When you are a writer you will need to treat it like another job. It shouldn’t be something that completely takes over your life because then it becomes an obsession. If you are a parent and a writer it is even more important to treat it like a job. Depending on the age of your children will help to determine the time that you work on your writing and how long you are able to work.
If you have small children who haven’t started school yet, then you will need to work around their schedule. This means that you will have to work while they take their nap or after they go to bed at night, which means you will have to work with your spouse to be able to have the time you need to write. If you feel you need to write while they are awake, then set up a small desk with crayons and paper for your child to be able to draw while you work. This will help keep them entertained and you will be able to get the idea out of your head.
If you have school-age children then you are able to work while they are at school. It might help to keep you aware of the time if you set up an alarm clock or reminder on your computer for thirty minutes before they come home. This will give you time to finish the train of thought you have and still be finished with your writing for when they get home. If your train of thought continues after they come home, it is all right to finish it, just don’t make a habit of it. They deserve some of your time also.
The best part about being both a parent and a writer is being able to pass the love of writing onto your children. My daughter has started writing books that she would like to publish. It is a way to bring out their creative imaginations. It also helps to talk to them about writing and your story ideas. This will help them to understand what you are doing and will help you to feel out the idea of your book with someone else.
It would also be helpful if you set up a specific place to work and when you leave that place you are leaving work. You will then be able to have things set up the way you like them and not have to worry about moving your papers and notes around and possibly losing them. Children will then be able to learn that your writing area is for your work and they will be more likely to leave it alone, especially the older children.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Book Review: Facing Your Giants
Background on the Author:
Max Lucado is the Senior Minister for the Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, Texas and has written several bestsellers and is considered America’s leading inspirational author.
Synopsis:
Facing Your Giants is a book that tells you the story of David and Goliath, which most of us have heard. It explains that all of these men were standing their afraid to fight the giants because they outnumbered them and were stronger. Goliath knew this and every day twice a day came out to the battlefield and would mock the other soldiers. Now David was young, he handled his father’s flock of sheep, he was also small compared to the soldiers but compared to the giants he was miniscule. But when he came to the encampment he was intimidated by the giants because he knew God was on his side and he challenged Goliath and won. But there are a couple of things to note that I hadn’t thought of before. He chose five stones, because besides Goliath there were four other giants that he was prepared to eliminate also, if he needed to. The book continues along this thread and explains how well David did in his life when he trusted and talked to God first, but when he didn’t and dealt with things on his own, he had problems. He was marked for an assassination attempt by the king, he lived in a cave and even dwelt in the land of giants for a while. The camp he created in the desert was ambushed while he went to battle and all of the women and children were taken. But he didn’t give up, he asked for God’s assistance and went after the women and children and were able to save them from slavery and death.
The book takes the trials and tribulations that David dealt with throughout his life and shows you how you can apply it to your life. For each scenario that David goes through, Mr. Lucado illustrates how you can use the information from David and get through your own personal giants. It doesn’t matter if your giants are small in comparison to others; they are still your giants and something you need to overcome. Mr. Lucado takes David’s life and applies it to your life and what you need to do to defeat your personal giants. Until we can overcome our giants it makes it difficult to become productive members of society and good Christians. It explains how you need to turn a deaf ear to discouragement and look at the new choices that are available to you.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book, even if you don’t feel like you are going through a rough time right now. At some point all of us go through difficult times and if you know what to do ahead of time then the rough time won’t be as rough. It is a well-written book that is easy to read and understand. You can follow the logic of the author and it is easy to understand how to apply it to your life. It also includes a study guide at the end of the book to help you continue your studies into the bible.
Max Lucado is the Senior Minister for the Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, Texas and has written several bestsellers and is considered America’s leading inspirational author.
