If you've been writing novels for any length of time, you've gotten stuck. I'm not talking about writer's block, I'm talking about STUCK. When this happens to me, it means 1 of 2 things. Here they are, and here's what I do about them.

1. There's a foundational problem with my plot. (Goal, motivation, conflict, stakes, etc) I try to make sure these are solid before I start writing, but sometimes I'm wrong. This is my least favorite kind of stuck because it sometimes means going back and making major changes in previously written scenes.

a. Diagnose the problem. Go over plot basics and see where the story is falling short.
b. Go to my writing library and pull out books (or chapters) on the subject. Read and weep--Ahem--I mean apply.
c. Brainstorm possible solutions with my critique partner.
d. Once I've decided on the appropriate "fix", either go back and make changes or make a note to do so in re-writes.

2. I have no idea where my story's going next. 


a. Go for a walk, drive; throw in a load of laundry and daydream about what could happen next until I have a plan I'm excited about.
b. Watch a movie or read a novel, keeping an eye out for plot developments that may work for my story--the entry of a romantic threat, an illness or injury, financial setbacks, family secret, etc.
c. Brainstorm possible ideas with my critique partner.
d. Make a list of possible scene ideas.
d. Put the scenes in a logical order. (Complications should go from smallest to biggest). Some writers use scene flashcards, some simply list them in order. My personal favorite is (for lack of a better title) scene bubbles as pictured above. I shade the bubbles when the scene is in the hero's POV and switch the scene order as necessary by changing the arrow directions.

What do you do when you get stuck?

Labels: writing

I'm not saying I've exactly been a bear lately, but I've maybe been a tad bearISH at times. You might have picked up on that from my post last week. Well, nothing's changed. For instance, what's a somewhat not unattractive woman (leave me to my delusions, girls) to think when she walks past a kiosk in a mall and a young man tries to hand her a brochure about wrinkle cream? What would YOU have done? I looked straight ahead and kept walking--to the nearest Godiva shop. Mel was pleased when I saved some for him. He needed it, too.

It had been a long time since the two of us had gotten out for a nice dinner and some play. We discovered we have forgotten how to play, at least, in a mall. Business was slow and there were a lot of parking spaces. That should have been our first clue. Filled with crab legs and shrimp nachos from Red Lobster, Mel was in a chattering mood, and as we entered through Sears he started teasing me about buying a big screen television. There was my second clue. My silence was HIS second clue. It was going to be that kind of night.

We walked into the mall proper without being accosted by a salesperson--when we're together, we're scary. The two of us together can out-chatter a couple of chickadees. If I don't place my hands over both our mouths, no one else ever gets a word in. But I think Mel picked up on my somber mood, and suggested we divide and conquer the mall. He wanted to look at gadgets and I wanted to look for scented things like candles and soaps and do some walking. So he stopped at the closest sports store and I kissed him goodbye and headed toward the scents.

I avoided the cookie kiosk and managed to keep the girl at Annie's Pretzels from sticking a cinnamon pretzel in my mouth, but when I reached the first scent shop, I saw trouble. There were no customers, and there seemed to be three people working. I stopped at the very front edge of the store without stepping inside. I was not in the mood to brave three hungry salespeople. Apparently, however, they are now able to sell their wares outside the store. I saw some interesting items on a front shelf and focused on them. A sales lady, likely a district manager showing the teens how it was done, asked me if she could help me. I shook my head, avoiding eye contact. She crossed her arms and moved closer, asked if I was a member of something, I shook my head. She asked if I'd received their latest email. I shook my head and left. I didn't even go inside. I wanted to sniff and look, I didn't want to push off a pushy salesperson who couldn't read body language. Please don't be angry with me, lots of people have sales jobs. I'm not usually that rude, but last night I was.

Mel, in the meantime, had found something to pique his interest. Someone was setting up a toy helicopter in the center of the mall to fly and entice the men and children. Mel stood far to the edge of the area so the man wouldn't accost him for a sale. The man didn't. He crashed the helicopter three times before he broke it. A saleswoman from the women's apparel shop nearby stepped out and tried to draw Mel inside with her. He took off like a scared bunny.

After walking through several stores in the mall with body language that dared anyone to say a word to me, I finally found my scent shop, hesitated at the entrance, sniffed some candles, eased inside, skin tested some soaps, and was at the far back of the store before a salesgirl approached. She was sweet, didn't push, helped me sniff several new scents. "These are good," I told her, "but nothing beats Warm Vanilla Sugar." She grimaced. "Oh. That's my mother's favorite." I grimaced back and thought, "Honey, I could be your grandmother. Don't talk like that to me."

