November is just around the corner!
Are you raring to go for the madness known as NaNoWriMo? Stands for National Novel Writing Month. You sign up, and for a month you write a 60,000 word novel with your internal editor bound and gagged, on a ship bound for the Bahamas or somewhere nice. (Guess I should clarify that you are NOT on the ship with her? The point is to get her out of your head so you can write freely, and badly if necessary.)
That's 1,667 words a day!
I am pondering joining in because I joined two years and things started happening and I never got past 30,000 words. BUT this year I would be more determined to get that nifty web badge and the pride of saying "I did it!".
I have a TON of ideas, plenty of stories that I have a loose framework for, but not a real idea of where it is going. Course I'll still need to get writing done on my current novel so I can get that puppy sent off to an agent.
Still I'm wavering because I've been called for Jury Duty and wonder if signing up is going to get me embroiled in a long drawn out case and get me sequestered for the month, LOL! That happens to us Jameses. Just ask any of our family members. :D
What do you guys think. Should I sign up or not?
Have a lovely evening.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
A year of changes
It is the 10th month of the year.
Just one question...
WHERE did the year go? I mean just yesterday it was January and I was beginning with a new slate. Now it's October and I'm freezing and have I accomplished anything this year?
I have. Not so much on my book, but I've learned more craft to be better at what I do write. Not so much time editing.
I've changed physcially. I've lost about 10 pounds since last fall. Doesn't sound like much but it amounts to about 5 pants sizes! But not everyone notices that. My husband and kids notice. They've seen me work hard. Everyone else just assumes I'm the same.
My focus this year has changed. I have been focusing on family and writing. My writing, not everyone elses. No board issues to deal with (thank you Lord) since life here has kept me hopping. I'd have hated to miss out on all the blessings this year has brought. We have gone through some really rough trials. But we remember that when his gold is in the fire, the Goldsmith is never far away. And we can't even complain about it because through all this trial we have recieved most abundant blessings.
Spiritually we have changed, grown and learned what it's like to only have each other and God to lean on. Many truths have been laid bare and once exposed could be cleansed by God's wonderful mercy and grace.
And now I am concentrating on my writing. I think I am ready to tackle that hurdle now. I feel that God is ready to bless us. Not sure how.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Just one question...
WHERE did the year go? I mean just yesterday it was January and I was beginning with a new slate. Now it's October and I'm freezing and have I accomplished anything this year?
I have. Not so much on my book, but I've learned more craft to be better at what I do write. Not so much time editing.
I've changed physcially. I've lost about 10 pounds since last fall. Doesn't sound like much but it amounts to about 5 pants sizes! But not everyone notices that. My husband and kids notice. They've seen me work hard. Everyone else just assumes I'm the same.
My focus this year has changed. I have been focusing on family and writing. My writing, not everyone elses. No board issues to deal with (thank you Lord) since life here has kept me hopping. I'd have hated to miss out on all the blessings this year has brought. We have gone through some really rough trials. But we remember that when his gold is in the fire, the Goldsmith is never far away. And we can't even complain about it because through all this trial we have recieved most abundant blessings.
Spiritually we have changed, grown and learned what it's like to only have each other and God to lean on. Many truths have been laid bare and once exposed could be cleansed by God's wonderful mercy and grace.
And now I am concentrating on my writing. I think I am ready to tackle that hurdle now. I feel that God is ready to bless us. Not sure how.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Lighter Side of Life
Need Glasses Much?
It was one of those Sundays where the alarm didn't go off (because you had it set on PM instead of AM) and we were running in all directions, all four of us. I got ready before my darling husband and so I caught a ride with Shadow. Gregory had already left to fetch Jamie.
I sat down and right as we started to sing the song for communion I hear someone enter the doors to the auditorium. I turned slightly just in time to see my handsome husband slide into the seat behind me and sit in between a father and daughter. I turned my head more to look at him, arching my eyebrow because I couldn't imagine why he was sitting back there. He looked up at me and his mouth dropped open. He then shot a look at the girl he was sitting next to as she shot a look at him.
Then my husband slid into the pew next to me and honestly in the 26 years I've known him, I've NEVER seen his face that red.
Right before the lesson began I told him, "I"m flattered that you think I look so young!"
He thought, from the back, that the teenaged daughter was me! Since we had fellowship, the ladies of the church took great joy in teasing him unmercifully about that. LOL.
