WRITING SURVEY

It’s been close to two weeks since I last posted, but at least I’m more or less caught up with Christmas. I still have things to finish up, but I thought I would take some time out and answer these questions about writing. My crit partner sent them about a week ago and I've been thinking about the answers ever since.

Thanks, Brenda, for sending them and stirring up some creative thoughts!

1. What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

Last Thing: Wrote an article for our December church newsletter. Sadly, that was a whole month ago. The next one is due in two days!

First Thing: I started a story when I was in nursing school that I had forgotten about until I ran across the old notebook I wrote it in. That was way back in the day before computers. Guess I didn’t even have a typewriter then because this is written in my almost illegible handwriting.

2. Write poetry?

Actually, I do sometimes. You can find two of them on my “Patti’s Writing Stuff” page. Years ago, I submitted a poem to some contest and was told that it would be published in a book called “A Nightfall of Diamonds”. I bought the book for $50.00 just to see my poem in print. Of course, I realized after the purchase that the only people who probably ever bought that book were those who had poetry printed in it!

3. Angsty poetry?

Not really.

4. Favorite genre of writing?

Historical and contemporary western. I am now editor to a magazine for youth, so I’m thinking of doing some writing for that age group. Don’t think I can get into the fantasy stuff, though. I’ve been reading some (James Patterson’s Max and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight), but can’t see my creative efforts running along those lines.

5. Most annoying character you've ever created?

John Lexington Andrews, a secondary character in my novel “Magic Moments in Time”, a story about a pack trip in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He’s affluent, opinionated, and looks down on everyone who crosses his path.

6. Best Plot you've ever created?

“Magic” is still my favorite. Here’s a real short synopsis of that story line.

A young woman from the east coast takes a pack trip into the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Suffering the heartache of a broken engagement and the tragic death of her parents, she seeks direction in her life in line with God’s will. A Colorado rancher agrees to guide for the trip to help out his brother. He is unexpectedly thrown together with his estranged son and also encounters a man from his past who holds a grudge against him. The young eastern girl and the rancher, while nurturing a growing attraction for each other, become entangled in western drama that puts them both in danger.

7. Coolest Plot twist you've ever created?

Hmmm, can’t think of a good answer for this one

8. How often do you get writer's block?

Too often. I can write a scene right down to the last letter in my head when I’m trying to fall asleep at night, but put me in front of the computer and the words get all jumbled in my brain. Think I need to sneak a tape recorder under my pillow!

9. Write fan fiction?

Definitely. Gunsmoke fan fiction to be exact. I’ve also thought it would be fun to do a Cold Case fan fic. Even did some research for the story I have in mind, but haven’t gotten to the point of getting the actual story on paper yet.

I wish I could write my own stories the way I write fanfic. It comes easy because I already know the characters so well. My internal editor takes a snooze and I don’t worry near as much about “all the rules” because I know only fans of the show will read it. All they care about is the story and they accept it with head-hopping, lousy grammar, and all the other writing “no-nos”!

10. Do you type or write by hand?

Type. My handwriting is terrible, so I have a difficult time reading it. I have deciphered some of my hen scratching from years past, but it takes me forever and I have to get back into the mindset of what I may have been thinking back then.

I don’t know if this modern technology is good or bad, but I find I’ve become terribly dependent on my computer. I usually don’t write unless I have it. Once in a great while, if an idea comes to mind, I’ll jot a note or two on paper, but nothing lengthy.

11. Do you save everything you write?

Unfortunately, yes. That’s why my bookshelves, desk drawers, and heaven knows what all else, are full of old notebooks, print outs of works in progress, and notes about what I intend to write some far off someday.

My computer has way too many files on it. I need to delete some of them, but I always have this fear that I’m going to wipe out some scene that I will desperately need someday. There is never enough time to actually go through and read all that I have saved so I can weed out the unnecessary stuff.

12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

Sometimes I come across something I wrote ages ago and have forgotten about. When I read it, it jogs my memory about what I had in mind at the time and I work on developing it.

13. What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

I would say I enjoy my fanfic stories the most.

14. What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written?

My Gunsmoke fanfic “Festus’ Secret”. I got a lot of positive feedback on that one.

15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

All of my stories have a touch of romance. I’d like to try my hand at the teen drama, especially since I work in a psychiatric residential child care facility. In my work setting, I’m surrounded by plenty of teen angst!

16. What's your favorite setting for your characters?

I like to use rural settings. Two of my current novels in progress take place in Southeastern Colorado and one in the San Juan mountains of Colorado. I’d like to write a story set in New York’s Adirondack North country someday.