Mel and I left the city earlier than we expected to, both of us looking like deer in headlights. We still weren't ready to face the real world after a year of major stress. We're still suffering from PTSD. We came home, let the cats entertain us, and watched four episodes of NCIS and Bones reruns. For now, the real world can stay outside our house.  We'll let dear, sweet Bonnie, our assistant, run interference for us while we hide and recover a little longer.

Have you ever had one of those days?

I lose things. Pens. Socks. Glasses. Earrings. Cars.

I try so hard to keep my mind on what I'm doing, but somewhere between the kitchen and the family room, pens are tucked away, glasses slip into cushions, earrings fall under sofas . . .

If I don't purposely make note of where I park my car at the mall, I have to call a taxi to get home.

Hoop earrings are my favorite.  I've had too many pairs to count.  It's so exciting when one pops up out of no where--especially, if I have the matching one.  Currently, they're all hiding from me.  So back to the store I go, hoping I can buy a new pair that will stick together.

I don't mean to pass the buck, but we all know dryers eat socks.

Yes, I'm a loser, but you know, the good thing is it's like Christmas when I vacuum the sofa! Let the good times roll!!  Pens, glasses, earrings, socks!!  Who knew!!

Tell me I'm not the only one!

Diann

P.S. For those of you who are interested, I'm writing about my health journey on a blog on my website. Pop on over to www.diannhunt.com and let's talk.

It's very hard for me to care about what's for dinner. My head is creating all day and then it gets tired and doesn't want to cook dinner. When I'm not writing, dinner is just another have-to, but when I am, I often forget about it until the last minute. Food is not that important to me. I know that's blasphemy in a lot of people's eyes, but I just don't care what I eat usually. My espresso? That I'm particular about, but taking the time to think about a meal annoys me. The kids are going to want pizza regardless of how nice of a meal you cook them. I've taken to going to the grocery store twice a week for healthy snacks and fruit (which they eat a lot of) and going every two days to the grocery store for dinners. That way I'm not overwhelmed. If I have to think out seven dinners, I'm lost and so over it by the time I'm done shopping. Lately, I've taken to getting recipes off the Today Show in the morning. They're are some pretty simple, but tasty recipes on the show. No one brings their "A" game like on the cooking show. It's made for moms who are busy and aren't going to take three hours to flambe something. The only people I don't like on these shows is when they have the overly healthy (read: OCD/health nuts) chefs. Those people never look healthy. Or happy for that matter. It's like their skin has stretched too tightly around their body. Food should be REAL. My grandfather ate real butter, bacon, drank buttermilk (blech!) and he's still here with us at almost 97. How many obsessive health nuts can say that? Do you like to cook? Grocery shop?

WARNING:  This is a totally frivolous post. LOL I could make it more spiritual by saying we are ambassadors for Christ and should present our best to the world, but I'll admit that most of us are just plain vain. At least a little!

When you get to be my age (60) most of us are always looking for ways to stop the ravages of time. Having my hormones optimized was a big help and so was losing 75 pounds with hcg. But I like playing with makeup and hair. And I have discovered by being with Alexa that the desire is innate. We kept her this weekend and one of the first things out of her mouth was, "Mimi, can we  play with your makeup?" Too funny! And it didn't even come from me. I'd never played with makeup with her before. So I'm innocent.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my favorite products with you and see if you have any favorites. By far my favorite beauty item is Nuskin Galvanic Spa. It's a little device that you run over your face, and voila, your skin looks fabulous! You can use it 2 times a week. It even works on cellulite, though I haven't been faithful with using it for that so I can't report the effects.

My favorite makeup is L'oreal Visible Lift. Love the coverage and the way it makes my skin looks. And I love Telomere Fine Line Cream for my moisturizer. I have brown eyes and am a winter so I usually use eye makeup that has a purple tint to it.

So what about you? What are your favorite products?

No, this is not going to be a commercial about what a great skin softener coconut oil is--even though that's true. It's also not about the lack of a horn on this rhino. Am I missing something? Does anyone know anything about rhinos that I don't? It wouldn't take much.

Labels: Believing despite pressure, Eugene Patterson photo, Trusting God, waiting

This is our grandson.  He's five month old. The doctor recently told his parents that Maddox needed to wear a helmet for about a month to protect the soft spot in his head.  It just melted my heart to see him in the helmet. Looks like a little football player, doesn't he?

It started me thinking how life sometimes gets in the way.  We're going along our merry way and then find out we need a helmet, or surgery, or insulin, or chemo.  These changes can be frightening, life-changing even, but they can be avenues for a new you, a better you.

