Category: Katie Ganshert

Cares:
One of my friends found out on Sunday that her husband of seven years had been having an affair for two months. You can imagine what’s she’s going through at the moment. She has started an anonymous blog called Shards of a Broken Life where she’s journaling about her experience. She has decided to journal publicly because she’s asking for prayer. Prayer that God might restore her marriage and get her through this. This is a great opportunity to minister to a wonderful woman who is feeling very broken at the moment. If you have time, please consider stopping by her blog and offering prayers and encouragement.

Concerns:
The Doritos in my cupboard are stale. Tragic, right?

I’m slowly starting to wean my ten-month old son. Pumping three times a day while I’m at the conference in Denver doesn’t sound too time-efficient. I’m sad. How is he already ten-months old? Yesterday he was hiccuping inside my womb, today he’s learning to drink out of a sippy cup, and tomorrow he’ll be off to college.

Celebrations:
Brogan has turned this major corner when it comes to eating solid food. It was just like WHAM, I love everything now, Mom. Avocados, cottage cheese, fruits, veggies, you name it. We cut them all up and feed them to him while we eat dinner. He scarfs it all down like a champ. The only thing he doesn’t like is juice. He makes a ridiculously hilarious face when we try to sneak juice in his cup. Who doesn’t like juice, anyway?

I’m feeling more confident (and overly excited) for the conference, which I will leave for in a little less than three weeks!

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations on this cool, rainy Friday morning?removetweetmeme

Do you give your characters heroic qualities?

As a literary agent, Donald Maas says he reads too many proposals with protagonists who are Plain Janes or Average Joes. While the world is filled with such people, readers don’t want to read about them.

So how do we avoid this problem?

Donald Maas’ recommendation:
Think of one of your heroes. Why is this person your hero? What qualities make this person admirable? Boil it down to one defining quality. Find a way to give your character this heroic quality and make it apparent right from the get-go.

My Example:
One of my personal heroes is my pastor. The quality I admire in him is his passion for souls and his passion for truth. He doesn’t shy away from truth, no matter how difficult or unpopular it might be to preach. I admire that about him. So I spent a chunk of time the other day figuring out how I could embed this quality into my heroine. The exercise opened up a whole new avenue of plot possibilities that I never would have explored if I hadn’t gone through the exercise.

Important Note:
Some of you might be saying, “But my MC isn’t a hero.” That’s fine. He or she doesn’t have to be. A lot of average people possess heroic qualities. Your character should too.

Questions to Ponder: Who is your hero? Why is this person your hero?removetweetmeme

My Bookshelf:
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maas
Fire in Fiction by Donald Maas
Self-Editing for the Fiction Writer by Renni Browne and Dave King
Finding your Writer’s Voice by Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall
Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins
Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon
Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

My three favorites:
1. Goal, Motivation, and Conflict
2. Techniques for the Selling Writer
3. Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook

Get Ready for a New Series:
On Wednesday, I will kick off my new series based on Donald Maas’ Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. I will post on Mondays and Wednesdays. I’m hoping the exercises will prepare my brain for maximum absorption for Donald Maas’ early bird workshop in Denver on September 17th.

For nonwriters:
The series will have some fun nonwriting-related questions to ponder. You might learn a thing or two about yourself, which is always fun! Please don’t be shy about stopping by.

Questions to Ponder: For everybody – what does your bookshelf say about you? For writers – what craft book has helped you grow the most as a writer?removetweetmeme