Heidi Main, Writer

Before you call your work complete, here is a short list to consider for your work to be tighter.

1. Make sure your nouns and verbs are strong
2. Can you take the “s” off the word?
3. In a list, make the words go from short to long (words or phrases)
4. “the <noun> of” = can you get rid of that phrase?
5. avoid too many that’s, which’s and who’s
6. most, very, quite and “-ly” words point to weak adjectives
7. “of the” shouldn’t be used because nothing moves
8. in, on, to, at – drag a prose to a halt, don’t use these words
9. be careful where you use that and which (change which to that)
10. and – but (can indicate run-on sentences)
11. that (unnecessary in most sentences)
12. that (when you mean “who”)

Leave a comment if you find this list helpful!

Filed under: Writing Tip on July 29th, 2010 | No Comments »

Meredith EFken is the author of the critically acclaimed SAHM I Am series that traces the friendship of a group of stay-at-home mothers through their emails to each other. She has been a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award and the ACFW Book of the Year award, and critics use phrases like “charming,” “fresh,” and “pure delight” to describe her humorous yet insightful comedies. Her most recent novel, Lucky Baby, was published in the spring.

Meredith, thank you for stopping by to chat with us today! I enjoyed your Making Characters Come Alive course on ACFW a few months ago, thank you for giving back to the writing community. The birds are chirping. Pull up a seat and let’s chat:

1. What prompted you to write Lucky Baby?

In March of 1999, my husband and I became parents for the first time—to a 14 month old orphan in Kunming, China. The journey to that point and since then has been amazing, miraculous, difficult, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Lucky Baby is a fictional story (NOT autobiographical) and is my attempt to express the inexpressible experience of becoming a mother through adoption.

2. Plotting. Tell us how you plot your novels.

I find that I am becoming more and more of a plotter as I gain more writing experience. I think I like the control! For Lucky Baby as well as some of the books I currently have in production, I am using a modified “Heroine’s Journey” structure that I’ve merged with Michael Hague’s approach to film/novel structure. I start with the overall flow of the story, using the story stages as a guide, and I work out the climax of the story first. Then I figure out the conclusion, and then I start working back from there—adding in major turning points, etc. Next, I work out sub-plots in a similar way, only in smaller scope, and plot layers. I like to list out what scenes I think I’ll need, but often those get moved around or combined or deleted as I get into actually writing.

Before I start a scene, I often will sketch out the structure of the scene as well, to make sure it stays tight and doesn’t wander aimlessly. I’m sure to any non-plotter, this sounds like I’ve squeezed any spontaneity out of the work, but actually my plans usually change quite a bit as the story progresses and I see new opportunities that I didn’t notice at the beginning.

About two years ago, I started using a software program called Power Structure that lets me do all the plotting, note-taking, scene sketching, character development, and pitch creation for a novel—all in one spot. It has saved me SO much time and stress because now I don’t have to wonder where I saved a note and I don’t end up doing “goal, motivation, conflict” on a character three times because I kept forgetting I’d done it already!

3. I’m envious that you are part of a writing group that gets together in your community. Tell us what you would do at a normal meeting.

Well…this month, I spent the meeting munching on a treat from the Border’s café and checking my email on my laptop because I was *ahem, group members* the ONLY person who showed up!

But usually, we share all our latest writing news with each other, and then one of us on the steering team gives a workshop on a writing-related topic. It’s pretty casual. I think we’re going to try over the next few months choosing a writing book to work through and letting each group member present a chapter for the rest of the group.

4. Let’s have some fun. I see you live in a fixer-upper in Nebraska. If you could move into your dream home, tell us what that would be.

LOL! A house where the plaster walls aren’t crumbling around me would be a great start. But I have always loved old houses. I wouldn’t mind at all living at Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate. I have aristocratic tastes, and a peasant’s budget, unfortunately.

5. Tell us a bit about your Fiction Fix-It Shop.

FFS is the premiere editing and coaching service exclusively for adult and YA fiction writers. All of us who coach or do any substantive editing are multi-published novelists, so we know from experience what the current publishing standards are for fiction. We have a wide range of editing and coaching services to fit any experience level and budget. What I’m especially excited about is our coaching programs. Coaching gives writers a chance to work through any aspect of writing they choose with an experienced, published novelist—whether it’s a writing technique, or an area of the writer’s creative life. Coaching has been a growing service for executives the past several years, and we’re helping to bring this powerful relationship to the writing/creative world. Writers can find out more information at the FFS website.

