. They have opposite goals. This is the enemies-turn-into-romantic-couple story.

On this side, you have Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.

I have to tell you, I'm a sucker for the second type. Only because it lends itself to so much conflict and conflict keeps me glued. I love the chemistry that emerges when a hero and heroine can't stand each other. I like watching as the author finds ways to bring the two "enemies" together.

Let's Talk: Which type of story do you prefer? Why? Which type describes your own personal love story?

Last Friday's post didn't show up in the blogger dashboard because I messed up when publishing it. So if you didn't get a chance to read it, it's all about romantic gestures. People shared some really romantic ones in the comment section!

When Words Aren't Enough

2011-07-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a writer. I should have words. But sometimes, when it comes to my Savior, I just don't.

Enjoy the song and a have a blessed Wednesday.

Let's Talk: Do you ever struggle with words? What is one of your favorite worship songs?

How May I Serve You?

2011-07-25T05:00:00.024-05:00

I participated in my first-ever webinar last week, given by social media guru Thomas Umstaddt. I don't know about you, but when I think social media, the two names that come to mind are Mr. Umstaddt and Kristen Lamb. And although he said some things that oppose what Kristen Lamb might advise, the core of their philosophy remains the same.

Serve the reader. Whether that be book readers, blog readers, or people who read our Facebook or Twitter updates.

In a post titled Making Marketing More About Them and Less About Us, Jody Hedlund says, "The needs of the reader should be at the heart of our marketing and publicity efforts."

I love this message.

It's a message that is near and dear to my heart. Because to be quite honest, focusing on myself is exhausting. The more I focus on myself, the more self-conscious and insecure I feel. I start to second-guess everything I tweet. Everything I post. I start to worry, "What if nobody likes me? What if nobody even notices me!?"

The whole thing becomes very draining. Very....unfun.

The only cure I've found is the one Jody Hedlund, Kristen Lamb, and Thomas Umstaddt offer.

Take our eyes off ourselves and focus outward.

Which is no natural thing.

We are self-centered creatures. Or let me back that train up. I am a self-centered creature. It's so, so, so easy for me to get wrapped up in my little world. But then I read a blog post like Jody's or listen to a webinar from Thomas or read a book by Kristen and I receive a much needed slap in the face.

Switch gears, Katie.

Marketing is about being a blessing. Marketing is about serving. Marketing is not about me.

And as soon as I start looking outward again, it's like a sharp pin pops my growing tension and this whole thing turns fun again. Energizing, even.

My newest endeavor, as I wade these waters of debut authorship, is creating an author website. And as I start to think about what I want my website to look like and what types of pages I want it to have and what information I want to provide and what colors I want to use, I'm taking this advice to heart.

How can I create a website that is less about me and more about my reader?

It's an important question for any of us, no matter what we're doing. It's a question I haven't figured out yet. But will continue to ponder as I work with my web designer.

Let's Talk: What features do you enjoy in an author website? In what ways can an author make their website more about the reader and less about themselves? Please share!

The Romantic Gesture

2011-07-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

One of your coworkers gets a bouquet of flowers delivered to her desk.

Your best friend gets engaged at the tippity-top of a Ferris Wheel.

A young man asks your husband permission to date your daughter.

You come home to a clean house and dinner waiting on the table.

You find a love letter between the pages of a library book.

You watch a movie where a man serenades the woman he loves.

Your grandparents slow dance at your cousin's wedding.

Everybody has their own idea of what's romantic and what's not. Our hearts respond to different things.

Let's Talk: What makes a gesture romantic? What romantic gestures do you love? What's the most romantic thing you've either experienced or witnessed?

Questions, Questions, Questions

2011-07-20T05:00:00.010-05:00

Before we get to my onslaught of questions, let's start with a little publishing verbiage.

There are two major markets in the world of publishing. The CBA and the ABA. CBA stands for Christian Book Association and is the Christian market. ABA stands for the American Book Association and is the secular market. Almost every major ABA publishing house has a CBA division.

For example. I get my paycheck from Random House. My contract went through Random House. Waterbrook Multnomah is the Christian division of Random House. And since I write for the CBA, I work with the people at Waterbrook Multnomah.

The debate over what makes a book Christian is a hot topic these days. But that's not what I'm interested in right now. For the sake of establishing a common ground, when I refer to "Christian fiction" I am simply referring to any book published by the CBA.

Today, I have lots of questions. Today, I'd love for you to join in the discussion. Even if you're a lurker who doesn't normally comment.

Do you read Christian fiction? If so, why? If not, why not?

What's your favorite genre within the CBA? Why?

What expectations do you have when you pick up a book published by the CBA?

What do you wish Christian books had more of? What do you wish Christian books had less of?

Every time I browse Amazon and find a CBA book that went free on Kindle, I notice this pattern. They get an onslaught of bad reviews from readers who wouldn't typically buy a CBA book, but did because it was free. And often, these readers point to their dissatisfaction with the Christian themes.

Do you think it's Christianity in general that bothers these readers, or the way the Christian themes are handled?

Pick a question. Any question. Or perhaps, pick all of them!

I can't wait to read what you have to say.

Two Tips to Make Life Easier

2011-07-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

I've discovered that editing a contracted book is trickier than editing one that's not yet contracted.

Notice, I didn't say harder. Just trickier.

Allow me to explain.

Here's how the writing process typically works:
- The writer engages in some level of brainstorming
- The writer writes the rough draft
- The writer engages in some level of revising

Usually, these happen successively, which results in a very intimate knowledge of the story. The further we move along in the process, the more deeply we know our characters and our plot. Until we reach this point where the manuscript is complete and ready to shop.

So what do we do?

We send it off. We say goodbye. And we start all over again.

Which is why editing a contracted book gets tricky.

I finished Beneath a Velvet Sky in the summer of 2009. It was my third novel. The one that caught the attention of my agent, Rachelle Gardner. Since then, I have finished two more novels and written the rough draft of a third.

Not only has a lot of time passed since I knew Beneath a Velvet Sky intimately, but three other story lines, three other casts of characters, have come and gone in my life.

Have you ever had a friend, who at one point, you knew incredibly well? But then you lost touch and time passed and you made new friends? And then you run into this old buddy at the grocery store or the gas station, only to discover you don't really know each other anymore?

That's what editing a contracted novel feels like. Especially for a debut novelist.

That's one of the reasons I believe the editing process for a contracted novel is so intense.

My editor asked me some deep questions about my hero and heroine. Questions to which I no longer knew the answers. So not only did I need to dedicate a chunk of time toward implementing the requested changes, I had to spend a considerable amount of time reacquainting myself with the story. I had to regain the intimacy that was lost.

So what? What's my point in all of this?

I have two, actually.

See that picture up top? Save your work.
Character sheets. Back story information. Outlines. Deleted scenes. Information about the setting. Research on the characters' jobs. Save all of it. Put it all into a file and do not delete.

If you don't create these items beforehand, write them after.
As in, after you finish the novel but before you say goodbye. I know it sounds weird, but consider writing a simple summary of the setting and each main character. Make sure to include important back story information, personality, quirks, fears, and the way the character arcs through the novel.

Seriously. You won't regret it.

Let's Talk: What lessons have you learned as you venture forward in this writing journey? Any simple tips you can share that might make all of our lives easier?

Good Parenting Ain't Easy

2011-07-15T04:00:00.004-05:00

Parenting isn't hard. Good parenting is hard.

Seriously, it is hard work to be a good parent. It's much easier to let the kid rip apart the bookshelf while I go about my writing. It's much easier to clean up the mess he made because it's faster that way. It's much easier to give him what he wants to stop that horrible, awful, ear-splitting whine.

How can such a horrendous noise come out of the same kid who has the most endearing, contagious belly-laugh?

I have no idea.

I just know that lately, I've felt like a not-so-great mom. My son, love him to death, is a tester. And he's been testing every single boundary I lay down while I grow more and more short-tempered and impatient.

I don't want to be this way.

I'd prefer to feel much less like this:

And much more like this:

Hubs recently read this great article in Reader's Digest about how whether we mean to or not, we all create a culture in our home.

Yikes!

Ryan and I asked ourselves: What kind of culture are we creating?

We didn't like our answer. We were unintentionally creating an impatient, way-too-many-chances culture that was teaching our son he didn't have to listen the first time and he had the power to drive Mommy and Daddy whackadoo (in the wise words of Becky Houk).

We needed to fix this, and fix it fast. Hence, the plan. I like me a good plan.

Here are some tips on intentional parenting from a woman who's struggling to be intentional:

Step away from the child.
I had to remove myself from the moment and the frustration and ask myself how I was contributing to the problem. The answer wasn't pretty. I soon discovered I was the problem.

Look to the future.
What do you want your children to be like when they are older? Ryan and I want our son to be respectful, responsible, obedient, and independent. We also wrote down a whole bunch of other traits, but got to feeling overwhelmed. Which leads me to my third point...

Less is more.
Eat the elephant one bite at a time, as they say. If Ryan and I tried to focus on every single quality we want to foster in our little guy, we'd become overwhelmed and give up altogether. So from our list, we circled four that were very important to us.

Come up with action points.
We knew what we wanted to encourage in our child. The next step was asking how we were going to do it. What rules and practices were we going to lay down in our house to help our son understand and develop these traits? We came up with four or five simple action points that we are going to focus on over the next couple months.

All of this calmed me down and helped me focus.

It also gave me some perspective. I'm not a hopeless parent and my son isn't an evil spawn. He's a pretty wonderful kid. Quick to smile and laugh. He's just a typical toddler. And I'm a typical mommy who has her typical frustrating days.

Let's Talk: What parenting books do you recommend? Ryan and I would like to read one together - preferably geared toward raising young children. How do you deal with your kids when they are being naughty and you are feeling increasingly frustrated?

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

2011-07-13T04:00:00.058-05:00

You've probably already figured this one out, but I'm a writer. I write faith-based contemporary romance, which means my novels have one thing in common: a guy and a girl fall in love (after lots of tension-filled roadblocks) as they discover or grow closer to God.

I tried to write women's fiction for a while, but the stories always came back to romance, which shouldn't have surprised me, since I'm obsessed with romantic books and movies (yes, I like Twilight). This obsession used to disturb me, until I did some reflecting and figured out why it exists.

I think there is something inside most women.

This deep-seeded longing to be loved and cherished.

Not half-heartedly, but passionately. For somebody to pursue us. To really fight for us. To call us beloved and beautiful. I think that's why there will always be a market for romance.

We want that guy who's going to chase after us, no matter the cost. That guy who desires us more than anything else. We want our knight in shining armor to ride up on his white horse and rescue us from a confusing world. From our own brokenness.

But you know what?

That guy already exists. And for you married gals out there, it's not your husband.

It's our bridegroom. It's Jesus.

No matter who you are. No matter what you've done. No matter what you look like. He desires you more than you could ever imagine. More than any man ever could. He's jealous for you. He fights for you. He's intensely passionate about you. He calls you beloved.

And that, my friend, is the greatest love story of all time.

Here is another song I am obsessed with. It paints a beautiful, beautiful picture of when we walk down the aisle toward our groom - Jesus. The words come toward the end of the song. Don't miss them. They give me goosebumps every time.

That is why I write romance. To bring to light, however subtly, the desire we feel for love, and the one true answer to that desire. Making reader's hearts flutter with giddiness is just a fun little side effect.

Let's Talk: Why do you think romance is so popular?

I stole this from my About page. In case any of you are thinking it sounds a bit familiar.

Handling Content Edits

2011-07-11T04:00:00.257-05:00

Over the past few weeks, I've been working with my in-house editor on revisions for my debut novel.