17. How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Up until the holidays, I was submitting 5-6 pages to my crit group on a weekly basis, but we’ve decided to take a break until the new year. I will be responsible for our church newsletter in 2010 and am now editor of a magazine through Written World Communications called Starsongs. I’ll be doing an editorial piece for the magazine on a regular basis. I’ve also been approached about writing for the quarterly newsletter that my place of employment sends out every quarter. As an editor, I also plan to polish and submit some short pieces to markets in the hope of establishing some writing credits.

Okay, I guess I really didn’t answer the question accurately. As for what I’m working on right now, I’d say there are three I need to accomplish by the end of December. 1) newsletter article 2) a story for Written World Communications 3) I’d like to complete another couple of scenes in my novel before I lose sight of where the story is going.

18. Have you ever won an award for your writing?

I finaled in the Genesis contest for ACFW in 2006 (I think it was ’06), but didn’t win. Received an award for innovation for an article I wrote a few months ago for my place of employment.

19. What are your five favorite words?

I guess I like words that describe beauty or nature. Let’s see if I can think of a few: grandeur, vastness, glisten, meander, glinted

20. What character have you created that is most like yourself?

Probably Anne in “Magic”, who came from New York to take a pack trip in the Colorado Mountains. Her background is fictitious along with the events that make up the story plot, but some of the incidents related in the story are based on my experiences when I took the trip.

21. Where do you get ideas for your characters?

People I observe in my daily life experiences, people I have known in the past, characters in other books or Tv/movies with my own attributes added in.

22. Do you ever write based on your dreams?

I know a person has six dreams a night, even though most of us don’t remember them. I seldom remember mine, so no, I can’t say I have ever written a story based on a dream.

23. Do you favor happy endings?

Yes, but not unrealistically happy. I can’t stand to have everything turn out “right” against impossible odds.

24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

Yes, my internal editor hounds me constantly. I can’t hardly even send out an email without double checking it to be sure spelling, grammar, and sentence structure are correct.

25. Does music help you write?

Not really, but interestingly enough, I often write in front of the TV, usually reruns of episodes of my favorite shows. (For example, Gunsmoke is on right now! I’ve probably seen this particular episode a half dozen times at least.)

26. Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head.

Why did her thoughts keep returning to that man? She shut her eyes tight, trying to block out the image of Frank Pride’s smile, but his light brown gaze managed to slip even behind her closed lids.

She fell asleep wondering how he liked his eggs.
- From my work in progress “Desperate Dreams”

Thanks for reading my blog!

Why Do I Do This Every Year?

Here I am on the eve of the day that will mark two weeks left until Christmas, and where am I on the timeline? Still don’t have a single Christmas card mailed. Don’t have my packages that need to go clear across country in the mail yet. Don’t have all the gifts wrapped that need to go in those boxes and haven’t even received one of the gifts I need to send from the catalog store yet. The tree isn’t up yet and the decorations aren’t even in from the garage.

Why do I do this every year? That’s the same question my sister just wrote and asked me in an email. Christmas comes on the same day every single year. I know that as soon as we finish celebrating Christmas Day this year, I will have 365 whole days to get ready for its arrival next year. You’d think after 58 years, I would have learned my lesson.

Still, despite the last minute rush and all that I have to do in the next two weeks to get ready for the big day, I am not particularly stressed this year. I believe the reason is this. Despite all I still need to accomplish before the big day, there is so much more to this season than the “busyness”.

I enjoyed preparing a shoe box for the Operation Christmas Child project. I like to buy gifts for my family when I know what I’m looking for! I love to admire all the Christmas decorations and listen to the Christmas music on the radio. Most of all, though, I like to take a little time each day and think about Jesus and the miraculous events that occurred in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago.

If you’re anything like me, struggling to catch up with all the “busyness” in order to be ready for Christmas day, don’t let the hustle and bustle of the season overshadow its sacred meaning!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Tiffany Amber Stockton Blog Tour

Sorry to have been away for such a long time. It’s been over a week since I last posted. I know I promised I’d post more frequently, but I haven’t done very well lately.

Today, I have a special treat. It is my pleasure to introduce Tiffany Amber Stockton, a writer friend I have come to know through my membership in American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing consultant, and web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart, and their baby daughter in Colorado. They also have a vivacious Border Collie mix named Roxie. Amber has sold eight books to Barbour Publishing with more on the horizon. Other writing credits include five short stories for Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to Grit for the Oyster and 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage. Her goal in writing is to convey the message that God is always present, even during the most difficult circumstances. Read more about her at her web site: www.amberstockton.com


Avoiding Repetitive Tags

Hi! My name is Amber Stockton, and Pat has invited me here to speak on a topic which plagues her quite often. It’s also a common problem for many writers. What is it, you ask?