He's a good sport though. One of the many reasons I love him so.
So have you all had any cases of mistaken identity lately? Please feel free to share them.
Have a wonderful evening.
It was one of those Sundays where the alarm didn't go off (because you had it set on PM instead of AM) and we were running in all directions, all four of us. I got ready before my darling husband and so I caught a ride with Shadow. Gregory had already left to fetch Jamie.
I sat down and right as we started to sing the song for communion I hear someone enter the doors to the auditorium. I turned slightly just in time to see my handsome husband slide into the seat behind me and sit in between a father and daughter. I turned my head more to look at him, arching my eyebrow because I couldn't imagine why he was sitting back there. He looked up at me and his mouth dropped open. He then shot a look at the girl he was sitting next to as she shot a look at him.
Then my husband slid into the pew next to me and honestly in the 26 years I've known him, I've NEVER seen his face that red.
Right before the lesson began I told him, "I"m flattered that you think I look so young!"
He thought, from the back, that the teenaged daughter was me! Since we had fellowship, the ladies of the church took great joy in teasing him unmercifully about that. LOL.
He's a good sport though. One of the many reasons I love him so.
So have you all had any cases of mistaken identity lately? Please feel free to share them.
Have a wonderful evening.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Wedding Blues
Well, that trip down memory lane just became clearer!
My son announced his engagement to his long time girlfriend. They plan to marry in June 2010! I wasn't surprised. I have been expecting it.
While I'm happy for him to be happy, I also feel a great sense of peace over it. I KNOW they will face challenges and times of trial that will grow them. But I feel God's presence here as well, keeping His loving time over all of us during this time.
I just hope that Mema will be there to enjoy this wedding of her first great-grandson from her first grandson. That's what she told me on the day Gregory was born. Oh, there never was a grandma so proud. (I know, I know, but she was nearly busting buttons over his handsome face and both grandma and great grandma were so amazed at his perfectly round head and the fact that he could hold his own head up even being a month premature--your house burning in a fire tends to put ya into early labor, ya know?)
The other day I was scrubbing Mema's kitchen carpet for her. On my hands and knees and I realized something.
I am SO blessed with the family I married into. Really blessed.
I don't have a Monster-in-law. I have a loving, sweet, and helpful (even though sometimes we don't see eye to eye, I do know she loves me and we get along great) mother-in-law that I'm finally comfortable calling Mom. Now the reticence was not hers. She claimed me as a daughter a long time ago. I was slow to catch on.
My father-in-law is-to steal a phrase from a friend of mine- my father-in-love. Wonderful man. I cannot begin to explain how much I respect him. He stepped up after my father's death (he lost his mother the month prior) and lent the loving guiding hand that I still needed. He still does. Sometimes I just talk and he just listens. And that works for us. On rare occasions, he will even be the one doing the talking. :D
My precious niece and nephew, how they enrich my life!
I thank God for them most humbly and do so on a daily basis.
And today, I just wanted to focus on some of my multitude of blessings. :D
My son announced his engagement to his long time girlfriend. They plan to marry in June 2010! I wasn't surprised. I have been expecting it.
While I'm happy for him to be happy, I also feel a great sense of peace over it. I KNOW they will face challenges and times of trial that will grow them. But I feel God's presence here as well, keeping His loving time over all of us during this time.
I just hope that Mema will be there to enjoy this wedding of her first great-grandson from her first grandson. That's what she told me on the day Gregory was born. Oh, there never was a grandma so proud. (I know, I know, but she was nearly busting buttons over his handsome face and both grandma and great grandma were so amazed at his perfectly round head and the fact that he could hold his own head up even being a month premature--your house burning in a fire tends to put ya into early labor, ya know?)
The other day I was scrubbing Mema's kitchen carpet for her. On my hands and knees and I realized something.
I am SO blessed with the family I married into. Really blessed.
I don't have a Monster-in-law. I have a loving, sweet, and helpful (even though sometimes we don't see eye to eye, I do know she loves me and we get along great) mother-in-law that I'm finally comfortable calling Mom. Now the reticence was not hers. She claimed me as a daughter a long time ago. I was slow to catch on.
My father-in-law is-to steal a phrase from a friend of mine- my father-in-love. Wonderful man. I cannot begin to explain how much I respect him. He stepped up after my father's death (he lost his mother the month prior) and lent the loving guiding hand that I still needed. He still does. Sometimes I just talk and he just listens. And that works for us. On rare occasions, he will even be the one doing the talking. :D
My precious niece and nephew, how they enrich my life!
