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Best Valentine’s Day Ever

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m a romance writer, which means I would be remiss if I ignored Valentine’s Day.

Right?

I have to be completely, straight-up honest. Hubby and I don’t really get into Valentine’s Day. We don’t do cards or chocolate or cute little teddy bears. It’s not because we’re not romantic people. It’s more because we’re not holiday people.

Before anyone gasps in shock and horror, let me assure you.

We enjoy holidays. We really do. 

I’m  just saying, there are two types of people in this world.

There are those who go balls to the wall with decorations and festive hats and holiday traditions. Like my aunt Marlene, who has earrings and sweaters and funny head apparel for every holiday known to man. Reindeer antlers and glittery Fourth of July top hats and fuzzy black cat ears. 

Then there are those like me and the hubs. Sometimes we watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. We hardly ever stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve. We don’t hand out candy on Halloween because we’re too lazy to keep going to the door every other minute. And we don’t exchange cards on Valentine’s Day.

I will admit though. Our son had a Valentine’s Day party at preschool and everyone exchanged cards. It was incredibly cute watching Brogan choose the Valentine’s he wanted to give his little friends. He picked dinosaurs. When I got them out, he kept trying to play Memory with them.  

But I digress.

The point of this post is to talk about Valentine’s Day. 

And although I just admitted I don’t get into the holiday that much, I do have one Valentine’s Day in particular that I will always, always remember.

Four years ago. New York City.

Hubby and I decided to go for a long weekend.

On the last night, I had a dream that I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I woke up in our hotel, The Wellington (sounds fancy, doesn’t it?), and was super bummed. I wanted to be pregnant.  So I decided to take a pregnancy test.

And guess what? It was positive!

Four years ago, I found out I was pregnant on Valentine’s Day in New York City with my husband. For the rest of the trip, we joked that if we had a boy, we should name him Wellington. We could call him Wells for short. It didn’t stick.  

By far, my favorite Valentine’s Day ever.

Let’s Talk: What do you think about Valentine’s Day? Tell me about your favorite Valentine’s Day memory. 

*photo by tashalynn0708

The Gift or the Giver?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

So often, I catch myself setting my heart on an outcome rather than God.

So often, I catch myself praying for gifts when the Giver wants to give me Himself.

Here’s the thing. 

We can pray for a thousand outcomes. God can give us every single one. And somehow, we can still end up miserable. Unsatisfied.

Which is why I want my prayers to change more and more.

From…

Lord, can you give me this? 

To…

Lord, can you give me You?

If insane success will draw me closer, then that is what I want.

If failing will draw me closer, then that is what I want.

If waiting will draw me closer, then that is what I want.

If finding myself in a place of mediocrity will draw me closer, then that is what I want.

I won’t lie. These are scary prayers. Because of course I want to be successful. Nobody sets out to fail. 

But I’m learning that when we set our hearts on God, we always win. No matter the outcome. 

Because He is the source of all joy and all peace and all hope and all comfort and all strength.

My heart’s cry is that I would learn more and more to go to that source. To ask for the Giver. No matter the gift.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:26

Let’s Talk: Are you placing your hope in an outcome or are you placing your hope in God? Whoa! How’s that for a convicting question? At least it convicts me. Please tell me I’m not the only one it convicts!

*photo by weddingmusings
 

The Heart of the Matter: Figuring out Your Character’s True Desire

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

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?