How to avoid using repetitive tags in your writing.

Now, to start, for those who aren’t familiar with this, a “tag” is associated with both dialogue and action. For either, it precedes, follows or comes in the middle of dialogue. The most common dialogue tag is “said” as in “he said” or “she said.” But there are many others such as exclaimed, shouted, cried, bellowed, hollered, etc.

It’s common for a lot of authors to use these tags to add punch to their dialogue, but it’s also considered an “easy” way out. Many best-selling authors have advised that you shouldn’t rely on tags to tell readers the emotion they should be feeling from the characters in any given scene. Instead, you should let your characters words and actions speak for themselves.

This is where action tags come in play.

An action tag is assigning an action to the character speaking. It can be as simple as describing a character’s facial expression to as complex as detailing everything a character is doing while he/she is speaking. You can even go so far as to delve into the internal thoughts of the character in between the dialogue. Not only does this add depth to the paragraph, but it also identifies the character and lets you skip the dialogue tags.

Now, since a picture is worth 1000 words, here is an example of a dialogue tag changed to an action tag with some added dialogue to show rather than tell the emotions of the characters.

BEFORE

“I suppose,” Raelene said in disgust, “you will now find some way to connect this analogy once more to God.”

“If you take your nose from air,” Gustaf seethed, “you will see your great blessings.”

AFTER

Raelene took the apple and rolled it back and forth in her palm. A lecture again. “I suppose you will now find some way to connect this analogy once more to God and tell me that He employs the world around me to show it’s possible to persevere and prosper despite hardship.”

He clenched his jaw. “If you take your nose from air and look at world where you live, you will see your great blessings.” He turned in a half circle with arms spread wide then stopped and faced her once again, his expression one of sorrow mixed with contempt. “But, you judge all people you meet. You put them on one side of scale. Your life in England is on other side. That is life you cannot have right now.”

As you can see, the second part is full of so much more than just dialogue and a tag. It holds emotions in both the words and the narrative, and you also have the added bonus of seeing what each character is doing as they speak.

So, the next time you’re tempted to simply put a tag at the end of dialogue, take a moment to re-read the paragraph or the line and see where you can replace the dialogue tag with an action tag, or where you can insert internal thoughts mixed with the dialogue.

Thank you for sharing your writing experience, Tiff.


BOOK INFO

Promises, Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 1 of Liberty's Promise (HP #784)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597899399/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/ISBNInquiry.asp?EAN=9781597899390
Release date: February 2008
ISBN-10: 1597899399
ISBN-13: 9781597899390

-- Raelene Strattford believes God has forsaken her, but her neighbor proves just the opposite while giving her a voice in a world where women have none. --

Has God forsaken Raelene? What kind of God would take a girl's family and leave her alone in a wild land where women have no voice? When Gustaf Hanssen promises Raelene's dying father that he will take care of her, he finds himself bound to her happiness, her success, and her well-being in ways he never imagined. To keep his word, must Gustaf really oversee all of Raelene's affairs, find her a husband, and maintain her farm, while she does nothing but scorn him? Can God reach through Raelene's pain and self-centeredness and give her the love that awaits, if only she will accept His will?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/ppexcerpt.html



Quills & Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 2 of Liberty's Promise (HP #803)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/160260049X/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/ISBNInquiry.asp?EAN=9781602600492
Release date: July 2008
ISBN-10: 160260049X
ISBN-13: 9781602600492

-- Separated from Madison when he leaves to fight the French and Indians, Elanna Hanssen must choose between her heart and her head, especially when Madison's integrity is questioned. --

Innocence paired with wisdom beyond her years--With these traits, Elanna Hanssen unwittingly captures the attentions of Major Madison Scott. Her honest desire to understand the war fascinates him, and he resolves to get to know this perspicacious young lady better. When he is called away to fight the French and the Indians, they begin a correspondence, cautiously baring their hearts to one another. Elanna has never known emotions like these before, but she is drawn to the integrity she sees in her major. When a writer for the first newspaper in the colony questions the major's credentials and activities, however, will she allow her heart or her head to rule? Can true love grow over such distance and around such obstacles?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/qpexcerpt.html



Deceptive Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 3 of Liberty's Promise (HP #823)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602601895/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?EAN=9781602601895
Release date: November 2008
ISBN-10: 1602601895
ISBN-13: 9781602601895

-- Living during the American Revolution and the formation of a new nation, Margret Scott gets involved with a spy and a life of deception that could endanger herself, her family and the man she loves. --

