Time and money are a precious commodity. So when Ryan and I spent both on a not-so-good movie this past Friday, I refused to let either go to waste.

Instead of mourning the loss of a four dollar rental fee and two hours of movie time, I put on my writing-hat and decided to learn from the experience.

I asked myself two questions:

Why didn’t this movie work? How can I use the experience to become a better storyteller?

I came up with four important takeaways. 

As writers, it’s important that we….

Keep the audience immersed in story world

So many things in this movie made me stop and go, “Come on, that’s so not believable.”

The main character is clearly Native American. His parents are clearly Caucasian. Yet he never suspected they might not be his biological parents?

On top of that, we have unbelievable behavior. By the end of the movie, we should have a kid who is completely traumatized. Yet instead of asking questions and grieving, he’s all smiles with his new girlfriend.

Lesson to be learned:

As writers, it’s so important that we pay attention to details. We have to do our research. We can’t overlook glaring inconsistencies in the name of fiction.

Our characters have to respond appropriately. If they experience something traumatic, we can’t gloss over that with cuddles and kisses. A glimpse of hope is always better than an unrealistic happily ever after. 

Get to the story already

There was this hideously prolonged sparring scene between the main character and his “father”. It was a total ploy to see the actor show off his ninja skills. And it kept going on and on and on…. 

Lesson to be learned:

Every scene needs a purpose. If we find ourselves holding on to one just because it’s eloquent or clever or beautifully written, that’s almost always a sure sign to kiss it goodbye.

Make theme an integral part of the story

It was almost as if the movie writers were like, “Shoot. We forgot about theme.” So they tacked one on at the end. 

Lesson to be learned:

Our theme can’t be an afterthought. We can’t deliver it via some character monologue at the end. At least not without making our readers roll their eyes. We should take care to weave our theme throughout the entirety of the story. 

Embrace our heart, not what’s hot

As I watched, I couldn’t help wondering if the movie-people wrote the script for the sole purpose of capitalizing on this particular actor’s popularity. It was a two hour excuse to show him taking off his shirt, being all athletic, and kissing a girl. 

Lesson to be learned:

We have to write what matters to us. We have to write what we love. We can’t jump on whatever bandwagon is hot at the time. Even if we do somehow make it through to publication, our readers will see right through it. 

So there you go. Four things I learned from a bad movie. Four things I’m taking to heart. Because I don’t want readers throwing popcorn at my books.

Let’s Talk: Have you watched any bad movies lately? Did you learn anything from the experience? Do you agree with the four takeaways above? 

As wonderful as craft books are, a lot of times, our best teacher is life and our keen observance of it.

Lately, I’ve been reading this book called Live a Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean. I’m not reading it to improve my writing. I’m reading it to better understand God’s design for prayer. But as writers, we usually have that third eye (or ear) open and observant and aware. Ready to soak up some juicy insight. Some truth, some reflection of the human condition that we can apply to our characters and our stories. 

So when I came upon this, I immediately switched into writing mode:

Jennifer writes, “Usually, what we call ‘the desire of my heart’ is really a secondary desire orbiting around the true desire. Usually, what we think we desire is really the way we have imagined the true desire will be met.”

She goes on to say, “We think we are asking for the desire of our hearts, but we are really asking for the desire of the moment. Often, in order to give you the desire of your heart, God will withhold the desire of the moment. He only says no as a prelude to a higher yes.”

Wow. I don’t know about you, but I see major truth in these words. 

Truth that points to an overarching human condition. 

For us. And most definitely our characters.

Getting to that truth involves a little digging. It involves going beyond what we find at the surface.

On the Sand: What does your character want?

Every protagonist needs a goal, something for which they are striving. What is your protagonist trying to accomplish throughout the story? 

Let’s say your character gets on her knees in the morning, clasps her hands together, and begs you–her creator–for something. What is she petitioning for? 

Often times, these petitions are the desires of the moment. The moment that becomes our story. These tend to be external things. Like…

Please, give me this promotion. Please, make this guy fall in love with me. Please, let me get this scholarship. 

The possibilities are endless.

Digging Deeper: Why does your character want this?

Here’s what we know – or should know – that our character doesn’t. 

This thing she is “praying” for? It’s not really the desire of her heart. It reflects a deeper desire. One she’s most likely unaware of.

So go deeper. 