You may be wondering what it's been like.

Allow me to tell you a quick story.

After I gave birth to my son, my family came to meet our baby and asked Ryan, "How was it?"

He turned to them, looking more than a little shell-shocked, and said, "Intense."

That's exactly how I'd describe this. Intense.

As I've worked through the issues in my book, I feel like I've lived more inside my story than I have outside of it. I'll come up for air and see my husband standing there and think, "Oh, right. You're here."

Before I signed my contract, I always loved when authors would share their experience with in-house edits, like Jody Hedlund does here. I enjoyed getting a sneak peak inside her life. To dream and anticipate when that day would come for me. So now that it is my turn (crazy, crazy), I thought I'd return the favor.

Other than intense, what exactly has my in-house editing experience looked like?

Keep in mind, every publishing house is different. And I'm sure, even within the same publishing house, authors have differing experiences. I can only share mine.

First, my editor and an outside reader read my book. Before she combined the feedback into an editorial letter, or revision memo, we discussed the major areas of concern via telephone.

It was a very casual conversation. Basically, she wanted to ask me some questions and run some ideas by me. I absolutely loved being included in the process.

After our conversation, I had some time to think about her suggestions. There was only one that I felt uncertain about, so I called my agent and she helped me process my thoughts and offered her own. One of the many, many reasons a good agent is invaluable.

A few days later, I received the revision memo.

I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't start pounding just a wee bit faster. It turned out to be nine pages, single-spaced. A very typical length, I think. My editor started with encouragement, a lovely way to start, assuring me that she loved and believed in my story.

Then she moved on to the tough stuff. Things that needed improved.

One of the things I had going for me was a tightly written plot, which meant the overall structure of the book was solid. I attribute that to my psychotic habit of outlining.

There were, however, two big issues that needed attention:
-My main character's arc
-The romance between my hero and heroine

I think most of you know this, but in case not, I write romance. It's a huge part of my books. So to find out that the romance between my hero and heroine wasn't working....

Let's just say it wasn't the easiest thing to swallow.

My natural inclination was to respond, "But, but....look at all this juicy tension I created. I can't mess with that. What would Donald Maass say?"

After taking a deep breath and reading through the rest of the memo, I soon realized that:

1. She was right. Tension is good. But if that's all there is, it makes for a shallow romance.

2. It wasn't a lost cause.

She offered several solutions that would fix the problem without diffusing the tension, which made me excited. I could already see how much better my novel would be if I could rise to the occasion and fix what needed fixing.

So, there I was. Revision memo in my possession. All kinds of questions zipping through my head.

Which leads to our second phone call. My editor called me again and we talked for over an hour. She answered my questions, helped me brainstorm, and clarified the confusing spots.

But, that's not all.

This is where I believe I'm incredibly lucky. This is where I sort of get this feeling of awe for my editor. She doesn't just stop with a revision memo. She sent me my entire manuscript, with in-text notes.

I cannot tell you how incredibly valuable this has been for me as I work through my revisions. I've told my husband several times, "I don't know what I'd do without these notes!" They've acted as a road map. Not to mention, many of the comments are downright funny.

Now here I am, two weeks later, finished (I think) with the major revisions.

So how did I do it?

Here are three tips for surviving a content edit:

Solicit the help of your family.
I asked my husband, my dad, my mom, and my aunt for help. The thing I've learned about revisions such as these, is it's hard to jump in and out of the story. I needed to dive into the story and have large chunks of time to stay in the story. So my dad watched Brogan for an entire day, my aunt and grandma took him several evenings, and my husband took a father-son weekend trip to see his cousins in Wisconsin.

Tackle one issue at a time.
I focused first on their relationship. I went through with the deliberate intention of giving them points of connection. Once I got that out of the way, I switched my focus to my main character and looked for ways to make her more likable, more consistent. I continued until I crossed all the major concerns off my list.

Leave the simple stuff for the end.
As I write this post (Saturday evening), I just finished the last of the big stuff. But I'm not done. I still have to read through the manuscript, do some fine-tuning, make some secondary characters less caricature-like, add some more details to the setting, and make sure my prose don't get too purple. But this stuff feels much less daunting than the big stuff. Which is why I saved it for last.

When I finish, I'll submit the story to my editor and wait anxiously to see if it needs additional revisions, or if I've turned in an acceptable manuscript. I'll make sure to update you as soon as I find out!

For more information on the editorial process, check out these informative posts by my agent, Rachelle Gardner: Do Publishers Edit Books Anymore (to which I can answer a resounding YES!) and The Editorial Letter.

Let's Talk: What, if anything, surprised you about the revision process? If you've gone through it, what was your experience like? Do you have any questions for me about my experience? If so, feel free to ask them in the comment section. I'll either respond directly, or perhaps turn your question into its own blog post.

A Love Affair with Chivalry

2011-07-08T04:00:00.005-05:00

Somebody told me once that chivalry is dying.

It made me sad.

So sad, in fact, that every year as a 5th grade teacher, I would introduce this word to my class and encourage it in the boys. Maybe that's not kosher, seeing as I taught in a public school. Maybe some people think it isn't any of my business to teach this concept to my students. But I couldn't help myself. I want young boys to know this word. I want young girls to know this word.

I want my son to know this word.

I want him to grow into a young man who opens doors for women. Who carries their bags, and pulls out their chairs, and gives up his seat, and offers his arm when the sidewalk gets slippery. I want him to grow into a young man who respects and protects his female counterparts.

Every Wednesday night, I get to hang out with junior high kids at my church. A few months ago, we went through a whole series on dating, and one of the messages went like this:

Girls, you are a princess of the King. Guard your purity.

Boys, you are a prince of the King. Protect the princesses.

I loved that message. I wanted to record it and save it for my son.

Protect the princesses.

Maybe that's not a popular message these days. But it sure is a beautiful one.

In real life and in fiction.

Let's Talk: Do you think chivalry is dying? Why? Do you find chivalry to be an attractive, admirable trait in men? If you have a son, do you try to teach him to be chivalrous? If so, how do you do it?

Heaven Weirds Me Out

2011-07-06T04:00:00.006-05:00

Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. But it does.

Anytime I can't wrap my mind around something, I have this reaction.

Take space. Space boggles my mind. The fact that you could get in a rocket ship with never-ending fuel and literally fly for-ever? You wouldn't run into some sort of wall? That's crazy. And that's just space. A place people have actually explored.

When it comes to boggling the mind, heaven is like space on steroids.

Last Friday, my good friend Wendy Miller asked a very Wendy-like question. I say Wendy-like, because if you know this woman, you know the waters run deep. And pretty much everything that comes out of her mouth is either encouraging or thought-provoking or hilarious.

So anyway. Her thought-provoking question on Friday was: Righteous anger or no anger?

Which led to: Will there be anger in heaven?

Which led to: No, there won't. Because God's righteous anger results from sin and there won't be sin in heaven.

Which led to my mind being boggled.

Here are just a few things about heaven that strain my brain:

Heaven is eternal. Everybody knows the song, Amazing Grace, right? In it, there's a verse that goes: When we've been there, ten thousand year. Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days, to sing God's praise, than when we first begun. Which is amazing, don't get me wrong. But also crazy.

What will we do in heaven? I know we'll worship God. But is this all we'll do?

There won't be mourning in heaven. But how is this possible when we realize certain people aren't there? Won't we realize where they are? And won't that make us mourn?

What will our relationships be like in heaven? There's a verse in one of the gospels where Jesus says we won't be married in heaven. We'll be like the angels. So what will my relationship with my husband be like when I get to heaven?

All of these things just point to the fact that my brain is so very human. So very small. So very finite. And so very incapable of wrapping around the awesomeness of God.

But I'm not alone.

The Bible says:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love them.

Take the craziest, most awesome thing you've ever imagined about heaven and guess what? You're not even close. Because nobody has ever or will ever be able to conceive what He has in store for His children. At least not on this side of eternity.

Let's Talk: What are your thoughts and questions and beliefs about heaven?

*Photo by mediatunes

A Quick Tip & Happy Fourth

2011-07-04T04:00:00.017-05:00

As I work through content edits for my debut novel (an experience I look forward to sharing next Monday), one of the things I'm working to improve has to do with holidays.

So today's quick tip: To ground your readers in the setting (time and place), make sure to give due props to whatever holidays occur throughout your story.

Happy Independence Day! I hope you enjoy some time in the sun.

If you don't live in the United States, happy Monday! I hope you have a wonderful, fresh start to a brand new week.

Let's Talk: Do you include holidays in your stories? Are you doing anything fun to celebrate the Fourth today?

*Photo by texanfan

Old Fashioned Romance: The Art of Being Pursued

2011-07-01T04:00:00.048-05:00

Call me old fashioned. Call me archaic. But when it comes to dating, I think the man should pursue the woman. I think, deep down, every woman wants to be pursued.

In high school, I was way too eager to date. Way too eager to be liked by boys. Anytime one showed interest, I'd quickly turn into that girl. The one who called too much, hoping the boy didn't have caller ID. The one who expended way too much emotion and energy trying to figure out if the guy liked me back.

Sigh.

I wish I could go back to that silly girl, put my hands on her shoulders, look into her eyes, and say, "Stop. Please."

Thankfully, in college, things changed. I met this really awesome girl. She taught me the art of being pursued. And I'm not talking about hard-to-get. I'm talking about old-fashioned romance. Where the man courts the girl. Where the man takes the initiative. Where the man has to work a little.

It was right around this time that a very cute guy dropped into my world. I decided to take a page out of my friend's book.

On our first date, we talked about silly things. Like if we believed in ghosts. Random, I know. When the date ended, I refused to ask if I'd see him again. I said goodbye. He said goodbye. I really liked him. But I had no idea if he really liked me.

Until he called the next day. To ask me on another date. Any insecurity I might have felt. Any confusion over whether he liked me or not. Disappeared. Because he was the one calling me. He was the one asking me out. I don't think I finally called him until our fifth or sixth date.

And guess what?

I've been married to my cute guy for a little over seven years.

Despite today's culture, where it's just as acceptable for a woman to ask for a guy's digits, I still stand by my old-fashioned claim. Let the man do the pursuing. In both fiction and real life. If for no other reason than it's incredibly romantic.

Let's Talk: What are your thoughts? Do you think the man should do the pursuing? When it comes to novels and movies, do you feel the same way? If you're married - what's your story? Who did the pursuing?

I'm over at Deana Barnhart's blog today doing an interview. I'd love for you to stop by if you get a chance!

Beautiful Things

2011-06-29T04:00:00.012-05:00

Dust.

We see it and wrinkle our nose. We see it and grab a rag. Sweep it away. Suck it into our vacuums. Make it disappear.

Because dust means dirt. Dust means allergies. Dust means neglect. And we want those things to go away.

The title of this post is the title of a song. Have you listened to it? It's called Beautiful Things, by Gungor.

The chorus goes like this:
You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of us.

I'm obsessed with it. The melody is beautiful. The words, even more so.

But mostly, I'm obsessed with it because I want this truth to saturate my stories. Each and every one. The breath-taking, awe-inspiring, mind-blowing truth that Christ can make beautiful things out of the dust.

He redeems the utterly broken. Breathes new life into the forgotten.

I recently got the content edits for my contracted novel, Beneath a Velvet Sky. In case you're not a writer, content edits are the first of many edits authors go through when they work with a publishing house. These are the big, comprehensive edits. One of the questions my editor asked had to do with my main character's career.

Bethany is an architect.

My editor wanted to know why. She wants my readers to know why, too.

