Darlene Franklin: Take It Out of the Drawer

Bible Portion: Matthew 25:1-46


The servant given one thousand said, “Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.” - Matthew 25:24-25

Today’s portion includes parables about the coming kingdom, including the story about the talents (called “dollars” in The Message, a sum of money). It reads a bit like choose your own adventure. How much will you receive as seed money? How will you spend it?

Two of the recipients took the money and doubled it. Fear of failure kept the third from doing anything. He hid the money until his master returned.

His reasons resonate with me as a writer. Publishers expect manuscripts that are free of grammatical and spelling errors. They demand a high quality of writing, that they believe readers will buy, and that the authors will help market. Even established authors receive rejection letters.

As readers, how many of us have read books that make us wince with the mistakes? Many bestsellers make me question what readers want. Where is the “quality” I strive for?

They worked because their authors took a risk in spite of their imperfections. They wrote books that touched the world with the good news of the kingdom. They are living proof that the most successful writers aren’t necessarily the best writers; they are the ones who took risks and persisted.

Unlike the third servant, who left her manuscript in a computer file. As one of my best friends said, “God didn’t give you that story to leave it in the drawer.”

Does God expect our best? Perhaps, but even our best won’t be error free. Obedience counts more than nitpicking. Faith trumps works every time, but the work of showing our service to others is an act of faith.

In this parable, God wants us to use our gifts. “If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?”

The book club I worked with for the past ten years recently closed its doors. I am faced with, what next? Is now the time God wants me to stop writing?

No. God still wants me to use the gifts He has given in. He will see to the increase.

Whatever your gift(s) is, put it to use. God will multiply it.

About Darlene Franklin:

Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. She lives in Oklahoma, near her son and his family, and continues her interests in playing the piano and singing, books, good fellowship, and reality TV in addition to writing. She has written over thirty books and has written more than 250 devotionals. Her historical fiction ranges from the Revolutionary War to World War II, from Texas to Vermont. You can find Darlene online elsewhere at https://www.facebook.com/Poet.Darlene.Franklin.


The devotion above is taken from A Reader's Journey through Matthew,

A Reader's Journey through Matthew is written by and for avid readers and writers of literature. This seven-week devotional is perfect for a Lenten study or any time of year.

It is available FREE through Wednesday, Feb. 17th.

Delia Latham: Embarrassing Mistakes Writers Make

dollarphotoclub.com

Are you embarrassing yourself in the publishing industry?

No? Hey, that’s awesome!

Hopefully you can look back on this article three, five, or even ten years from now and give the same answer. Chances are, though, you’ll peer back through time and get a bad case of the “boy-was-my-face-red” heebie-jeebies…based on something you’ve done in the past, are doing now, or will do in the future to undermine your credibility in the publishing industry.

None of us do those things on purpose. If we knew we were creating future humiliation for ourselves, we would do whatever it takes to avoid that horrible moment in time.

So let’s think about it now and hopefully avoid a red-faced future—especially when it comes to things we send into an editor’s hands, like query letters, synopses and proposals.

What kinds of things might we be doing that we will regret later?

1.      Not using the spellchecker. Yes, it’s easy to forget. No, it isn’t optional. Use it, even if you have to tie a string around your finger or paint the F7 key bright red (like your face will be if you misspell synopsis).

     And don’t stop there. Spellcheck doesn’t catch everything. Take time to not only spellcheck, but run a search (electronically and/or manually) for often overlooked errors. For instance:

Homophones. Words like their, they’re and there; here and hear; to, too and two. Are you using them in the wrong places?

Apostrophes and their various uses. Know them before you use them. Editors know the difference between it’s and its. You should too. Also, it’s tempting to add an apostrophe with an ending “s” in a surname, but the Dawson family as a group are the Dawsons, not the Dawson’s—unless you’re referring to the Dawsons’ dog/house/yard, etc. That apostrophe turns the name into a possessive.

There are other grammar and punctuation faux pas, but you get the picture. Double-check the details.