Is deception fair in wartime? Margret Scott finds she must deal with this question as she becomes attracted to the enigmatic Samuel Lowe. As the tensions grow between the colonists and the British soldiers and loyalists, Margret struggles to determine where Samuel's loyalties lie, despite his reassurances that they lie with the colonists. Samuel's duties have him working for both sides of this war, and he is often torn between what is right and what is wrong. He promises Margret she can trust him, and Margret promises him she does. But can promises born in deception be trusted? Can relationships built in uncertainty survive?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/dpexcerpt.html



Liberty's Promise
Amber's first 3 books repackaged into 1 volume
Romancing America collection
Barbour Publishing
Available for Pre-Order!
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602607990/eagledesigns-20
Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=607996
Release date: March 2010
ISBN-10: 1602607990
ISBN-13: 9781602607996

Publisher's description: Relive the birth of a new country as three women battle for determining to whom they can entrust their hearts. Raelene is all alone, but is there peace in following the wishes of her deceased father? Elanna is intelligent for her young age, but will her love for an older man turn into a passing fancy when his integrity is questioned? Margret's loyalties are torn when the colonists rebel, for how can a relationship with a British soldier built on deceptions survive? Will each woman find her place of freedom to embrace her faith and trust her heart to love?



Copper and Candles
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 1 of Michigan historical series (HP #843)
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=603405
At Amazon.com: http://http//www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602603405/eagledesigns-20
Release date: April 2009
ISBN-10: 1602603405
ISBN-13: 9781602603400

—A young lady of means discovers that keeping secrets, no matter how noble the intent, demands a price that she and a refinery worker, with all their resources, might not be able to pay.—

Society teas and garden parties, shopping, gossip—Life as a young lady of means may be fun, but Felicity wants to do more. Unfortunately, she finds that her position and wealth can sometimes hinder her efforts to help those around her in need. Thus, when a charity case falls ill and cannot work, Felicity determines to go to work as a commoner in Detroit's dangerous factory district. Relationships become complicated, however, and she soon finds herself falling in love with a worker from the copper refinery next door. She knows her family would never accept him as a suitor, but what's a girl to do? What she doesn't know is that Brandt has his own secrets and hides his identity just as carefully as she. Brandt and Felicity soon discover that deception—no matter how noble its intent—demands a price that even they, with all their resources, may not be able to pay. Can they survive the storm when truth is revealed?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/ccexcerpt.html



Hearts and Harvest
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 2 of Michigan historical series (HP #867)
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=605760
Release date: September 2009
ISBN-10: 1602605769
ISBN-13: 9781602605763

—A destitute young man fights society's mores to win the hand of his privileged sweetheart.—

William's is a true riches to rags story...Once members of Detroit's elite society, the Berringer family lost everything they had in the financial crash of 1893. From a life of influence and privilege, they now find themselves working a potato patch alongside immigrants and other destitute folk on borrowed land. William's resentment toward his current situation—and mostly toward God for allowing it—simmers barely beneath the surface. All it takes is one charitable visit to the fields from a lovely society darling to burst his façade of acceptance. Annabelle Lawson, convicted by her pastor's admonishing words, begins delivering food and water to the workers on her father's donated land. But as she learns the stories of the people who work there, she becomes increasingly drawn to their plight. Especially that of the inscrutable William Berringer. Can Annabelle and William overcome the stigma placed upon his family by a society that once embraced them? Will her parents remember their own meeting or forbid this budding romance altogether?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/hhexcerpt.html



Patterns and Progress
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 3 of Michigan historical series (HP# )
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=606876
Release date: December 2009
ISBN-10: 1602606870
ISBN-13: 9781602606876

—A farmer's daughter would rather turn back the hands of time than accept the fact that advancement in technology could be in God's plan.—

Shannon Delaney was right. Every time she might consider changing her stance on what other people called progress, something bad would happen and she would be proven right again. Take the day Jacob Berringer almost ran her over in that new Model-T, for instance. And he had the nerve to suggest she'd been daydreaming? Or the Titanic. A marvel of modern invention. Look where that got them. Or how about the new tractor her brother insisted they try out. What did he get from that? A broken arm. Why can't things just stay the way they are—the way they should be? Jacob's got his work cut out for him, proving to the stubborn but beautiful Shannon that just because he works for the Henry Ford Company, he isn't evil incarnate. But something about her tells him she's worth the effort, and when Jacob puts his mind to something, he doesn't turn back. But will either of them look to God for direction?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/pnpexcerpt.html

Sunday Surprise

This morning, for the first time in a while, my granddaughter came to church with me. Our nursery is for first grade and under, and since she is a second grader this year, it means she has to stay with me during the service. I wondered if she would show signs of boredom during the sermon. We do have “activity bags” for the kids that contain pads of paper, crayons, books, and the like.

