How to Create Your Setting From Scratch

A few years ago when I set out to write about royal romances, I knew I would have to develop my own kingdoms, much like Meg Cabot's Genovia, and develop my own royal families and customs.

If you think making up people is hard, try creating a country! To create a history the reader must be convinced that they learned in school!  I know the spec writers are used to this but it was an exercise in diligence for this romance author.

Choosing A Name

First, I had to come up with a name. Seemingly simple on the surface but as I mulled over different titles, and googled them, I discovered it wasn't so easy. Some names I liked were in the Urban dictionary with derogatory meanings. Others were technical terms. Or actual gaming worlds. (Great minds think alike. Bwhaha!) Go figure the gaming world would have the best kingdom names.

I decided to choose a name that sounded like the kind of kingdom I wanted. Could I use it to describe the people, the geography, the royal family?

I chose the name Brighton for my first kingdom. I used a headline for the brothers-prince:

The Future Looks Bright For The Princes Of Brighton.

Ah, clever right? Yea... ;p

However I didn't thoroughly research Brighton. I knew it was a city in England but didn't really take it into account. And I should have. The name does work and it felt right to me, but a few of my English friends made comments that it was a coastal British city.

My second country was the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. I wanted a duchy because it added a different texture and flavor to the stories. I also wanted a more Germanic sounding name.

In my research of European duchies, I discovered many were once mighty nations like Normandy, Tuscany, and Saxony, but over the centuries were absorbed into larger nations like France, Italy and Germany.

What if my duchy faced a similar peril? The story thread for my second novel was born.

Culture

Once I came up with names, I had to figure out the culture. For the sake of simplicity, I gave them both a British culture. The language was English and the money in pounds.

Research revealed various traditions and customs and laws among European royals, so I was able to develop my own royal protocol that felt authentic.

After World War I, many of the European royal houses collapsed including Russia, France, Italy, and Germany - so I used that to cause problems for Hessenberg.

I decided both were rich in art and film, ancient feeling nations with a long history. A long history does impact the culture. The people come from something. They've endured trials and dark times, as well as light and success.

Even if you’re NOT making up a country but perhaps a city, or even using a real location, gather history and research as a backdrop for characterization and plot.

Location

Next I had to decide where to put my little kingdoms. Since I initially wanted a German influence in Hessenberg, I decided to put both nations in the North Sea.

There's not much there but oil rigs and shipping lanes, but what a great opportunity to create natural resources for my country.

Economy

I decided both nations had a wealth of natural resources like minerals and gems. Oil and gas. Shipping also played a part in their economy, as well as tourism. Ask yourself what the Gross National Product might be. ;p

Geography

Since my kingdoms are island nations, I gave them rich coast lines and gorgeous beaches and lots of tourism to go along with it.

I also made them mountainous so the characters could have a bird's eye view of the ocean. I just loved the idea of the heroine standing on top of a mountain and looking down over an enclosed bay.

To anchor the characters, I created a capital city in each country and of course, a royal palace. Or two. I did a lot of research on European architecture, trying to blend British, German and Russia styles. I came up with business, street names, all the things one would do if making up a city in a familiar American setting.

Be specific. Great streets, local hangouts, shopping, apartments, offices.

You’ll start wide but zero in, smaller and smaller, until you see the pattern on the wallpaper.

History

The history path was a bit humorous. Because I didn't know all of the history myself, the characters spoke to each other as if it was a brand new to them too:

"Hey, listen to this new information. You know my country Brighton, in the North Sea, by England?"

Ha! Pretty sloppy. So, while rewriting, I changed the dialog to sound as if my American heroine studied Brighton Kingdom history in school. Now, when the prince referenced an historical point, she'd respond, "The Entail of 1914? I remember from history. What about it?"

I also had to weave my royal family in with the rest of the royal families of Europe. King George IV, Czar Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II were first cousins. Grandsons of Queen Victoria. I made my House of Stratton on of her descendants as well.

I made Brighton a serf kingdom for England until the 1550s when the first king, King Stephen, freed the people from Henry VIII. With that in view, I had to decided what kind of people lived on the island then and what kind of descendants they created. That's when the story started to feel more real to me.

And when the story feels real to me, it will feel real to the reader.

The same will happen with you. Make sure you know your world. It won't happen on the first draft but as you write, things will begin to pop. Holes will be revealed.

There you have it. A few tips for creating your own world.

