A
Step in the Write
Direction
February
16, 2015
Update:
On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I celebrated the 55th 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 53rd 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.
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
·
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 $5 each,
plus s&h (depending on number ordered)
·
Grandmother,
Mother, and Me Anthology
(stories, poetry, and recipes);
·
Grandfather,
Father, and Me Anthology
(stories, poetry, and recipes)
·
Celebrating
Christmas with…Memories, Poetry, and Good
Food
(above
three anthologies now half price--$
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