Today, our pastor spoke about our country’s Christian heritage and our need for prayer during these troubled times. My granddaughter was giving all of her attention to a pad of paper and a pen. When she showed me what she had written, I had a response all prepared for her “grandma, I really want to go home now” message.

Instead, what I found on that pad of paper, written in the neatest printing she could muster, was, word for word, the Pledge of Allegiance. It showed me that even though she might not understand every word of our pastor’s sermon, she did grasp the concept of the general message and how special our country is.

Do we realize how much we influence our children with all of the things we do and say in our daily lives? Even when they don’t’ seem to be paying attention, their little ears are perked up and their inquisitive brains are working every minute. If we as parents and grandparents encourage those little ones to turn to God and pray for our nation, the United States will stand strong for decades to come.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Struggling Through Nano

I thought I had the next scene in my novel all worked out. All I needed to do was put the words on paper. However, when I sat there with my computer screen in front of me and my keyboard at my fingertips, something very strange happened. A whole new scene emerged.

When I wrote that scene in my head, I didn’t account for all the past experiences this young lady had been through. She was supposed to be thrilled to be reunited with the man she loves, but when she discovers something about him that is most disturbing, she does not manifest her charming, sweet self, forgive him, and go on. She responds with anger and disappointment.

That’s the great thing about Nano. Our characters react with normal human emotions and we don’t have to worry about getting the words down on paper in any organized fashion. The important thing is to get the action and the gut wrenching feelings on paper, then work with sentence structure and proper word choices later.

I have to admit I’m struggling with Nano. My word count isn’t near as high as it should be and my scenes seem to spin around in circles. I don’t know that I’ve made much progress with the story itself, although when it’s all said and done, I suppose I will be able to salvage something out of the effort.

However, I am learning a little bit about keeping that internal editor at bay. It is one of the most difficult lessons in writing, to move on even when something that is down on paper is not good. Okay, downright lousy. The secret is to move ever forward.

Sometimes I feel like Jack Torrance in The Shining, who sequestered himself for hours and hours to work on his novel and came up with pages and pages of the same line. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Well, I’ve done a little better than that.

I think.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Veterans Day

Today is a special holiday that should mean something to every American, the day we honor those who have served in the armed forces. I have been fortunate over the years in that “war”, per se, has never touched my life in a deeply personal way.

Yes, I watch the newscasts. My heart breaks every time I hear of another fallen soldier. I think about and pray for the families of those soldiers.

My dad served in the army during World War II and my husband served in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War. Still, their service took place long before I became a part of the lives of either of them.

My sister joined the Air Force after high school. She met her husband during her service, and both she and my brother-in-law went on to retire from the armed forces after 20 years. They faced the possibility of deployment during Desert Storm, but were never called. I never had to lie awake nights wondering if my loved ones would be killed in action any day.

Our son filled out his selective service forms when he turned 18, but he and his sister are successful in careers far removed from the military. So, as a parent, I have never had to face the gut-wrenching fear of knowing my child is living in a tent somewhere on the other side of the world surrounded by people who’s main goal is to kill him.

I have a niece and a good friend of my kids who are both in the military at present and have served or are serving in hostile areas of the world. My heart goes out to them and to their families as they wait for their loved ones to return home safely. I pray for strength that the members of our armed forces are guided by competent leaders who seek the wisdom of a powerful God to direct them in the decisions that need to be made against a vengeful enemy.

How many more Veterans’ Days will pass before our country and the world are free of war? Matthew 24:6 tells us that “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

I don’t know that the world will ever be free of war, but I do know that we as citizens of this great country have an obligation to thank our brave men and women who have fought and now fight for the freedoms we enjoy.

God bless America!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Nanomania

This is the month designated for writers as National Novel Writing Month, where those of us who like to work with words are challenged to create 50,000 of them in 30 days. Known as NaNoWriMo or Nano for short, it is expected that the flurry of sentences that appear on the page will somehow make sense and come together to form a novel.

This is my fourth year as a nano participant. In 2006, I reached 22,016 words and 117 pages. Nano ’07 yielded 22,432 words and 120 pages, but as I look over those documents now, I’m guessing my ’07 effort was merely a rewrite of my previous year’s attempt with a few extra pages added. I made a few feeble stabs at Nano 2008, but not enough to even stand a chance at achieving 50,000 words.