Why does your character want this promotion? Why does your character want the guy to fall in love with her? Why does your character want a scholarship?

In the very depth of her soul, what does your character really want? What is she craving?

Find the Treasure: What is the desire of your character’s heart?

The promotion will mean she’s not a failure. She will finally make her husband proud. The promotion becomes a matter of acceptance. 

Getting the guy to love her will mean she’s desirable. It will mean she’s wanted. Getting the guy to love her becomes a matter of worth.

Getting the scholarship means paying her own way for college. She won’t have to answer to her parents anymore. Getting the scholarship becomes a matter of freedom.

Usually, these heart desires can be summed up in one or two words and they tend to be universal. Something most of us crave in one form or another.  

Now think….

How can we, as authors, withhold the desire of the moment? How can we tell our characters no? And while they keep striving, how can we make our characters see something deeper? Something beyond the temporary? And how can we meet this true desire in a way that is exceedingly better than what our character imagined?

Let’s Talk: I brought up three heart desires: Acceptance. Worth. Freedom. Can you think of others? In your current WIP, what is your character’s true desire? 
 

A few summers ago, I spent three months devouring every craft book known to man. You name it, I read it. I gobbled up the words of Donald Maass, James Scott Bell, and Dwight Swain like a malnourished turkey.

I have no doubt it made me a better writer.

I have no doubt that without those books and the ginormous learning curve that came with them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. 

I highly recommend craft books to writers. In fact, I recommend several on my writing page.

With that said, can there be too much of a good thing? 

I wrote my fourth novel shortly after my craft-book binge. When I finished, I was convinced it was the best of all my novels. 

It had the necessary landmarks: the disturbance, the point of no return, the black moment, the epiphany, the climax. I put tension on every page. I had a hero and heroine with clear goals. Every scene had conflict. Every scene ended in disaster. Every scene raised the stakes.

This story was structurally impeccable.

I loved it.

Until a couple months ago.

When I read it again. And as I read, my confidence curdled. 

It felt so formulaic. So predictable. So….not fresh. With each scene playing out like the one before it. 

Character has goal. Character goes after goal. Something challenges goal. Scene ends in disaster. Stakes escalate. Character comes up with new goal. Character goes after new goal. Something challenges new goal. Scene ends in disaster. Stakes escalate….

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Ad nauseum.

So what’s the point of this post?

It’s not to discourage writers from telling stories via scenes. Because that’s how stories should be told. It’s not to suggest that scenes shouldn’t have conflict, because they should. It’s not to say that stakes shouldn’t escalate, because they need to.

I’m simply saying that sometimes, we can get so caught up in doing everything by the book, that our stories turn sterile.

The longer I write, the more I realize that the must-have’s are simple:

A clear beginning and end.

Engaging characters.

Forward momentum.

Some sort of conflict.

And a theme that matters. 

The longer I write, the more I realize it’s okay to step outside the guidelines. It’s okay to experiment. It’s okay to take literary risks. Mastering craft and story structure just helps us do it more effectively. 

I think some of the best literary works, the stories that stick with me the longest, are those that step outside of the formula. The Help. Room. Little Bee. Peace Like a River. The Language of Flowers.

None of these are by the book. Yet all of them touched me deeply.

Let’s Talk: What are some of your all-time favorite books? What made them so memorable? Do you think its possible to overdose on craft books? Would you add a must-have to my list?  

Fellow blogger, Ruth Douthitt, interviews me on her blog today. She asks some fun questions, so come on over and say hi! 

How do we know when it’s time to ditch a story and when it’s time to rewrite it?

That is the question.

A very important one, I might add. Since it involves months and months of a precious little commodity called time.

After my year-long adventure in tearing apart and restructuring my current WIP, I am convinced that rewriting a novel takes much longer than writing one.

It’s like putting together a very intricate puzzle while pulling from a pile of two puzzle piece sets. And to make it extra complicated, some pieces are missing. So not only do you have to figure out what pieces don’t belong, you have to find the right ones to add.

Oh the insanity!

So how do we know when to put ourselves through that headache and when to simply ditch the story and start on something new?

I will be honest. A big part of my decision had to do with sheer stubbornness. And fear. I was afraid. Because if I didn’t finish this story, who’s to say I wouldn’t be more inclined to not finish others? I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. Despite the agony. Despite the challenge.

But let’s take out the stubborn/fear factor for just a second. Let’s imagine those aren’t the best reasons to stick with a project. 