Go write something brilliant.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Rachel Hauck lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, she worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in uncomfortable chair to write full time 12 years ago. Rachel is a huge Buckeyes football fan. Her latest release, The Wedding Shop, earned a Booklist Starred review. “Spellbinding.”  You can visit Rachel in the places below:

Rachel's Website

Twitter

Facebook

Thanks so much for joining us on Writerly Wednesday! Rachel has graciously offered to give away an autographed copy of The Wedding Shop. Just leave a comment or question, and you'll be entered. Last week's winner of Becky Wade's To Have and To Hold is Edwina! Congrats, Edwina. Email me your mailing address to dani@danipettrey.com and we'll get your book in the mail. Have a great week, everyone.

Blessings,

My Favorite Social Media Tool

by Becky Wade

Thanks for inviting me to participate in your Writerly Wednesday posts, Dani!  I thought I'd take this opportunity to teach/rave about my favorite social media tool, an app called Buffer.

I tip-toed onto my first social media platform, Facebook, in 2011.  Very gradually, at a pace of about one platform per year, I added Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.  Plus, I blog.  The accumulating time involved in keeping up with it all can easily diminish my main work priority -- writing.  Thus, I've come to love Buffer because it keeps me organized and saves me time.

Below, I'm going to walk you through a sample tweet generated by Buffer so that I can give you a sense of how the app functions.

Step #1: I went to Buffer.com and signed up for free

Step #2: I downloaded Buffer's browser button

Step #3: Boom!  I can now tweet content I find anywhere on the web in seconds.

Here's a screen shot of a blog I recently visited about Regency Era mourning.  (I don't write Regencies, but I'm a fan of all things Austen.)  The red arrow is pointing to Buffer's browser's button, the tiny icon that looks like a stack of paper.  I enjoyed the blog post and wanted to share it on Twitter, so I clicked the browser button.

Step #4:

Buffer immediately produced a dialog box.  It automatically populated the tweet with the blog post's title and a shortened link to the post.  The red arrow is pointing to a slider that contains all the images embedded in the post.

Step #5:

I clicked inside the text of the tweet, then edited it so that it read the way I wanted it to.  I then clicked on a picture I liked in the slider.  The red arrow is showing you that Buffer moved the chosen picture to the bottom left of the dialog box to let me know that it had been attached to my tweet.

Step #6:

At this point, I can hit the 'Add to Queue' button and that's that.  Buffer will add the tweet to a queue and send it (and my other tweets) out at staggered intervals.  Or, at this point, I can schedule the tweet myself by hitting the arrow adjacent to 'Add to Queue'.  When I clicked the arrow, these are the choices that appeared.

Step #7:

I selected 'Schedule Post' so Buffer is now offering me a calendar.  I set a day of the week, a time, and hit 'Schedule'.  That's it!  The tweet will go out on the day I specified.

Step #8:

Now and then, I like to see what's in my tweet queue at Buffer.  When I visit the site, here's how the upcoming Regency era tweet appears in line.  If I ever want to edit a tweet or change the scheduling on a tweet once it's in my queue, it's quick and easy to do.

The red arrow shows you the social media sites that Buffer can post to through the app.  Numerous choices!

Social media should be social!  Savvy authors interact with people online about writing, reading, AND the other things they're interested in.  For example: travel, kids, food, chocolate, dogs, hiking, Bible verses, etc.  Buffer allows you to easily share the web surfing you're already doing on your own.

See a cute sweater on sale at Nordstrom?  Tweet it.  Discover a meme that makes you laugh?  Facebook it.  Read a great line in a devotional?  Highlight it, click the Buffer browser button, and Buffer will place the highlighted text straight into a tweet.

Buffer's fast and simple and fabulous!

Do you use an app that trims the time you spend on social media?  I'd love to hear about it.

Becky has graciously offered to give away an autographed copy of her latest release To Have and to Hold to one lucky winner. Just comment below to be entered. Winner will be announced next Wednesday.

Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart and the four book Porter Family series.

Thanks so much, Becky, for sharing with us today. Awesome post!

Blessings,

 

Deep POV… Part 2

Deepen POV by creating fresh comparisons

One of my favorite ways to deepen POV is to create fresh comparisons that are unique to my POV character's personality and background. Similes, metaphors, analogies—all can be given a fresh spin that enhance your character's voice.

This is another aspect of craft that keeps you from getting lazy. Clichés are nearly always the first comparisons to come to mind when we write. Don't accept that easy road. Work to make your analogies unique to your POV character. In doing so, you will deepen the POV and create memorable moments for your reader.