I thank God for them most humbly and do so on a daily basis.
And today, I just wanted to focus on some of my multitude of blessings. :D
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Welcome Home!
Woodhouse Family
Our Family's Journey to Extreme Joy
Kimberley Woodhouse is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 600 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family's story have garnered national media attention for many years, but most recently her family was chosen for ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, and Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER. Welcome Home: Our Family’s Journey to Extreme Joy, releases from Tyndale House Publishers September first. In addition to her non-fiction, she also writes romantic suspense and children’s books. Kimberley lives, writes, and homeschools in Colorado with her husband and two children in their truly “extreme” home. http://www.kimberleywoodhouse.com/
Overwhelming trials . . . met with overcoming joy.
Kayla Woodhouse is not your typical twelve-year-old. Due to a rare medical disorder, she feels no pain, doesn’t sweat, and needs protective cooling gear just to go outside. With her restrictive lifestyle; countless hospitalizations, including brain surgery; and the resulting mountain of hospital bills, what’s a family to do?
How the Woodhouse family has faced seemingly impossible challenges is a story that has captured the hearts of America. Millions of people have experienced glimpses of their lives on Discovery’s Mystery ER, The Montel Williams Show, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (recently voted one of the show’s all-time best episodes!).
Now Kayla’s mom, Kimberley, takes readers behind the cameras to reveal their family’s journey as never before told. From medical sleuthing to cross-country moves, from freak fires to battles with insurance companies, Welcome Home proves that truth really is stranger than fiction. This candid life story reveals both success and failure and demonstrates how, even during tough circumstances, to shift your life from heartbreak to extreme joy.
Peek inside the Woodhouse family’s life (and their famous house) with a 16-page photo insert.
Pammer here: I'm so happy to be able to help promote this book and this family. The Woodhouse family is an inspiration for all of us!
Here are a few thoughts from Kimberly.
Weeds by Kimberley Woodhouse
I've been doing a lot of weeding lately. Both in the yard - and in my life. :)
It's a funny thing about weeds. They grow without you putting any effort forth whatsoever. And as soon as you pull them up, they start all over again. They don't need watering. Or pruning. Or just the right amount of sunshine. They just grow and grow and grow and grow...
But to have something truly beautiful, (which here in Colorado could simply be plain ol' green grass,) you have to work at it. Sprinklers and drip systems have to be set for just the right time of day, the proper soil has to be in place, and those terrible weeds have to be pulled.
The same goes with our lives and our spiritual growth. It takes work and effort and time and energy to grow something beautiful spiritually. But it doesn't take work to let the weeds sprout up and take over.
We must be diligent. Hardworking. Willing to take the painful pruning and weeding. And always on guard - lest those nasty weeds take over and spread their roots throughout our lives.
Are you willing? Are you ready? It's not for the faint of heart. Some of our weeds could be our favorite things. Things that are easy to let in, or things that we are lazy about.
How much TV do you watch? How much time do you spend sitting around doing absolutely nothing? Do you spend that same amount of time with your spouse? Or your children? What about studying God's Word? What things are you doing that are of eternal value? Are you doing things to please man rather than God? These are all good and tough questions.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go pull some weeds.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Pruning or in the fire?
It's always painful to be in a pruning stage of life. No one really wants to be there, but if we hang in there, we usually are beyond thankful for the results.
The most painful pruning is when you need to go back. Way, way, way back because there is some poison that needs to be gotten out so you can be whole and totally usable by the Lord.
That's where my husband and I found ourselves. Our kids are old enough to move out (though we aren't in any hurry for that to happen, we know it will eventually). I had to take a close look at our relationship and wonder where the lovable man that I married went. :) And suddenly everything seemed to point us back in our relationship. We understood that to make our marriage more rock-solid (we've been married for 21 years) we were going to have to take a trip to the past, tear it up, compare notes, and heal because the scar tissue was getting out of hand and strangling our relationship.
We have a LONG history. I moved here in October of 1983 with my parents. Two weeks after our move, we found a nearby church. Mom was anxious to start trying to find a church. Dad wasn't much of one to shop around. This church was close, it was our denomination and he liked the people he met our first Sunday. (Mom and I didn't fare so well for totally different reasons that I just won't go into, but Dad was sure all that would get ironed out with time. It never really did, but again, I won't go into the whys and wherefores. Let's just say since Dad liked the church, Mom and I did our best to find a niche there. These people were SO different than we ever encountered in our hometown of Thayer.)
