The Battle to Terminate the Perfection Imperfection

Perfection.

Ironically, as a trait, it is a glaring IMperfection.  Not just imperfection.  It is paralyzing.

I have long been a perfectionist.  While it affects both my analytical side and my creative side, I have found perfection to be absolutely devastating to my creative side.

How?

*  Re-writing the same scene, chapter, or book over and over, culminating in a refusal to submit it for publication even when you've had others tell you to go for it.

*  Getting bogged down with a plot then finally throwing your hands up in frustration and walking away for months or years because you can't come up with the perfect plot nuances to bring your wide-sweeping story together.

*  Attempting to draw or paint a picture and becoming so frustrated with the perceived inadequacy of the project that you hide your sketchbook or canvas and toss your supplies, never to pick up pencil or paint for years.

Aside from the loss of productivity, even worse is the thought of reaching the end of life and not having accomplished my artistic goals.

So recently I asked for some advice from other creatives on how they'd bust the perfection cycle.  I got some really good ideas, and I got some not-so-helpful philosophical ideas (I wanted hands on recommendations).  In the end, I went with my gut and decided the visual arts, not writing, would be my "therapy" for busting perfection paralysis.

Why did I choose the visual arts?  Because, while I enjoy both writing and visual arts, it is my intention to make some income, no matter the amount, off my writing at some point in the future. Therefore writing adds even MORE pressure than the visual arts.  I want to pursue drawing and painting as a hobby because I enjoy doing them.  While I may be extremely hard on myself when doing visual arts, I feel the pressure level is slightly less than when writing.

The next obvious question is HOW will I implement this process of busting perfectionism paralysis?  Simple.  Each week, I spend a little time either painting or drawing (or both if the fortune of time is upon me).  No holds barred.  No criticism.  

I have ample sketchpads that have been laying around un-used for years.  I got myself a cheap starter set of acrylic paints and brushes and a handful of canvases with some gesso.  I borrowed some books from the library on the basics of acrylic painting (I took a class over 30 years ago but essentially forgot everything I learned).

And today I did what grabbed me most.  I'd been wanting to prime a canvas with black gesso and play with colors on a black background, intending to do a desert nighttime scene.  I fooled around with it but wasn't impressed.  But you know what? That's ok.  With some very fine sandpaper and a couple base coats of white gesso, I can re-use that canvas, no harm, no foul.

Then I took a white gesso primed canvas and began the outlines of a sunrise sky.  I didn't finish it.  But that's okay. At least I STARTED.  I put the mostly unfinished canvas on my bookshelf to glance at it over the next week and come back to it and experiment some more.

I've already learned a few things I need to improve--obviously gaining the skill will be a long, on-going process, but there ARE things I can do to centralize the painting medium in my mind like studying the color wheel and beginning to intrinsically understand how to mix colors.  I'll continue to practice mixing, playing with brushstrokes, palette knives, sponges, just to see the effects on canvas and what the possibilities are.

And as my last project of the day, I sketched a TV character.  For some reason, I feel driven to learn to pencil draw humans though I haven't been tempted to try and paint a human---probably too chicken right now.  Somehow it feels "okay" to waste a piece of sketch paper doodling out a human profile.

Do you see the theme?  The key to my busting perfectionism paralysis is giving myself permission to screw up.  Don't berate myself for wasting supplies, making an imperfect picture, or spending my time doing a hobby.  It's all okay.

Week by week, I'm going to take steps to solve this problem (along with a few others I'm working on in the career front).  The only way to bust the perfection bubble is to hit it over the head with a hammer.  

Let's hope that over the course of the spring and summer, this will make me more creatively productive and moving forward better than I have in a long time.  Creative pursuits aren't just for primary schoolers.  They are meant to be enjoyed for a lifetime.  And who knows what pleasant surprises pursuit of the creative arts may bring?

The Shower Curtain

Strange name for a blog post, but it's what's on my mind today.

Yep.  My shower curtain.

See, my shower curtain functions a lot differently than the way most people use theirs.  Oh sure, it's obviously hung in the shower to keep water from flooding my bathroom floor.  But that's where the resemblance of my shower curtain and the shower curtain of others ends.

See some shower curtains come with several pockets, ostensibly to store shower accessories like shampoo, a scrub brush, razor, etc.  But not my shower curtain.