Match your analogies to the personality and experience of your POV character

If your hero is a western cowboy, the comparisons that mean something to him will be far different from those of a British nobleman.

Just as men and women view the world through different lenses, so do your hero and heroine. Even if they have many things in common, they still have unique personalities and perspectives. Their experiences are different. Reflect that difference in the comparisons you use in their narrative POV.

Example:

Here are two analogies from my latest book, No Other Will Do. The first is from the heroine's POV. The second from the hero's. Both involve food, but they are each unique to the character's experience.

Emma's POV 

Ever since she'd made up her mind to ask him to come, anticipation had been swelling inside her like yeasty bread dough rising on a warm windowsill. She was in desperate need of someone to punch her down and knead her back into shape.

This comparison shows her giddiness over Malachi's arrival as well as her desire to get her feelings under control. It captures her personality and experience in a much more unique way than the clichéd butterflies in the stomach.

Malachi's POV

And when she didn't need his help anymore? Malachi tried to ignore the insidious thought as he basked in the light of Emma's grateful smile, but the prospect lingered in the air between them, tainting the sweetness of the moment like rotted beef in a savory stew.

Notice how this comparison is much more raw. More male. Also, it speaks to Malachi's past. He grew up on the streets, never knowing where his next meal would come from. He often ate food that had been thrown out and therefore would have experience with the taste of rotted beef. It also shows his insecurity in believing he's not good enough for Emma, mixing the rotten with the savory.

Take the time to create something fresh

 Coming up with fresh analogies can be hard work, but the payoff is huge in drawing your reader into the story and deepening their relationships with your characters. In one of my older novels, Stealing the Preacher, I have three POV characters: the hero, the heroine, and the heroine's father. In one scene, the heroine is racing on horseback to reach her father who is out with the cattle. We are in the father's POV, and as he notes her racing in, he makes a comparison.

Now, as I wrote this scene, the first comparison that came to mind was that she rode as if a pack of wild dogs were on her tail. This, of course, is a cliché. I searched and searched for a better simile. I came up blank. Finally, I dug deeper into who my POV character was. He is an ex-outlaw who's eluded the law for two decades. He's gone straight, but that outlaw blood still runs through his veins. As I pondered this character trait, the perfect comparison finally came to mind.

He twisted his neck to the side to work out a kink, and caught sight of his daughter riding down upon them as if a hangin' posse were in pursuit.

Not only does this analogy capture the POV character's personality, but it deepens the POV because that isn't something I as the author would say in narration. But it is exactly what an ex-outlaw would use as a descriptor were he relating the story.

Your Turn

Take a clichéd comparison and rework it with your own character in mind. Here are some to choose from:

Light as a feather

Strong as an ox

Melted like butter

Stubborn as a mule

Leave a comment with a short description of your character and your reworked cliché.

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Christy Award finalist and winner of the ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, CBA bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes Christian historical romance for Bethany House, believing the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.

Karen is kindly giving away an autographed copy of Stealing the Preacher (one of my favorites) . Be sure to leave a comment below!

Blessings,

 

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Sorry this is posting a bit later in the day. We had an interesting evening that including my husband falling off a truck, then having a 400 pound motorcycle fall on top of him, which he lifted off himself (my hero). Of course, at my insistence a trip to the E.R. Why my insistence? Because like all men, he was 'fine.'  He is, thankfully, minus some abrasions and a concussion. Needless to say, my day got shifted from the planned to the unplanned, but it's a perfect segue into our topic today....Editor and Agent appointments at conferences, in which anything can happen.

You've made it. You're at your editor/agent appointment and you have fifteen minutes tops to impress them. Often, in addition to the pitch, which we covered last week, editors and agents will often ask for a One Sheet. If you aren't familiar with this term, a One Sheet is simply your pitch and a mini-bio on a printed out sheet of paper. Why do editors and agents often ask for these? Because they see tons of writers at these conferences and it's an easy way for them to remember each author and story idea. So, it's really important that your One Sheet is filled with great content that is concise, and, of course, visually pleasing.

To give you an example, I'm going to share my selling One Sheet for my debut novel, Submerged. Keep in mind this is six years old. Today I'd make it more visually pleasing, but the content wouldn't change. I hope you find it helpful.

