Let Me Have It!

Wow! I've been so busy writing and trying to get my word count up with NaNoWriMo that I completely spaced about posting. So here's the deal. Last week I wrote about what to expect AFTER you're published and the anxiety of being in the public eye. Most of you and those who comment on my personal blog said that giving presentations was the best part and looked forward to it.

So, here's your chance.

Give me a brief explanation of your presentation platform. What message do you want to leave with your audience, both those who read your book and those who listen to you speak. Will you be humorous or serious? Will you use props or just wing it with you and your fans?

Let me have it girls. I'm excited to hear what you've got planned. After all, we know you'll all be published and famous soon, right?

Top 10 Ways Moms are like Rockstars!!

I felt silly and decided to write the top ten ways moms are like rockstars! So laugh along with me.
10. As soon as they are spotted, they get no peace.
9. They hear their name chanted incessantly on a daily basis.
8. They often deal with loss of voice due to overuse.
7. Often they have the same set of groupies following them around. (I can't get rid of mine, no matter what I do!)
6. Their most adoring fans usually want something from them. ("Mom, I love you so much...can I have the car keys?)
5. Hectic schedules interfere with regular eating habits. ( I am typing this between bites of a sandwich that is actually my breakfast that I am eating at 11am)
4. Some people mistakenly think they have unlimited supplies of money. ("But mom, it's only $20!")
3. They often have get encore requests. ("Mom, I forgot my lunch/homework/important project please bring it to the school.")
2. Their clothing choices are sometimes questioned. ("Are you really going to wear that in public?")
1. Their autographs are in great demand, especially at the most inopportune times. ("Mom, you have to sign my report card/daily behavior sheet/test grade/homework before school in 5 minutes!!")
That was fun! Do you have any you would like to add? Feel free to put them in the comments!

The Writing Sisterhood

Here it is, two nights and two days later Sunday at the Sweetwater Lift Lodge in Park City

and it has been a writer's haven of heaven. I am so very grateful for Karen Hoover's generosity

and love by inviting me along with our most treasured writing group of awesome sisters to come

over so we can reinforce our already strong bonds of friendships by doing what we love best:

WRITING!

My heart is very full as I express my gratitude for my wonderful critique group because we are

so much more than that--we are sisters in Zion who love one another and who build one another

up and who cheer each other on. Talk about major support group. I have to be forthright and

honest, but I wouldn't be where I am right now without them (and I am not referring to Park

City). :) There is a sisterhood here with Mormon Mommy Writers as well, and for that, I am

also grateful--especially with our followers!

Finding that it's a writer's blood life to connect with other writers, how are the dynamics like

with your writing friends and groups?

Get that scream!

I've been thinking a lot about Nikki's post on tension. Like she said, a book doesn't have to be an action-thriller to be a page turner. But a book does need tension. It's what keeps the reader reading. It's what makes a story. Without tension we just have mundane life and, let's face it, no one really wants to read about that. Stories need action-- whether it be physical action, emotional turmoil, or mental change.

James Scott Bell, in his book Plot & Structure, gives good advice on creating tension.

1st- Let your readers know what is at stake.

When conflict arises, how will it affect your MC? The higher the stakes, the greater the tension. Otherwise, the reader is left thinking "Who cares?" and will likely put the book down.

2nd- Stretch the tension.

Milk your reader's emotions for all their worth. If you want them to worry, REALLY make them worry. (And, really, a reader should be worried throughout the book, no matter the subject, to see if the MC is going to be able to achieve his/her goal.) Pause a moment and consider all of the options the scene presents. Then ratchet it up a notch. Consider further possibilities.

Here are some things Mr. Bell suggests to think about when you're writing a scene:

• What is the worst thing that can happen to my character? (physical/outside circumstance or a range of mental stakes... look to the character's fears)


• What is the worst trouble my character can get into in this scene?


• Have I sufficiently set up the depth of emotions for readers before the scene? (We need to care about the characters before we care about their problems.)


• Have I sufficiently set up the danger for readers before the scene? (Remember they need to know what's at stake before they can start worrying.)

Building the tension throughout the story is what really leads to an ending that your readers will likely not soon forget.

This is what I've been thinking about lately. What do you do to build tension?

"As Long As You're Dreaming . . ."

While you're dreaming of getting published and holding that beautiful book with your name printed on the front cover, think about what all that means. I think some people believe all they have to do is write the book and then sit behind a table once in a while and sign a few autographs. They couldn't be more wrong.

As the release date for my book, The Keeper of the Crystor, gets closer, I've been giving a lot of thought to the marketing plan and what kind of image I want to portray to my readers. After attending a book launch party hosted by my publisher this weekend, I realize that there is a lot to selling a book. Not only do you have to be available for those book signings, but you also need to be willing to speak in public, make presentations to schools or universities (depending on your genre) and even teach your craft at writer's conferences.

There's also a lot of traveling involved. Unless you have someone who can afford to fly along with you, this could be a very lonely job. You think sitting behind a computer all day is lonely, try three weeks going from one city to another, living in dumpy hotel rooms and flying with a plane full of strangers. Sounding more glamorous by the moment, isn't it.

My point is this--plan for it. While you're waiting to hear back from that agent or editor, think things through. What will my platform be? Can I really get up in front of people and sell myself and my book? Is there someone who can tag along to make the trip easier and more exciting? What can I do now to make my book sell better? Set up a blog or website? Facebook or Twitter? How can I sell my book before it is even accepted for publication?