6. Lucky Baby came out in April, tell us what your next release will be.

I am just finishing up a new proposal to send to my agent, so hopefully in the next several months I’ll be able to let everyone know what’s coming next.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to chat. I’ve enjoyed our time together! Heidi

Thanks for having me, Heidi. I enjoyed it very much. –Meredith

Filed under: Author Interview on July 24th, 2010 | No Comments »

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 to 1.5 lbs ground chicken
• 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb spaghetti
• freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, heat oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Saute uncovered, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

Add the chicken and cook, breaking the meat with the side of a spoon until it loses its color, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, raise the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes with their puree, the stock, and the spices then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghette until al dente then drain.

Top the pasta with the sauce and serve immediately garnished with the cheese.

Serves 4 to 6 people.

Filed under: Recipe on July 22nd, 2010 | No Comments »

For starters, you are going to the conference, right? I went to my first ACFW conference in 2009, but had been to two other writer’s conferences before that, so I had an inkling of what to expect. Multiply that times ten and you have the wonderful experience I call my first ACFW conference.

Shall we start with clothes? I wore one outfit each day. I needed to pack light since I didn’t check any luggage. I’d recommend a nice pair of capri’s or slacks, a light top and couple that outfit with a button down sweater–just in case! The awards banquet on Sunday evening is pretty fancy. Chip MacGregor will wear his kilt, but don’t think everyone wears a kilt. Just Chip. Because. It’s comical yet normal at the same time. Val will kill me, but here is a picture with two of my critique partners last year. Think sparkles.

Food. There are a couple of meals that aren’t included in the conference, but the Circle Center Mall is connected to the hotel by a skywalk. There are places to shop and a number of restaurants (some very inexpensive). Here is a list of the shops at Circle Center.

If you are new to conferences or new to the ACFW conference, make sure you join the email loop for first-time attendees. There is a wealth of information shared and answered on that loop. It goes over one sheets and conference veterans will give examples that you can follow.

One sheets – how many to bring? No matter what you bring, chances are that no agent or editor will actually take anything of yours home. No one sheet, no first chapter, no proposal and no business card. They may touch them. They may write on them. They may read them. But they will leave all that paperwork with you. If they are interested, they will ask for an electronic copy. So you need to decide how many fresh sheets to bring. I usually bring two copies of my first chapter or proposal, enclosed with a binder clip. I bring four to five one sheets, simply because I like a fresh copy for each meeting (don’t forget those opportunities you’ll have during lunch and dinner to pitch to agents and editors.)

Make sure to have business cards. I got mine from VistaPrint for FREE. And I used this page for examples of professional business cards.

The conference is exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Allow yourself down time. If you purchase the conference CD’s, skip a class and take a nap. Or have coffee with a fellow attendee. Or go to the bookstore and breathe in the aroma of new books.

Networking and fellowship. Meetings with agents or editors are wonderful experiences. Learn. Listen. Grow. Meet or touch base with other attendees. This is about networking and friendships that will last the length of your career, nurture them!

Above all, relax and have fun

Filed under: Writing Tip on July 15th, 2010 | 5 Comments »

Marlo Schalesky is the award-winning author of eight books, including her latest novel Shades of Morning (my review is HERE), which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist. She has also had over 600 articles published in various magazines, had her work included in compilations such as Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, and is a regular columnist for Power for Living.

Marlo holds a Masters degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary (yes, she reads the New Testament in Greek!) and recently completed her third book in her “Love Stories with a Twist!” for Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishers, a division of Random House. She lives in Salinas, California with her husband, son, and four young daughters.

Marlo, thank you for stopping by to chat with us today! I read Shades of Morning and absolutely loved it. You characterization was superb!

I see you enjoy Starbucks white mochas—caffeine and chocolate, my two favorite things J Let’s grab a couple of cups and chat:

1) How did the idea of the Down syndrome character come about?

My friends, Rick & Diane Pate, have a teenage Down syndrome son.  One Sunday while my husband and I were at church singing during the worship time, a noise came from the middle side of the church.  A loud noise.  Strange, awkward, and off-key.  Then, it grew louder.

So, I stood on tiptoes and peeked toward the sound.  And there was Andy.  His arms were raised, his eyes closed.  And he was singing to his God for all he was worth.  Andy, in his middle teens, with blond hair, thick glasses, and small ears.  Andy, with Down syndrome and a grin on his face big enough for the angels to see.  Andy, shout-singing with all his might through that radiant smile.