Because I didn't choose this career for her randomly. I didn't throw a bunch of jobs in a hat and pluck out architect. I had a reason.

Bethany wants to design big and beautiful things. She wants to associate herself with grandeur. She wants to put her name on impressive creations. To be able to point to them and say, "See that over there? I made that."

Only she's stuck in renovations, and renovating old buildings isn't what she had in mind when she signed up to be an architect.

This isn't random either.

Because God wants to show Bethany something. He wants to show her how much renovation matters to Him. He wants to show her that He's in the business of renovation too.

He wants to show her that He can take the filthy, neglected, unbeautiful things of this world and make them beautiful. Make them new.

Like a situation.

Or a heart.

Or a life.

He renovates them every single day. Every single hour.

He wants to renovate hers.

He wants to renovate ours.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

Let's Talk: Have you witnessed God's renovation? In what ways has He renovated you?

*Picture by Mat and Ravi

Tension or Frustration?

2011-06-27T04:00:00.060-05:00

There was this book I read recently that made me all kinds of frustrated. My inner growl came out. I found myself skimming through the last third of the story, rolling my eyes, muttering things like, "Come on, already!"

Which got me thinking.

As writers, we talk a lot about the importance of tension. Heck, Donald Maass says we better have it on every single page. So the question begs to be asked.

What's the difference between tension and frustration?

Is there one?

When I think of frustrating books, two titles come to mind. Both are best-sellers.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

New Moon (the second book in the Twilight series)

These books frustrated me for the same reason. Which involved the disappearance of a beloved character for a much-too-big chunk of the story.

Yet they are incredibly popular novels and much-loved by readers. Including me. So is frustration a mute point? Should we go for it?

I don't know....

Frustration has to be one of the most annoying emotions. And I'm not sure annoyance is something we should ever aspire to do to our readers.

Tension. Good.

Frustration. Not so good.

The first brings readers to the edge of their seats. The second makes them want to light the book on fire.

So how do we embrace the first and avoid the second?

Avoid drawing things out for an eternity.

Yes, we want to prolong tension. But not to the point of frustration. Sometimes, best practice involves giving the reader what they want, then hooking them with something else.

Keep popular characters in the story.

Don't make a beloved character disappear for too long. Unless absolutely necessary. But even then, you risk the wrath of your reader.

Sprinkle in moments of gratification.

Sure, maybe you can't have your hero and heroine get together until the end, but that doesn't mean you can't throw in some chemistry-laden tender moments between the two. There needs to be a positive correlation between frustrating moments and gratifying ones. The more frustrating a novel may be, the more gratifying moments we better include.

Make the ending uber satisfying.

And I do mean uber. Like ultra uber. Especially, especially, especially if our stories lend themselves to frustration. The more frustrating a novel, the more satisfying the ending better be. Because even if we frustrate our readers, they will forgive us anything in the world if we satisfy the heck out of them at the end. Just like I forgave Stephanie Meyer the minute Bella hurled through the crowded square of Volterra and catapulted herself into Edward's stone-cold arms.

The book I brought up in the beginning? The ending wasn't as satisfying as it needed to be to soothe my frustrated nerves. So it left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite the good writing and character development.

When I think of a team of writers who have figured out this whole tension/frustration dichotomy, my mind automatically jumps to Vampire Diaries. They are experts in magnifying the tension without causing frustration. Which is why I love the show so very much. I even wrote a post about it: Tips from Television.

Let's Talk: What do you say about frustration? Is it okay to frustrate readers? Is there a book that frustrated the heck out of you, but you still love it to pieces?

*Photo by Ellie Goff

How Do You Like Your Heroes?

2011-06-24T04:00:00.011-05:00

Dark and brooding? Flirtatious and carefree? Athletic? Artistic? The best friend turned romantic interest? The mysterious stranger with ice cold skin?

When you’re reading or watching a romance, what kind of hero makes your heart flutter? What kind of hero makes you root for the not-yet couple to fall in love?

Since I write romance, this question intrigues me. And as I was thinking about it, four incredibly popular heroes popped into my head.

Noah Calhoun from The Notebook. Jack Dawson from Titanic. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. And Edward Cullen from Twilight.

These four heroes fall into two distinct categories.

On one side we have Noah and Jack. Working class. Down-to-earth. Flirtatious. Untethered and carefree. One loves poetry. The other is an artist.

On the other side, we have Edward and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Rich. Untouchable. Mysterious. Brooding (for Edward, let’s skip brooding and go straight to tortured). The opposite of carefree.

Millions of women have fallen in love with these four. Each one makes us root for the happily-ever-after.

Yet they are incredibly different.

It’s almost impossible to find a common ground.

Except for one thing.

It’s not so much who they are as how they love. And one thing is certain. These guys love their women.

They love them to the extent that all other women disappear. They love them to the extent that they would die for them. Suffer for eternity without them.

And that…..well that is just incredibly romantic.

Let’s Talk: Who is your favorite all-time hero in a romance (movie or book or even show)? Why is he your favorite? What quality does a hero need to have for you to fall in love with him?

Living Free

2011-06-22T04:00:00.103-05:00

In one of my novels, there's this character. This beautiful beautiful character. A woman so striking other women envy her. Other women want to be her.

But her insides tell a different story. Because inside, she is broken. Not just kind of broken either. She is utterly and completely broken. Bound by the world. A slave to her beauty. To her figure. To the way men respond to her.

It consumes her.

She is not free.

And sadly, so many of us are the same.

We live in a country where slavery is illegal, yet so many of us are slaves.

To food. To sex. To approval. To work. To money. To alcohol.

The list goes on.

But in the midst of bondage, there is a key.

It comes from 2 Corinthians. A couple verses that I absolutely love:

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Sometimes, the things that bind us feel impossible to escape. Sometimes, we find ourselves saying, "I can't get over this."

And we put so much emotion, so much emphasis, behind that word.

Can't.

The truth is, we can't. Not on our own. And Satan relishes in our weakness.

But maybe....

Maybe, Christ allows these thorns so we might turn to Him in a way we haven't before.

Maybe, He wants us to learn that when temptation curls its sinewy fingers around our souls, the only way to escape is to hit our knees and cry out to the one who CAN.

Maybe, He wants to use our great weaknesses to magnify His great strength.

I've learned that true and lasting freedom comes through letting Him, and Him alone, be our master. Not work or sex or food or whatever else this world shoves in our face.

My prayer today, is that chains would be broken. That people would find freedom. Life-changing, heart-dancing, joy-inducing freedom in the only one who can give it. Jesus Christ.

Let's Talk: Do you have that kind of freedom? Have you ever been a slave to something?

*Photo by Le Seigle Antoine

Three Dimensions of Character

2011-06-20T04:00:00.028-05:00

Your characters are flat. Two-dimensional. Cardboard cutouts.

How many times have we heard this about our work?

How many times have we thought this about somebody else's?

How many times have we secretly wondered, "What in the heck is a three-dimensional character, anyway?"

I mean, sure. We know in theory. And we know when we find one.

It's a character brought to life. A character that lives and breathes on the page.

But how do we do that?

I just finished reading this book called Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. And he does something I haven't seen in other craft books.

He actually defines each of the three dimensions that create a three-dimensional character.

The first dimension is anything we can see.

The character's looks, style choices, quirks, mannerisms, speech patterns, etc. Basically, this is how the character looks and how the character acts. It's surface stuff. Sometimes it hints at who the character truly is. And sometimes it's all just a smoke screen. Something to cover up what's lurking inside.

The second dimension is back story.

The character's past. Family of origin. Childhood memories. Where he grew up. How he grew up. Disappointments. Failures. Accomplishments. Fears. Inner demons and insecurities. Basically, anything that happened before the story that makes your character who he is today.

The second dimension should have a big impact on the first.

I mean, think about it. Isn't that how life goes?

Our quirks, our mannerisms, our style, the things we say? Aren't they all shaped by our experiences? Whether we're breaking away from our past or embracing it doesn't matter. Either way. It affects how we portray ourselves to the world.

The third dimension is the character's choices.

This is who the character truly is.

Brooks writes:

Only in the third dimension do we actually see through the first-dimension facade and the second-dimension excuses to truly understand a character.

To bring some clarity, I thought it might be fun to study an example.

Let's look at Ivy.

Ivy is a fashion model.

Her first dimension:

beautiful, rail-thin, tall, she wears brand-name clothing and brand-name makeup, her hair and nails are flawless, she's unabashedly flirtatious, she exudes sex-appeal, she knows how to play coy, she carries herself with confidence and an air of aloofness

Her second dimension:

She is the result of an affair. She was an accident. Her mother was her father's mistress. Her father has always been ashamed of her. Her mother, who loved her, died when she was 11 and Ivy went to go live with her father and his wife. He treated her like she was invisible. At 14, she moved to New York City with her uncle/agent, who only cared about her for her looks and the money she could make him. And she was introduced to an intoxicating world of parties and men. Inside, Ivy is insecure.

Notice how the second-dimension of character elicits the reader's empathy.

This is what the second-dimension is supposed to do. It sheds light on the 1st dimension.

BUT...

While these two dimensions add depth to Ivy, we still don't know who Ivy is.

Does she make choices that are good for her or bad for her? Does she make choices that are good for others or bad for others? Does she let her past, her emotional scars, define her? Or does she fight against them?

Hence, the importance of the third dimension in shaping actual character.

Brooks writes:

True character emerges, eventually, through a character's choices when something is at stake.....Who that person really is, at his core, is the stuff that resides at the heart of the third dimension of character.

This reminds me of a famous Dumbledore quote: It's our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

And these choices should arc throughout the story. As the stakes rise and as the character changes.

Let's Talk: What do you think about these three dimensions? Do you think they work together to create living, breathing characters? How do you ensure you're creating three-dimensional characters?

*Photo by morganfitzp

Celebrity Romance

2011-06-17T04:00:00.024-05:00

You watch a really great movie.

The two leads had amazing chemistry. I’m talking, amazing amazing chemistry.

The movie ends and you experience that giddy, falling-in-love, floating-on-air feeling.

You gush to your husband, who looks at you like you’ve sprouted a third nostril. So you gush to your girlfriends. They get it. They’re right there with you.

Later, you’re standing in line at the grocery store and lo and behold – there, on the cover of Star, are the two leads. And oh my goodness. He has his arm around her.

You grab the magazine. Frantically flip through the pages in an attempt to find the article. But it’s impossible, because those magazines don't put the table of contents where it's supposed to be (in the beginning). And the one time you actually want the person in front of you to have an item without a bar code, the line disappears. You have to put the magazine back in the rack.

Drat.

No worries. You go home and Google them and get swept into a frenzy of are-they-or-aren’t-they-dating speculation. Nobody’s quite sure. And it doesn’t really matter. Because just the possibility makes a million women squee.

The men don’t squee. The men don’t care.

My husband may watch Vampire Diaries with me, but he could care less if Elena and Damon are dating in real life or that they were holding hands in Paris.

Anyway, when you finally disengage from the computer screen, slightly dazed, you realize you’ve just wasted thirty minutes of your life that you will never, ever get back again. All because two well-known people were caught holding hands on camera.

What is that about?

Why the intrigue when it comes to celebrities? And why does this epidemic strike the female population, but overall, leave the male population alone?

I don’t know too many men who got up at 4:30 in the morning to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton. But I do know two 5th grade girls who did.

Let’s Talk: Do you ever get swept up into a celebrity romance? Which ones have you followed? Do you love them or hate them? Do you still follow them, even though they make you roll your eyes? Why do you think we are so intrigued?