The ever-changing rules. Back when I learned to type, everyone used two spaces between sentences. But somewhere along the line, the rules changed. Now we use just one. If you use two, you’re causing your editor extra work, and exposing yourself as an amateur. Know the rules, and abide by them. Passing it off with a lame excuse like, “I’ve done it this way too long, and I just cannot break the habit,” doesn’t get it, my friend. Just break the habit. Yes, you can.

Rules change all the time. It’s important to keep abreast of the industry and informed of the current dos and don’ts.

2.      Unprofessional communication. If you’re going to work in a professional field, be a professional. That includes everything from the way you answer your phone to the way you dress to your e-mail address.

If you have your own domain name, make it something specific to you or the work you do—and be careful of those double entendres. The old KISS rule still applies: Keep It Simple, Sally. (OK, so I paraphrased a bit. I hate the word “stupid,” even when it seems accurate.) If you can use your author name as a domain name, do it. If it’s already taken, use a variation, or add something applicable.

For instance, mine is delialatham.net, since delialatham.com fell prey to a sniper several years ago. If I had been insistent on using a dot.com, I could have come up with other choices: dlatham, dylatham, dlathambooks, etc. I chose to settle for a dot.net so I could use my first and last name, just as it shows up on the covers of my books. What I chose not to do is come up with something oh-so-cutesy, like: deliadoesitwrite.com, dylpickle.com, deliasalwayswrite.com.

The same applies to your e-mail address. If you have a domain name, you probably have a mail option. If so, use it, and keep it professional. Mine is delia@delialatham.net. I also have a Gmail address: dlathambooks@gmail.com. Neither of those email addresses could be misinterpreted as anything offensive or tasteless.

Lose the pet names, nicknames and sexually suggestive monikers. Your editor will appreciate it.

While you’re choosing a mail program, think about how it sounds. One of my former bosses, just learning to get around a computer, asked me to set up an e-mail address for him. He wanted a free mail program, but completely balked at using Hotmail. “Too suggestive,” he said. “Doesn’t sound professional.” That could be considered one man’s opinion, or…? Dare you risk it? 

Play it safe. Do not send an editor a contact e-mail that sounds like an ad for a 900 phone line. She might hesitate to reply to an e-mail addy like: sweetlilthang@...; luvnkitty@...; yourbabybetty@...; puckerupper@... I know you hear what I’m sayin’. :)

If you really want to be respected in the publishing industry—or any other professional field—behave in a professional manner. And that includes not only how you present yourself physically, but also any kind of communication with publishers, editors, agents or readers.

Dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Mind your p’s and q’s. Learn the rules.

And use that handy little spellchecker tool.

(c) July 2014

Disclaimer: If any of the sample e-mail addresses used in this article are real, I don’t know of them, and certainly did not “choose” them off a list. All were plucked out of my head, and I’m happy to leave them there…out of my head. If I inadvertently used your existing e-mail handle, I apologize...if you're not a professional. If you are, you really should consider changing that cyber-name - at least for professional purposes. What you use for your friends and family can be whatever you'd like...I guess. :)


Tweetables:

Are you showing your unprofessional side to an editor or agent? Find out how easily it happens on Write Right! with @DeliaLatham.

Is your email address appropriately professional...or have you neglected to mind your p's and q's? On Write Right! with @DeliaLatham.

LoRee Peery: Write with Emotional Abandon

LoRee Peery

As an author I want to continue loving what I write. That involves constantly learning to show my characters on a deeper level. As I get into the heads of my hero and heroine to weave their story, I need to present an internal war regarding their emotional and spiritual struggles. Without getting close to how the characters feel, there is no story.

Inner conflict fights the power of attraction. People have feelings. That’s how we relate to one another. Our heavenly Father reaches us by touching our hearts and our minds. God created us as emotional beings.

Angst comes from backstory, how and where and what environment grew this person. Characters are people. When I’m involved in a project I sometimes look at life from my character’s viewpoint (usually the heroine’s), while I go about my day.