And I tell you, that moment changed me.  It was as if God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Do you see? Do you see that beauty is found in unexpected places, and that my gifts in your life are often wrapped in awkward, off-key packages?”  It took my breath away and made me see that so often the hard things in life, the things we want to hide away, to forget, to cover up, can be transformed into things of beauty in the hands of God.

I went home that day and immediately wrote up the plot outline for Shades of Morning, wanting to capture the feel of those moments when Andy worshipped and I was left breathless by the wonder of it.

2) How do you plot your novels?

Usually, I start with one basic idea.  For Shades of Morning, it was a Down syndrome boy who would change the life of the quirky coffee shop owner from my previous book, If Tomorrow Never Comes.

After that I start in with writing chapter one because I have to get started before I can start seeing the plot.  I am a “headlights” writer, which means I can see the chapter I’m writing and a few chapters ahead.  I may also glimpse a few “signposts” in the distance.  The funny thing about Shades of Morning is that I didn’t know how I was going to reveal the big surprise twist at the end until I got there!  And then I changed my mind again.

And truly, while I may complain that it would be easier to write a book if it were all mapped out (it certainly would be quicker!), this sense of surprise and delight is one of things that I love about the writing process.  I love when the story and characters take on a life of their own.  I love to discover what God has been planning for a story all along.  And I love to be surprised by a sudden turn of events.  And I know if I’m surprised and delighted, my readers will be too.

So, how do I plot?  As I go, with a hope and prayer, and a bucket full of trust that God will show me His vision for the story as I’m faithful to just keep writing, thinking, pondering, and seeking.

3) You enjoy reading the New Testament in Greek. What’s your favorite book and why?

My very favorite book of the Bible is Job, because it’s about learning that the right question in life is not “why” but “who.”  And the answer is not found in explanation, but in encountering God in ways we’d never dreamed.

However, that’s not in Greek!  J  So, my favorite New Testament book (for the moment, anyway) is Philippians because there are a lot of insight nuances that you can see in the Greek in Philippians.  Just one example is Philippians 4:13, a sometimes familiar passage which usually reads, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  But in the Greek, the word for “strengthen” is actually the preposition “in” connected to the word for “power” (dunamis, where we get our word “dynamite”).  That little insight has been so encouraging to me because it says that God doesn’t just take what I already have and give it a boost (which is how I’d been reading “strengthen”), but he puts his own power (his own dynamite!) in me.  And that’s why I can do all things – because I am in-powered, not just strengthened.  I love that!

4) For fun :: Say you knew you’d be stranded on a desert island for 60 days. Alone. No modern conveniences. What THREE things would you bring with you?

Oh, first a nice stack of books, including my Bible in Greek, and then some of my favorite fantasy novels (the ones I like to read over and over and over again – Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Dragonriders of Pern…).  Then, a nice big stack of paper and pencils/pens for some peaceful, uninterrupted time for my own writing (ooo, that’d be nice).  And lastly, a big, fuzzy blanket to snuggle up at night.

5) Give us a glimpse into your next release after Shades of Morning.

Well, I’d love to, but I’m not sure what the next one will be … will it be another love story with a twist, featuring Daisy from Shades of Morning, who isn’t at all who we think her to be?  Or will it be a fun romantic suspense (I’ve got two ideas brewing!)? Or maybe something completely different, like the story of a little paint horse who heals a family and makes them whole (that story idea warms my heart!).  So, we’ll see . . .

Thanks for stopping by my blog to chat. I’ve enjoyed our time together!One last picture of your beautiful children =>>

Readers, check out a lengthy interview on Marlo’s site here.

Filed under: Author Interview on July 14th, 2010 | No Comments »

Shades of Morning, written by multi-published author Marlo Schalesky, is a refreshing love story with exciting plot twists along the way.

Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that’s nobody else’s business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church—they all think she’s the very model of compassion and kindness.

Then Marnie’s past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son—a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome—and that she’s woefully unprepared to care for him. What’s worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister’s attorney, a man Marnie once loved—and abandoned.

As Emmit (and Taylor) work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?

This gripping novel was well-written and I loved the plot twists. It was a page-turner, especially towards the end. I truly enjoyed that Marnie and Taylor had a love story in this novel yet were in different cities for all but one scene! That created a mystery and suspense for me, the reader. Marlo answered a question in each chapter then asked another one, creating a heightened sense of curiosity to keep me reading. I was intrigued by this style and loved it!