When Things Go Wrong

2011-06-15T04:00:00.003-05:00

God calls you to do something. Through prayer. Through scripture. Through the words of other believers. Through the Holy Spirit inside you. You sense His calling. His direction. You know what He wants you to do.

So you make a plan. You write goals. You set forth with purpose and passion. You pray something like, "Lord, if this is your will, please open the doors. Work out the details. Make this thing go smoothly."

And you're off.

Excited. Expectant. Maybe a little nervous.

So what happens when you hit a snag?

Never mind the snag. What happens when you hit a giant roadblock?

I just finished this life-changing book called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. There's a whole chapter devoted to circumstances and how we often let them dictate our decisions.

We hit that snag or that roadblock and we too quickly conclude that something got lost in translation. Maybe God didn't want us to do this thing after all. Maybe He's shutting the door.

But wait a minute.

What about Moses?

God tells him to ask Pharaoh to let his people go. So Moses does. And what happens? Pharaoh refuses, gets angry, and makes things worse for the Israelites. What would have happened if Moses would have assumed he misunderstood God? What if Moses would have turned back? Given up?

He would have missed out on leading the Israelites to freedom. He would have missed out on experiencing God's deliverance in a huge, miraculous, mind-blowing way.

Here's the thing.

Sometimes, our current circumstances stink. And oftentimes, we're all too quick to turn and run. Claw our way out. By our own strength and our own will.

But maybe, God doesn't want us to.

Maybe, we're right where we're supposed to be.

Maybe, in the midst of the hardship and the confusion and the unmet expectations, God wants to show us something we wouldn't see otherwise.

Maybe, in those weak helpless places, God's strength is made perfect. And we see, along with a watching world, that He's still God. And He's still powerful.

Let's Talk: How much of an influence do your circumstances have over your choices? When something goes wrong or something gets tough, do you assume you're off course? Or do you sit still and seek God's guidance?

*Photo by Jacqueline ter Haar on Flickr

Reaching a Broader Audience

2011-06-13T04:00:00.005-05:00

Do you fix something that isn't technically broken? How about tweaking it to make it more effective?

Over the last week, I've read best-selling author Kristen Lamb's two books on social media. We Are Not Alone: A Writer's Guide to Social Media and Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer.

Her books have encouraged me, because there are things I'm doing right. Things I enjoy. Like connecting with others and building relationships. I like doing that stuff. I like that I get to spend time on Facebook and Twitter and call it work.

Her books have also challenged me, because there's always room for improvement.

One of the things I wrestle with is blog content.

I blog about writing. And a lot of times, I feel like I'm repeating what's already been said a hundred times before. In craft books. In workshops. In articles. On other blogs.

I'm writing to an audience of writers when I'm trying to reach an audience of readers.

Granted, some of you (hopefully), will read my book when it releases in May. But I'm also alienating a whole population of readers who could care less about writing.

Here's the thing.

Remember that post I wrote about creating a social media plan? The one where I encouraged everyone to ask important questions? Questions like why are we blogging, or Twittering, or Facebooking?

I had to take my own advice. I had to ask myself those same questions.

Why am I blogging?

My answer isn't: To help writers grow (as awesome as that is).

I started blogging and continue to blog because I want to build a relationship with readers.

The majority of my readers are going to be Christian women who love romance. They aren't going to care about Motivation Reaction units. And those who do can pick up a book by Dwight Swain.

So what am I doing?

I think I've gotten so comfortable blogging about writing that I haven't stopped to think why I'm doing it. And really, it's sort of been working. My blog has steadily grown in its readership and I've formed some really cool friendships because of it.

So if it's not broken, why mess with it?

It's a question I battled with all last week. And here's what I decided:

Even though it's working doesn't mean it's working as well as it could. I don't want to miss out on connecting with a wider audience because I'm afraid to try something new.

Which means.....

I'm going to try something new. Especially after reading Kristen's post on blog content.

After a few months, I'll assess. If it's a flop, I can always go back to what I've been doing. But if it works? I will kiss Kristen Lamb's feet and enjoy building a relationship with readers before my book hits the shelves.

So here it goes. My new content and schedule:

Writing related posts on Monday. Because writing is my passion and I want to continue serving the audience I already have (writers). Plus, I enjoy sharing my journey as a newly contracted novelist in a rapidly-changing industry.

Faith related posts on Wednesdays. Because the Christian faith plays a big role in each and every one of my novels and an even bigger role in each and every day of my life.

On Fridays? Romance. Family. Books. Life. I was thinking of limiting it to romance, since that's what I write, but then I thought. What if I want to write about books? Or parenthood? Maybe it would be best not to make this too limiting.

So there you go. My new schedule. If any of these topics interest you, I hope you'll join in the conversation!

Let's Talk: Why do you blog? Why do you read blogs? Do you read blogs that don't focus on writing? Do you wrestle with content? Do you think non-writing readers are looking to connect with authors via blogs?

I Write

2011-06-10T04:00:00.027-05:00

I spent much of my childhood laying in bed, scratching unfinished stories into notepads. I'd read them to my parents. They'd listen and smile.

People would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I'd hold my pencil to my chest and say, "A writer."

But then I got older. And I read a short story written by one of my high school classmates. It was good. Really really good. It was the first time I remember thinking, "I can't do that. I can't write like her."

People would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I'd hide my pencil behind my back and say, "I'm not sure."

I graduated and went to college. A place where being a published author was a cute kid's dream, but not realistic as an adult.

People would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I'd stare at the pencil on my desk and say, "Maybe a teacher."

Then I went to Africa and words piled high in my chest. A great flood of words. A story that needed telling. So I picked up the pencil and let them spill onto the page. And afterward, I felt good. I felt like that little girl laying in her bed. A little girl with stories to find.

People would ask, "What will you do when you graduate?"

I'd blink at the pencil in my hand and say, "Oh. Right. I'm going to teach."

But the stories wouldn't leave. I had to get them out. So I did. I wrote them. I wrote them and wrote them and wrote them. When I told people what I was doing, I'd occasionally run into a curious look.

That's....nice, their looks would say.

Those looks reminded me of that girl's short story in high school. The one I wasn't talented enough to write.

But the stories still came. Despite my fears. Despite my doubts. They came. And somewhere in the middle of all that writing, I stopped caring that I wasn't the best. That this might not be realistic or practical. The joy of putting words on paper drowned all that other stuff out.

So now, when people ask, "What do you do now that you're all grown up?"

I clutch my pencil to my chest and say, "I write."

Let's Talk: What stops you from chasing your dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Your Character's Family of Origin

2011-06-06T04:00:00.003-05:00

Before I let Jeannie Campbell, The Character Therapist, take the stage, I have to take a second to brag on her a bit. This woman knows her stuff! If you are struggling at all with character motivations or anything remotely psychological, she is the go-to girl. I'm so blessed to have her as a critique partner.

Some of you may be wondering, what is Character Therapy?

Character Therapy is what Jeannie does when she uses her professional training and experience as a licensed clinician to evaluate and diagnose fictional characters.

Guest post from The Character Therapist, Jeannie Campbell.

Unless you’re writing Young Adult novels, authors don’t always give a lot of thought to the intricacies of an adult hero or heroine’s family of origin. After all, if she’s already left home when the book starts, what’s the big deal about her Mom and Dad?

Below are five questions from the Family APGAR assessment (acronym explained below) that will measure important concepts about your character’s family of origin. I’ll explain why these concepts are important, even for adult MCs.

Question 1 (Adaptability): Were you satisfied with the help your family gave you when something was troubling you?

This gives you an idea of the resources that were shared or not shared when the character was growing up. It also shows how the family adapted to stressors, and whether they were responsive or not to each other.

Question 2 (Partnership): Were you satisfied with the way your family discussed items of common interest and shared problem solving with you?

This question measures the partnership aspect of a family. This includes communication through decisions and how mutual concerns were dispersed through the family. In some families, one individual holds power while another individual might do all of the nurturing. Alliances can be formed and some family members feel left out.

Question 3 (Growth): Did you find that your family accepted your wishes to take on new activities or make changes in your lifestyle?

Affirmative answers to this question would reveal that the family welcomed individual growth and maturation. A family that is resistant to change might show a lack of mutual support and guidance and stunt an individual family member’s growth.

Question 4 (Affection): Were you satisfied with the way your family expressed affection and responded to your feelings, such as anger, sorrow, and love?

Looking at how emotional experiences were shared in a character’s family of origin is a powerful indicator of how open that character will be to emotional sharing and intimacy later. This question measures a family’s ability to share love and affection through emotional interactions.

Question 5 (Resolve): Were you satisfied with the amount of time your family and you spent together?

This question looks at the commitment between family members to devote time to each other for physical and emotional nurturing. Usually this involves a decision to share money and space, as well as time and energy.

As writers, we should keep in mind that how a person interacted with his or her family of origin is most likely how we would expect them to interact in their own new families. Romantic interests who grew up differently from each other can make for lots of tension.

If your character answers the Partnership question by indicating her family wasn’t as communicative as she would have liked, then it only stands to reason that she will look for a partner with whom she can talk with about everything. She wouldn’t want to feel that she is left out of decisions as she was growing up.

The Resolve question could be telltale about a character’s need for quality time. If a hero’s family never let him do anything without tagging along, then he will look for a more laid-back romantic interest. If he never felt that his family was connected, as in they never ate together or played games together, then vice versa. He’ll look for someone with more of a tight-knit view of family time.

A character whose family didn’t allow for or adapt to Growth very well would yield a character who either does the exact same thing or is looking for the exact opposite. In truth, this is how parenting is passed through the generations. You either loved what your parents did and do the same, or you hated it and make this vow from adolescence that you will not put your child through the same thing.

Hopefully this post gave you some new considerations about a character’s family of origin to bring even more depth to your fiction.

You can find me at my new website, The Character Therapist and my blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and receive the Writer’s Guide to Character Motivation for free!

Also up for grabs to one lucky commenter of this post is the Writer’s Guide to Creating Rich Back Stories. Leave a comment and don’t forget to include your email address!

Jeannie Campbell is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. She is Head of Clinical Services for a large non-profit and enjoys working mainly with children and couples. She has a Masters of Divinity in Psychology and Counseling and bachelors degrees in both psychology and journalism. Two of Jeannie’s “therapeutic romance” manuscripts have garnered the high praise of being finalists in the Genesis Contest for unpublished writers, sponsored by the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), of which she is an active member. She writes a popular monthly column for Christian Fiction Online Magazine and has been featured in many other e-zines, newspapers, and blogs.

Let's Talk: For what reason would your character visit a therapist? What might they talk about on the couch? Would it be family of origin stuff?

A Social Media Plan

2011-06-03T04:00:00.005-05:00

I don't mind when you're working on your writing. But when you're Twittering or emailing, sometimes that bothers me.

These words came from my husband a couple months ago. A husband who is ridiculously supportive and excited about my writing career. A husband who would do the laundry, shop for groceries, and cook dinner all so I could have some extra time to write.

But when he came upstairs and I was busy getting my Tweet on, that bothered him.

You see, two months ago, writing to him, meant.....well, writing. Pounding out the words on my latest manuscript or marking up the pages in red pen.

Writing did not mean replying to people's status updates.

And if I'm being honest, spending the precious little time I did have on social media always left me feeling guilty.

Until I met Kristen Lamb. Well....I didn't actually meet her. I read her stuff. And she said, "If we are just goofing off and sending people farm animals, then yes, we are goofing off. But if we are blogging and spending time on Twitter and FB networking with other writers, published authors and people in the publishing industry, that is called marketing."

Marketing.