Synopsis:
Facing Your Giants is a book that tells you the story of David and Goliath, which most of us have heard. It explains that all of these men were standing their afraid to fight the giants because they outnumbered them and were stronger. Goliath knew this and every day twice a day came out to the battlefield and would mock the other soldiers. Now David was young, he handled his father’s flock of sheep, he was also small compared to the soldiers but compared to the giants he was miniscule. But when he came to the encampment he was intimidated by the giants because he knew God was on his side and he challenged Goliath and won. But there are a couple of things to note that I hadn’t thought of before. He chose five stones, because besides Goliath there were four other giants that he was prepared to eliminate also, if he needed to. The book continues along this thread and explains how well David did in his life when he trusted and talked to God first, but when he didn’t and dealt with things on his own, he had problems. He was marked for an assassination attempt by the king, he lived in a cave and even dwelt in the land of giants for a while. The camp he created in the desert was ambushed while he went to battle and all of the women and children were taken. But he didn’t give up, he asked for God’s assistance and went after the women and children and were able to save them from slavery and death.
The book takes the trials and tribulations that David dealt with throughout his life and shows you how you can apply it to your life. For each scenario that David goes through, Mr. Lucado illustrates how you can use the information from David and get through your own personal giants. It doesn’t matter if your giants are small in comparison to others; they are still your giants and something you need to overcome. Mr. Lucado takes David’s life and applies it to your life and what you need to do to defeat your personal giants. Until we can overcome our giants it makes it difficult to become productive members of society and good Christians. It explains how you need to turn a deaf ear to discouragement and look at the new choices that are available to you.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book, even if you don’t feel like you are going through a rough time right now. At some point all of us go through difficult times and if you know what to do ahead of time then the rough time won’t be as rough. It is a well-written book that is easy to read and understand. You can follow the logic of the author and it is easy to understand how to apply it to your life. It also includes a study guide at the end of the book to help you continue your studies into the bible.
Monday, March 12, 2007
The sanctity of a writer's work area
My writing process started when I was a child and we lived in a three bedroom house. I tell you this because it will help you to understand the need to stay organized even at a young age comes from necessity. I grew up with my two older brothers, there are 8 of us total but the three of us were the last ones in the house. I learned early on that if I wanted something to stay private or to keep it in tack I needed to know where it was located and how to hide it from my brothers. So I endeavored to keep my room clean so I knew where my writing was, or my art supplies, as I loved to draw at that time. If my room was clean my brothers figured that there wasn’t anything to hide so they wouldn’t have to look for anything in my room. This mind set has continued on into today.
When I started writing my first book, I found that it helped me to stay organized and keep my work area neat. I created charts and a lineage that I hung on the wall so that I could keep the characters straight and not have to worry about confusing the story line. I bought a file chest to keep my story lines in to keep my desk clean, because I have found I work better with a clean desk.
As we recently moved, I now share my desk with my husband. To be able to maintain my workspace, I have created folders for each of my stories that I am working on and keep them in a separate file cabinet so that my husband doesn’t move my papers. I have found that if I am working on a story and he moves all my papers around, I am lost for half the day when I try to work on it again, but if I put it into a folder in the order I was working with then I don’t have a problem.
As writers we need to learn to adapt and I know that isn’t always easy. My husband doesn’t always understand that moving papers around on the desk can ruin a train of thought, but he does always know what it means when I get that faraway look in my eye. He knows I have gone into another world and he might not get to talk to me for the rest of the night. If a story is pushing you there is nothing you can do but let it come out. I figure my work area is actually in my head so I don’t have to worry about have it messed up and the parts I need to worry about I have learned to adapt with.
When I started writing my first book, I found that it helped me to stay organized and keep my work area neat. I created charts and a lineage that I hung on the wall so that I could keep the characters straight and not have to worry about confusing the story line. I bought a file chest to keep my story lines in to keep my desk clean, because I have found I work better with a clean desk.
As we recently moved, I now share my desk with my husband. To be able to maintain my workspace, I have created folders for each of my stories that I am working on and keep them in a separate file cabinet so that my husband doesn’t move my papers. I have found that if I am working on a story and he moves all my papers around, I am lost for half the day when I try to work on it again, but if I put it into a folder in the order I was working with then I don’t have a problem.
