Whether You Weather

How much does the weather impact you? Do months without sun cause you to blanch into the all popular vampire? Does your attitude follow suit?

I read a book not long ago where one of the characters was obsessed with The Weather Channel. Weather is the old fallback where conversation is concerned. Is it your fallback? My dad and I discuss the weather often. He monitors it for us, from a two day drive away. It’s how he shows love. You should hear his giddy anxiety when a major storm is approaching or when his weather station shows the swirling white cloud headed for anywhere in a three hundred mile radius of where we live.

If you’re a writer, how do your characters react to weather? Is one of them just hunky dory about torrential downpours? Does another character avoid humidity because she lives in fear her hair will transform into a clown wig? Do you enjoy describing seasons and unique weather patterns? Even more, have you thought about how your characters respond to weather?

Without going overboard, I delight in coming up with ways to depict the sun, leaves in the fall, and the snow. In my current novel I wrote, “Lindsay awoke to a window fractured with a spider web of icy frost.” I enjoyed this way of indicating the weather had turned rather than mentioning snowflakes or chilly air.

And don’t even get me started on clouds. Though I could create a list of hundreds of impressions clouds give off, I try to incorporate only one or two of these into each novel. Clouds truly are magnificent though and the colors in the sky…

Are you able to cleverly use nature in order to foreshadow or suggest a tone shift in your work? I’m obviously not talking about looming clouds and rain to signify something depressing or a bright cheery sun rising in the sky when you want to convey a happy ending on the horizon. But, a gust of wind, a well-timed leaf crunch and striations of plum and gold in the sky can be added into your WIP with additional details to flavor your scene.

So three questions to choose from today…How much does the weather impact you? And your characters? Do you enjoy writing about changing seasons and particular aspects of weather?

*photos by flickr

*I'm over at Live Beautiful later today

One Question Friday

Every Friday I’m going to ask a question. The questions I choose might be ambiguous on purpose. The goal is to have you answer the question according to your beliefs, where you’re at in life or a circumstance that might have recently impacted you. The only thing I ask is that you provide an explanation for why you answered the way you did.

It is my hope to understand you better through this and also to gain a greater understanding of humanity and how people make decisions.

And now for the question:

OLD or NEW homes?

*photos by flickr

What I’m Writing

Do you ever think about the different things you’re working on? Today I did and I’m now in serious prayer about my writing overload.

I’ve been busy. As have you, I’m guessing. I thought I’d share with you what I’ve been busy writing.

• My goal is to blog here at All in a Day’s Thought four to five times per week. Heads up, if you are new to my blog, I’m usually MIA on the weekends.


• Every Monday I write for Live Beautiful.


• Every other Tuesday, I blog for Exemplify Online.


• Every other Friday, I write devotionals for 5 Minutes for Faith.


• Mid-month I write a how-to article for Exemplify Online Magazine as a contributor.


• I’m constructing a polished outline for an upcoming talk with M&W Ministries.


• I also occasionally submit short stories or articles to online sites, magazines, contests, etc. Several works are awaiting publication.


• I’ve been asked by the Music Director from our church if I could help write the Night of Joy Christmas skit montage.


• I’m reading three books carefully to write three thoughtful book reviews.


• Today was my first day of Bible study where we are working through, Living the Gospel in Relationships and I’m hacking through homework.


• Currently, I’m also tackling Donald Maass’ workbook, Writing the Breakout Novel.


• And the one that probably demands most of my attention, I’m writing my third women’s fiction, Noble Efforts to Engulf the Moon (28,000 words in.)


• I haven’t even mentioned the journal I keep, marking down sweet and funny moments with my children.
  

So, with all this writing going on, I have to admit I beamed when I overheard my husband telling my children the other day that mommy’s job is to write.

Now, I just need to reevaluate some things so that I’m able to write and write well.

Tell me what you’re working on…

*photo by flickr

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

I’ve gone to the dogs. And what a cute, hopeful dog that is there, eh? A word about our words today…

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Sometimes things we experiment with as writers just don’t work. We can do all the reading in the world about our craft, but certain things won’t ever work. For example, just as dogs aren’t meant to talk (or read for that matter) we aren’t meant to write in a voice that’s not our own.