But wait a minute. Marketing intimidates me. I don't know how to market. But chatting on Twitter and connecting with others on Facebook? That's fun. I like doing that stuff. So is it really marketing?

Kristen would say yes. As long as we're being intentional about it.

So here's my question for you: How intentional are you when it comes to social media? Do you have a plan? Or are you just winging it?

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for winging the less important things in life. But let's not wing social media.

Because love it or hate it, social media is an integral part of being a successful author. It's the way we connect with others, establish our brand, and learn more about the industry. Used intelligently, social media can be a huge ally.

This is what I explained to my husband. This is what I explained to my guilty conscience.

Once I got that out of the way, I made a plan. Maybe you would like to make one too. In that case....

First things first. Repeat after me.
"This is part of being an author.....this is part of being an author....this is part of being an author...." Repeat until you start to believe it.

Second, carve out time.
We carve out time to write, right? Why not do the same for social media? It doesn't have to be a huge time block, or even a medium-sized time block. But we should make purposeful time for it. We should make it a habit. And maybe, by giving social media its own slot, we will be less inclined to let it bleed into our writing time.

Third, write goals.
Twitter goals, blogging goals, FB goals, and any other type of social media goals. What do you hope to accomplish through each of these? How will you measure success? There's not a right or a wrong answer to these, but how you answer them should affect how you use social media.

Fourth, strategize.
What steps can you take each day to accomplish these goals?

Fifth, observe, copy, but be yourself.
Look at authors who use social media effectively. See what they do that works and copy them. Only make sure you're being you. Copy their methods, not their personality.

Sixth, read Kristen Lamb's book
Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer. Truly, if you want to laugh out loud while learning how to take full advantage of social media and create a killer plan for yourself, then there is no substitute for reading Kristen's book. I finished it in two days and I can't even tell you how much I learned.

Let's Talk: How intentional are you when it comes to social media? Any tips you want to share? Do your loved ones have a hard time understanding why you need to spend time Tweeting?

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T04:00:00.017-05:00

A giant thank you to all the men and women who risk their life to protect our freedom. I'll be celebrating this fine day in the sun with my family. I hope you do the same!

*Photo Credit: Cayusa flickr

Increasing Your Productivity

2011-05-27T04:00:00.008-05:00

My students surprised me on Thursday. They made me a really touching power point and they all brought flowers (hence the picture). I about cried. It was the sweetest thing. Especially since they organized it on their own.

Anyway, I'm leaving.

I'm setting out on a new adventure.

Today is my last day in the classroom.

Maybe temporarily. Maybe permanently. Who knows. The fact is, when August rolls around and my coworkers and friends are getting back into the classroom, putting up bulletin boards and figuring out class lists, I won't be joining them.

It's bittersweet.

I'll miss the students. I will really miss the students. Especially this year's class. A class of writers and goofballs. Kids with quick smiles and contagious laughs. They wound their way into my heart in such a deep way.

But I won't miss all the other stuff that comes with teaching.

And I absolutely won't miss being away from home nine hours out of the day. I will love, love, love having more time being a wife, a mother, and a writer. I will love having more time, period.

However, the other day, my dad and I were having a conversation that made me pause. Reflect. We were talking about retirees and how they often feel like they have less time than they did when they worked. They experience a sort of where-has-this-day-gone phenomenon.

I've been thinking about that phenomenon. Stewing over it a bit. Trying to figure out how this could be. How could having more time make a person feel like they have less? Here's what I came up with:

Sometimes, having more time makes us less disciplined. And being less disciplined affects the way we use our time.

Sometimes, having more time makes us take that time for granted. And taking our hours for granted affects how productively we use them.

This makes sense. I mean, as a full-time working mama who also writes, I had to squeeze the most out of every minute. I had to be diligent. Incredibly disciplined. Now, there will be that temptation. That temptation to sit back and say, "I've got all the time in the world. Why not relax?"

I don't know about you, but I want to fight that temptation. I want to make sure I don't find myself at home, getting less done than I did when I worked as a full-time teacher.

So I've come up with a game plan. Four things I plan to do to make the most of my time:

Protect the time I've always had.
Just because I don't have to be somewhere, doesn't mean I should get up later. My writing time has always been in the morning, before my son wakes up. I'm not going to change that now. My alarm clock will beep at the same time it always has.

Make and stick to a schedule.
I'm a fan of schedules. It's the teacher in me. It's the mother in me. It's the control-freak in me. Whatever it is, I like them. Schedules offer a sense of security and bring order to the day. They ensure that there is a time to play, a time to nap. A time to clean, a time to cook. A time to read, a time to write. Anybody feel like they're reading Ecclesiastes?

Write short and long term goals.
I'm also a fan of goal-setting. They give me purpose and focus. The biggest thing I've learned, when it comes to goals, is to physically write them down. Not just think them. But write them. So I'm going to buy a notebook and record all my goals in one place.

Assess and adjust.
Just like a good little teacher checks in with her students and adjusts her instruction as needed, I need to check in with myself and adjust my routine and habits as needed. How am I doing as a wife? As a mother? As a writer? Where am I dropping the ball? How can I improve?

I'm going to cling tightly to these four tips and hopefully, I won't find myself saying, "Man, I should have all this extra time. So why does it feel like I have less?"

Let's Talk: Do you find that the more time you have, the more lax you get about getting things done? Any tips for me or others who are making similar transitions?

Are You Growing?

2011-05-23T04:00:00.005-05:00

One of my prayers when it comes to writing - a prayer that has not changed - is for growth. That I will never grow stagnant or complacent. That each book will be an improvement. That I will continue to learn about the craft of writing.

As I move along on this journey, I've thought a lot about this concept. Growth. And I came up with three tips to help me along, to stay on track. I thought I might share them here:

Look for an upward trend.
We need to "see the forest through the trees". I have to do this all the time when I assess my students. Sure. They may waver a few points up or down. But is their overall pattern moving up? Sometimes, growth comes in spurts. Like the summer I spent devouring craft books. Having not read any prior, I grew like a fertilized weed. But other times, we might come across a plateau. We need to see past those moments and look at the overall picture. Reflect. Think about this time last year. Are you growing as a writer? If not, what can you do about it?

For maximum growth, be intentional.
I wrote my first novel six years ago. A year or so later, I wrote my second novel. Naturally, my second novel was better than my first. I'd grown. But it wasn't until I spent a summer reading every craft book known to man, paying for professional critiques, and reading industry blogs that my growth skyrocketed. It's no coincidence that my third novel, the one I wrote that summer, is the one that got me an agent and a contract.

Sure, growth might happen naturally. Without thinking. Simply by writing and reading books. But the best kind of growth happens when we are intentional. When we set growth goals. When we reflect on where we were last week, last month, last year, in the beginning. When we reflect on where we want to be next week, next month, next year, in the end.

How we grow changes as we grow.
At first, with every craft book I read my brain whirred with new information. I experienced phenomenal growth. But somewhere along the line, those books stopped having the same effect. It's not that I never read them anymore or that I don't learn something when I do. It just means they don't produce the same amount of growth they once did. If I want to maintain my upward trend, I have to look elsewhere.

Right now, I'm taking an online class with Margie Lawson, learning stuff I've never even heard of before. I'm also reading We are Not Alone: A Writers Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb, and although the book isn't about the craft of writing, it's helping me grow as an effective author. My brain is whirring all over again - both from the class and the book. I'm sure more brain-whirring will commence when I get content edits from my in-house editor.

The point is, if we find ourselves standing on a plateau, maybe our old ways of growing aren't as effective anymore. Maybe we need to try something new.

So what are some ways writers can grow?
- craft books
- reading informative blogs
- taking online classes
- attending a writer's conference
- attending writer's workshops
- paying for a professional critique or edit
- entering contests
- joining a critique group
- reading and studying high-quality fiction
- putting what we learn into practice as we write more books

Let's Talk: Do you reflect on your growth? Are you intentional about it? Are you seeing an upward trend? What's helped you grow the most? If it's a craft book, which one? What next steps do you have to take to stretch yourself further?

My Revision Process

2011-05-20T04:00:00.001-05:00

I have an editing system. A procedure I go through whenever I finish a rough draft. As a teacher, I'm a big fan of procedures. They make me feel cradled, secure. And since I recently typed The End on another novel, I'll be following the procedure once again.

Here's what it looks like, in case you don't have one and would like to borrow mine:

Katie's 6-Step Editing System

Step 1: Let it cool.
I fly through the rough draft as fast as my fingers allow. Which turns my brain into an overheated engine. I need a week or two to de-steam before I start up again.

Step 2: Big Edits (otherwise known as the content or macro edit)
I print off a hard copy and get out a red pen. The hard copy slays the temptation to line edit and the red pen is easy to see. While reading, I take notes on big story things in the margins. Like pacing, redundancies, inconsistencies, plot holes, GMCs, tension, character arcs, scenes I need to add, scenes I need to delete, and the spiritual thread.

Step 3: Deep Edits
I'm currently taking an online class with Margie Lawson called Deep Editing, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to take their writing to the next level. During this step, I print out a second hard copy and use Margie's highlighting system to see how my story balances description, setting, dialogue, internalization, visceral response, action, and tension. I look for alarming patterns and change what needs changing.

Step 4: Line Edits
Call me crazy, but this step is my favorite. Maybe because, by the time I finally get here, I feel like the hard work is behind me. Now I get to play. Now I get to tinker. Whatever the reason, I love line edits. I love searching for just the right phrase. I love nixing the pet words and the unnecessary words. I love exchanging the cliches for something fresh. I love infusing tension on every page. And I love replacing passive verbs with active ones. This is where I cull through every sentence and make sure it counts.

Step 5: Read Aloud
I usually give myself another break before diving into step five - usually another week or so. After the distance, I come back and read the whole thing out loud from my computer screen. I get a feel for the cadence. The voice. The rhythm. If something sounds awkward or rambling or rushed, I make changes. I also look for grammatical errors.

Step 6: Critique Partners
I send the manuscript off to my critique partners. In a week or so, I get back more content and line edits. I make changes. Then send it off to my agent and pray my procedure paid off.

It's quite a process. And it takes a while. Probably as long as it takes me to write the rough draft. But it's definitely worth it.

There's a crazy difference between my rough draft and the draft I send to my agent. In fact, I've given my husband specific directions, that if ever I should die, he is to promptly delete any rough drafts on my computer. If any eyes other than mine saw one, I'd be horrified.

Let's Talk: What's your editing/revising process like? If you've worked with a professional editor (whether in-house or freelance), has that changed the way you edit? Do you like editing/revising?

One Rule to Rule Them All

2011-05-16T04:00:00.122-05:00

There are lots of rules when it comes to writing.

No head hopping. Avoid passive sentence structure. No cliches. Show, don't tell. Write using scene and sequel. Make sure your scenes have GMCs. Write tight. Be specific. Don't use a prologue. Or if you do, make sure it's done in the correct way.

Et Cetera.

Et Cetera.

Et Cetera.

Yet, we pick up books - published books - and we see the rules broken. And we scratch our heads because we don't break the rules.

Do you know in The Help, a best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett, there is a scene completely told in objective point of view? The story's told from three different perspectives, all in first-person point of view. Each of the three voices fleshed out in a way that spins my head, it's that good. And then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there's this one scene.

This one scene that reads like a newspaper article. A detached telling of the events. As if the reader were hovering above the party observing the goings-on of each character. Unattached.

Kathryn Stockett broke a rule.

And it completely, one hundred percent works.

I remember laying in bed, reading that scene, crazy impressed because of how well it works. And I remember thinking....

Kathryn Stockett gets it. She understands that amongst the lot of rules hemming us writers in, there is only one that should never ever be broken. There is only one we should vow to live by. And it's this.