Instead, I have the pockets facing outward, and each of them, about 10 in all, have not shower accessories, but one line blurbs for novels I anticipate writing.

For example:  "The decisions a military man makes between duty and the enemy."  That's the blurb for my novel Principle Engagement.

They are not written as one line pitches, per se, but as one line blurbs to remind me of all the story ideas rolling around in my head.  Some of those blurbs represent not one novel, but series of novels.

In all, I'd say my shower curtain represents ideas for about 10-15 novels.

I put these blurbs in my shower curtain to give me a daily reminder of all the potential novels I could write and get out there on e-book shelves.  Only problem is, life constantly interferes with my plans.

Due to circumstances beyond my control I have less time than ever, barely managing to sleep 4-5 hours each night, much less meeting the basics of survival.  In the meantime, those story concepts sit lonely and waiting in the shower curtain.  The original plan in placing them there, printed out on white paper, was to color them in a bright bold color, one by one, as each novel was finished.  Only one, Principle Engagement, has been colored in (and I want to re-write it).  The rest are still printed on lonely white squares as always.

So that leads me back to the age old battle.  There is a truth that cannot be escaped.

Writers write.

But I'm not writing.

I'm barely scraping through the daily fight for life as it is.  But then that leaves the question: Will I go through life, ending it, wondering what might have been if I had only put fingers to keyboard and completed all those awesome story ideas rolling around in my head?  Or will I somehow, in the midst of life's daily battle, find a way to produce these books and get them out there, taking my chances and seeing what opportunities they may hold?

I don't know the answer.  But I can tell you I've recently been fueled to think about my writing due to a reason most people would not suspect.  Anger.  But that is the subject of another post. 

In the meantime, since tomorrow is December 1st, the first day of the last month of the year, I am asking myself to squeak out 700 words per week (100 a day).  It's not much.  It won't get me very far.  But it still gets me farther than -0- words per day.

I have traditionally been someone who writes in fits and starts.  I doubt that M.O. will change.  But we'll see, if for just the last month of the year, if I can produce a small word count and begin bringing creativity back online from the nothingness that has been this year.

Do You Psyche Yourself Out During A Writing Vacation

Reading a post today over at Writer Unboxed got me to wondering...

How often do you plan time off for a writing holiday but when the time comes you psych yourself out and don't make any meaningful progress?

If this happens to you, isn't it one of the most annoying things ever?  I know it is common for me and drives me absolutely bonkers.  Time is so precious I hate to waste it.

What tips and helpful hints do you recommend for a successful writing holiday?  I'd love to hear how you make it work for you.

Explosive Writing

As I was making my rounds of a handful of industry blogs this morning (and hey--pat me on the back, I have successfully pared down the amount of time I spent reading blogs.  I limited myself to 16 minutes this morning! Good thing too, as I woke up late.), I noticed the theme of fireworks has been...well, ok, overused in so many blogs.

Obviously it's Fourth of July week so there's a good reason, but I'll be glad when the week is over so everyone can move on to other analogies.

However, since Donald Maass wrote probably my favorite book on craft (Writing the Breakout Novel), I'll always take time to read one of his posts.  And today was his turn to post at Writer Unboxed.  You can view the post here:

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/07/06/fireworks/

Making your stories pop has, of course, always been one of the leading things he has taught.  But I wanted to zero in on one thing in particular.  He and others who teach about what makes good writing, will sometimes say something like: "Go to a scene in your manuscript and look at your protagonist.  What is the worst thing that can happen to the character in that scene?  Make it happen."

This is meant to be an exercise to help you push the envelope in your writing.  Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I find an exercise like this un-scintillating.  Perhaps I am just too pragmatic for my own good.  Because if you ask me something like "What is the worst thing that could happen to that character?" my instant answer is going to be "they could be dead."

Yes, yes, I know.  You could argue in some situations there are some things worse than being dead.  But still, that is typically my stock answer, particularly since I write historicals with a leaning toward the west, where life and death are precarious.  So this type of exercise simply isn't that helpful for me.

I think I need to learn to re-frame the question.  Maybe I should ask myself, "In such and such a scene, what could happen that would kill the character on the inside," and see what kind of results I might get.

Writer Essentials: Discipline & Word Count Goals

Any of us who have even remotely considered writing a book wonder how in the world you take on such a ginormous task. There are as many ways to go about it as there are writers. But one thing essential to every method out there is the production words and the completion of a manuscript. To do that, you absolutely must exercise discipline.