I'm not talking about a Pollyanna attitude on the outside. I'm talking about a heart change where you allow God to encourage and strengthen you through the process and you learn to see the good in it.  After all, Romans 8:28 tells us He's working all things for our good.

Not always easy to do. Some days are frustrating as we adapt to a new situation, but we'll get through it one day at a time.

I don't know what you're facing right now, but I want you to know that God is with you every step of the way and He will see you through.  If you're struggling with a new situation or problem, ask your friends to pray for you. That's why we're all here, to encourage and help one another. If you'd like us to pray for you, just let us know! Sisters lift one another up!!

So enjoy your day, no matter what it brings, because God is with you!

What motivates you? If you're like Colleen, being healthy is a motivation. Getting something you want is a motivation, but the fact is, we're all motivated by different things. This is what makes parenting so fun. No kid is motivated by the same carrot at the end of the stick.

I'm not writing to contract right now. I really wanted to search a story out without a deadline. To find the joy that I used to have when writing. It turns out finishing something with no deadline is freedom-inducing, but not necessary word-count producing.

So Jenny B. Jones and I have established a pact. Just like exercise buddies. We're challenging each other once daily to 1,000 words-an-hour sprints. Lots of writers have done this before, it's not new, but it's working for us. Apparently, my Catholic background makes guilt a very strong motivator.

What do you need motivation for? Can you enlist a friend to help?

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of primal eating. Some of my readers have asked me to blog about it so I'm obliging. :) I've been gluten free for a long time but truly primal for about nine months.

Labels: Jack Kruse, lower C-Reactive Protein, Mark's Daily Apple, Primal Diet

I'm not a big fan of change. If change were a person, it would be the person that, when I see her coming, I kind of duck my head and change course.

So when Kevin started bugging me about, oh, 2 years ago, to switch to a digital family calendar . . . well, let's just say I stalled a bit. I mean, I've been keeping a paper calendar since I was a toddler. It's a lot to ask. That's a lot of years, a lot of tradition, a lot of engrained routine.

But syncing his work hours with our family plans was becoming a royal pain, and after too many things fell through the cracks, I bit the bullet and went digital.

I decided on Cozi. It's simple (if different) and allows you to view your calendar on your phone with the touch of a button. It's more tedious to fill in than a paper calendar, I'll admit, but it's also more legible (if you have writing like mine). We've been using it a month, and so far so good.

The paper calendar's still on the fridge as my security blanket, but I'm slowly weaning myself away. I do like having my calendar available on my phone when I'm at the doctor's office and setting my next appointment, and I especially like that the whole family can check upcoming events on their own from wherever they are.

So I guess the moral of the story is that all change isn't bad. Some might even good. It's a little too soon to tell with the calendar thing, but that's what I'm telling myself.

What big changes have you made lately?

Diann Hunt, Carol Cox, Kristin Billerbeck & Judith Miller

I've often said that if Colleen and I were animals, she'd be a Golden Retriever and I'd be a Siamese cat. I'm an introvert and not big on large groups. You have to move me slowly to get into a group of people -- I'm actually very shy, which is hard for people to believe because I'm also very obnoxious. I found this picture today and it just blessed my socks off to see it. This is the weekend I met Diann Hunt. And I'm not going to lie. I didn't like the idea of a 'new' person because I like my quiet time -- the intimate time to connect with friends.

Colleen knew though. She could see the writing on the wall that Di and I were meant to be together. Diann and I are those people that things happen to. (AKA, she gets approached by a stranger telling her she's wearing the devil's colors, my dog is in the country five minutes and gets sprayed by a skunk.)

That weekend, I don't think we ever had such a good time, all of us together giggling like schoolgirls. So when I look at this picture, I just have such heartwarming memories of who were back then. All innocent in our ways, unable to see all the hardships we'd go through together. But that is the beauty of deep and abiding friending. It lasts.

So go make a new friend or tell an old one what she means to you.

I've been doing a little spring cleaning around here: organizing drawers, cleaning off shelves and the like. You know, making room for more stuff. :)

What does this have to do with you? My library shelves are too full, so I'm giving away 3 copies of "The Accidental Bride".

To enter, sign up for my newsletter here TODAY--it takes all of 10 seconds. That's it! 

I'll contact the winners directly tomorrow. And if you don't win this time, don't worry. I regularly do drawings for free books just for my newsletter friends.

Here's a blurb: 


Shay Brandenberger can't seem to keep her head above water-and now the bank is threatening to foreclose on her ranch. She prays for a miracle, but the answer she receives is anything but expected.