Thinking these things through and getting started now will put you ahead of the game. When that agent comes to you and asks, what do you have to offer, you'll be ready. When you give that pitch at the next writer's conference and the editor pops up with a wild question about marketing, you'll stand out in the crowd as being prepared and confident.

So, tell me. What will you do? Do you have a unique twist to your marketing plan? Is there something about you that is different enough to stand out in the crowd? And last but not least, what will you tell people about yourself?

Tension on Sesame Street

This week marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. I remember watching it as a kid. I loved Bert & Ernie, I had a coat with oscar's face on the back of the hood, I was a Sesame Street girl! But when I heard about this anniversary, the first thing I thought of was the storyline between Big Bird and Snuffy. Back in my day, everyone on Sesame Street thought Snuffy was Big Bird's imaginary friend because none of them had seen him.

I remember watching as Big Bird would insist he was real, but the people would just patronize him and begin talking to thin air to appease him. I was a witness that Snuffy existed. I would watch as him and Big Bird talked and then Snuffy always disappeared when someone was just about to see him. "Turn around, Gordon, he's right there! There's Snuffy!" I would shout at the screen to no avail. Big Bird would get sad, and I would tell him it's ok, cuz I believed him. That storyline had me glued to the T.V. It's only after all these years that I realize why. It's because of the awesome tension that existed. Everyday Snuffy would get so close to being seen, I knew it was going to happen eventually, and by golly I was going to be there watching when it happened.

Now think of the books we read and our different reactions to them. Have you ever read a book where you thought, "I already know what's going to happen, this is dumb"? Then have you read another book where you still know what's going to happen but you can't wait to see it unfold, in fact your are glued to the storyline? So what's the difference? It's the tension. Every story needs it. The tension is directly related to the characters and the plot. I guess you would say it's what ties the two together. You need a plot that produces tension and you need characters that create emotions for the readers that cause them to react to the tension.

Tension is an emotion, therefore we need to play to emotions when we write tension. So many books try to up the tension by adding action, or disasters, but those alone do not produce the type of tension you need to hook an audience. The action or plot is important but only by how it directly affects the characters. 1) by creating characters that the readers relate to and can understand 2) you have to let the reader in on the character's emotions and 3) the character's reaction to the problem has to be born from emotion, which means it's not usually the logical answer. As long as the reader understands the character's reasonings for their actions, the tension will increase.

So next time someone asks you where you learned how to write such great tension in your stories, you can say you learned it on Sesame Street.

The chicken or the egg

There is a much debated question in the world of writing (well, perhaps not "much debated" but at least discussed) and that is: Does reading begat writers or do writers just love to read? In other words, are we writers because we have spent our lives reading, thus informally studying the art of stringing words together and growing to love the art. Or, do we love to read because we love the written language, connect with it and have always had a writer mind inside of us?

What are your thoughts? What came first for you? The love of the written word or the love of transferring thoughts to paper?

For me it was reading. I've loved to read as long as I can remember. And even though I'm writing now, I feel like reading is still just as important to me. I try to read a book a week. It stimulates my creativity and helps me refine my writing skills.

Uh Oh, There's a Monster inside Me!

This is going to be a rather informal post because of NaNoWriMo. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the post and have spoken with many of my close writer friends and we all have agreed on the same thing.

When we are so focused on writing and expect to get some in and find that we can't because of spontaneous events such as the needs of our children (even if they are regularly scheduled like making dinner) or maybe other things that are out of our control, it is that the beast of impatience, frustration and quick to anger, erupts.

I know this happens to me for sure. I feel awful when I do that because my family needs me and I let my writing take precedence over them at times and it causes problems--especially when I put my writing first. It is so hard to put it aside since I love it so much and yes, I guess I am addicted to it!

The Lord counsels all things in moderation. And we can't serve two gods. Ahem. (I'm hiding my head here!) I have pondered the importance of controlling my worldly passions (writing, writing and writing!) and the only thing I can come up with is to put a tight leash on the times when I write.

I've made it a point to keep to writing when my kids are at school and or when they are all in bed. I have to force myself to resist the temptation go past a decent hour as well. All this is done through the Lord's help of prayer and scripture reading.

I hope that I don't fall into that trap of writing over family or over the important things again (the Lord, church, friends). I don't want it to overwhelm my life and have me forget what life is really about!

I'd like to leave you with this neat verse of scripture that isn't exactly related to the topic above, but oh so fitworthy of writing--if you keep in mind your critiquing group as both receiver and contributor.

It is found in Mormon 9: 31

"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been."

NaNo Writing

Since I've been dreadfully sick for over a week now, I'm not sure anything I write will even be understandable. My head is cloudy. So I'm going to use my post as a shout out of encouragement to everyone who is participating in NaNo this year.

If you haven't started yet, it's not too late!

And, if you are participating in NaNo, why are you reading this blog? C'mon! Write, writers, write!

Exciting News!

Finally! After 9 miscarriages... our family has had its wish come true!

The newest member of the James Gang shall be born in the spring next year!

And to all of those who have missed us--well we're back. Officially this week. We have our own house. Our own computer. And most importantly our own internet! YAY!

I've missed you all! Thank you for your patience and your wonderful posts! You girls ROCK!

Now may we all embrace the power of prayer--and the amazing blessings you can receive through the Lord! Love you! Jenni