So the Sunday after Thanksgiving, me and two girls I'd made friends with (at least I thought I had, but looking back now, and knowing what happened, I think they had a very different idea of friendship than my little loyal heart did, the naive little country girl was beginning to get an education of citification). Anyway. . .we went into the dining hall were one of the Brother's Keepers (I think that was the name of the groups since the church was so big we didn't try to fit everyone in the fellowship hall at the same time, so we were divided into four groups) groups were having a dinner. My family didn't have a group YET, but we were invited to join them for the Thanksgiving meal. I liked this group because it contained the two girls that I'd made the best friends with.
We walked in and I, noticing details, see a guy I'd never seen at church before. He turned and our eyes connected. His were the clearest most beautiful blue I'd ever seen. I fell head over heels in and instant. (Don't laugh, it's totally true, God was at work.) I grabbed Julie's arm and said, "Oh wow! WHO is that guy over there?" Our eyes were still connected. She looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Oh GROSS! That's my brother!" I didn't say anymore about him. We both went about our own business.
But I found myself at the same table with him. I really didn't mind. He was so sensitive and understanding that I found myself telling him about the bad relationship I'd just come out of. (Yeah, remember what I said about naive country girl getting her city education? I found out that some guys take you out just for one reason and they get really mad when you won't "put out". I ended up slapping said date and insisting he take me home. I sat on my side of the car the whole ride home, angry and glaring. Shows that I wasn't the important agenda, something else was. The nerve!) I can smile about it now, but then it really hurt. And Greg was so wonderful. He and I became friends. And we spent quite a bit of time together. We'd go out and get a Coke or sometimes he'd come over to use my double cassette player on my new stereo (since my old one gave out, Dad bought me a real nice one he found on sale. This stereo was the STUFF! At least it was back then.)
I found out recently that was all a ruse, he was interested in me, once he realized I was older than his sister (one year older) but much more mature in some actions (farm girls have to be ya know?).
The pruning I was talking about took us all the way back to here. Over the years there has been a trail of connect the dots. There were ALOT of hurtful things that happened. And there are things that I still need to work through (apparently, just from writing this post, I find debris from all that happened back then even in the early days) and the people I thought I could trust-some of them adults-were the ones that hurt me the most and a couple of them were only interested in getting their way. Trust me, there was drama in Thayer, but nothing like what I experienced here. In Thayer lots of the kids in school acting with more morals and maturity than some of the adults I encountered here, but that's another thing. Country life is just vastly different.
Just last night, someone stated something that made me realize that she still believes the lies that were told to her way back then. I thought when Greg and I hashed that out recently that I was done with it. I feel God prodding me to face this too (yes it's hard, I'd rather just let her believe what she wants to and go on, BUT God has other plans). I've faced harder tasks than this in the last eight months, believe me. I'm going to have to explain to her what the truth is, even though I'm quite sure she won't believe it (unless the one who started the lie is willing to come forward and admit it), regardless, I have to put it out there for her so she can have it if she wants. But I also have to forgive because I was crushed by the lie and the actions that pursued it and the ending result, which have just been clear as Greg and I have thrashed through the jungle of our past. I've had to do plenty of forgiving, ask for it too. It should get easier and I guess it does, but you really have to take the past out and study it from every angle to be able to forgive and let go. Stuffing it doesn't work. I tried that for 25 years.
However, I don't believe I was mature enough to handle the truth until now. God has been growing me for a long time. Once I started listening to Him and trying to do His will, things have moved along pretty quick. Kind of like a roller coaster. I don't mind so much the going up, and up, and up part. It the thundering downward to the ground part that intimidates me.
Sometimes forgiving is hard. Forgetting? That's one of the hardest things I've tried. We are a sum of our past experiences. Though some of those experiences are hurtful, do we really want to toss them on the wayside or should we take what we've learned and pack it for future use. Kind of like making a purse out of a pair of jeans that no longer fit, so that we have the good part of the jeans (memory) as well as some hardware (what we learned). We just have to be careful to throw out the rest so we don't end up carrying our new snazzy purse full of sludge of regrets and unforgiving attitudes.