How can we know when a story is worth finishing? 

When we try to move on, but we can’t seem to let go.

I tried to give up on this story. I really did. But the dang thing wouldn’t leave me alone. It turned into this nagging chant. Instead of “Feed me, Seymour” (hello Little Shop of Horrors), it was: Finish me….finish me….finish me! Despite being a giant pain in my rear, this story had a lot of emotional meat. Which is what I love to write. I couldn’t let it go.

When we tell people the premise and get a positive reaction.

There I was at the ACFW conference. About to toss this story aside. Feeling both liberated and conflicted. When I start talking about the novel to a group of writing friends. Their response was overwhelmingly positive. The interested kind of positive, too. Not the, “Oh, that’s nice. Can we move onto something different now?” Which confirmed what I knew in my gut. The story has potential.

So I decided to stick with it. And when I finished the major restructure, I felt victorious. Incredibly so. Because the endeavor felt like a never-ending upward climb.

Here’s the thing.

There is a very real chance this story will never be published. And this is my sixth novel. Not my first. 

But you know what?

That’s okay. Because the longer I travel this journey, the more I realize that unpublishable words are never wasted words and unpublishable stories are never wasted stories.

I learned a lot through this process. I grew a ton as a writer. 

It was great practice. And very timely. Because soon I’ll be diving into content edits for Wishing on Willows. And I’m pretty sure I’m in store for another major restructure. Only this time I can enter with a semblance of confidence. Knowing, at least, that I’ve done it before.

Let’s Talk: What makes you stick with a novel? What makes you move on? Are you the type that stubbornly refuses to give up on a story when you should let go? Or are you more the type to let go of a story when you should try finishing it? 

*Photo by RetailByRyan95

When it comes to publication, the love of storytelling must come first. If you are in this for the fame or the money or the glory or the status, then you’re in for a rude awakening.  

We write because something in us longs for it.  

Yet you don’t hear of many novelists who pen a story, stick it in a drawer, and get to work on penning another. Most of us desire publication. 

Why is that? Why do those of us who write books so often aspire to publish them?

I think the answer is simple.

That story we long to tell is the same story we long to share. And publication is an excellent means to that end.

So we sit in our chairs like good little writers and we write that first novel, delighting in the magic that is storytelling. But also spurred on by the hope that maybe, just maybe, it will be on somebody’s nightstand someday. 

I know that was my hope when I wrote my first novel. 

I came back from Kenya with a story bursting inside me. A story I couldn’t wait to write. It was magical, that first novel. I loved it. Absolutely, one hundred percent loved it. I’m telling you, I believed in that story. I thought it was good enough to share. Good enough to publish. And I think that was a good thing.

Because if I would have written that story thinking, “This is just a stepping stone”. Or if I would have written that story without the hope of one day sharing it, I think that might have sucked away some enthusiasm. I think I would have felt deflated before I ever got the chance to hit my stride.

So while I resonate with the majority of Jody Hedlund’s post, How to Drive Yourself Crazy as a Writer. While I wholeheartedly agree that a writer must take intrinsic joy in the process of writing. I don’t agree that writers should write their first novel with the belief that it won’t be ready for publication. 

It’s okay to dream. It’s okay to hope. It’s okay, even good, to imagine that maybe, just maybe, that first book could be the one.

It’s happened before.

But the key, the absolute key, is to keep writing. 

Maybe your first novel will be published. But don’t put all your eggs in that particular basket. Keep, keep writing. And by writing, I mean something new. While your first novel is getting critiqued, or read by beta readers, or professionally edited, or while it’s out on submission to agents, write a different story. The world is filled with them. Latch onto one you’re dying to tell and write it.

Not only will you grow and improve. But you’ll have another story. And the more stories you have, the less pressure you’ll pin on that first one. 

Maybe it’s still a masterpiece. In which case, bravo!

Or maybe it’s lost some of its shine. Because your second novel is a thousand times better. And your third one, even more so.

And you start to see what you couldn’t have, maybe even shouldn’t have, when you wrote your first. That while it might not be ready for anybody’s nightstand, it wasn’t a wasted effort. Because without it, you wouldn’t be the writer you are today.

Let’s Talk: How many novels have you written? How has your opinion of your first novel evolved over time?

If you’re a writer, then you’re going to face it. At some point, or more like at multiple points, you will battle doubt.