Having agreed to play the bride in the Founders' Day wedding reenactment, Shay is mortified to be greeted at the end of the aisle by Travis McCoy, the man who left her high and dry for fame and fortune on the Texas rodeo circuit.

Then the unthinkable happens. Thanks to a well-meaning busybody and an absentminded preacher, the make-believe vows result in a legal marriage. But before Shay can say annulment, Travis comes up with a crazy proposal. If she refuses his offer, she may lose her home. If she accepts, she may lose her heart.

Labels: book giveaway

There was a time, long, long ago, when I quit my day job to write. Please don't laugh. I know a lot of people do that but they're too embarrassed to admit it. No, I hadn't sold anything except nonfiction pieces, and no, I wasn't making enough from my writing to live on, I'd simply saved enough money to support myself for quite some time before I had to find another job. I intended to write novel after novel until I sold one. At that time I felt sure I would continue to sell after the first one.

Labels: Humor about writing

I'm enjoying reading how others meet deadline! I have to say I tend to do things somewhere in between everyone.

I see everyone's talking about their writing methods. Denise's makes me itch, can I just say?

My method is a lack of method. I used to have a better one. I had writing "time" -- working it through my kids' naps and everything. I'd prepare my chapter in my head the night before.

Now that they're teenagers and their schedules are all over the place, I find that my writing time is as well. For some reason their schools seem to be off more than they're on and so planning any type of schedule is often a joke. Right now, I'm without a deadline. By choice, but I find I'm not actually accomplishing anything, so that may have been a mistake on my part. And while I'd like to fix it, it's very fun having time to myself to meet the local girls at the coffee shop and make sure that everyone is where they need to be, the bills are paid, there's food in the fridge. You know, normal mom stuff.

When I go back to writing however, here's my process:

I write the first five chapters over and over again. I've tried to plot, plan and make it happen, but the book always bores me and I lose interest. So while I start with a plot and a goal, it somehow changes as the character grows. So I write the first five chapters about six times until I get to the middle and then I finish it pretty cleanly.

When it comes to editing, I read through my edits and then I ponder them until it's in my head what needs to happen. Then I edit straight through as well. That pondering time is what gets me a little insane. To change big things means I have to find the right motive and I would say that's where most of my brain work goes in any book: why would she do this? Why does she feel like this? I always want my fiction to be based on a truth that is universal. I always want to answer a question for myself when I write a book.

In my latest, "The Scent of Rain" -- I wanted to ask the question, "What happens when everything we think we want isn't what we need? How do we get to the truth of who we are?" Add an interest in the perfume industry, a little research and that's how I get to the book. That central question must be there for me to be interested enough to finish it. Apparently, I have all the answers now because I don't have an idea. Bahaha (kidding, I'm kidding!)

So, this begs the question. Is that even a method? You be the judge.

The reason we're talking about deadlines right now is because we're all dealing with them. :) I like the pressure myself. I get more done that way. I know I'm a little weird but the girls love me anyway! And we are all so different but that makes our friendship more fun.

Labels: deadlines

They don't call 'em deadlines for nothing. I'm pretty sure it's because most of us feel half dead when we get there. But if you plan ahead and work steadily, you can reach your deadline (real or self-imposed) with some measure of sanity. Every writer had their own method, but here's what I do to stay on top of mine--I haven't missed one yet:

1. Break down the task. A book is a huge project. Figure out how many pages (or words) you need to write a day to get your ms. finished by deadline. My quota is 6 quality pages per day (I edit as I write). Do the math--if I can do it, anyone can. Desired Page Count divided by Pages Per Day= how many days you need to write for your first draft. (For me: 350 pgs divided by 6= 59 writing days.)

2. Mark it down. Print out a calendar of your writing months and checkmark the days you will write your daily quota. Don't check the days you don't plan on writing (vacation/weekends/etc).

3. Add wiggle room. Add a few extra weeks between now and your deadline for life to happen. It will. It also leaves room for when you get stuck and need to spend your writing time fixing plot problems. This brings my writing time up to 80 days.

4. Add time for rewrites. I like to have a month for rewrites. This brings my writing time to a total of 110 days.

5. Stay accountable. Chart how many pages (or word count) you wrote each day on your calendar and tally up the end of each week. If you fall short one day, try to make it up by the end of the week. If you fall off track a bit, redo the math about 1/2 way through your WIP and adjust your calendar (or daily quota) as necessary.

You can see my sample calendar above for last month. Some days I didn't meet my quota because I was working to fix plot problems on those days. I'm 3/4 through my 1st draft, and I still have a week's wiggle room left. Plus my hubby gave me a spa day for our anniversary, and I was able to take a whole day off guilt-free. :)