So, now we come to Nano 2009. This year is really fun! First off, in the past, I had a username and password, but never entered any word count into the web site. Didn’t know how to do it and didn’t take the time to learn. This year, I not only enter my daily word count, I have a group of writing buddies whose progress I follow. I’m encouraged when I pull ahead of some, challenged when I lag behind others.

Nano has been difficult for me since I have that touch of obsessive-compulsiveness when I write. The first sentence has to be perfect before I can move on to the second, which means I’ve written the first few chapters of my work in progress (WIP) at least six dozen times. It leads to boredom and frustration.

Nano doesn’t allow time for that. This year, I turned off my internal editor and find myself immersed in the total of joy of just typing ideas onto the computer screen. It isn’t important if all the beats and tags, all the sensory details, all the right verbs are in place at this point. The objective is to let the ideas tumble out, watch the word count rise, and worry about smoothing it out later.

I can’t leave my OCD traits totally behind, so I took the time to devise an excel spreadsheet that helps me keep track of my progress. How am I doing? I should have 11669 words be the end of today. This morning, when I got home from work, I passed the 7500 mark. That puts me about 4100 words down.

That’s all right. At least I write every day. The last half of my WIP that existed only as fragmented scenes in my head now takes form as something tangible on the page. I may not accomplish 50,000 words, but each one I do write is a word I didn’t have yesterday. That’s called progress.

In this season of swine flu and regular flu and colds, could it be that I have caught – Nanomania?

Thanks for reading my blog.

Not Here but Not There

Sorry it has again been a time since I last wrote. I did a few extra shifts a couple of weeks ago and caught a cold or some kind of crud that I can’t seem to shake. No fever or anything, just a very annoying cough, sneezing, and feeling so tired at times.

I even missed Halloween. Not that it made that much difference. We never get trick-or-treaters other than our granddaughter. Since we live outside the city limit, the kids get their fill of candy from the residents of the main streets in town. I came home from work that morning and went right to bed, didn’t wake up until our daughter and granddaughter were knocking on the door at 8:15. Usually I take a drive to town in early evening to see all the little ones on the streets in their costumes, but I totally missed out this year.

I have not attended our adult Sunday school class and church for two weeks in a row because of this crud. I don’t want to be spreading my germs to the rest of our congregation, so I’ve just stayed home. When I go to the grocery store or the post office, I wear a jacket so I can “cough into the elbow”, as they advise. I’m so paranoid about spreading germs around.

I don’t like sickness, but I don’t like this state of semi-health either. I’m too sick to go to church but not sick enough to stay home from work. I’m taking medications, but none of them are prescription. I’d like to see a doctor, but I don’t have enough symptoms to warrant an appointment when there are dozens of others who are “really sick”. So, I drink plenty of water, double my usual dose of Vitamin C, use rest as an excuse not to do the housework, eat canned fruit that contains way too much sugar and ice cream because it soothes my scratchy throat. Maybe next week I’ll be back to normal.

Well, I just finished having another coughing fit…opened my fortieth box of tissues…..washed my hands for the hundred and fiftieth time. Sure am glad it’s just a cold.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Review of The Case of the Mystified M.D. by A. K. Arenz

A walk in the park with a playful puppy that unearths a severed hand would send most people screaming away in horror. Not Glory Harper. The gutsy grandma is back and ready to rise to the challenge of another adventure.

Professor Zeke Wallace is missing, and Glory finds herself right in the middle of the search for a solution to the mystery. It doesn’t take long for her to discover that the God-bashing professor had more than his share of adoring female companions along with a host of other secrets.

When Glory loses her job, she gains an unlikely ally in her effort to piece together the puzzle surrounding the professor’s death. As she digs deeper into the clues that reveal the life of the unscrupulous professor, she puts her own life and that of her loved ones in danger. Always close by and keeping an eye out for the middle-aged sleuth’s safety is love interest Rick Spencer, her beautiful blue-eyed detective friend, who doesn’t always appreciate her involvement in the case.

The author shows us her characters with such realistic interaction that the reader can identify with then as people they encounter in their own communities. She captures the warmth of small town Tarryton as viewed through Glory’s eyes, yet bravely explores its imperfections as Glory delves into the motives behind those responsible for blackmail, arson, and murder.

Ms Arenz has again succeeded in bringing us a delightful tale of mystery and suspense mixed with a dash of humor and a generous helping of family loyalty.

Refer to my previous post of 8/13/08 for an interview with Ms Arenz and a review of her first book in the series, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Introducing a New Blog

Today, I would like to introduce you to a new blog that has recently entered the scene in cyberspace.

The author does not claim to be a writer, but he has a story to tell.

He doesn’t worry about sentence structure, but his words come straight from the heart.

He writes from one point of view – that of the person he knows best – himself.

