A Step in the Write Direction--February 22, 2015--"Show, Don't Tell"

A Step in the Write Direction

February 23, 2015

Update: More on Peter walking on the water, part of sermon two weeks ago:

·         It was still storming, but now Jesus was with them.

·         Peter was sinking one moment, safe in the arms of Jesus the next.

·         Where are you now, still in the boat or walking on the water?

·         What is God calling you to do?

·         Take the risk of falling into the arms of Jesus.

Talk about getting out of the boat and making changes, I just found out about an hour ago (Sunday evening) that our pastor has resigned and will be taking a church in Prescott, Arizona, on April 1. He’s been here 19 years and we really love him. Someone will have big shoes to fill, but I know God will bring just the right person….My husband has been sick again this week with high potassium, weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. More blood tests tomorrow. And my son-in-law now has C-diff. So our family needs to fall into the arms of Jesus, knowing He’s here in the storm with us!

Thought for Today: “Maybe, just maybe, we notice the kingdom of God best when we leave our own backyard and our own town for a time, which is why we send the youth group on mission trips, and the children to summer camp, and why adults sometimes need to go to the other side of town to see more clearly what is right before them.”—Ann Carter Florence, Journal for Preachers, Lent, 2015, 5. (Wes Tracy, Manna Morsel daily e-mail thought, January 31, 2015.)

Song for Today:

Some thro’ the waters, some thro’ the flood,

Some thro’ the fire, but all thro’ the Blood.

Some thro’ great sorrow, but God gives a song

In the night season and all the day long.

            G.A. Young, “God Leads Us Along”

Laugh for Today:

(Another one from my great-niece Anna): Abraham must have been really smart because he knew a Lot.

Writer’s Tips:                           More “Show, Don’t Tell”

Make Scene Logical (which the following are not):

Levi is on his knees, sitting back on his heels, his elbows resting on his thighs. (Try this!)

Girl braiding her own hair the day after she breaks her arm and is wearing a cast.

Man in car watching girl go into apartment building. She goes up the steps, into the front door, down the hallway, up the steps, and “he watches as she knocks at the door.” (Did he have a periscope?)

Incorrect Order Can Change Picture in Reader’s Mind…

*          "A buffet will be served in the cafeteria so that parents can eat as well as meet their children's teachers."

            Correct: "... so that parents can eat lunch and meet their children's teachers."

*          Driving along the highway, a deer leaped in front of the car.  (Claire Cook)

            Correct: As we drove along the highway, a deer leaped in front of the car.

…As Can Incorrect Punctuation

*          Man wanted to wash dishes and two waitresses.

*          Pen lost by man full of ink.

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

·          100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 4 other books.)

·           A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers (with assignments throughout); original copies now on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)

·          The Freedom of Letting Go (with discussion questions; can be used in S.S. class or small group); original copies without questions now on sale for half-price--$7.50, $2.69 s&h)

·          Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h)

·          The Little Book of Big Laughs (105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes); up to 4 for same s&h—$2.32

·          Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price - $5

·          Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

·          Grandmother, Mother, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes);

·          Grandfather, Father, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes)

·          Celebrating Christmas with…Memories, Poetry, and Good Food

(above three anthologies now half price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)

A Step in the Write Direction--February 16, 2015--Show, Don't Tell

A Step in the Write Direction

February 16, 2015

Update: On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I celebrated the 55^th anniversary of our engagement—after knowing each other for 3 weeks and dating for just 2 weeks….And Tuesday we’ll celebrate our oldest son’s 53^rd birthday. (Don’t know how our kids keep getting older when we’re not!)...More on Peter walking on the water from recent sermon:

·        Jesus said, “It is I. Be not afraid.” He walked through the storm to come to them.

·        If you’re in a storm today, here He comes! He’s on His way!

·        Disciples were so caught up in the storm, they didn’t recognize Jesus when He came their way.

·        He was miles away from them—up on the mountain—but He came to them. He knew where they were.

·        Before we’re converted, we had storms, and just because we’re now following Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t have storms anymore. The difference now is, we’re not alone! Jesus knows where we are and He’ll come to us in our storms!

Thought for the Day:

"Look for something positive in every day, even if some days you have to look a little harder." — Zig Ziglar

Laugh for the Day:

What kind of man was Boaz before he got married? 
Ruthless. 

(Thanks to my great niece Anna Clark for this one.)

Song for the Day:

I stand on the mountain of blessing at last.

No cloud in the heavens a shadow to cast.

His smile is upon me, the valley is past,

For He is so precious to me.