One of the funniest things I heard at the end of the year was an author who came home from shopping and told her daughter how much so-and-so would love a certain purchase. That so-and-so was the author’s heroine. What an example of being emotionally involved.

Something interesting has happened as I’ve written hundreds of thousands of words over the years. I not only write closer to the heart of a character, but as I live with these story “people,” I grow as well.

In this example from a story currently with my editor, I could have just written, “Simon missed his wife.” I believe a reader will identify with how he felt:

   Deena made him relive the loss of his wife. He wanted to be done with memories of Angelina. During their short six-month marriage, he’d taken their time together for granted.

   But another glance at Deena as she took a step back ended the resemblance. How could he not be drawn to this woman’s vibrant red lips, mysterious dark eyes, and caring personality?

   Then again, it was disconcerting to look close. Her eyes shocked him into remembering his wife. Their aborted time together. The way she had left him.

Can you experience the way he’s conflicted as he compares the two women?

Characteristics need to be dimensional and emotional. When we interact, we experience all kinds of sensual thoughts and reactions. If I don’t smile, shed a tear, grit my teeth in anger, or even jump up from my chair and dance a jig, my readers will skim in boredom.

Write Right makes me smile. I plain get an emotional kick out of the title of this blog. On the job for 20 years I was a proofreader/editorial assistant. I learned cut and dried RULES that I adhere to. My first draft at getting down a story is still often passive. Sometimes I’ve written a scene over and over, always finding places where I could do more showing than telling.

One thing authors, editors, and readers agree on is their desire for real, emotion through point of view character.

About LoRee:

A Nebraska country girl, LoRee Peery attempts to see God’s presence every day. Often that gift comes from nature, and she is most relaxed in the outdoors. The call of a cardinal draws her to look for the distinctive flash of crimson. A meadowlark’s melody always transports her to the farm where she grew up. A rainbow holds special significance, since one appeared the day of her father’s funeral and means the promise of the Lord’s presence in her life. She clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. You can find her at www.loreepeery.com or the Pelican Book Group site http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk.

About LoRee's Upcoming Release:

Needing to finish her thesis in order to keep her job working with youth in a residential treatment center, Shana Arnold sequesters herself on Creighton Rice’s Nebraska ranch. She expects the secluded hideaway to provide a peaceful environment. What she doesn't expect is to become the victim of identity theft and a crazed home invader.

Creighton Rice has been content to live alone with his God - until he meets Shana. He's drawn to her, but must fight the attraction. Getting close makes him face a lifetime's accumulation of scars. Plus, Shana doesn’t share his faith. But when Shana's life is threatened, Creighton must protect her - even if it means letting her in.

Will Shana discover that even when a woman loses everything, she can regain courage and strength through faith in God, and can Creighton allow God to heal scars and open the door to a lifetime with Shana?

Watch LoRee's website and Pelican Book Group for release date.

Delia Latham: Broken-Record Writing

With the advent of cassette tapes and CDs, the term “broken record” is fast becoming obsolete - or, at the very least, one of those terms that later generations will continue to use with no idea what it really means, or how the phrase came to be. I’m hoping most people still know what it means.

Even if the experience is not personal, most of us have heard the result of a scratched record. The needle gets hung in the scratch, the record keeps spinning, and the result is an annoying repetition of the same words—over and over…and over again.

It happens in writing, as well. Sometimes our characters’ repetitious actions make a reader crazy.

My heroes chuckle a lot. They grin when I can’t think of anything else for them to do. They love to “quirk” or “hike” an eyebrow. My ladies’ lips “curve upward in a smile” way too often.

I recently read a rough draft chapter for an author whose characters overused their hands. Every few sentences, an action tag involved the word “hands.” She wrung her hands. He ran a hand through his hair. Their hands touched. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. She placed a hand over her mouth.

Talk about your broken record! A whole book of that would have me breaking the record over the hero’s head.