Do what works.

Three simple words.

Do what works.

It's a rule that overrides all the others. It's a rule that lets us break all the others. It's a rule that helps us understand all the others.

Because, usually, following the rules is what works best.

But not always.

So the next time you're stuck, wondering if you should prologue or not. Wondering if you should tell or not. Wondering if you should throw in a random point of view or not. Ask yourself this one question:

Does it work?

And if the answer is yes, go for it.

Let's Talk: How much of a rule-follower are you when it comes to writing? When it comes to life? Is there one rule you live by?

Tips from Television

2011-05-09T04:00:00.013-05:00

I'm sort of amazed by the writers of Vampire Diaries.

I know. I know. Some of you are rolling your eyes. You're not into vampires. You think it's too much like Twilight (even though, technically, Vampire Diaries came first). It's just another one of those soap-opera-like CW shows.

But seriously guys. It. is. awesome.

Every week, the episode blows me away. Something crazy happens that I did not see coming. I think to myself, they can't possibly top this. This should have been the finale. Yet somehow, the writers stick their heads together and outdo themselves yet again.

And the whole time, I'm studying. Trying to figure out their secrets.

Because these writers are experts in rewarding their audience, something Vince Mooney talked about over on Seekerville in a post titled, How Making Your Reading Experience More Rewarding Can Spell Greater Success.

Here are three way this show rewards the audience and three ways we can do the same:

Give them what they want way sooner than they expect.
How many times have you read a book or watched a show and you're dying to get this one answer, but you know you're going to have to wait until the end to get it? It happens all the time. Because in the writing world, we talk a lot about prolonging tension. But what if, instead, you just give the reader what they want? What if, sometimes, it's better not to drag something out? Do you know how satisfying that can be?

Answer the question then hook them with another.
Some of you may be thinking, "Yeah, but if I give them what they want, then I'm going to diffuse the tension and there will be no reason to keep reading." That's very true. If you don't have another hook waiting in your pocket. This show is the master in tension, release, tension, release, tension, release. Which means the audience is delighted, hooked, delighted, hooked, delighted, hooked. I don't know about you, but that seems like a much better model than drawing out the tension to the point of frustration, even if the ending is really satisfying. Why not satisfy your audience multiple times? Hook them multiple times?

Embrace the shock-factor
I don't know how many times I've watched this show and thought, No way did that just happen! The writers throw in a giant, unexpected twist. They wrap something up so much sooner than expected. They kill somebody off that I thought for sure was safe. All which brings me to the edge of my seat, wanting more. Seriously, there is never a dull moment.

These three tips all share a common thread, and it's this:

Don't hold back.
Vampire Diaries brings it every time. It's like watching season finale after season finale. They don't wait to drop the big stuff until the end. They drop the bomb and find a way to come up with a bigger one.

I guarantee if we find a way to master this skill, we'll write books readers can't put down.

Let's Talk: What writing tips have you learned from television?

P.S. These tips are all things I've learned from the show. I've never read the books.

Push!

2011-05-06T04:00:00.006-05:00

About two and a half years ago, Brogan was born. We were in the hospital and this kid was coming and I was in some major pain. Ryan's rubbing my back, like a good husband, trying to ease my discomfort and I remember, clear as day, looking over at him and saying, "Could you please just not touch me?"

So he stops rubbing my back and starts giving me a pep talk. "You're doing great, Kate. Keep it up. You can do this." I'm huddled in the fetal position (not recommended by birthing instructors, but it worked for me) and I say, "Could you please just not talk?"

Poor hubby. He stood in the corner and handed me ice chips.

I'm ninety thousand words into my manuscript and instead of typing more words this morning, I'm avoiding. Because there's this scene I need to write and I have no idea how to write it. It's high emotion. My main character is beyond distraught, verging on hysterical. All the while, she's trying to make this decision and to make matters worse (for me, not her) - the scene involves technology. And I know next to nothing about technology.

So basically, I'm majorly intimidated.

I keep typing a few sentences. Deleting them. Type. Delete. Type. Delete. Pull out hair. Type some more.

And the most frustrating part of all is that I know, once I get this scene written, the rest of the words will flow right out.

Sort of like when you're in labor.

The hardest part is delivering the baby's head. Push. Push. Push. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. But once that head comes out, man. The rest of the body is a piece of cake.

So, this post is mostly for me right now. Because I'm in big-time need of a pep talk. I'm convinced this dang baby is never going to come out and I need somebody to squeeze my hand and tell me, "You're doing great. Just a little bit further. You're almost there. Now dang it Katie, push!" Only this time I'm not going to make anyone stand in the corner in silence.

Three tips for writers who are closing in on The End:

Visualize. Close your eyes and picture the scene unfolding like a movie. Take some time to work it out in your head first. Let yourself feel the emotion of the character.

Focus. Focus on the goal. Focus on The End. Focus on the satisfaction of saying, "I did it!" I birthed another novel. It is quite a feeling. Breathe in focus. Breathe out anxiety. You can do this. Others have done it before you. Heck, you've even done it before. It is not impossible.

Push. Push past the fear. It's there. That feeling of, "What if I seriously cannot do this?" But don't let that stop you from pushing. It's going to be messy. It's not going to be pretty. That's okay. It's not supposed to be. You can go back and clean it up later. Just bear down and write.

Visualize. Focus. Push. You can do it.

Let's Talk: Where are you in the writing process right now? Plotting? Starting a rough draft? Ending one? Editing? What kinds of things do you do to push through to the end?

First Lines

2011-05-02T04:00:00.006-05:00

I have to take a minute and brag on my 5th graders, especially since I won't be able to next year.

My students all wrote fiction stories and we've been revising in class. Lately, we've talked a lot about the importance of an engaging first line. I read them a bunch of first lines from books 5th graders like (or don't) and we critiqued them together. Then we answered this question:

What do all good first lines have in common?

Their answer?

They pull the reader into the story by raising a question.

I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty awesome answer. The kids took that bit of advice and rolled with it. They gave me permission to publish some on my blog.

So without further ado.....first lines from America's next generation of writers:

Many times, stories have characters and characters have goals. Most of the time, characters will reach these goals no matter what stands in their way. But I am different. I didn't reach my goal. I chose not to. And it all paid off.

-Maggie/10 years old

If you think going to school on your birthday, having a really hard test in every subject, and losing a basketball game 52-2 is a bad day, think again.

-Gretchen/11 years old

I never thought I'd miss a day of school to fall off a bridge, go to another world, meet a queen, find a bird-horse, see my dad again, and live to see the next day. But I did.

-Breanna/11 years old

"Is he going to die?" asked Wendy.

-Claire/11 years old

It was a beautiful afternoon, with the sun glistening in the robin's-egg blue sky. Birds twittered in the treetops and a gentle breeze rustled the green leaves. It was a day too gorgeous for what was going to happen.

-Caroline/11 years old

Before it happened, I always thought the Switch House was just a fairy tale.

-Isabelle/11 years old

Vandalism. Robberies. I've witnessed them all. But nothing could have prepared me for this.

-Ashy/10 years old

Let's Talk: How would you answer that question? What makes a first good line?

Two Tips and a Story

2011-04-29T04:00:00.005-05:00

Since I always used to wonder what kinds of things an author did in the long wait before their book release, I thought I'd share what I've been up to these past couple weeks (besides writing, of course).

I received a nine-page author questionnaire.

The questions ran the gamut and many required some serious thought and reflection, especially since my responses will help my publisher market and sell my book.

After filling out the questionnaire, I have one "I'm glad I did this" and one "I wish I would have done this" tip to share:

I'm glad I established myself online before I got a book deal. You never want people to think you're using them for a connection or an endorsement. I connect with people because I'm interested in the person. Period.

I wish I would have saved alternative titles for my story! I know I had other ideas for a title, only I didn't save them. So I had to start from scratch, which wasn't easy. Especially since I've had my working title stuck in my head for two years now. It was like trying to change my two-year old son's name. What other names might fit him? I don't know. I've always called him Brogan.

I got book plates in the mail.

Have you heard of book plates? I never had until a couple months ago. Anyway, they are basically these stickers you sign and send back to your publisher so they can put them on books for promotional purposes.

I felt silly.

For two reasons.

First, the idea that my signature means something is highly-amusing. But I shall go with it.

Second, my signature is ugly. Which leads to a story about why my in-laws call me Kate, when everybody else in the world calls me Katie.

If somebody turned the way my husband and I met into a story, it would be cliche. He was the hot delivery guy. I was the enamored receptionist. He would bring me packages and I would sign for them.

So one day, he walks in while I'm getting ready to leave for lunch. We're riding down the elevator together and he asks me out.

What words escape my mouth but, "Do you even know my name?"

Smooth, huh?

Anyway, he says, "Yeah. I see your signature every day. It's Kate."

Close enough.

So I write the name Kate (because this is no time for correction) and my phone number on a gum wrapper (which he still has in his dresser drawer). And ever since, he's called me Kate. That's how he introduced me to his family. I actually think it sounds weird when he or his family calls me Katie.

Not too much later I found out he thought my last name was McGowan. It was actually McGivern.

So. Yeah. My signature isn't the neatest.

Time to practice.

Let's Talk: Do you have any "I wish I would have" or "I'm glad I did this" tips to share? And be honest. Do you ever practice your signature?

The Unexpected

2011-04-25T04:00:00.023-05:00

Sometimes, the writing life feels like a never-ending slab of cement. Cold. Hard. Monotonous. You send out queries. Nothing happens. You get a request for a partial or a full. Nothing happens. You write and you write and you write and you wait and you wait and you wait. And you wonder.

What if this is it?

What if this never happens?

What if I stand on this cement for ever and ever?

I know those questions. Because I asked them many times. While I stood on my own personal slab of cement, not-knowing if I'd ever get off. Wondering if anything was happening.

But I also learned something. Not once I got a contract. But before. In the midst of the waiting.

God is working.

Maybe in the way we want Him to work. Maybe not. Either way, He's working. Until eventually you look down and there, growing up from the cracks, is something unexpected. Something that doesn't belong. Something you didn't think you'd see until you hopped off your cement onto the green-covered hills of publication.

Maybe it's a friend you didn't think you would make. Or a piece of writing that revealed a truth you didn't grasp until you wrote it. Or that person at work who asked to read your story and when you let her, it left a mark. Maybe it's simply finding peace in the midst of the unknown. Or the joy that comes when we let go and trust.

That He's working. He has a purpose for why you are where you are. He has things He wants to show you. Ways He wants to use you. Things He wants to give you. You just have to be willing to look past your expectations and see them.

Let's Talk: What unexpected gifts have you found on your journey?

Busy, Busy

2011-04-18T04:00:00.005-05:00

Last week was crazy, which means I wasn't able to write as many words as I'd hoped. I'm going to take a break from blogger this week and hopefully pound out some wordage.

See you next Monday!

Quiting the Day Job

2011-04-15T04:00:00.012-05:00

It's official. I put in my letter of resignation. When the 2011-2012 school year rolls around, I won't be returning to the classroom.

Crazy, right?

I mean, "Don't quit your day job!" is probably the most commonly dispensed piece of advice given to newly contracted authors.

So what am I thinking? Why am I doing the very thing professionals advise not to do?

Because.

My son can put on his shoes.

How did this happen?

Just yesterday, he was this:

And now, he's this:

How did he go from being this tiny, helpless baby to this little person who tears down the steps and sings the ABC's? Time is traveling at this ever-increasing speed and I'm completely freaked out that one day, I'm going to blink and all of a sudden he'll be packing for college.