What to Include in Your One Sheet

A Photo -

As you can see it has my picture (yes I was younger, but moving on...:) It's important for the editors and agents to be able to put a face with your story. Always include a picture.

Contact Information - 

You also need to include a way for an editor or agent to contact you. I included my email and my phone number (which has been marked out for privacy reasons), along with my website. Yes, I had a website before I was published. It's not necessary, but if you have a quality website, then share it. It's yet another way for an editor or agent to learn more about you and to see you are serious about pursuing a career in writing.

Images 

Next, I included an image of divers because it was very relevant to my story, and then on to my short summary.

A Short Summary of Your Book and a Brief Biography

You don't want to overload your editor, just give them enough information to get them asking questions and here's where the 'anything goes' part comes in. Be prepared to answer questions. You should be ready to answer any question posed about your story, your writing history (how long you've been writing, if you have a mentor or work with a critique partner, how you learned and studied the craft), and you (some editors like to get to know a bit about the person they are chatting with).

It's a lot to be prepared for, but it's MUCH better to be prepared than to try and wing it.

I pray you have a wonderful conference. If you'll be at ACFW and have a One Sheet you'd like me to look over and practice your pitch, I'm going to make myself available for a short time period on Friday morning from 8-9. If you're interested email me at dani@danipettrey.com and let me know. Once I have five people, for time sake, I'll have it cut it off so I can give you a decent amount of feedback. I'll also let you know where we'll be meeting. Look forward to hearing from a few of you.

Blessings,

Happy Wednesday, friends! Thanks so much for joining me, and for giving my previous guests such a warm welcome. It's getting to be that time of year when a number of writing conferences take place, including my favorite--#ACFW. The American Christian Fiction Writers conference takes place once a year and this year it's in Nashville. I can't wait! I love Nashville, but since I'm not overly familiar with it, I would love if you could share any restaurant or sight-seeing recommendations.

Conferences mean spending time with other writers who understand the in's and out's of writing and the crazy journey a writer traverses. I LOVE spending time with other writers and I'm looking forward to seeing dear friends. Conferences also include opportunities for learning and, because I believe that you never get to a point where you should stop learning--ever, I'll be attending several workshops myself.

I will also be co-teaching a workshop with the awesome Becky Wade on Extreme Skills for Writers. This workshop focuses on combating the biggest joy-stealers that many writers face. I'll share those here with you after the conference. I'm also solo teaching (yikes!) a workshop on voice. So many writers hear 'you need to have a strong voice,' and yet the concept of voice remains elusive. I'll be sharing more on that topic after I return as well so, if you're interested, be sure to check back.

Today, I'm going to share with those of you who may be planning on attending a conference, or those interested in what writers go through, how to survive a pitch session.

What's a pitch session?

A pitch session is simply a short period of time (typically fifteen minute slots) where an aspiring or published author can sit down face-to-face with an editor or agent and pitch their story.

What's a story pitch?

A story pitch is, essentially, encapsulating your entire three-hundred page manuscript into a matter of carefully crafted minutes.

Sounds crazy, right?

Trust me, when you are sitting there with your palms sweating and heart racing, it feels a lot like you're on a tilt-a-whirl. Then, even if you make it through your actual pitch, you have to be ready to answer questions and sound somewhat coherent and knowledgeable. Some people ace this entire thing while others, like me, feel more like you're on a carnival ride. Either way, here are some practical steps that you will hopefully find helpful:

• Remember that the editor or agent is a person just like you -- even if their nickname is 'Dream Crusher'. (Yes, he truly exists and guess what, he's my editor and a truly wonderful person.)
• Have your pitch prepared well in advance. Put it on index cards and practice on whoever will listen to you until you can read it concisely and with confidence.
• Bring your index cards to your pitch session. Yes, you are allowed. Try not to refer to them but, if you get stuck, you can glance down at your lap, remember where you are, and get on with it.
• Make sure your pitch includes the premise* of your story, introduces your characters, and shows how the characters will be forced to change and grow.
• Dress professionally. If you want to show them you are taking your writing and future career seriously, then please don't show up in worn out jeans and a ratty t-shirt (I've seen it).
• Bring a business card, so they have a way to reach you.
• Bring your one sheet. What's a one sheet? Well, I'll be covering that next week on Writerly Wednesday along with sharing my one sheet for Submerged.

*Premise: If you aren't sure what a premise is or how to create one, see this previous post.

