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3 C’s – It’s Monday?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I know, I know. It’s Monday. So what gives? I didn’t do 3 C’s on Friday and since I’m taking a hiatus, I wanted to break with the 3 C’s.

Cares:
I woke up the other day and thought, “I should take a break.” I know all the blogging rules. They say to post regularly and all that. But the rules will just have to fall by the wayside. Not sure how long the break is going to be. I just know the rest of this month is BUSY! Report Cards. Parent Teacher conferences. Winter Jam. Not to mention revisions. So I won’t be blogging for awhile. Unless, of course, anything fun happens with my manuscript (gotta stay positive, right?).

Last night I finished reading Thin Places, by Mary DeMuth. These past few weeks, I’ve had such a run-in with amazing literature (an excellent problem to have). Well, boys and girls, this one takes the cake. Hands down, my favorite. I can’t even describe the beauty, the rawness, the honesty of this book. A month or so ago, I wrote a post about life-changing fiction. Thin Places may not be fiction, but it is most assuredly life-changing. Thank you, Mary. May God bless your heart for writing so boldly for Him.

Concerns:
Parent Teacher conferences coming up. I won’t get home until 9:00 p.m. two of the nights, which means I don’t get to see Brogan ALL day. It really is not fun. And it’s tiring. Probably my least favorite part of being a teacher.

Brogan is not himself. Teething? Bad cold? I have no idea. He’s coughing. And his nose is a complete faucet. He’s clingy and whiny and he can’t tell me what’s hurting. No fun. For me or for him.

Celebrations:
It’s President’s Day, so I have the day off work!

I visited two of my girlfriends up in Madison this past weekend. Had a blast. Ate a lot of food (and I mean A LOT!) We did our Christmas book exchange (yes, I know, we were a little late this year). I bought one of my friends Thin Places. I really can’t wait for her to read it.

People are getting book contracts! (Not me….not yet, anyway) But even though it’s not me, there’s something so inspiring, so uplifting, about people’s dreams coming true.

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations today?

See you when I see you. Hopefully, when that time comes, I’ll be finished with revisions and ready to start book 5!removetweetmeme

Entrenched in Place

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m no Jewish queen. And I have no people to save from the hand of death. But I still resonate with the words Mordecai spoke to Esther all those years ago, when God entrusted her with a great and terrifying task.

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place….And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
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For such a time as this.
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Those words hold such power. Such meaning. They bring such a sense of purpose to my helter-skelter existence. Sure, the Bible wasn’t written to me, but it was written for me. For all of us. And so were the words of Mordecai.
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As a writer, I plunk my characters into a specific setting. Into a specific time and place. I don’t choose randomly. I consider my character – her strengths, her weaknesses, the gifts I’ve given her. I consider what I want to accomplish through my character. Then I choose accordingly. I choose the perfect time, the perfect place, the perfect circumstances and set my character down. My choices are far from random. Far from accidental. They are very strategic.
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And I’m just a writer.
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Now imagine God, the Author of our souls, who penned the universe and all who inhabit it. God knows us better than any writer could know his characters. He’s fashioned us. He’s considered our uniqueness. Considered what He wants to accomplish through us. And He chooses accordingly. Strategically.
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I’m not living in the 21st century, in Eastern Iowa, going to a particular church, living with a particular man, raising a particular son, teaching a particular group of students, and writing particular stories….all by random chance. God knows. He’s placed me here. In this setting. On purpose.
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And I hear Mordecai whisper those words. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverence will arise from another….” I can say yes and experience the wonder of being used by an almighty God, or I can say no and miss out. The wonder can fall to another.
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Sometimes I say no. Not intentionally. Not rebelliously. But I say no. I turn a deaf ear to God and let the megaphone of discontentment blare in my ears. Why can’t we have enough money so I can stay home? So-and-so gets to stay home with her kids. Man, my life would be so much easier if I could just stay home. Or, why can’t I be published already? So-and-so is published. I bet life would be easier if I were published.
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Satan speaks to our discontentment. He fires the flame into something greater. Something insidious. Until we forget God has us exactly where He has us for a reason. For a purpose. For such a time as this.
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Questions to Ponder: What setting are you living in? Where does God have you? What might His purpose be for having you there?

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Setting: Enemy or Ally?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Develop the setting into a character. I’ve read that a million times and thought, okay, great idea. But other than using the 5 senses, how in the heck do I do it?

Thanks to Nancy Rue, I’m confused no longer. Nancy Rue brought clarity. Nancy Rue jumped inside my head, flicked on the switch, and illuminated everything in bright yellow. She’s one of the many contributing authors to A Novel Idea and wrote a short, completely insightful article entitled Protagonist, Antagonist…Setagonist.

Here’s what she had to say:
When we sit to pen a novel, we should think about our setting and ask ourself: Does the setting act as the protagonist’s ally, or as the protagonist’s enemy?

Brilliant question!

I got to thinking about my setting in the current series I’m writing. Peaks, Iowa, a small, fictitious farming town set in the Midwest. For my first novel, Beneath a Velvet Sky, Peaks is most definitely an antagonist to my protagonist, Bethany Quinn. Bethany sees Peaks (at least at first) as her enemy. How much better to write about the setting from a major sense of conflict, as an antagonist of sorts, than a ho-hum, every-day small town.

In my second novel, Wishing on Willows, Peaks is most definitely an ally to my protagonist, Robin Price. Robin adores Peaks. Adores the atmosphere, the people, the small-town beauty. The setting is like a beloved sister brimming with memories and a nostalgic past she doesn’t want to release. In her mind, somebody’s out to destroy the town (or at least change it). I need to write about the setting from that deep emotional place. As if it truly was one of her best friends.

Questions to Ponder: So, what about you? Is your setting an enemy or an ally? Pick one. Because it most assuredly should not be neutral. Neutral settings equate to limp, lifeless settings. And who wants to write about that?

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