            Charles H. Gabriel, “He Is So Precious to Me”

Writer’s Tips: More “Show, Don’t Tell”

*          "He was a bushy-haired, massive man. What color hair? How massive? What did he weigh? Did he tower over someone? How tall? (To my husband who is only 4 feet 10, “tall” could be 5 feet 6.  Paint a picture your reader can see in his/her mind.

*          Don't just say a character is beautiful. That’s your opinion! Describe her so thoroughly that the reader will say, “She must be beautiful.”

*          Same with, “It was a beautiful day.” Means different things to different people. What does a beautiful day mean to you? To my late “bestest” friend Kathy on a boat ride to the Isle of Skye, the rain and wind were “beautiful.”

*          The meal was scrumptious.” It’s okay if this is in dialogue; otherwise, it’s just your opinion.

*          “When Ashley got home from school she told her mother that her friends were shunning her.” How? Use some dialogue with her mother. Give example. Does she pass them in the hallway and say “hi” and they don’t answer? Do they whisper behind her back? Don’t they invite her to any of their activities? Didn't they save a place for her in the cafeteria?

What Do Your Characters Look Like?

*          Grace Livingston Hill books—main character reminded me a lady at our church.

*          Carole Gift Page—cuts out pictures of girls and boys, teenagers, parents, grandparents; houses—inside and out; yards; automobiles; buildings in town—library, mall, etc. Hangs pictures on clothesline in her office. Refers to them often. (This way her main character who is blonde and 5 feet 2 doesn’t suddenly become a 5 feet 6 redhead.)

*          Make a resume or application for characters: 

·        Name can fit different eras, i.e., a lot of “Debby” the year our son was born in 1962

·        Physical description (weight, height, age—not allowed on applications any more but used to be)

·        Address (setting of book)

·        Education

·        Job history

·        References (other characters in book).

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

·          100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 4 other books.)

·           A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers (with assignments throughout—no cover or price yet); original copies now on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h); and original Student Edition on sale for $8, $3.17 s&h)

·          The Freedom of Letting Go (with discussion questions; can be used in S.S. class or small group); original copies without questions now on sale for half-price--$7.50, $2.69 s&h)

·          Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h)

·          The Little Book of Big Laughs (105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes); up to 4 for same s&h—$2.32

·          Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price - $5

·          Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

·          Grandmother, Mother, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes);

·          Grandfather, Father, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes)

·          Celebrating Christmas with…Memories, Poetry, and Good Food

(above three anthologies now half price--$

 

A Step in the Write Direction--February 9, 2015--Show, Don't Tell

A Step in the Write Direction

February 9, 2015

Update: Praise that my husband’s ultrasound last week showed no sign of malignancy. Prayer that they’ll find out the problem….Notes from an exceptionally good sermon yesterday by our minister of music Rob Myers, taken from Matthew 14 (Jesus walking on the water):

·         The disciples were in the boat where the Lord sent them, but the storm still came.

·         It was in the third watch—about 3 to 6 a.m., the darkest time of the night, but just before dawn.

·          Jesus knew where they were.

·          He walked through the storm to come to them.

·         Are you in the storm? Here He comes. He’s on His way. (more next week!).

Thought for Today: “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you” (Jeremiah 29:12).

Song for Today:

I believe the answer's on the way;
I believe the Lord has heard me pray;
"Cast not away your confidence,"
Saith the Lord our God.
Now by faith in Him alone I stand
Firmly held by His almighty hand;
Fully trusting in His promise,
Praise the Lord.

Merrill Dunlop, “I Believe the Answer's on the Way”

Laugh for Today:

One of our neighbors is so neat she puts file folders in her wastebaskets.

Writer’s Tips:                       Show, Don’t Tell

·         Which is better?  "The giant looked around the room. When he saw the boy, he got angry and bellowed a threat to eat him." Or, "Fee, fi, fo, fum.  I smell the blood of an

Englishman.  Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread." 

(The Fiction-Writer's Polish Kit, by Judith Ross Enderle & Stephanie Gordon Tessler.

 Writer's Digest, May 1986, pp. 29-30.)

·         Don't just say a person is overweight.  Show it! Show her out of breath while climbing steps, her face red, sweating, a button popped off her dress, or a rip under the sleeve.

·         The restaurant was dingy. She sipped her espresso. (or)

Her elbows felt greasy on the wobbly table. She sipped her espresso from a graying porcelain cup. (Bonni Goldberg, Room to Write [New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996], 67).

