Writing Advice With: Rachel Rossano

What is your favorite part about writing? Why? 

Oh, I have to choose? I love the writing part. Creating a world, characters, and situations and then exploring them makes for great fun. It takes more work than simply reading a book, but the work is worth it because I have something tangible when I am done. Something I can share and others can enjoy over and over again. 

Who helped you the most while you were beginning to write? 

The first people to read my writing beyond my parents were a huge encouragement. My piano teacher, Mrs. Holden, found something to praise even though I am sure she also saw the flaws in my meager attempts at writing. She related to my characters, which guided me to pursue developing and replicating that in my next story.

My mother taught me to work hard. She never gave out praise unless it was merited. She showed me there is constantly room to improve and grow. Learning, growing, and improving are hard work, but they are worth the effort.

What first gave you the idea for Wren? 

A group of my friends, both writers and young women interested in writing, came up with an idea of doing a writing project together. Creating a family of nine siblings, we endeavored to each write one sibling’s story. We intended to begin and end each book in the same place and connect the stories through letters (hence the epistles in the series title). 

Wren’s character began with her name. I wanted her to be like her namesake, small and plain looking, but extraordinary in quiet ways. Unlike her siblings, she does not struggle with her faith in her God, but she does struggle with how to walk by that faith. She is a strong woman in a world that does not welcome women of her ilk. Despite her unconventional skill set (she is a bounty hunter and falcon mistress), she maintains her femininity and tries to adhere to the path God has set out for her. She is a woman of seeming contradictions, which I love about her. The aspect of her character that I really latched on to as I wrote the book was her confidence. She is far more self-assured than I have ever been.

Do you have any more projects in the works? 

Oh, yes! I am currently working on releasing the next two installments of the Theodoric Saga. (The Crown of Anavrea, the first book, is already available.) I am finishing up the rough draft of the sequel to Duty, which is tentatively titled Honor. A number of short stories from Duty and Honor’s world are in the works and will follow soon after. Also, there are other projects, both old and new, in the queue and ready for my attention. In the mix are an inspirational speculative fiction trilogy, an modern day inspirational retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon, a Regency mystery/romance, a fourth Theodoric Saga novel with plot problems, ideas for two more sequels to Duty and Honor, more than one science fiction novel, and a whole mess of short story ideas.

The ideas are endless. The challenge is finding the time. 

If you were to start over, what would you do differently? (Providing that you still had the knowledge of writing you do now?) 

I would spend more time reading, writing, and editing. Writing is a journey and I am constantly learning new things about the craft. 

Also, I would pay attention more closely in marketing class. 

Regardless of which way you end up publishing, writers are required to do more and more of their own publicity as time goes on. The one marketing class I took in college turned out to be a great resource despite my lack of interest at the time.

Remembering when you were first starting out, what was the most important thing you were told or learned along the way?

I have learned that you can’t please everyone. Make sure you please God. He is the most important audience you will ever have. Write for His glory and trust Him to handle the rest.

Additional note:

Also, for those of you who are on the brink of publication or researching publication feel free to contact me with questions. I would be happy to offer my services at a discount or just point you in the right direction. Traditionally published or independently published, we authors need to help each other. 

 Blog ~ http://rachel-rossano.blogspot.com/

Twitter ~ http://twitter.com/RachelRossano

Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/RachelRossano...

YouTube ~ http://www.youtube.com/anavrea

Goodreads ~ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

                                                                                -Ysa-

Writing Advice With: Nicole Sager

Today I am so pleased to share some writing advice from the author of the Arcrean Conquest trilogy, Nicole Sager! :o ) Nicole has been a very sweet encouragement as we have been creating this blog.

 Thank you Nicole for being such a blessing and for sharing with us. :o )

Me:  Remembering when you were first starting out, what was the most important thing you were told, or learned along the way?
 
Nicole:  There are three important things that come to mind:

 1) Don't try to push your story forward, but pray through it and wait on God to fill in the blanks; 

2) Don't be afraid to add/delete portions of your work that just doesn't fit - God has something better planned; 

and

 3) Think through your character and their setting - write how they would respond/act/think, and not how you would do so.


Me: If you were to start over, what would you do differently? (Providing that you still had the knowledge of writing you do now?)

Nicole: Haha! Formatted my pages with double spacing! I tried to have my pages completely formatted right at the start, but that really took away from focusing on the story :)

 Thanks again Nicole! :o )

Blessings in Christ,
~Ysa~

Writing Advice From: K. M. Weiland

This month's writing advice is from K. M. Weiland, author of Behold The Dawn and Dreamlander, and the brains behind Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors.

I highly recommend that readers go to her site and explore the immense amount of information there, but here are a few tips on writing:

  Prayer: The first thing I do every time I sit down to write is to ask a blessing on my work. If I’m to find any gold in my dross by the end of the day, it’s only because the Lord chooses to bless my efforts. I’ve claimed Psalm 19:14 as my special plea for my writing: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Yahweh, my Rock and my Redeemer.” I pray that the words might flow freely, that my music may inspire instead of distract, and that I might enjoy every minute of it. 
  Journaling: As I noted in the post “Journaling and Conquering Monsters,” I’ve found keeping a writing journal to be one of the most beneficial tricks in my bag of writing magic. Not only do I get to vent about problems, but I also have the opportunity to gather my thoughts about my characters, my pacing, and the scene I’m about to write. Instead of diving unprepared into my story and staring at the monitor, trying in vain to figure out where I want to go with a particular scene, I’m instead able to briefly sketch a basic scene plan in my notebook. I can’t even begin to tell how many false starts I’ve avoided with this method. Journaling allows me to gather my thoughts, to methodically put aside the outside world, and to ease my focus out of the intellectual and into the creative.

  Character Notes: During my outlining process, I write detailed “sketches” of my characters. To remind myself of interesting quirks or angles, I read a few of these notes, usually focusing on a major character in my current scene.

  Research Notes: For most of my stories, I collect pages upon pages of research material, most of which my sometimes sporadic memory couldn’t hope to remember. Even though I’m able to look up important details as they become necessary in the story, so many interesting facts still get lost in the giant crack between the research phase and the actual writing phase. To help combat that inevitability, I divide my notes into categories, and each day, before writing, I try to read one of these categories. Not only does this keep the important facts fresh in my mind, but it has also spurred some very interesting and unexpected plot twists.

And after all that, my brain having been stimulated and encouraged, I simply dive in. Other authors, of course, have their own methods of warming up. Some people recommend reading a passage from a classic author; still others suggest actually writing out that same passage, in hopes that you’ll be able to learn from that author’s style. (Personally, I’ve never felt I benefited from this. More often than not, it got me thinking about the classic author’s story instead of my own). Others swear by journal prompts or a brief stream-of-consciousness writing session.

 Here are the links to the posts I borrowed this info from:
How I Self-Edit My Novels: 15 Steps From First Draft to Publication
and
Warming Up

Thanks so much, K. M. for the writing advice! :o )

Blessings in Christ,
~Ysa~