God is also pushing me to be more transparent (that's why I'm sharing this journey with you). Not easy for me. I pull things inside and cover it with funny jokes and laughter. I don't like to cry. Especially if someone can see me. Even Greg or the kids. I usually hide in the bathroom or bedroom with my journal or on my knees. I feel that others can learn from the mistakes I've made for myself, the reaping I got from the sins of others and how I learned to overcome most of it. I'm still a Work In Progress. No where near perfect. But if I can save anyone person some of the pain I endured, I will share.
With hindsight I see He prepared me for this year by taking me away from duties and my friends. Where all I had was Him and my husband. I was to focus on family and my writing this year. I didnt' know what all that entailed.
I do want you to know, that through all the pruning, I did find the Prince that I married. He was still there, waiting for me. :)
Okay, that's enough for today, I'm going to attack Chapter Eight. Gotta get the timeline straightened out. Don't know what I was thinking when I was originally writing it. Got interrupted too many times, but I do have a clear path to fix it. And move along. I'll just see how much I can get done with the time I have.
You have a good evening and weekend.
The most painful pruning is when you need to go back. Way, way, way back because there is some poison that needs to be gotten out so you can be whole and totally usable by the Lord.
That's where my husband and I found ourselves. Our kids are old enough to move out (though we aren't in any hurry for that to happen, we know it will eventually). I had to take a close look at our relationship and wonder where the lovable man that I married went. :) And suddenly everything seemed to point us back in our relationship. We understood that to make our marriage more rock-solid (we've been married for 21 years) we were going to have to take a trip to the past, tear it up, compare notes, and heal because the scar tissue was getting out of hand and strangling our relationship.
We have a LONG history. I moved here in October of 1983 with my parents. Two weeks after our move, we found a nearby church. Mom was anxious to start trying to find a church. Dad wasn't much of one to shop around. This church was close, it was our denomination and he liked the people he met our first Sunday. (Mom and I didn't fare so well for totally different reasons that I just won't go into, but Dad was sure all that would get ironed out with time. It never really did, but again, I won't go into the whys and wherefores. Let's just say since Dad liked the church, Mom and I did our best to find a niche there. These people were SO different than we ever encountered in our hometown of Thayer.)
So the Sunday after Thanksgiving, me and two girls I'd made friends with (at least I thought I had, but looking back now, and knowing what happened, I think they had a very different idea of friendship than my little loyal heart did, the naive little country girl was beginning to get an education of citification). Anyway. . .we went into the dining hall were one of the Brother's Keepers (I think that was the name of the groups since the church was so big we didn't try to fit everyone in the fellowship hall at the same time, so we were divided into four groups) groups were having a dinner. My family didn't have a group YET, but we were invited to join them for the Thanksgiving meal. I liked this group because it contained the two girls that I'd made the best friends with.
We walked in and I, noticing details, see a guy I'd never seen at church before. He turned and our eyes connected. His were the clearest most beautiful blue I'd ever seen. I fell head over heels in and instant. (Don't laugh, it's totally true, God was at work.) I grabbed Julie's arm and said, "Oh wow! WHO is that guy over there?" Our eyes were still connected. She looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Oh GROSS! That's my brother!" I didn't say anymore about him. We both went about our own business.
But I found myself at the same table with him. I really didn't mind. He was so sensitive and understanding that I found myself telling him about the bad relationship I'd just come out of. (Yeah, remember what I said about naive country girl getting her city education? I found out that some guys take you out just for one reason and they get really mad when you won't "put out". I ended up slapping said date and insisting he take me home. I sat on my side of the car the whole ride home, angry and glaring. Shows that I wasn't the important agenda, something else was. The nerve!) I can smile about it now, but then it really hurt. And Greg was so wonderful. He and I became friends. And we spent quite a bit of time together. We'd go out and get a Coke or sometimes he'd come over to use my double cassette player on my new stereo (since my old one gave out, Dad bought me a real nice one he found on sale. This stereo was the STUFF! At least it was back then.)
I found out recently that was all a ruse, he was interested in me, once he realized I was older than his sister (one year older) but much more mature in some actions (farm girls have to be ya know?).
The pruning I was talking about took us all the way back to here. Over the years there has been a trail of connect the dots. There were ALOT of hurtful things that happened. And there are things that I still need to work through (apparently, just from writing this post, I find debris from all that happened back then even in the early days) and the people I thought I could trust-some of them adults-were the ones that hurt me the most and a couple of them were only interested in getting their way. Trust me, there was drama in Thayer, but nothing like what I experienced here. In Thayer lots of the kids in school acting with more morals and maturity than some of the adults I encountered here, but that's another thing. Country life is just vastly different.
