When you tell someone you're a writer, almost daily, you'll hear, "I was going to write a book."

That's just it. It has to be more than intention. You have to sit down and write it. Don't worry about the rules up front. Tell your story the way it comes to you. If that's with a plan you follow, do it that way. If that's a first line that comes to you (ie., J.R.R. Tolkien) do it that way. If the character speaks to you and you just follow. Follow. Only write until you're done with that first draft. Don't be bogged down by rules and fear. You probably won't do it right the first time. I don't, and I have written nearly forty books.

Ask my editor if I don't need some major help at the end of every book. The fear in writing never goes away. You always feel inadequate (and some reviewers will be happy to tell you that you are) but the important thing is perseverance. Writing will always be an elephant that you eat one bite at a time. Perfectionism will get you nowhere fast.

Write one chapter. Now another. One more, you can do it. Keep writing until you have a skeleton manuscript. That you can work with. That you can fix. I can't tell you how many things will stop you. I've heard every excuse under the sun. "Oh I homeschool."

So do lots of other writers. Writing isn't your priority if you don't do it. I think it's very easy to say, "I'm going to write a book someday."

But to actually do it? That takes something. I've been writing since I had two kids under two. I have four now: 11 to 16. They go to three different schools. They play soccer and take dance. But as I said, writers write. Push the fear and the haters out of your mind. I cannot stand Josh Groban, but my disliking him hasn't hurt his career any, so don't expect to be loved by all , but write anyway.

Labels: doing it "right", editing, fear of rejection, fear of writing, manuscript, one bite at a time, perseverance, write anyway, write until its finished, writing

You've heard us all talking about the project we're doing together: Smitten. We just got our notes back from Ami, and oh my goodness, such fun! Each of our characters is US. And Ami knows all of us well. But as she read the stories and delved into character, she's given us suggestions on how to make the story better while building on what she knows so well about all of us.

Labels: Ami McConnell, editing, Smitten, Stephen King, The Lightkeeper's Ball, The Stand

If you've hung around our blog at all, you KNOW how much I adore Erin Healy! She's edited all of my Thomas Nelson books except for one. She's an integral part of the team and I so love and value her opinion. And I love her a friend as well. She's done some books with Ted Dekker, but she's now writing on her own. You're in for a treat when you read Never Let You Go. Here's an interview I recently did with my dear Erin. Enjoy!

Labels: editing, Erin Healy, Never Let You Go

So thanks to YouTube, I taught myself to knit. As you can see by the big HOLES in my little scarf, I'm not very good. As I'm now editing my book, A Billion Reasons Why, it dawned on me how each new skill requires another new skill. Writing requires working with others who see your plot holes, and then it's your job to go in and fill them. To make a pretty, smooth manuscript that a publisher wants to publish.

It's not unlike knitting. Everyone sees the holes. They stand out. The difference is, for a knitting hole, you have to go in and rip out a whole bunch of stitches. Editing can be like this, but I know how to fix it. I know the characters, I know what I'm doing, I only need a pair of fresh eyes and a skilled editor to tell me what isn't working. Everyone can see what isn't working on the scarf, but the difference is, I don't care enough to fix it. It's a scarf. It has a hole in it, get over it.

With the scarf, people will just assume I'm unskilled and learning. With a book, people will assume I'm stupid or worse, don't care enough to fix it so I see it as God's work. Ouch! Maybe that's why I find the strength to fix the plot holes. Which, if you're looking for advice, can always be fixed with motive. If you don't have a motive for why your character acts a certain way, you have a plot hole. So always be thinking motive if something isn't working. People do idiotic things. We don't question that. We question WHY they do idiotic things. Give us the answer, and you have filled your plot hole.

Example: Why did Mel Gibson rant against Jews, when he works with the most Jewish population there is -- Hollywood? Answer: drunken binge, Nazi-raised father, bipolar??? Take your pick. They all work. They fill in the hole.

The other major issue in plot holes? Consequences. There are consequences to our stupid actions. Case in point? Michelle Obama took a glitzy vacation. Now, she is under fire for ignoring a state warning for African-Americans traveling to Spain, but also for the apparent HIGH cost for the trip, which is seen as a Marie Antoinette move when most of our country is struggling to make ends meet (see the article here
http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/aug/06/michelle-obama-compared-to-marie-antoinette.htm

So, now, if we were writing, we could create a motive. Michelle is revenge-spending for the country getting her husband on his birthday (making this up, don't get all political on me!) and she's telling him, dude, you better pay attention to me, or I will get the country to pay attention to my actions, and it will cost you. NOW we have the consequences next. Obama has to explain why he can't control the spending in his own house. Obama has to explain to critics why Michelle needed this trip, and if he's smart, Obama will pony up the cost for his wife's gaffe and tell the American public they're not paying for it.

So now, I'm back to fix my own plot holes. The knitting holes will stay.

Labels: consequences, editing, holes, knitting, motive, novels, plot holes