As writers we need to learn to adapt and I know that isn’t always easy. My husband doesn’t always understand that moving papers around on the desk can ruin a train of thought, but he does always know what it means when I get that faraway look in my eye. He knows I have gone into another world and he might not get to talk to me for the rest of the night. If a story is pushing you there is nothing you can do but let it come out. I figure my work area is actually in my head so I don’t have to worry about have it messed up and the parts I need to worry about I have learned to adapt with.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Writing Tips: Creating a Setting
To create a believable setting takes attention to detail and patience. You might not be able to create the perfect setting for your book right away. You might have to fine tune it over the entire period of writing your book.
It normally helps to write about a place you are familiar with whether it is where you live or an area you have visited. This way you already know some of the things about the area and if you need to research it won't be for the whole area. I have read books by top authors and when the book is situated in the town I live it, you just want to laugh at some of the things they believe about the area. I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years and many people wrote books with the setting in Vegas. Either they didn't visit the city and just wrote about what they thought about the town or if they did visit they never left the strip. One of the books I read talked about leaving the strip and traveling to this one area of the town and their directions that were listed in the book took them to a completely different area of town and had two roads cross that ran parallel. These are the kinds of things you need to look at when you are writing a book. If you don't know the area don't just assume things about it, or use information you received from TV and the movies. Normally it isn't completely accurate.
When you are creating a setting that doesn't exist then be mindful of what information you put into the setting in prior areas of the book. I have found if I write down what was in an area it helped me to remember when I had the characters walk through the area in a later chapter.
As with all writing creating a setting is all about the details. You need to make sure it is consistent throughout the book not just the part you are writing. When you are able to do this then you will be able to add details to the setting to make it come to life. Which will make it real for your readers and this is what you want to do to keep them coming back for your future books.
It normally helps to write about a place you are familiar with whether it is where you live or an area you have visited. This way you already know some of the things about the area and if you need to research it won't be for the whole area. I have read books by top authors and when the book is situated in the town I live it, you just want to laugh at some of the things they believe about the area. I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years and many people wrote books with the setting in Vegas. Either they didn't visit the city and just wrote about what they thought about the town or if they did visit they never left the strip. One of the books I read talked about leaving the strip and traveling to this one area of the town and their directions that were listed in the book took them to a completely different area of town and had two roads cross that ran parallel. These are the kinds of things you need to look at when you are writing a book. If you don't know the area don't just assume things about it, or use information you received from TV and the movies. Normally it isn't completely accurate.
When you are creating a setting that doesn't exist then be mindful of what information you put into the setting in prior areas of the book. I have found if I write down what was in an area it helped me to remember when I had the characters walk through the area in a later chapter.
As with all writing creating a setting is all about the details. You need to make sure it is consistent throughout the book not just the part you are writing. When you are able to do this then you will be able to add details to the setting to make it come to life. Which will make it real for your readers and this is what you want to do to keep them coming back for your future books.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Creating Worlds
Today we are going to discuss the different worlds you can create when you write fiction books. I think this is what I love most about fiction is because you can create anything you want, there isn't anything to hold you back because it is your world. If you want the sky to be pink, then the sky can be pink. If you want the main characters of the books to have 4 eyes instead of 2 that is your prerogative. You can even stay in modern day earth and make it seem like you are talking about some one's next door neighbor. This is the great part about fiction it is literally your world.
There are things you need to keep in mind when you are creating a new world. One of those things is consistency. You need to make sure that if you create your world to have 2 suns then in the next chapter you can't talk about their only sun exploding. A well written book is in the details. Any body can write, but it is up to us how good we write. If you just write a shallow book that doesn't have any details then it won't hold a reader's interest. Your book needs to be rich in content but the back side of that is that you have to make sure that it is consistent.