For the first six years of my novel-writing life, I lacked discipline. Oh sure. I did finish one manuscript in that six years. I set a goal for how much of my non-day job time should be spent on writing. But I never demanded word count goals from myself. And the results speak for themselves.

For a whole host of reasons that exceed the scope of this particular post, I decided 2011 needed to be different. In 2011, I wanted measurable results. I wanted tangible progress. So I did the one thing I had failed to do each of the six previous years. Set strict word count goals for myself.

The result? I have already written more in 2011 than I did in the whole of 2010.

My recommendation? Set DAILY word count goals. And honor them at all costs. Yes, some people set weekly, or even monthly goals, so that if they miss a day here and there, that is fine, because they can make it up during that week or month. That's fine if you already possess an incredible amount of discipline. But if you are just starting out writing, or if you haven't established a track record for yourself, or even think you *might* fall off the wagon, I strongly recommend daily word count goals.

Why? In the first place, it will shut your internal editor up. Your internal editor is a welcome fellow---on second and subsequent drafts. But during the process of writing a first draft, he is scum! To see a pictorial representation of this scum, click on this link: http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/entertainment/07/11/20_nottoenailmonst_lgl.jpg

(okay technically this is the Lamisil Monster but I say it's the spittin' image of the Inner Critic).

Second, daily word count goals will clamp down on your predilection to leave off on your writing under the guise of doing research. Yep, books need lots of research, but you still have to write the book, and instead of stopping and starting, you can insert notes in your manuscript for things you need to follow up and research later.

And third, writing to a daily word count keeps you in the flow of the story.

And I'll even throw in a fourth reason. For me, sticking to a daily word count goal makes me a happier person over all. Does that sound strange? Maybe it is. But I feel more joy in my life knowing I have committed and followed through on the page every day.

I know that some of you are thinking, "Well that's all fine and good, but I don't have time to write every day." I've repeated that mantra myself on more occasions then I care to count. But here's my challenge to you. Do you have 15 minutes a day? Do you spend 15 minutes checking email? Watching TV? Standing in line at Starbucks for your favorite exotic coffee? Then you have time to write.

It is absolutely amazing what you can write in 15 minutes. Thanks to my wonderful Lord who provided me with the ability to buy a laptop late this past summer, I now have a transportable computer. I get two 15 minute breaks at work and in those 2 fifteen minute breaks, I can usually rack up 600-700 words total. Sometimes more.

I challenge you. Set daily word count goals. Protect them fiercely. Honor them. And see what it does, not only in establishling a joyous daily habit, but in lifting your spirits when you see what is possible with discipline and commitment. You will be amazed. Then come back and post a reply here. I'd love to hear your story.

The Blessing Of The Power To Create

I don't know about you, but when I look at my manuscript, I see good scenes, bad scenes, average scenes, and great scenes. And when I read those great scenes--those scenes that gel together so perfectly in character, tension, and plot, it makes me literally quiver with excitement at reading it.

Of course, I have yet to figure out how to write a manuscript full of 100% quiver-worthy scenes. I doubt any author ever does. I don't recall ever reading a book that does, though I've read some spell-binding books.

But when I have the privilege to write those great scenes, I just have to stop, look up to heaven and thank God for sharing with us the gift of creativity. Our Creator, who has given us the ability to create. What we can create isn't even the merest fraction of His power. More awe-inspiring still when we remember that we created, drawing on experiences and things that have gone on before. But God created from nothing. I can't even get my head around it.

Nevertheless, the gift of creativity is one of the greatest joys a person can have. So powerful that describing it cannot be done in words. I'm so thankful to have the privilege to create scenes and stories. It brings such joy.

Who's Who In The Western Fiction of Zane Grey

Every four months or so, I take a hankering to check out some books on writing. Maybe there is some particular technique I need help on. Or, like today, somehow I feel like there is some little nugget of wisdom out there just waiting for me to find it in the books of writers who have been at it a while. Plus I just needed a shot in the arm to keep me going--to keep toiling away on my books.

I did come home with a stack of books on writing. I'm looking forward to skimming them for those wisdom nuggets. But I wanted to write about another discovery I made today.