Read the prologue here. And Marlo has a story behind one of her characters here. Visit me tomorrow when Marlo joins me here on my blog.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shades of Morning and hope you will as well!

Filed under: Book Review on July 13th, 2010 | No Comments »

Carla Stewart’s debut novel Chasing Lilacs is a gripping read.

BACK COVER COPY:

It’s the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother’s “nerve” problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.

As her life careens out of control, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious boy from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there’s the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.

Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

I found this novel very emotional. The main character, Sammie, is a twelve year-old girl who is deep and thoughtful and has adult problems. Problems no kid should have to deal with, yet I think that’s why, as a reader, I connected with Sammie.

The very first chapter reeled me into the story. Those first few pages made the book and enticed me with the characters and the plot. Carla set the scenes nicely – I felt like I was back in my own childhood, the same scents and touches that I remember from growing up. The chapters ended with a solid hook, urging me to continue to read. An awesome debut novel!

Great work Carla! If you didn’t get a chance to meet Carla, I interviewed her here on my blog a few weeks back.

Filed under: Book Review on July 8th, 2010 | No Comments »

So you’ve brainstormed your novel and are ready to plot it – congratulations! Make sure that you’ve read many books in your genre, books that would compare with yours when you are ready to write your proposal. When you read these books, pay attention to how many points of view (POV) there are in those novels. Make sure that the POV’s you have make sense to compare to these published novels.

So you have decided who your main character will be. You’ve decided who will get a voice (POV) in your novel. Each character that has a POV must have a GMC (Goal Motivation Conflict) chart. They must grow emotionally, learn a life lesson. Consider answering Susan May Warren’s My Book Therapy questions to deepen your characters even more before you write that first sentence.

There are so many ways to plot a novel.

1. Many people write a synopsis and use that as a guide as they write each scene.
2. Some people write what comes to mind, when they are done they print the scenes out and lay them on the floor and order them appropriately.
3. Some people write a general synopsis followed by a chapter by chapter outline, keeping each chapter outline under one page.

I’ve tried plotting using an excel spreadsheet, but since I am visual, it doesn’t work for me. Once I have the plot down using sticky notes (yes I said sticky notes), I do transfer it to an excel spread sheet. Email me and I’ll send you a copy.

Purchase foam board. Use a ruler and sharpie to divide the board into sections—5 across and 8 down. This gives you forty squares. Each square is for a chapter. The first photo I have is of a novel with thirty chapters. I used the top line to put sticky notes describing the novel. You’ll notice the bottom line is left blank. The forty squares allows you to reuse this board in the future for a 40 or 35 or 30 chapter novel.

You can do the colors of the sticky notes in whatever way you like. You can have a color for each POV character. You can have a color for each storyline. Pick what works for you.

In the first example I posted I used a different color for each storyline. Each chapter in this novel has two scenes. You’ll notice that in some chapter blocks I had up to six colors – three per scene. Each note represented a storyline. Of course, the storylines intersect. The second photo is of a novel with forty chapters. I mostly used one color for each of the two character POV’s

During this process you need to do what works for you visually and creatively. I hope this helps you in your process!

Filed under: Writing Tip on July 6th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

We talked about how to make your dog wait at a down stay for his meal. Doing that regularly ensures proper top dog placement.

Another fun thing to do is place your dog in a down stay. While they are in the “stay” position, place the treat on their paw or their nose or the top of their head – yup, their head. It freaks them out at first because they can not see the treat. But don’t worry, they’ll like the end result!

With our JRT rescue, who ran away twice before we learned how to make her STAY, we have her sit/stay before she goes into the backyard. She does a sit/stay before she comes into the garage. When we come home, she does a sit/stay in the garage until the humans are inside, then it is her turn! She does a down/stay for her food. And when we give her treats (sh, she’s on a diet) lots of the time we put them on a paw or her head or her nose.

It is a daily reminder of who is in charge. And dogs truly like to know they are not in charge!

Filed under: Dog Tips on June 28th, 2010 | No Comments »

• 1 cup milk
• 1 frozen banana (I freeze bananas when they are too ripe to eat. Peel, break in half, put into a small freezer bag.)
• 1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries or raspberries)
• 2 tablespoons splenda
• 3 tablespoons protein mix

Place above ingredients into a blender. Blend then pout into a glass. Makes a great breakfast or lunch. That protein will fill you up until your next meal. Enjoy!

Filed under: Recipe on June 22nd, 2010 | No Comments »