The next thing you need to keep in mind is that if you are writing a book about earth and you want to change some things then make sure that it is feasible. What I mean by this is if guns have become obsolete in your new world then don't have someone shooting someone else. Make it believable.
When you create a new world you can do anything you want, but the goal is to bring it to life for the reader. You want them to be able to smell the rain falling and the tulips blooming. You want them to be able to picture themselves sitting on the river bank watching the waterfall. With everything you do in writing you are painting a picture for the reader. A place that they can visit and feel like they are part of the world. If you can create this environment then you will be a successful author. Remember it is all in the details. Don't just write a book, paint a picture to go along with it.
Explore your new world and find something new and exciting
Thanks
Patti
There are things you need to keep in mind when you are creating a new world. One of those things is consistency. You need to make sure that if you create your world to have 2 suns then in the next chapter you can't talk about their only sun exploding. A well written book is in the details. Any body can write, but it is up to us how good we write. If you just write a shallow book that doesn't have any details then it won't hold a reader's interest. Your book needs to be rich in content but the back side of that is that you have to make sure that it is consistent.
The next thing you need to keep in mind is that if you are writing a book about earth and you want to change some things then make sure that it is feasible. What I mean by this is if guns have become obsolete in your new world then don't have someone shooting someone else. Make it believable.
When you create a new world you can do anything you want, but the goal is to bring it to life for the reader. You want them to be able to smell the rain falling and the tulips blooming. You want them to be able to picture themselves sitting on the river bank watching the waterfall. With everything you do in writing you are painting a picture for the reader. A place that they can visit and feel like they are part of the world. If you can create this environment then you will be a successful author. Remember it is all in the details. Don't just write a book, paint a picture to go along with it.
Explore your new world and find something new and exciting
Thanks
Patti
Monday, February 26, 2007
Keegan of Vnoi
I am going to introduce you to someone new today. He is from my new book that I am writing. His name is Keegan and he is a designer of different products. So let me give you a little background on him and then I will tell you a little bit about what he likes to do. He has three sisters, they are triplets. They keep him busy, it seems they are always into something. Their newest scheme is opening a retail store, but I will go into that in a future article. Keegan is over 6 foot tall, his mahogany-colored hair brushes his shoulders because he always forgets to get it cut, he wears a leather jacket most of the time that falls to his knees and his favorite mode of transportation is his custom bike he created that runs off the electromagnetic lines through the island he lives on.
Keegan's favorite thing to design is custom built bikes. He will take one or two orders a year to create his bikes, but will work with the customer to design the bike to his or her needs. When he isn't working on his bikes, he works with Bryce occasionally. Bryce owns the local shipbuilding company and has dated his sister, Delwyn off and on for years. Keegan also helps out his parents and sisters in anything they need. He is big on family, the way he figures it, is that family is what is important the rest is just noise.
Keegan has been looking after another person for years, he blames himself for her blindness. Her name is Gwyn. When they were playing as children by the river, Gwyn slipped on the wet rocks when they were crossing the river. When she fell, she hit her head and blacked out. When Gwyn awoke she was blind, because Keegan was with her at the time and had dared her to try and cross the river on the rocks, he blames himself. Gwyn won't accept his pity and has told him numerable times to grow up. She doesn't want his pity and she thinks that is the only thing he thinks of when he looks at her. But Keegan is persistent and I am sure one day he will get his true feelings across to her, but then again maybe not...we will have to wait to see.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Keegan and when his books comes out I will let everyone know. In the meantime, enjoy your writing because there is nothing like creating a whole other world and bringing it to life.
Thanks
Patti
Keegan's favorite thing to design is custom built bikes. He will take one or two orders a year to create his bikes, but will work with the customer to design the bike to his or her needs. When he isn't working on his bikes, he works with Bryce occasionally. Bryce owns the local shipbuilding company and has dated his sister, Delwyn off and on for years. Keegan also helps out his parents and sisters in anything they need. He is big on family, the way he figures it, is that family is what is important the rest is just noise.