As has been mentioned here many times, Zane Grey is my favorite author, his novel Forlorn River being my favorite book of all time--the ultimate piece of buddy fiction, (some might disagree because there is also a strong romance thread throughout.)

Zane Grey was also quite a prolific author--I do not know exact numbers but he probably authored somewhere along the lines of 70 novels, plus his non-fiction work.

While browsing the library stacks today, I came across a number of Zane Grey related books. One of which just knocked my socks off. The title is Who's Who In The Western Fiction of Zane Grey by John Donahue.

Here's the Amazon link:

http://tinyurl.com/2ad884n

In essence, this book is a character dictionary of the many characters that have populated Zane Grey's novels. For example, you can look up the two main characters of Forlorn River, Ben Ide and Nevada, and find a one page summary of who they are and what their story was. How cool is that?

I mean think of it---Zane Grey was so prolific, sold so many millions of books, his writing has withstood the test of many decades (despite the claims of the modern ADHD society)--so popular that his works have been honored with a dictionary of his characters!

Can any writer honestly say that they wouldn't love to be so well known, so prolific, and so enduring that their body of work garnered an entire character compendium? We writers espouse a lot of grand reasons why we write--to get society to ponder some issue, to entertain, etc etc. We don't like to admit we have ego. But it's there.

And I think having the blood, sweat and tears of your years and years of writing and toil honored with a character compendium is about the coolest thing ever. Zane Grey died in 1939, some 69 years prior to this book's publication. But I hope he would be pleased. Though if he were alive, I wonder if he would think something along the lines of "That's nice but don't bother me. I have more books to write." Who knows?

I have no way of knowing if I will publish 1 book much less 70. But the one thing I do know is that no matter what stories I write or where they end up--whether on a bookstore shelf or just in the hands of a friend, I pray that I will create memorable characters too.

And my trip to the library today achieved its purpose. I came home with a nugget of wisdom and a shot of hope. When you're writing touches the hearts of people, it will be honored, whether in present time or time to come.

Recommended Craft Book: Save The Cat

I love it when a craft book immediately sets my mind to whirring on one of my WIPs and starts me to thinking about new angles and new possibilities. Save The Cat did that for me this weekend.

I can't figure it out, but somehow this book on screenwriting flew under my radar. There's a lot of things in life I have a hard time staying on top of, but I'm usually fairly well up to date about the latest writing books, seeing as how its one of my key procrastination techniques to avoid writing my own stuff. LOL! Until someone recently mentioned Blake Snyder's Save The Cat on the ACFW Loop (whoever mentioned it-THANK YOU!), I had never heard of it before--and it was published back in 2005!

I highly recommend this book--whether or not you write screenplays. I find screenplay books just as beneficial to novel writers. And what I like about Save The Cat is that it takes concepts long ago taught by Syd Field and others and IMPROVES them. The beat sheet alone is well worth picking up the book.

Granted, I haven't read all the screenplay books out there, but his approach in teaching through this book keeps you glued to the pages (though I confess my eyes began to glaze over during talk about "The Board", even though I can see it's merit.)

I know a book has been valuable when I am furiously scratching down several pages of notes and having fun doing it. I can't wait to type them up! Yep, I'm a true geek at heart.

I enjoyed the book so much I looked up the author's website tonight intending to send an email complementing him on an excellent job. I was saddened and dismayed to learn on the website that the author passed away last year so now I have no way of saying thanks.

But I highly recommend the book to screenwriters and novel writers alike. While screenplays and novels are two different animals, they each need to be plotted out (even pantsers have to plan their stories just a little!) and I think you will find tremendous value in Save the Cat.

Certainly a great way for a working author to leave a legacy. Thanks, Mr. Snyder!

Writers Questionnaire

One quick order of business before getting to today’s post: Tomorrow (12/14) I will announce the winner of the drawing in the “Name That Dog Breed” Contest. 8-)

* * *

I was tagged to do a writer’s Q&A by author Michelle Gregory (you can read her responses to this questionnaire at: http://michellegregory.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-been-so-long-ive-forgotten-how-to.html

And by the way---Pat, Pat and Pat—I’m tagging you for this exercise too so beware! 8-) And any others who take the challenge, please let me know. I’d love to visit your blog and see your responses!