It comes at typical times.

Like when an agent rejects your work. Or your book doesn’t make it past pub board. Or you don’t final in a contest. Or you get a tough critique or a long revision letter. Or a bad review.

It also comes at not so typical times.

Like four and a half months from the release of your debut novel. And people are starting to say, “I can’t wait to read your book!”

You smile, of course. But inside, your stomach ties into knots. 

Because what if they don’t like it?

I’m discovering that no matter where we are on this writing journey, we’re never safe from doubt.

So what can we do when it comes? How can we fight it?

Know when to turn off your inner critic.

When we’re exposed to something over and over again, we become desensitized toward it. I’ve read Wildflowers from Winter so many times now, I’m convinced the story is completely devoid of emotion. My eyes are not fresh. I can’t see the story clearly. So the best thing I can do as I go through galleys is turn off my inner critic and search for typos. 

Revisit the good stuff.

Whenever my grandma reads my latest book, she writes me the most encouraging, heartfelt letters. I’ve kept every one. And when I’m having a particularly doubt-filled day, I get them out and read. Sure, she’s my grandma. She sees my work through love-tainted eyes. But so what? When we’re facing doubt, disregard bias. 

Check for growth.

When I start to think my debut is a pitiful excuse for a book, I open up my first novel. Works every time. Maybe Wildflowers from Winter isn’t as brilliant or life-changing as I want it to be, but it’s a heck of a lot better than my earlier attempts.  

This writing journey is called a journey for a reason.

As long as we’re growing, we should punch doubt in the nose and tell it to take a hike.  

Do what you can and let the rest go.

Worrying about things that are outside of our control – like how readers will respond or how reviewers will review – is an exercise in futility. All we can do is write the best story we can write and leave the rest up to God. I have roughly four months to practice. I’m hoping to see some marked improvement.

Let’s Talk: What do you do when doubt comes knocking?
 

Lately, my thoughts have wandered into the murky waters of sales.

The other day, my husband and I were talking (we do that sometimes). He’d just finished reading an ARC of my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, and was excited about the story. So he asked a question most writers ask before publication.

How can we get your book out there?

My brilliant answer?

Word of mouth.

I know. Revolutionary thinking.

But seriously. Word of mouth is huge when it comes to generating a buzz.

Because let’s say my friend Sherrinda reads the book in Texas and she really likes it, so she talks to her friends and family. And my friend Jill reads it in Michigan and she really likes it, so she talks to her friends and family. And my friend Jenny reads it in Georgia and she really likes it, so she talks to her friends and family. And…you get the picture. 

Then hubby asked another question. 

How often does the buzz lead to actual sales?

My brilliant answer?

I have no clue. Because really, it’s impossible to quantify or measure. But I do know that buzz is a good thing. In fact, I recently emailed Jody Hedlund about the subject and she said this:

The more people we can get “talking” about our books, the more interest we potentially generate. And it often takes multiple times of seeing/hearing about a book before someone will actually decide to make the purchase.

What prompts a person to talk about a book? I can only speak for myself.

I buzz about books based on two criteria:

• How much I like the story
• How much I like the author

There. That’s it. 

If I find a book that I absolutely love. I mean, stay-up-until-three-in-the-morning love. And on top of that, the author is someone I like. Well then, that is a magical combination. Give me that combination and I will buzz, buzz, buzz like a dutiful worker bee.

How we turn that buzz into actual sales is slightly more mysterious. Very much beyond our realm of control. So what’s a writer to do?

Focus on the things we can control.

• Write the absolute best story we can write
• Be likable (translation: be real and be nice)

There. That’s it. 

Maybe not the magic key so many of us wish existed. But a pretty good place to start.

Let’s Talk: What leads you to buy a book? Not just talk about it or recommend it. Not just review it or be an influencer. But what prompts you to make a purchase? 
 

A few weeks ago, my publishing house had a big sales conference. As a fun way to promote my book, we did an interview. With me as interviewee and my husband as interviewer.

The original version had a lot more questions and back and forth banter, but since I am incredibly long-winded and six minutes is entirely too long for a promo video, they narrowed it down to one question.

What are my hopes for my book?

I hope you enjoy!

And just for fun, here’s an after-the-scenes interview snippet of me and the hubs. He was such a good sport through all of this!

Let’s Talk: Tell me what you’re up to this weekend!