He writes about the person he strives to know better – our awesome God.

His purpose is to pour out his own soul, but his posts will surely touch the souls of others.

He writes about the trials he has been through for almost a decade, and the hopes he holds for the decades to come.

He is someone I am blessed to know. He is my pastor.

Take a moment to check out his blog, My journey Home. I guarantee it will be worth your time.


Thanks for reading my blog!

Why Do We Love Those Hateful Characters?

I picked up a book the other day at the library that is a little different from my normal reading selections. The story takes place in London in the early 1900’s. The back cover intrigued me because the main character is a woman physician who chooses to set up her practice among the London poor.

One of the main characters, and the man who becomes the physicain's love interest, is a gangster who has a reputation for extorting businesses, stealing, corruption, and all manner of other evil deeds. Yet, during a scene when he and his cronies are lifting a shipment of guns to be smuggled, I found myself rooting for the villain. When the watchman approached, I held my breath with the mobster as he narrowly escaped discovery.

What techniques did the author use to elicit such sympathy for a villain character? He revealed bits and pieces of backstory. He drew a picture of the life this man lived as a child and the traumatic events that shattered his world and contributed to his current behaviors.

The author uses the perpetrator’s point of view, putting us inside his head and making his motives and his law-breaking activities almost justifiable. Even though we know his crimes are wrong and harmful to others, we forget that in our desire to see the character overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of him accomplishing his goal.

The character has weaknesses. He has hardened his heart against relationships, yet the reader sees cracks in that wall of emotionless when we see him become attracted to the female physician who saves his life.

The reader also glimpses the villain through the eyes of those who love him, who knew him before he became a hardened criminal. He is viewed as a person worth saving.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Close Call

We’ve had freezing rain here for the past couple of days. I love winter and snow, but this stuff is downright dangerous when it comes to driving.

Saturday morning, when my coworker arrived at work, I asked her about the road conditions. She and I live in the same town. Since she had to be to work at 7:00 AM, she drove in through a thick fog in addition to the constant freezing drizzle.

She told me she was concerned about me and we joined hands to say a prayer for my safe travel home. She asked for angels to surround my vehicle as well as any other drivers out there.

After about twenty minutes of scraping and defrosting, I headed for home. The fog had dissipated, but I hadn’t gotten far when I realized my windshield wiper was covered with ice, so every time the blade passed across the glass, it left a film of ice. I pulled off at the convenience store down the street and cleared it off.

As I make a left back out onto the highway, there is a bridge that passes over a railroad track, another highway, and the Arkansas River. I was headed up that overpass when I saw a pickup coming toward me out of control on the icy road. He was literally traveling sideways and came within inches of hitting my pickup. Even though the other vehicle took me completely by surprise, I remained calm and didn’t do anything stupid, like hit my brakes. He skidded past me, did another 360 on the way down the other side as I watched in my rearview mirror, finally straightened out, and went on his way.

I know those angels my coworker prayed for were out in full force. Not only did they prevent our vehicles from colliding, I’m sure one of them was sitting next to me, preventing me from hitting my brakes, which I’m sure would have spun me out of control as well. I never heard any reports of an accident, so I assume the other driver survived unscathed as well.

If I hadn’t had to stop at the convenience store to clean off the wiper blades, I probably would have been traveling faster than I was after making that left turn onto the highway. After working all night, my judgment may have prevented me from slowing down as much as I should on an icy bridge.

Isn’t it wonderful that God answers prayer?

Thanks for reading my blog!

Can You Jump My Stump?

It’s cool and rainy here on Patti’s porch today and my creative juices are flowing as slow as sap in a snow-covered tree. It’s one of those days when I feel like sitting around and reading email, my crit partners’ submissions, or a good book while keeping an eye on the baseball playoffs. (GO ROCKIES!)

I had a couple of post subjects in mind, but putting the words on paper in any kind of logical order just isn’t working, so I’m going to fall back on a piece I wrote and meant to post months and months ago. It’s strictly for fun and I hope anyone who drops by will enjoy puzzling it out.

So, join me on the porch, bundle up under your favorite coat or jacket, enjoy a cup of coffee (or tea) and try to jump my stump!

This paragraph is unusual. It has a distinct quirk about it that is not obvious. It will not jump out at you right away, so study it for as long as you wish to find what is atypical about it. A lot of thought has brought about this short writing illustration so that you may grasp what it is I am hoping to do with words. As you approach this conundrum, stay in control of your thoughts and maintain a calm ability to think it through. Do not allow frustration to sway you from your task! You know it says nothing, but must admit it is still intriguing, owing to its unknown trait. I am boasting about this stab at trying to stump you and will, in fact, award a gift to a smart scholar who can crack this cryptic oddity.