For the past two and a half years, I've been a wife, and a mother, and a teacher, and a writer. And I've done an okay job. But when it comes to my family and writing - I don't want to just do okay. I don't want to wake up when I'm sixty and regret the decisions I'm making now.

So after a lot (and I mean A LOT) of praying, and a lot of budgeting, and a lot of counsel (some of which came from my amazing, amazing agent), Ryan and I decided we're going to do it. I'm going to stay home next year. It's a giant step of faith. But it's the best decision for our family right now.

So how do you know when it's okay to set aside the, "Don't quit your day job!" advice? That's going to be different for everyone, but here's why I'm confident I'm doing the right thing:

We didn't make the decision based on my writing income.

We did not factor in ANY of my writing income when making this decision. Because writing income is incredibly unpredictable and often nonexistent. Any money I make through writing will be a bonus.

We gave it a test drive before making the decision.

For the past few months, ever since Ryan and I felt God laying this on our hearts, we've dumped my paycheck into our savings and lived strictly off his income. I'm not going to lie. It's been tight. We've had to make sacrifices and change the way we do things. But we can make it work and the sacrifices are worth it.

We've thought about ways I could supplement our income.

I'm in a great position to tutor and if money gets super tight, I can always sub here and there.

But the biggest factor was this.....

We both felt God calling us in this direction and we needed to obey.

I've felt the tug to stay home ever since Brogan was born. But I always ignored it because I was afraid of losing the safety and the security that comes with my paycheck. I said I trusted God, but I wasn't acting as if I trusted Him.

I'm reading this amazing book right now called Experiencing God. There's this part where the author talks about the difference between knowing something about God, and experiencing something about God. I know God as my provider. But I've never let myself experience God as my provider. It's time for me to let go of my fear and trust that where He leads, His provision will follow.

Let's Talk: Have you ever had to make a BIG decision? How did you do it?

I Never Finaled in the Genesis Contest

2011-04-11T04:00:00.009-05:00

The semi-finalist results for the annual Genesis contest came out on Friday. Which means two things: Some people were super excited. Some people were feeling pretty deflated.

It also means there are going to be lots of posts flying around the blogosphere congratulating the semi-finalists. And there absolutely should be. Semi-finaling in the Genesis is a great accomplishment. One worthy of celebration.

But I also know reading those posts will be hard on the people who didn't final.

So as happy as I am for those who got a phone call on Friday (one being my fabulous critique partner, Jeannie Campbell, who is an incredibly talented writer and an all-around amazing woman), I want to speak to the second group today.

I want to offer some encouragement.

Some hope.

A silver lining.

Last year, I read an email on the ACFW loop from a contestant who didn't final. It went something like this: I hear a lot of stories about people who final in the Genesis contest and go to be published. I'd like to know if there's anybody who has NOT finaled in the Genesis contest but went on to get published.

I could hear this woman's desperation. She didn't final and she wanted to know. Can this still happen for me?

At the time, I couldn't answer. Because I wasn't that person.

But this year is different. This year, I get to respond to that woman. And I have good news to share.

Here's my story.

I entered the Genesis contest in 2009. Okay, let me clarify. I didn't just enter. I entered three manuscripts. Yes, three. I remember secretly hoping all three would final. But May rolled around and I didn't get a phone call. Not a single one.

I went to the 2009 ACFW conference, surrounded by people wearing those shiny Genesis Finalist badges on their name tags. I remember feeling inadequate. How would I ever snag an agent or editor's attention without one of those shiny badges?

But two months later, I got a phone call from Rachelle Gardner and all of a sudden, I had an agent. I didn't final, but I had an agent.

I decided to enter the Genesis again in 2010. This time, with incredible trepidation. Because this time, I had an agent. I don't know if you know this or not, but a very real fear by most agented authors who don't have a contract is losing their agent because their work won't sell. Not finaling in the contest would do nothing but exacerbate that fear.

Guess what?

I didn't final.

Enter humiliation.

Lots and lots of humiliation.

And an exacerbated fear.

I went to the 2010 ACFW conference. I still didn't get to wear one of those fancy badges.

But two months later, I got another phone call from Rachelle. With news I desperately wanted to hear. Waterbrook Multnomah offered me a two-book deal.

My first book is scheduled for release in May, 2012. It's a book I entered twice in the Genesis. It's a book that never finaled.

So for those of you out there wondering. Can this can still happen for me?

It can.

I'm proof.

Take the feedback. Use the good stuff. Ditch the crazy stuff. Improve your manuscript. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep putting yourself out there. And trust that God has a plan and a purpose for your words.

Let's Talk: How are you feeling post-Genesis results?

Yearning

2011-04-08T04:00:00.010-05:00

Writers know this word. We are well-acquainted with it. Because we yearn for so many things.

A contest final. An agent. A chance. A contract. We long for our words to be read. For our stories to touch lives. We long for affirmation--that all this time and all this sweat and all these tears will matter. We yearn for our hopes to take shape and grow into something we can hold - like a book.

Lately, I've been yearning.

It has nothing to do with writing. But it still feels the same. That deep-down longing for something that isn't happening. A heaviness that presses against my heart. An unmet desire. An ache. And sometimes.....or maybe lots of times...a fear.

What if this doesn't happen?

You only have to be human to understand that question. Because we all yearn. Each and every one of us. And it's never comfortable. I have never met a person who enjoys the feeling. I have never heard anyone say, "Man, this is great! Give me some more please."

That's silly.

And yet...

There are times, in the quietness of the morning, where I find myself thanking God for the discomfort.

Not because I'm such a patient and long-suffering person (my husband is laughing right now). But because the ache draws me closer to Him. The deeper the ache, the tighter I cling. And the tighter I cling, the more I realize something.

He's what I want. He satisfies the yearning.

Not the fruition of my dreams. Because dreams beget more dreams. Not getting what I want. Because gifts only stay shiny for so long.

But Jesus.

It's about loving Him no matter if He gives me what I'm yearning for or not. It's about trusting that He has a purpose. And maybe His purpose is better than mine.

My latest obsession in music right now is a song called Blessings, by Laura Story. I think it is breathtaking.

What if my greatest disappointments, the aching of this life, is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy? -Laura Story

The pain reminds this heart that this is not our home. -Laura Story

Don't you just love those lines? They make me think of yearning in a whole new way.

Let's Talk: What are you yearning for these days?

Stimulating Conversation

2011-04-04T04:00:00.005-05:00

There are certain blog posts I don't just visit, but revisit. Multiple times throughout the day.

Why?

Because somehow, the author started a conversation and it means something to me. I want to see how it plays out. I want to join in.

I don't know about you, but I love those kinds of posts. I love feeling like a part of a community. I love engaging in a meaningful conversation.

So how do I facilitate conversation on my blog? How do any of us?

It's something I haven't figured out yet. Not even close.

But I have made some observations that I thought I could share.

Blog posts that stimulate conversation usually...

raise more questions than answers
touch on something that people are passionate about
are controversial (but I'm not a fan of controversy for controversy's sake)
ask an interesting question at the end
don't wrap everything up nice and neat, but leave some things unsaid

Let's Talk: What did I leave out? What makes a blog post conversation-worthy to you?

Phone Call with My Editor

2011-04-01T04:00:00.011-05:00

I'm not going to lie. I was nervous.

I'm not sure why. I've talked to her in person at the ACFW conference. She already sent me a welcome-to-the-team email. And we weren't even going to discuss revisions. We were just going to talk about what I can expect now that I've turned in my manuscript.

But I couldn't help myself. I was nervous. And excited. And since I tend to talk too much when I'm nervous and excited, or tell people I have dreams about them (Hi, Rachelle), I gave myself a pep talk beforehand.

Basically the pep talk went like this: Don't say anything stupid, Katie.

It worked. I think. At least I didn't cringe when I hung up. Or blush. Or replay the conversation over and over again, wondering why in the world I said that. The entire experience was very pleasant. My editor has a calmness about her that put me at ease.

So what did we talk about?

Dates! We talked about dates! All kinds of wonderful, glorious dates.

Like my release date (scheduled for May, 2012).

When I can expect my content edit (that's the big edit).

The due date for the revisions.

When we'll do line edits.

When we'll turn the manuscript over to the production team.

And when the ARC (advanced reader copy) will be ready. We're thinking early fall....which means the cover will be done by then too. And if that's not crazy, I don't know what is.

We also talked a bit about marketing - how I'll get this author questionnaire sometime soon. I'll eventually have my own publicity contact person. My title may or may not change. It's never too early to consider who might be willing to endorse my book (scary). And I do have to think about my "brand". Which I found interesting, in light of recent blog posts.

Having read my work, she already has thoughts on my brand, but she also wants to hear my opinion. She likened the whole brand-thing to comparables in a book proposal. You know. Fans of such-and-such author will enjoy Katie's work. Pinning that down really helps the marketing department.

She gave me some contact information. We talked a bit about other non-writing related things. And we said goodbye.

I hung up smiling. Big-time smiling.

And totally weirded out (in a good way) that by this fall, the ARC will be ready. Which is basically like a book, only it hasn't gone through copy edits yet.

Three thoughts from this week:

It's completely normal to feel nervous. My agent said, "Eventually the nervousness will dissipate. You are still new at this!"

The publishing journey travels in fits and spurts. I've been chilling out, maxing, relaxin' all cool (Fresh Prince of Belaire style) for the past few months. But come May, things are going to start moving and shaking.

Publicity takes a long time - which is why my ARC will come out eight whole months before my book release.

Let's Talk: How do you feel about book trailers? Effective? Not effective? Any suggestions for a creative alternative? Play any good April Fool's jokes on anybody today? Sorry, these have nothing to do with my post.

Fun news: His Masterpiece, one of my short stories, is out with CFOM this month. Even MORE exciting is that I'm being published alongside my local writing friend, Nichole Wagner, who wrote A Cup of Heartbreak. I hope you enjoy them both!

The Great Branding Debate

2011-03-28T04:00:00.011-05:00

Are you comfortable being a brand? Or does that particular verbiage make you cringe?

While reading through last Monday's comments, and looking at other blog posts about the topic of author branding, I noticed two prevalent thoughts on the issue:

Thought 1:
I am an author. Not a brand. We should write whatever books are on our hearts and not worry about branding.

Thought 2:
Reputable brands sell products, and since our books are products we want to sell, we should consider our brand when choosing which books to write.

The first thought focuses on writing as art. The second regards writing as business. One side says write from the heart. The other side says write for the crowd. So which side is right?

I love how Thomas Nelson author, Rosslyn Elliott, brings both sides together:
"Good branding is capturing the essence of an author's spirit so a reader can understand who the author is, immediately.....Branding can feel like a lot to live up to, so it's important to remind yourself that your brand is just you. You just have to be you to the best of your ability, and that's enough."

Which got me thinking...

If our brand is who we ARE, is it even possible, if we're writing from the deepest part of ourselves, to write something that doesn't fit? I'm not sure. What do you think?

Novelist and poet, Tabitha Bird, raises another question:
"I wonder though if she (Francine Rivers) has a brand because she thought about branding and what experience she wanted to give her readers or because she thought about what book would make her God proud and God built the brand?"

However we answer that question for ourselves matters. It forms part of our writing/publishing philosophy.

Bethany House author, Jody Hedlund, puts it this way:
"It's (branding) not anything I can establish before my book is released. It just happens over time and as an author's reputation grows...Branding isn't something an author can develop or force. It's something that happens to them. And if we want to have a wide and popular reputation or a growing brand, the best thing we can do is write books (or blog posts) readers will love."