Just last night, someone stated something that made me realize that she still believes the lies that were told to her way back then. I thought when Greg and I hashed that out recently that I was done with it. I feel God prodding me to face this too (yes it's hard, I'd rather just let her believe what she wants to and go on, BUT God has other plans). I've faced harder tasks than this in the last eight months, believe me. I'm going to have to explain to her what the truth is, even though I'm quite sure she won't believe it (unless the one who started the lie is willing to come forward and admit it), regardless, I have to put it out there for her so she can have it if she wants. But I also have to forgive because I was crushed by the lie and the actions that pursued it and the ending result, which have just been clear as Greg and I have thrashed through the jungle of our past. I've had to do plenty of forgiving, ask for it too. It should get easier and I guess it does, but you really have to take the past out and study it from every angle to be able to forgive and let go. Stuffing it doesn't work. I tried that for 25 years.
However, I don't believe I was mature enough to handle the truth until now. God has been growing me for a long time. Once I started listening to Him and trying to do His will, things have moved along pretty quick. Kind of like a roller coaster. I don't mind so much the going up, and up, and up part. It the thundering downward to the ground part that intimidates me.
Sometimes forgiving is hard. Forgetting? That's one of the hardest things I've tried. We are a sum of our past experiences. Though some of those experiences are hurtful, do we really want to toss them on the wayside or should we take what we've learned and pack it for future use. Kind of like making a purse out of a pair of jeans that no longer fit, so that we have the good part of the jeans (memory) as well as some hardware (what we learned). We just have to be careful to throw out the rest so we don't end up carrying our new snazzy purse full of sludge of regrets and unforgiving attitudes.
God is also pushing me to be more transparent (that's why I'm sharing this journey with you). Not easy for me. I pull things inside and cover it with funny jokes and laughter. I don't like to cry. Especially if someone can see me. Even Greg or the kids. I usually hide in the bathroom or bedroom with my journal or on my knees. I feel that others can learn from the mistakes I've made for myself, the reaping I got from the sins of others and how I learned to overcome most of it. I'm still a Work In Progress. No where near perfect. But if I can save anyone person some of the pain I endured, I will share.
With hindsight I see He prepared me for this year by taking me away from duties and my friends. Where all I had was Him and my husband. I was to focus on family and my writing this year. I didnt' know what all that entailed.
I do want you to know, that through all the pruning, I did find the Prince that I married. He was still there, waiting for me. :)
Okay, that's enough for today, I'm going to attack Chapter Eight. Gotta get the timeline straightened out. Don't know what I was thinking when I was originally writing it. Got interrupted too many times, but I do have a clear path to fix it. And move along. I'll just see how much I can get done with the time I have.
You have a good evening and weekend.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Deadly Intent-Camy Tang
Today I have the special honor of hosting a very special lady. She and I have been friends for five years, and we met on the Steeple Hill chat boards.
This is her first suspense novel published with Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense and I'm excited to share this with you, as well as her help with plotting for all you wanna-be authors out there (like me!).
Her novel is called Deadly Intent. It is a great story, told with Camy's trademark sass and humor. It grabs you by the throat and don't let go. For someone with OCD tendencies such as myself, it's always nice to read a book that is so well written that you can relax into the story. You forget your reading.
Run out and buy this book NOW! Before they run out. Really, it's that good.
And here is from Camy:
My Five Best Plotting Tips for Novelists
Thanks to Pammer for letting me guest blog today!
Now, just to warn you, not all of these will resonate with you because every writer is different and works differently in how he/she crafts the story. For me, sometimes every story writes itself differently! Oy! But hopefully these tips will help you if you get stuck.
1) Starting the story too early: Most well-paced stories start at the Inciting Incident, or the one event that really propels (notice the visual associated with that word) on the story journey. However, I'm not saying not to write all the stuff that comes before the Inciting Incident. A lot of times, novelists NEED to write a few chapters of the story before they reach that Inciting Incident. However, once you write those pages, consider chucking them and starting the reader when the Inciting Incident happens, to thrust them into the story world and story problem right away. Avoid backstory until later in the story when the reader absolutely needs to know the information in order to understand what's going on in the current scene.