Here are some other examples of things writers do that don’t work:

• Forcing descriptions, long and lengthy ones that begin to bunch around each other like stockings around an old lady’s ankles.


• Inserting flowery language. Playing dress up with words. This especially falls flat when we’re not even sure of the meaning of the word, but we use it anyway because it “sounds so nice.”

“Remember the basic rule of vocabulary is use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful.” ~ Stephen King

• Writing about something we know nothing about without conducting research.


• Trying too hard to emulate a well-known author. I’ll stay and UBU sit on this one for a bit. The dog in the picture is studying the art of talking, clearly unable to read or talk. Can he give it his best bark? Sure. Will it ever sound like anything other than a dog’s bark? Not likely. So what does the dog need to do? The pup needs to bark like he’s never barked before. He needs to take ownership of his own vocal cords and give it his strongest bark.

We need to play with our own voice, bat it around a little, and risk things that don’t work in order to find pure sentences that shine. Our voice is one of the deciding factors whether someone will purchase our second, third and fourth book. As you can tell, I’m big on voice, but I’m particularly big on authors discovering and developing their own voice.

Hope you enjoyed the list. Can you think of other things writers do that essentially equates to barking up the wrong tree?

*photo by flickr

Phone Me Vs: Blog Me

I’ve had the pleasure of talking with some of you. Just last night I was speaking with a critique partner, who is also a fellow blogger and after I hung up I drowned in a flood of thoughts. Am I consistent? Does how I act in my blog posts align with how I act on the phone and in person, for that matter? That is my goal…alignment. I understand there is a time and place for everything, for splices of humor, for me to crank my professionalism up a notch, etc. But I’m talking about impressions. Do I evoke the same confidence, love of laughter, trust in God and openness verbally and through my writing? Same question, flipped, do I leak my insecurities through both means? I’ve always been more comfortable with writing, but I love all forms of interaction/communication. I’m curious if this is apparent.

Why does this even matter? I believe we don’t just exude our “voice” in our writing. Our voice is part of us. We sleep with it, grieve with it and worship with it. If we are in relationship with God, our voice is an extension of His Spirit.

Here’s my example of the day: Take an old phone (you know, one with a cord still attached.) I’m the receiver, able to talk and listen. The Holy Spirit is everything else on the phone, the digits, the wires inside that I couldn’t even begin to assemble, and most importantly for this example, He’s the cord and the connecting wire to the outlet (God). I can’t do anything worth anything without being connected. My voice has little impact. No one will hear it and what I hear will count for nothing. That connection is imperative.

So why do I care if I’m consistent whether on the phone with you, standing in front of you or while I’m commenting on your blog? Because this voice is the only one I have and I feel compelled to keep it connected to the source that makes it work. Also, one of my favorite aspects of writing is experimenting with voice, celebrating and smiling in the discovery that every single one of my characters reveals a part of me. Finally, I care because authenticity and transparency are things I feel called to. I’m a weak, broken individual, who by the grace of God is empowered to live a merciful, passionate and compassionate life. There are few things you take with you everywhere. Voice matters.

Have you given much thought to the impression you leave and if it’s consistent? How would you define “voice”?

*photos by flickr
**I’m over at Exemplify today sharing about God’s Voice.

The Concert

Went to a concert last night.

Quivering chairs.
Body immune or stubbornly ignoring the chill in the air.
Voice weak from yelling my applause.
Lightshow flashing in the confines of my mind.
Registering music.
Absorbing sound.
Came home, checked on kids, and crawled in bed with words floating, mysterious melodious lyrics tunneling through memory and time.

“God saw all that he had made and it was very good.”

Genesis 1:31a

What's the best concert you've been to?

*photos by flickr

**I'm over at Live Beautiful later today.

One Question Friday

Every Friday I’m going to ask a question. The questions I choose might be ambiguous on purpose. The goal is to have you answer the question according to your beliefs, where you’re at in life or a circumstance that might have recently impacted you. The only thing I ask is that you provide an explanation for why you answered the way you did.

It is my hope to understand you better through this and also to gain a greater understanding of humanity and how people make decisions.

Ready for your question?

Pioneer or Viking?

*photos by flickr

**I wrote something revealing over at 5 Minutes for Faith today.