I like how Jody says we need to write books readers will love. I think she gets to the heart of branding here. It isn't about putting ourselves into a box. It isn't about making ourselves into a product. It's about considering our reader.

And that, to me, feels like a very respectful way to look at branding.

Some more thoughts on branding from...

Multi-published author, Karen Witemeyer (via this post):
"Branding is about creating specific reader expectations and then meeting those expectations. It consists of the images and feelings provoked when a reader sees your name. It is what breeds loyalty. If you continually meet readers' expectations, they will buy your next book without even taking a look at the back cover or flap copy. They will buy it simply because your name is on the cover."

Fabulous agent, Rachelle Gardner:
"It's true for all artists: you can practice your art in any way that pleases you. But when you decide you want people to buy it, you're no longer just an artist but also a business person. As such, you're wise to create products to satisfy the audience (customer base) you've already worked so hard to build."

So practice your art in a way that pleases you. Write what's on your heart. Stay true to yourself and trust that your brand will develop naturally, because it's who you are. Just know that if you want to be a published author who sells books, at some point, your brand will start to matter. Readers will develop expectations and whether you think about them or not, you can bet your agent and publisher will.

Let's Talk: What do you think about branding? Love it? Hate it? Don't care about it? What do you hope readers will experience when they read your books?

Shut 'Er Down and Make the Call: Tips for Effective Research

2011-03-25T04:00:00.003-05:00

My latest epiphany: When it comes to research, talking to an actual person can be good for your blood pressure.

Don't get me wrong, I love the world wide web as much as the next guy. It definitely has it's place when it comes to research. But it also has its drawbacks.

The biggest one?

Online research can be a giant time-suck and there's no guarantee you'll come out on the other side with a solid answer.

My latest research mission? Life as a reporter in a big city and what would happen when this reporter becomes the focal point of a huge news story. I needed to make sure the plot points I had in store for this reporter were realistic and believable. But I kept getting vague or contradictory information. Even via email.

I was stuck. I was overwhelmed. I was ready to right click and delete the entire file.

Until I shut my laptop and went to a local news station to shadow a reporter for the morning. Not only did I meet a very lovely woman (Chris Minor from WQAD, Channel 8), I got all kinds of answers. Solid, reliable, wonderful answers.

She took me around the newsroom, the studio, and even let me tag along as she covered a story out in the field. I sat face-to-face with this woman, told her about my story, and brainstormed ways to work out the kinks. The whole experience felt like one huge sigh of relief.

Once I got over the awkwardness of, "Um, yeah, so I'm writing this novel. Can I ask you some weird questions?" it was 100% completely worth it.

Thanks to Chris, my story will be that much more accurate, that much more believable, and that much more nuanced. I don't have to second-guess everything I write anymore. I can proceed with confidence.

3 Signs that it's Time to Shut Your Laptop and Find a Real Person:

You're getting contradictory information.
The more time you spend researching, the more confused you get.
Even though you think the story could be great, you're about to throw in the towel.

5 Benefits of Talking to a Real Person:

You won't end up on a wild goose chase
You can trust the professional. You might not be able trust the Internet
You can engage in a back-and-forth dialog which leads to new, exciting ideas
You can ask personal questions you probably won't find online
You get to meet somebody new and get them involved (If you're wondering why that's a benefit, check out this post, Are You Getting Others Involved?)

Let's Talk: Does talking to a real person make you nervous? If you've done it, can you share your experience? Which do you prefer - getting your information online or from real people? Why?

Smart Branding or Super Boring?

2011-03-21T04:00:00.004-05:00

When we pick up a Stephen King book, we have expectations. Danielle Steel? Expectations. John Grisham? Expectations.

It'd be very odd to open a book by Ted Dekker only to find something reminiscent of Karen Kingsbury. Very confusing. Sort of like these pictures.

Readers have expectations. And as writers, it's good to satisfy them.

But here's where I start to get confused. Here's where I'd love to have a conversation and see if we can't figure this thing out.

Satisfying expectations is good. Writing a predictable book is not.

There are some big name authors out there who have a very specific, very defined brand. Like Nicholas Sparks. Nobody can argue with the man's success or the commercial appeal of his books. But still, I've heard people complain about his work. And it's always the same complaint. "After the first few novels, they all start to feel the same."

I want to create a brand. But I don't want to write predictable novels. Nicholas Sparks can get away with it because he's, well, Nicholas Sparks. Me? Not so much.

Let's Talk: What say you? How do we satisfy our reader's expectations without writing predictable books? How do we establish our brand, but stay fresh at the same time?

When it Starts to Feel Real

2011-03-18T04:00:00.004-05:00

I was talking on the phone to my critique partner, Erica Vetsch, several weeks ago, after I signed the contract and announced the news on my blog. She asked, "Does it feel real yet?"

My response? "I don't think it will feel real until I see a cover."

She laughed. "Or when you get your first round of edits."

Wise words from a woman who knows.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you all an update.

What's been happening in my writing world since signing the contract? And does it feel real yet?

Two big things have happened.

I got my first paycheck.

I'm not going to lie. It was bizarre. I would have taken a picture of it and edited out the amount, except it wasn't from Random House (like my contract was). It was from my agency. Which makes it no less exciting, just less fancy.

So, did my first paycheck make this whole publishing thing feel real?

Nope. Not really. Don't get me wrong. I was super stoked (yep, I said it), and depositing the check into our savings was all kinds of fun. But for some reason, there was still this disconnect. Which leads me to the second thing that has happened.

I found out which book is getting published first.

My agent submitted three books to Waterbrook Multnomah. They contracted two, but hadn't decided on which two. I think this is where the disconnect came from. I didn't know which book I'd get to hold in my hands first. I was trying very hard not to set my heart on one book over the other.

On Tuesday evening, I got word from my agent that we will officially start with Beneath a Velvet Sky (title might change). And a little bonus? My editor (who I'm super excited to work with) left a comment on one of my blog posts.

Both of which made me a little giddy. Both of which made everything feel a lot more real. If things can be more or less real.

Now I have about a month to read through the manuscript one more time before I send it to my editor.

How do I feel about this?

Um...a little nervous. I'm going to read through this book, knowing that other people are going to read it too. Not just close friends, or my agent, or my critique partners - but strangers. People I don't even know. This book will be in Barnes and Noble. The Christian Book Store. Amazon. And holy cow...even as I type this I start to hyperventilate just a little.

Yep. It's definitely starting to feel real.

Let's Talk: If you're published, when did it start to feel real for you? If you're not there yet, at what moment do you think it will start to feel real? What part are you most excited for?

4 Ways Out of a Slush Pile

2011-03-14T04:00:00.001-05:00

My stack of books to be read (often referred to as TBR pile) grows and grows. I will be honest. Some of the books in there? I should have read by now. In fact, some have been in my TBR pile for over a year. They'll rise to the top, and I'll pick them up, look at the cover, thumb through the pages, then slip it further down in the stack again.

Every time I do it, a little voice in the back of my head whispers: Will this happen to your book, Katie?

Yikes!

Slush piles are everywhere. They don't just belong to agents and editors. Readers have them too. So how do we stay out of them?

The truth? I'm not sure. I'm guessing there are a whole bunch of factors that play into a book's time in a slush pile. I'm also guessing some of those factors aren't in our control. But since that's not a very helpful response, I came up with four factors that, for me, make a book rise quicker to the top (or bypass the pile altogether):

Title
Cover
Back cover blurb
First page

The importance of a standout cover: I got a book in the mail the other day. A free one. I'm sad to say I judged it by the cover and tossed it aside. Wow. That's harsh, huh? But it's reality, and most likely, our readers will respond the same way. We peruse a bookstore and look for those killer covers. I think that's why I'm so eager to see the cover of my book--I know what a big role it will play in getting people to pick it up.

The importance of a standout title: Several weeks ago, Janet Grant with Books and Such Literary wrote a wonderful post about the importance of titles. Agents, editors, and readers see a ton of them each year, so it's ultra imperative that we create, in Janet's words, "something so stellar we blink our sleepy eyes, perk up and say, 'Whoa…what did you just say?'" When a title does that for me, I turn the book over and read the back.

The importance of a standout blurb: This is the agent, editor, or reader's first taste of the story, so we want to make it shine. We can't disappoint, especially if the cover and title deliver. We want our blurb to introduce intriguing characters, major conflict, and the promise for something special between the front and back cover.

The importance of a standout first page: The title can be intriguing. The cover breathtaking. And the back cover blurb promising. But if the book doesn't pass the final test, back to the bottom of my TBR pile it goes. And for me, the final test is the first page. I almost always read the first page of a book before committing to the whole thing, and if it doesn't grab my attention immediately with a question I need to answer, then I just won't make the time to read it.

So there you go.

Cover. Title. Back cover. First page.

Those are my four criteria for plucking a book off my stack and keeping it in my hands.

I know most of us don't design our covers. We don't write our blurbs. And many times, we don't choose our titles. But still, as writers looking for readers (or agents, or editors), we should do everything we can to make sure these four stand out. And once we've done that, we need to make sure the story underneath them satisfies. Because satisfying our readers is the best way to not only get readers, but to keep them.

Let's Talk: How big's your TBR pile? What makes you shuffle some books to the bottom over and over again? How important is the title, cover, back cover blurb, and first page to you as a reader? Is there anything you think is more important than those four?

Self-Promotion: An Interesting Twist

2011-03-11T04:00:00.007-06:00

Have you ever met a person who's always talking about herself? Someone who monopolizes every conversation? I did. In college. Funny thing. Nobody wanted to hang out with her.

We hear a lot of talk about the importance of marketing and self-promotion. Especially if we want to make it in this business.

But in the same breath, we know too much turns people off.

Which leads to the question I've been thinking about now that I've signed my first book deal:

How do we market ourselves without coming across as self-centered or narcissistic?

In a post titled Social Networking Rules, YA author, Elana Johnson, shares some simple, yet brilliant guidelines she lives by.

One such guideline?

If she tweets about her life, she scrolls through her twitter feed and @-messages three others who've said something about theirs. Elana says, "This creates a new conversation between me and them." And she doesn't feel like she's hogging the twitter feed.

This reminded me of some advice I got before going to my first writing conference two years ago.

Be outward focused.

Marketing 101. Simple, yet profound.

Don't focus on you. Focus on the people around you.

Talk up such-and-such author's new book while at the bookstore. Pray with a friend or roommate before they pitch their novel. Take time out from a workshop to brainstorm with a fellow writer. Mentor a newbie.

Sounds counter intuitive, doesn't it? But it works. Especially if you do it from a sincere heart.

Here's the thing. Nobody wants to hang out with people who talk about themselves all the time. We're drawn to those who genuinely listen and turn the focus outward.

I took this advice when I went to my first conference in 2009, and again in 2010, and had two amazing experiences. The weekend stopped being about me, and became about us. It helped me understand that we can all work together to promote each other.

After reading Elana's blog post, something clicked. I can embrace that same bit of advice as I travel down this new, exciting, and slightly intimidating path with Waterbrook Multnomah.

I can be outward focused.

I can remember that it's not about me. It's about the writing friends I get to encourage and promote along the way. The readers I get to entertain and connect with along the way. The professionals I get to learn from along the way.

The minute I forget that, is the minute someone needs to kindly kick me in the head.

Let's Talk: Are you talking too much about yourself? How do you keep your focus outward? Any self-promotion tips for a gal who's not quite sure how to handle it?

On a fun note: I'm meeting my critique partner and friend, Erica Vetsch, this weekend for our own personal writing retreat. We're locking ourselves away so we can write, write, write! Ah. Sweet bliss.