If you’d like to visit the web/blog sites of the “Triple P” noted above visit:
http://www.pattishene.com/
http://www.patiacuzzi.com/dwellings.html
http://patriciapacjaccarroll.blogspot.com/

At first I didn’t think I was going to participate with this little Q&A. But some of the questions made me think (consequently my heads hurts from over-use) so I thought I’d give them a try:

1. What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

Last Thing: Last night while treating myself to a gingerbread milkshake from Red Robin (if you haven’t tried them, run, don’t walk to your nearest Red Robin Restaurant), I was jotting down a few lines that popped into my head for a Hardy Boys story. I’ve always loved reading the Hardy Boys books and have always wanted to come up with the perfect Hardy Boys plot that mixes in the deep family connected-ness of the Blue Spines with all their charm with some of the elements of the Hardy Boys Casefiles (I do not like the more recent series of HB books. BLECH!)

First Thing: I’m impressed with ANYONE who can remember the first thing they wrote!


2. Write poetry?

To be perfectly honest, I only occasionally attempt poetry because several of my writer friends are poets and I want to pretend like I have some clue about poetry. Otherwise, the only time I have had a true desire to write poetry (apart from grade school or a special poem for my Dad) is when I want to take a stab at some whimsical cowboy poetry (hard to do if you’re not a cowboy and don’t know cowboy ways first hand).

Poetry requires an economy and careful use of words I simply don’t possess at this point in time.


3. Angsty poetry?

Nah. I save all my angst for my novels.


4. Favorite genre of writing?

Historical/western. I do have some ideas for some contemporary stories but I really don’t know how to classify them except as action/adventure, perhaps with a bit of romance thrown in. And they would be novels set in the western U.S., but to me, that’s not a western.


5. Most annoying character you've ever created?

This is one of those questions that made my head hurt. A character can be annoying either due to their personality or due to my difficulty in mastering writing them.

As to personality, the most annoying character is the antagonist of my present story. With a chip on his shoulder and an inability to get along with anyone, mixed with his own warped view of right and wrong, he is the kind of person who rubs you wrong on first meeting. And it causes no end of problems – both for himself and people he comes in contact with.

As to characters who are annoying because they are hard to write, that would be my present protagonist. Writing a lead character who struggles with trusting God in a fallen world with limited understanding is something every Christian writer endeavors to do. But doing that with three dimensional characters and in a way that hasn’t been done a million times before is NOT easy. In my mind’s eye, my lead IS 3-D. But transferring that to the page – that’s something else altogether.


6. Best Plot you've ever created?

Well as I’ve only plotted 2 stories in detail, I’m going to ignore the question and create one of my own. What’s the best story title you’ve ever come up with?

Answer: I’m not going to tell you. Moi ha ha ha ha!!!!! But seriously, I have two book titles in my head that I am dying to come up with plots for. I’m playing them close to the vest because it has become a personal challenge, if you will, for me to mull these titles and come up with the stories that live up to the titles.


7. Coolest Plot twist you've ever created?

Hmm…my brain is still pondering this one based on my limited work thus far.


8. How often do you get writer's block?

Very rarely is the issue writer’s block. The issue is time. Especially when you’re revising a novel. I can churn out a first draft in small chunks of time almost anywhere I can steal a moment. But I simply cannot revise a novel without long periods of quiet time – which I rarely get.

When I do get writers block, the majority of the time it is while brainstorming the novel and getting stuck on a particular plot point that blows up a later plot point or vice versa.


9. Write fan fiction?

See #1 above. Writing fan-fiction is a low stress way to work out your urge to write if you are stuck on another project. With fan fiction, the hardest part, development of lead/main characters, has already been done for you whether based on TV, movies, or popular books. You can therefore spend time weaving together stories that let your creative juices flow a bit more naturally then they do when you have to build and define lead characters from scratch.


10. Do you type or write by hand?

Type. Once in a great, great while I’ll handwrite, but then I growl when I realize I now have to type it up anyway. Besides, I end up more frustrated than anything when I write longhand because it is 50 times slower than typing.


11. Do you save everything you write?

No. That was an idyllic thought in my mind years ago but with geographic moves, space constraints, changes in data storage, and a million other factors, it simply did not prove realistic. I would say, however, that I have kept most of my notes and items from the last five years, when I got down and dirty with my writing.


12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

Yes. When I get story ideas I jot them down in their own Word file and will revisit them every so often as further ideas hit me.


13. What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

My present novel. First one I saw through to completion of first draft, and have stuck with through many revisions.