DO NOT LEAVE ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF MY POST WHERE OTHER CONTESTANTS CAN SEE! Please submit answer to pattishene@pattishene.com and supply an email contact addy to win by Oct 30th! Good luck!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Interview with author Darlene Franklin

Darlene, welcome to Patti’s Porch. It is a pure pleasure to have you here. You are in a position where many of us would like to be, that if a multi-published author. Give us a bird’s eye view of your latest releases.

Pat, I can’t quite believe I’m a multi-published author. When I went to the ACFW conference two years ago, I only had 1 book in print. Now I have six, with six more to come. God is good!

In addition to Beacon of Love, I’ve had two other books come out this year. A String of Murders is the second book in my cozy mystery series, Dressed for Death. My heroine lives in a small Oklahoma town and operates a vintage clothing store. In A String of Murders blackmail threats lead to murder. The book is available through Barbourbooks.com .

Lucy Ames, Sharpshooter is my contribution to the Wild West Christmas anthology, which I wrote with Kathleen Y’Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley and Vickie McDonough. Four sisters each have a different cowgirl skill. Lucy is, of course, good with a rifle, and becomes a star act in a Wild West show.

I just finished reading Beacon of Love and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your depiction of the hurricane that struck Capernaum Island brought back memories for me, since I grew up on the east coast. Have you ever witnessed a hurricane firsthand?

I believe a hurricane hit New England when I was a little girl, but I have no memories of it. People who’ve survived hurricanes shared generously of their memories, feelings, and experiences, to give my story its authenticity.

One of the characters in this book is forced to face his greatest fear. Tell us about the fears you faced when you were a beginning writer. How did you overcome them?

My biggest fear, I suppose, was, am I meant to write? And connected with that, am I any good?

Marlene Bagnull told me early on that I had something more important than skill: I had passion and a message to share. I decided that I didn’t have to know whether I should write for the rest of my life; all that mattered was if I was sure I should be writing this project at this time. And the answer was (and has continued to be) yes.

Sometimes people tell me I’m a gifted writer. I don’t know about that. I’m a writer who persisted for 15 years before I had a book published.

What do you like most about writing?

Having written? I love story telling. I love the creative process. I love looking at something I’ve polished and realizing “that’s good.”

What do you like least?

The struggle to stay focused and productive.

How big a part have critique groups played in your writing journey?

Oh, wow, I wouldn’t be anywhere without critique groups. I’m fortunate to have you as a critique partner now, Pat.

I learned how to write in the crucible of a face-to-face critique group. ACFW didn’t exist back then or so many of the tools available to writers now. We learned how to write by figuring what worked or didn’t work in each other’s stories. I missed the group fiercely when we disbanded after the founder died.

Now I’m a part of two online groups. One is specifically for (multi-)published authors and helps me with aspects of writer peculiar to our needs. Our 19th century group, Pat, helps me with historical aspects I may get wrong, as well as shaping our stories.

With critique partners, you invest in each other. You believe in each other, you support each other, you give each other the in-depth help we all need. Everyone needs a critique group.

What kind of music do you like? Do you listen to music while writing?

I don’t listen to music while I’m writing. I don’t listen to music much at all, which is strange, because I am a musician. I love Broadway musicals and those are the DVDs I tend to buy: Rent, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof.

Darlene, it has been a delight to have you here today. I wish you much success with your future writing endeavors.

Below is my review of Darlene’s book, Beacon of Love.

Judith Morrison’s heart stirs with strange emotions when Sam Hathaway returns to Capernaum Island. Feelings of insecurity plague her spirit in the face of her poor culinary skills. Her lack of talent in the kitchen can be remedied with adequate instruction and guidance, but her father, the lighthouse keeper, won’t tolerate his daughter’s association with a coward who fears the water.

Dr. Sam Hathaway returns to Capernaum Island in response to God’s call to provide medical
services to the residents of his home. Ghosts of the past haunt him as he faces memories of his father’s death at sea. Sam is attracted to Judith, but wonders if her heart already belongs to another man, one who meets her father’s approval.

A fierce hurricane threatens the island, but Judith’s dedicated father refuses to leave the lighthouse, and Judith will not leave him. Sam is forced to confront his deepest fear to protect the woman he loves, earning the respect of her father as well.

Franklin has crafted a warm love story in Beacon of Love, presenting characters who resonate with courage against their own weaknesses and the daunting forces of nature. Her portrayal of the hurricane that attacks Capernaum Island absorbs the reader with scene after scene of page-turning action.