A friend admitted that she uses coffee as a tool for too much of the action in her story. He poured himself a cup of coffee. She wrapped her cold fingers around the hot mug. He sipped the hot brew. She tasted the lukewarm liquid and set her cup back on the table. He put on another pot of coffee. If I consumed as much caffeine as these characters, I’d never sleep!

No author wants a reputation for being a broken record writer. I certainly don’t. So how can we avoid overusing expressions and actions to the point that our readers want to throw our books against the nearest wall?

People communicate their internal feelings in many different ways. Non-verbal communication can be one of a writer’s strongest tools, if used with discretion. According to some studies, body language accounts for fifty-five percent of communication, so we definitely should use it to make our characters more real. Experts have found that certain actions usually indicate specific frames of mind, though some are interchangeable.

Is she lying? These actions might give the reader a hint: 

•      Avoiding eye contact by looking down or away
•      Using her hand to touch her face or head
•      Holding something in front of her body, like a barrier
•      Smiling insincerely (lips and mouth only, it won’t reach the eyes)
•      Shuffling her feet
•      Clenching her jaw
•      Licking her lips

Has something captured his attention? Non-verbal signs might include: 

•     Direct eye contact
•     A nod
•     Tilted (or cocked) head
•     Leaning forward
•     Dilated pupils

 Is your character bored? She will show it by: 

•     Turning her body slightly away
•     Looking around, but not directly at the person or object of boredom
•     Glancing at her watch
•     Tapping her fingers or toes
•     Shifting weight from one foot to the other
•     Yawning 

If she’s attracted to someone, she’ll do the following: 

•     Blink rapidly
•     Lean toward the person she’s attracted to
•     Mirror the other person’s actions
•     Adjust her clothing; smooth her hair; clean her  glasses (some form of unconscious preening)
•     Stare
•     Raise her eyebrows, even if only for a second or  two

Is he undecided? He’ll probably: 

•     Stroke his chin, rub his cheek or forehead
•     Scratch the back of his head or neck
•     Narrow his eyes
•     Purse his lips
•     Tilt his head
•     Wrinkle his nose 

Nervous people might: 

•     Blink rapidly (Aha! Some actions are duplicated  across multiple mindsets)
•     Clear their throats
•     Wring their hands
•     Fidget
•     Massage their temples
•     Adjust their collars
•     Cross their arms
•     Clench their jaws or show other signs of muscle tension 

Is your character angry? Describe it with: 

•     Clenched fists
•     Frowning
•     Baring teeth (snarling)
•     Narrowing eyes
•     Placing hands (or fists) on hips, feet spread 

Have a hero who wants to dominate? He will: 

•     Walk in brisk strides
•     Place his hands on his hips, and maybe spread  his feet
•     Raise his eyebrows
•     Clasp his hands behind his head
•     Narrow his eyes

A mountain of information is available on body language and its interpretations. If you’re in danger of too much repetition in your characters’ actions, a little Internet research could pay big dividends. Learn about body language and prevent your characters from becoming robotic and repetitive…your readers from going justifiably insane…and yourself from being a broken record writer.

Delia Latham

© 2010

DELIA LATHAM is a born-and-bred California gal, raised in a place called Weedpatch and currently living in the lovely mountain town of Tehachapi with her husband and a spoiled Pomeranian. She enjoys multiple roles as Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She has a "thing" for Dr. Pepper, and loves to hear from her readers. Contact her through her website or send an e-mail to delia@delialatham.net. Find her also at the following online locations:

Living the Write Life (blog)

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

Leanne Dyck: What to Do with a Negative Review

by Leanne Dyck

Way back when, in 2006, I self-published an audiobook collection of short stories. It was my first published piece of size and I was a bundle of emotions. One of these emotions was doubt—would anyone really like it? Well, I was relieved to discover that most did.

“Intriguing…delightful…many truths…  A lot of great insights…It’s upbeat, enthusiastic.”