14. What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written?

Ask me when I’m on the market. 8-) Overall I have gotten positive responses on my first novel.


15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Teen drama? No.

Romance? No. I don’t have a thing against romance. It’s just that everybody’s doing it. I want to be part of that microscopic fraction of a percent in the market that writes books based on relationships other than romance. Because that’s what appeals to me. But it does make me feel like a red-headed step-child that I’m not in line with the rest of the romance writing world.

I actually do have an idea for a historical romance I’m going to take a stab at, but I need some more writerly experience before I tackle that one.


16. What's your favorite setting for your characters?

Generally speaking, sparsely populated wide open spaces – i.e. The kind of setting it’s rare to experience in real life. I can’t see myself writing a contemporary novel with city settings – I would feel claustrophobic and confined (and I already get to live that every day so why write about it?). But who knows. One day, the right story might just demand it.


17. How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Depends on how you define working. In a loose sense, I tend to ponder 2-3 stories at a time. But when it comes to strict BIC-time (butt-in-chair), I can only work on one story at a time.


18. Have you ever won an award for your writing?

Depends on if this is a historical discussion or not. 8-)

Had two items published in a county and state newspaper respectively during grade and high schools. Co-wrote a screenplay with a friend five years ago that made it to the quarterfinals of a national screenplay competition. Haven’t submitted anything recently.


19. What are your five favorite words?

Well, in the sheer “I just love the word” spirit, my favorite is “poofy.” Too bad you don’t have much occasion to use it in a historical.


20. What character have you created that is most like yourself?

There’s a little of me in all my characters—good guys and bad guys. Though the spiritual questions my current protagonist is asking are hard questions I myself have been asking and is probably one of the main reasons I’m having such a difficult time writing him.

21. Where do you get ideas for your characters?

From research. Historical narratives. Military reports of briefly mentioned people that your mind automatically fleshes out – historical sources are an amazing wealth of creative inspiration.


22. Do you ever write based on your dreams?

I rarely dream but when I do they are short and stupid. No publishing house in their right mind would publish a story based on one of my dreams. 8-)


23. Do you favor happy endings?

Mostly but I like to kill people off too. 8-)


24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

No. That’s the least of my worries. Creating story is the hard part.


25. Does music help you write?

ACK! NO!!! SILENCE! I MUST HAVE SILENCE! Not that I feel strongly about that or anything… 8-)


26. Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head.

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Message, Spock?”

Ooops. Sorry. Anytime anyone says “quote” I always think of the most quotable show in the history of the world – Star Trek (the original). [for the record, that quote is from the beginning of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – my all time favorite movie.]

Okay, okay. I’ll have to go for a tongue-in-cheek response since quoting myself seems a bit pompous. Here’s a line I love in one of my works in progress:

She wanted to rip out Bill's other eyebrow.

***

Don’t forget to get some writing in during this next hectic pre-holiday week, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving/Writing Between The Peaks of Your Story

A few days ago I mentioned the burnout and ungrateful spirit that was wearing me down. I'm pleased to say that while not cured, I am much improved.

During a break at work, I sat down and wanted to challenge myself: in 15 minutes, think of all the things I'm grateful for and see how many of 'em I could write down in that time. I came up with 150 without even breaking a sweat. Given enough time and notebook paper, I bet I could come up with hundreds more.

One of the things I'm thankful for is the presence of dogs in my life, and how they give me such joy--like teaching your dog how to high five and she gets so excited that she gives you a high TEN instead. You gotta love it. 8-)

In the meantime, author Camy Tang has a great article on her site about how to write those scenes that fall in between the tension highs of your story without the story falling off the page. I always find Camy's articles very helpful and succinct and know you will enjoy it too.

Please visit Camy's site here:

http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2009/11/writing-interesting-valleys-in-between.html

May you have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving!!!!

Creating Character Empathy

Thanks to a fellow ACFW member, I discovered a great blog by Brandilyn Collins on Creating Character Empathy. This had to be a God thing for the timing was perfect and exactly what I needed to read as I am starting on revisions to my novel and this was one of the problem areas identified for one of my characters.

It's an 11 part blog and you can find it here:

http://forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/2006/05/character-empathy-part-1.html

As soon as I started reading it I could feel the creative juices flowing and beginning to churn over ideas for my character. I know it will help you too.

Enjoy!