·         “The first time she met her mother-in-law, Jemma couldn’t believe her hair and the outfit she wore. But after she grew to know her, these things didn’t matter” (or)

“When she first met her mother-in-law, Jemma had blinked in surprise at the older woman’s reddish, flyaway hair and her eccentric costume—zebra-striped Spandex pants with a black gauze peasant blouse, right out of the seventies. But Jemma soon learned that Claire’s heart was as lavish and generous as her flamboyant clothing.” (“Get to Know Your Characters,” by Gail Gaymer Martin, The Christian Communicator, September 2001, p. 17.)

(More next week.)

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

·           A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers (with assignments throughout); original copies now on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)

·          The Freedom of Letting Go (with discussion questions; can be used in S.S. class or small group); original copies without questions now on sale for half-price--$7.50, $2.69 s&h)

·          Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h)

·          The Little Book of Big Laughs (105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes); up to 4 for same s&h—$2.32

·          Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price - $5

·          Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

·          100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 4 other books.)

·          Grandmother, Mother, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes);

·          Grandfather, Father, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes)

·          Celebrating Christmas with…Memories, Poetry, and Good Food

(above three anthologies now half price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)

A Step in the Write Direction--February 2, 2015--Writing for Anthologies

A Step in the Write Direction

February 2, 2015

Update: Our 19-year-old granddaughter decided recently that she was going to "get serious" about her writing. She sent me the beginning of a story she had written and, to put it mildly, I was amazed! Because she had lived out-of-state for the past three years,  she had matured personally, spiritually, and in her writing. To get some help, she's going to visit our critique group next week and listen in….Seems it's either feast or famine here. My work slows down over the holidays, but now I have two editing jobs, three proofreading jobs, and five income taxes to prepare.  "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken" (Psalm 37:25 niv).

Thought(s) for the Day:

British critic and social theorist John Ruskin (1819-1900) once sat with a friend in the dusk of an evening and watched a lamplighter, torch in hand, lighting the street lights on a distant hill. Very soon the man’s form was no longer distinguishable in the distance, but everywhere he went he left a light burning brightly. “There,” said Ruskin, “that is what I mean by a real Christian. You can trace his course by the light that he leaves burning” (http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/ lamplighter) 

 “He was a lamplighter. He has taken his bright candle and has gone into another room we cannot find, but anyone can tell where he has been by all the little lights he left behind” (source unknown). (As writers, we're lamplighters too!)

Song for the Day:

Let the lower lights be burning!

Send a gleam across the wave!

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

            Philip B. Bliss, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning”

Laugh for the Day: (for football fans)

"What is your brother in college?"

"A half back."

"No, I mean in his studies."

"Oh, in his studies he's way back."(used)

Writer’s Tips:           15 Hints on Writing for Anthologies

After recently editing three anthologies, I’ve compiled the following hints I feel will help writers in their quest for publication:

* DON’T use borders or put submission in box.

* DON’T clean out your files and send everything you have.

* DON’T ask for an extension on the deadline, saying how busy you are.

* DON’T send in manuscript longer than stated requirements, telling editor they can cut it down if they want to use it.

* DON’T tell the editor “feel free to edit.” If it needs it, they’ll do it. That’s their job.

* DON’T write or call a few days after the deadline, asking if they’ve made a decision.

* DON’T send your submission on Facebook.

***

* DO use correct format—double spacing, no extra space between paragraphs, no justifying right margin, 12 pt. New Times Roman or Courier, one space after period. Omit weird fonts.

* DO include name and complete mailing address, telephone, and e-mail address on submission. Make it easy for the editor to contact you.

* DO stick to the theme.

* DO include a suggested title, without all capital letters, underline, or bold type.

* DO keep bio sketch within requested length. Write it in third person, and leave out adjectives such as “loving husband” or “beautiful grandchildren.”

* DO omit underlines and bold; italicize sparingly any words you want to emphasize.

* DO let the editor know if you change e-mail address or other contact information.

* DO write thank-you note to editor if your submission is accepted—

and if you follow these suggestions, there’s a good chance it will be!

Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

·           A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers (with assignments throughout); original copies now on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)

·          The Freedom of Letting Go (with discussion questions; can be used in S.S. class or small group); original copies without questions now on sale for half-price--$7.50, $2.69 s&h)

·          Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h)

·          The Little Book of Big Laughs (105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes); up to 4 for same s&h—$2.32

·          Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price - $5

·          Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

·          100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 4 other books.)

·          Grandmother, Mother, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes);

·          Grandfather, Father, and Me Anthology (stories, poetry, and recipes)

·          Celebrating Christmas with…Memories, Poetry, and Good Food

(above three anthologies now half price--$12.50, $3.17 s&h)