2) The vague external goal: Ideally, your character's external goal should be something concrete, something he can physically touch in his hands. For example, if Carrie wants to become a rock star, that's too vague to be her external goal. Instead, that's her desire, not her external goal. Her concrete external goal will be to hold a copy of Rolling Stones magazine in her hands and see her picture on the cover. So for the entire story, she's pursuing a goal of getting her picture on Rolling Stones, because that one thing signifies in her mind that she's "made it" as a rock star.
3) Not enough conflict: In real life, we want to avoid conflict. I know that I do as much as the next person. Conflict gives me heartburn. But in fiction, you have to throw the absolute WORST conflict you can think of at your characters. DO NOT SPARE THEIR FEELINGS. They are simply characters. They are not your children. Delve into the darkest, evilest place in your soul and throw all that ugly conflict at your characters. Why? Because conflict is what makes the book and pacing compelling and keeps the reader reading. Books without conflict—or without ENOUGH conflict—has too slow a pace and is boring reading. So don't be boring—add terrible, horrible conflict to your story.
4) The disappearing external goal: Check to make sure your character's external goal didn't resolve itself or somehow "go away" by the middle of the story. Make sure he's pursuing the goal for the entire book, up until the climax.
5) Not boxing the character in: The best way to heighten tension and ramp up the stakes is to slowly box the character in, taking away her options up until the climax. If you have just "bad things that happen" to the character, you're not boxing her in. Look at the conflict you have and make sure it's actually taking away her choices and making things more difficult for her to reach her external goal.
I hope those things will help people fix any problems they might have with their plotting! Thanks for having me here today, Pammer!
Camy
DEADLY INTENT
SCENE OF THE CRIME
The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake...and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn...and whom can she trust?
About Camy:
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service.
Thanks to Pammer for letting me guest blog today!
Now, just to warn you, not all of these will resonate with you because every writer is different and works differently in how he/she crafts the story. For me, sometimes every story writes itself differently! Oy! But hopefully these tips will help you if you get stuck.
1) Starting the story too early: Most well-paced stories start at the Inciting Incident, or the one event that really propels (notice the visual associated with that word) on the story journey. However, I'm not saying not to write all the stuff that comes before the Inciting Incident. A lot of times, novelists NEED to write a few chapters of the story before they reach that Inciting Incident. However, once you write those pages, consider chucking them and starting the reader when the Inciting Incident happens, to thrust them into the story world and story problem right away. Avoid backstory until later in the story when the reader absolutely needs to know the information in order to understand what's going on in the current scene.
2) The vague external goal: Ideally, your character's external goal should be something concrete, something he can physically touch in his hands. For example, if Carrie wants to become a rock star, that's too vague to be her external goal. Instead, that's her desire, not her external goal. Her concrete external goal will be to hold a copy of Rolling Stones magazine in her hands and see her picture on the cover. So for the entire story, she's pursuing a goal of getting her picture on Rolling Stones, because that one thing signifies in her mind that she's "made it" as a rock star.
3) Not enough conflict: In real life, we want to avoid conflict. I know that I do as much as the next person. Conflict gives me heartburn. But in fiction, you have to throw the absolute WORST conflict you can think of at your characters. DO NOT SPARE THEIR FEELINGS. They are simply characters. They are not your children. Delve into the darkest, evilest place in your soul and throw all that ugly conflict at your characters. Why? Because conflict is what makes the book and pacing compelling and keeps the reader reading. Books without conflict—or without ENOUGH conflict—has too slow a pace and is boring reading. So don't be boring—add terrible, horrible conflict to your story.
4) The disappearing external goal: Check to make sure your character's external goal didn't resolve itself or somehow "go away" by the middle of the story. Make sure he's pursuing the goal for the entire book, up until the climax.
5) Not boxing the character in: The best way to heighten tension and ramp up the stakes is to slowly box the character in, taking away her options up until the climax. If you have just "bad things that happen" to the character, you're not boxing her in. Look at the conflict you have and make sure it's actually taking away her choices and making things more difficult for her to reach her external goal.
I hope those things will help people fix any problems they might have with their plotting! Thanks for having me here today, Pammer!
Camy
DEADLY INTENT
SCENE OF THE CRIME
The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake...and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn...and whom can she trust?
About Camy:
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service.
On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every week, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind.
Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ for a huge website contest going on right now, giving away fourteen boxes of books and 24 copies of her latest release, DEADLY INTENT.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
