The Joy of Writing

The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the moment.  

The joy of writing will probably lack any luster unless there is a message that charges our emotional batteries with a passion and causes us to explore the art of writing ourselves. 

What are your jumper cables connected to?  What intrigues you?  What do you feel passionate about?  Dig deep when answering that question, and you’ll have the seed of a plot that will grow into something beautiful.

Do you know the number one factor that defeats more fiction authors than any other?  FEAR.  It shows up in ‘what ifs.’  What if I can’t convey my thoughts into words?  What if my story idea is dumb?  What if I don’t finish it?  Tuck those fears in your pocket—take a deep breath—tell yourself, “Today I start writing.  I will unleash my imagination.  Today I will discover the joy of writing!

In his book, Write Your Novel in a Month, Jeff Gerke says, “There is only one commandment for fiction—only one law that, if broken, will kill your novel.  It is this: You must engage your reader from beginning to end!”  He goes on to say, “The core idea is what makes you want to sit down and write.  The premise (a short synopsis of what the book is about) is what makes a reader want to read it.”

Ask yourself: What is my message?  What’s my point?  Who are my readers?  How do I want to impact them?  What response do I want to evoke?  How can my writing benefit others?  Do I write to make a change?  If so, how do I connect with my reader on an emotional level?  How do I tap into emotions through my characters? This matters even if you write for your eyes only.

Three basic questions I MUST ask all my main characters:

·       *   What does he/she care about?

·       *   What does he/she fear?

·        *  What motivates him/her?

Know your characters personally.  Spend time with your characters.  Take them to lunch and watch how they interact with other people.  Put them in difficult situations to see if it brings out the best or the worst in them.  Where do they get their strength?  What are their weaknesses?  How do they act when no one is watching?

“Remember,” Gerke says, “Your character(s) must change or the plot has no tension—something in your story must impact your character that will bring about change or your plot will fall flat.  What is the conflict that keeps your protagonist from accomplishing his goal?  Create you antagonist to propel the tension with your main character.”

Write with emotion—show, don’t tell.  Example:  She was surprised.  Better – her eyebrows shot up, and she made an O with her mouth.

Don’t necessarily reveal the complete ending, but give the reader a hint how it will end.  Example:  It was then that Mike realized the outer puzzle pieces—the framework—of a family picture were coming together.  (Excerpt from “Kiss Your Mommy Goodbye by Rita Kroon).

When you’re done writing, bring luster to your story.  Polish it.  That means to edit it.  Discover how the joy of writing need not be tarnished at this point—only enhanced.

Then comes publishing!

Ask Yourself

Questions I think writers should ask themselves.  "Do I have depth to my writing?"  "Do I write on several topics or on only those for which I have a real passion?"  "How does my reader response to what I write with passion and depth differ from that which I write with knowledge and research?"

Unless you're writing a technical paper for a research project or a school assignment, the answer is unequivocally the work written with passion and depth is what evokes the greatest reader response.  What then is key to writing with depth and passion?

Every email, each forty-character twitter, every blog and facebook post, texting, and all other social media are successful only if you connect with another person.  Writing books is no exception.  The key is connecting on a meaningful level and it's called relationship.  Every book and social media must be based on relationship if there is going to be any purpose at all for their existence.

 We are social creatures.  We build meaningful relationships when we spend time together.  Some would argue that if it weren't for social media, there would be no relationships at all.  True - to a point.  However, the best relationships are built on quality time together - talking and listening to one another with a caring and open heart.  The more quality time together, the deeper the relationship.

Allen Arnold, leader of 'Content & Resources for Ransomed Heart Ministries' in Colorado, puts it this way, "This deeper magic comes down to one simple word.

With

Are you writing with God?  This is a radically different approach than starting your writing time with a simple prayer or asking God to bless your work once you're done.  There has to be a relationship between you and God if you are going to write with God."

I agree with Allen.  After all, God is the creator of relationships.  He's the source of wisdom.  He's the teller of parables.  God is the storehouse of creativity.  He knows the beginning from the end.

How do I measure success as a writer?  The number of books sold?  Or, the number of hearts touched?

I am comforted and assured ever time I read the words of Jesus, "I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you."  (Hebrews 13:5)  I can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper.  I will not be afraid."

I have discovered a confidence and assurance from the Originator of the written word that gives me the depth of writing that will change the hearts and minds of my readers.

As Allen Arnold says, "It's about you and God experiencing the creative dance together."

See Allen Arnold's complete blog at www.novelrocket.com

Rita Kroon

Great Way to Start a Writing Career

When I was in ninth grade, my tenth-grade girlfriend and I decided to skip school.  Both our parents worked, so we thought  this would be a no-sweat venture.  We spent the morning forging my mother’s handwriting since I needed an excuse in order to get back into school.  My mother would have been hard pressed to distinguish the note from her own handwriting.

That evening, Mom asked, “How was school today?”

“Boring as usual,” I replied.  I smiled to myself when nothing more was said.

While sitting in class the next day, however, the principal’s face filled the square window in the door.  He crooked his finger at me.  My English teacher looked at him and then suspiciously back at me as she nodded to me.  “Did you write this?” he boomed waving the excuse before me as I sat in a chair in his office.

“No, sir,” I lied.  He stared at me.  I didn’t flinch.  He cleared his throat and continued to stare.  My palms began to sweat and my face felt hot.

“Are you aware that your mother has notified the school that if you or your brother were not in school, she was to be notified immediately?”

I shook my head.

“She was notified yesterday morning.”

Mom knows?  Yikes!

“I’ll ask again.  Did you write this excuse?”  His veins in his neck bulged.

I looked down at the tile floor.  “Yes.”

“She suggested an appropriate discipline.  You are to write a five hundred word theme on honesty.  Due tomorrow!”

My punishment fit the crime.

I handed the essay in at the office and went to home room.  By noon, my friends buzzed about a paper I had written.  There on the bulletin board outside the lunchroom hung my paper with the words “A   EXTRA CREDIT” in  big letters splashed across the top and signed by my English teacher.  That was the beginning of my writing career that has spanned fifty years.

When I wrote the demanded essay, I automatically applied writing techniques I learned in grade school.  But, the more I wrote, the more I let my emotions leap onto the page.  I became passionate about the honesty of George Washington when he cut down the cherry tree.

Most successful authors have a natural, deep-down bent for writing.  Sure, the mechanics of sentence structure, syntax, and grammar can be learned.  There’s a zillion “How To” books out there.  But, writing will probably lack any luster unlessthere is a message that charges our emotional batteries with a passion and causes us to explore the art of writing ourselves.

If you have a propensity to jot down thoughts, ideas, feelings, situations, or whatever, consider writing about them.  Keep a journal.  Jot down descriptions.  Rearrange words to get the most impact – even if you are the only one who will see them.  Take writing courses – creative, technical, journalist, etc. Venture out.  Write more than a grocery list.  Write a book!  I did.  It’s called “Kiss Your Mommy Goodbye.”

I wanted to show you that even a bad start in writing can end with a flair.  You can do it too.

Remember: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach, American writer.  He’s so write on!

My wise mother never said a word about this incident.  She didn’t have to.  I learned my lesson and discovered a passion.

Rita Kroon