Keegan has been looking after another person for years, he blames himself for her blindness. Her name is Gwyn. When they were playing as children by the river, Gwyn slipped on the wet rocks when they were crossing the river. When she fell, she hit her head and blacked out. When Gwyn awoke she was blind, because Keegan was with her at the time and had dared her to try and cross the river on the rocks, he blames himself. Gwyn won't accept his pity and has told him numerable times to grow up. She doesn't want his pity and she thinks that is the only thing he thinks of when he looks at her. But Keegan is persistent and I am sure one day he will get his true feelings across to her, but then again maybe not...we will have to wait to see.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Keegan and when his books comes out I will let everyone know. In the meantime, enjoy your writing because there is nothing like creating a whole other world and bringing it to life.
Thanks
Patti
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Writing Tips - Proofreading
You have worked on your article, poem, novel for a long time. You have put your heart and soul into it and now comes the hardest part of any writer's life...Proofreading. Most authors can write, but because the thoughts in there head come quicker than their fingers can type it makes it difficult to not make mistakes. When you go back and read it, it sounds great to you because you know what it is supposed to say and your brain skips over the mistakes.
This is why it is important to get an impartial person to read through your document. If might be a good idea to have the person sign a non-disclosure document before they start proofreading for you, this will be beneficial to both of you and if the personal is ethical then they normally won't have a problem signing such a document. Normally a proofreading will read through the entire document, if they notice mistakes they will flag them for later, but by reading through the document first they understand where you are trying to go and are better able to make sure it flows correctly. On the second go through the proofreader will normally read it through slowly to catch mistakes with flow and spelling. Then on the final pass they will go through the document word for word looking for spelling and punctuation. This time they won't be reading the document so much as scrutinizing it closely. By proofreading going through this process they are better able to check the mistakes that are made and to understand what you have left out or misspelled.
I know with my co-author, I will proofread the things she does and there will be times that we both are stumped on a word or phrase. We normally end up going back through it again to try and understand what has been said. We have found it beneficial to read through it ourselves first before we give it to a proofreader. If you can find even ten of the mistakes in the document then that is ten mistakes your proofreader doesn't have to stumble across. Now remember there will be things your proofreader will miss, they aren't perfect, but they will get the majority of them.
We have actually been very lucky in our proofreaders, several people have offered us their services free of charge. They were official proofreaders but they were editors for magazines and English school teachers. This has been very helpful to us and we greatly appreciate everything they have done for us.
http://www.helium.com/tm/176322/worked-article-novel-heart
This is why it is important to get an impartial person to read through your document. If might be a good idea to have the person sign a non-disclosure document before they start proofreading for you, this will be beneficial to both of you and if the personal is ethical then they normally won't have a problem signing such a document. Normally a proofreading will read through the entire document, if they notice mistakes they will flag them for later, but by reading through the document first they understand where you are trying to go and are better able to make sure it flows correctly. On the second go through the proofreader will normally read it through slowly to catch mistakes with flow and spelling. Then on the final pass they will go through the document word for word looking for spelling and punctuation. This time they won't be reading the document so much as scrutinizing it closely. By proofreading going through this process they are better able to check the mistakes that are made and to understand what you have left out or misspelled.
I know with my co-author, I will proofread the things she does and there will be times that we both are stumped on a word or phrase. We normally end up going back through it again to try and understand what has been said. We have found it beneficial to read through it ourselves first before we give it to a proofreader. If you can find even ten of the mistakes in the document then that is ten mistakes your proofreader doesn't have to stumble across. Now remember there will be things your proofreader will miss, they aren't perfect, but they will get the majority of them.
We have actually been very lucky in our proofreaders, several people have offered us their services free of charge. They were official proofreaders but they were editors for magazines and English school teachers. This has been very helpful to us and we greatly appreciate everything they have done for us.
http://www.helium.com/tm/176322/worked-article-novel-heart
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