—Celia A. Leaman (Writing Creatively)

“Novelty Yarn contains a collection of small, tasty morsels that will continue to surprise you right up until the last bite… Many of the stories made me laugh out loud, while others made me pause…to mediate for a few minutes.”

—Donna Druchunas (Ethnic Knitting Exploration

‘There is a story…for every taste…[T]here are bits of knitting instruction interspersed in these stories, with plenty of encouragement for new knitters and shared experiences for those who have knit longer.’

—The West Coast Knitters Guild

‘There are few things that are more enjoyable than being read to while you knit. Being read pithy knitterly prose by Leanne’s engaging and deliberate voice, punctuated with soothing guitar music is even harder to beat.’

—Palomara Parra

Yes, most reviews were positive. But one wasn’t.

No. No quote. I didn’t keep that review. But I do remember it. The reviewer wrote that she felt that some of the stories were too short.

Too short? Well, I ranted and raved to myself and to my husband. “It is a short story collection.”

“Don’t worry about it,” my husband said. “You can’t please everyone.”

I knew he was right. But I couldn’t shake the negative review. Too short. Too short.

I’ll show her, I told myself, I’ll write something longer. And I did—novellas and then novels.

Would I have made this leap without her negative review?
Maybe. Probably. But that’s not my point. My point is that sometime if you’re able to endure the sting you can learn something from a negative review.

About Leanne:

Leanne Dyck is a women’s fiction author. She writes stories about outsiders facing challenges. Within the last five years, Leanne’s writing has been published in Island Writer, Kaleidoscope, Canadian Stories, Icelandic Connection and Island Gal magazines. To follow Leanne’s author journey, please visit her blog:

http://sweatercursed.blogspot.ca

Author website

Blog

So here we go...

I promised a schedule, and here it is...tentative, but something to start with.

Tuesdays: Writing Tips or prompts

Thursdays: Guest authors offering writing tips, tricks and advice

Right now, two days a week is all I can see as a possibility for me, timewise. Let's start here and see how it goes. 

If you're a writer and would like to contribute guest posts for the Thursday spots, please send them to delia AT delialatham DOT net. Do bear in mind that this is a strictly G-rated blog. I write inspirational romance, and most of my readers are Christian readers, or readers who prefer clean reads. I don't expect or want a sermon from you, but I will absolutely turn down any post that does not adhere to these very simple rules: The tips must be sound; and the content must be clean.

Looking forward to this journey with you!

Let's Write...Right!

I've been mulling over the idea of starting a blog to provide writing tips, info, ideas...anything writing-related that might be beneficial to other writers. Not that I claim to be any kind of "writing guru," but I have learned a few things along the way to where I am, and maybe some of those things could help someone else on his or her writing journey.

I'll be inviting other authors to contribute tips and advice, as well. New voices are always great for keeping a blogging venue from becoming stale. Besides,  I love to learn, and I find that I do it best among friends. So that's where I'm headed with this endeavor. Teaching, learning, sharing...with friends.

Won't you come along?

Within a day or so, I'll come up with an actual schedule of what to expect on which days here at Write Right. If you have suggestions, specific subjects you'd like to see covered, writing-related questions or comments - well, toss 'em  at me! I may not have all the answers, but I can promise you we will find them, you and I.

Eventually, we may actually get it right...this writing thing.
 

DELIA LATHAM is a born-and-bred California gal, currently living in the beautiful mountain town of Tehachapi with her husband Johnny and a Pomeranian she calls Boo. She’s a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend—but above all, she treasures her role as princess daughter to the King of Kings.

A former newspaper Staff Writer and frequent contributor to her hometown’s regional publication, Bakersfield Magazine, Delia has also freelanced projects to a public relations firm and various magazines; has compiled, edited, and designed cover art for various Kindness Incorporated projects; and has sold greeting card verse. Many of her short stories, articles, and devotions can be found online. She designs cover art and marketing materials for other authors. Samples of her work can be seen at www.deliadesigns.webs.com.

Find out more about this author on her website: www.delialatham.net. Visit her blog, or “Like” her author page on Facebook.