I hope you all have a fabulous week! Please feel free to ask any questions you have regarding pitches and any conference questions in general. I am always happy to answer.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I'm super happy to introduce long time friend and talented author Beth Vogt.

I can't wait to see what Beth has to share with us today!

Lie to Me

We are taught early in life that it’s wrong to tell lies. It’s not until much later that we are taught not to embrace lies. But by then, it’s too late. We’ve listened to lies about ourselves and we believe them to be true. Lies like:

• You’re not pretty.
• You’re not smart.
• You’re not good enough.
• You’re not ever going to amount to anything.

While we often carry around a multitude of lies-that-we-believe-are-true, there is usually one lie that becomes the LIE that affects us more than all the others. This Lie is created by some experience that wounded us emotionally. Writers refer to this as the Dark Moment of our past.

A real-life example of a Dark Moment

In 2007, I experienced a life-threatening illness. At first, my doctor-husband Rob closed down his practice and stayed with me around the clock. My fever reached 104 and at times I didn’t recognize him. In the midst of all the initial fear and stress, Rob and our two oldest daughters lost track of our then six-year-old daughter. She sat outside my bedroom door, waiting for her daddy to come out and tell her that I had died. Unfortunately, we didn’t know this until she told us about five years later.

Was this a Dark Moment for my daughter? Absolutely. Was she wounded emotionally? Yes. The possible death of a parent is a major fear for children. At that moment, my daughter felt abandoned. What Lie did our daughter believe? That she wasn’t seen, that she wasn’t valued in a time of crisis. For several years after my illness, we noticed a marked insecurity in my daughter, especially when I left town for a writers conference or if I got sick in any way. When my husband and I discovered what had happened, we reassured her, praying with her about it.

Understanding the power of the Lie we believe is important in writing fiction, too.

Your imaginary characters need to believe a Lie -

and you, as the author, must determine what the Lie is.

Your character’s past – who they were before they appeared on page one of your manuscript – determines why they say certain things. Why they make certain decisions. Why they stiff-arm God. Why they want nothing to do with love.

Imagine wrapping a piece of twine around a wooden top and then releasing it to spin, spin, spin … and topple. The twine represents your character’s Lie. The Lie influences your character’s choices and beliefs because they believe the Lie is true.

In my latest release, Almost Like Being in Love, my heroine Caron believes the Lie that she’s just not good enough. Why? Because Caron never earned her father’s approval. Her Dark Moment, which involved working for her father during high school, involved Caron overhearing her father say something extremely hurtful about her – and Caron hears the echoes of his words to this day.

As a writer, we need to forget the adage to not tell lies.

You want to craft characters that readers care about, right? One key to doing that is to create the Lies your hero and heroine believe. Deepen your story by using the Lie to affect your characters emotionally because it impacts their relationships. Then weave in the spiritual truth and allow God to heal the Lie. In doing so, you’ve created true-to-life fictional characters. After all, we’ve all believed lies. And we also know the freedom in discovering and embracing the truth.

What about you? Are you telling your imaginary characters lies?

---

A GIVEAWAY FOR YOU!

Many thanks to Beth for this awesome post. Beth has also kindly offered to give away an autographed copy of Almost Like Being in Love to one lucky winner (U.S. entries only). All you have to do to be entered is answer Beth's question in the comment section below. If you aren't a writer, feel free to just say "hey" to be entered. Let's give Beth a really warm welcome.

Have a blessed Wednesday, friends.

Today, I'd love to introduce a lovely writer, lady and friend. If you aren't familiar with Lisa Wingate, you are missing out.

Selected among Booklist’s Top 10 for two consecutive years, Lisa skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable settings with elements of traditional Southern storytelling, history, and mystery to create novels that Publisher’s Weekly calls “Masterful” and Library Journal refers to as “A good option for fans of Nicholas Sparks and Mary Alice Monroe.”

Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty-five novels. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol Award nominee, a multiple Christy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RT Booklovers Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner for mystery/suspense. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Booklist summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.

Many thanks to Lisa for sharing a great topic on Writerly Wednesday today.

What I Wish I’d Known When My First Novel Was Published

By Lisa Wingate

No matter what trajectory your particular writing career may take or what point you’re at in your quest, you can safely assume that, if you’ve chosen this profession, you’re in for a roller coaster ride. A writing career is challenging. It’s demanding. It’s busy. It can be unforgiving and maddening. It can also be unbelievably rewarding and filled with moments of story and human connection that are nothing short of bliss. With my twenty-fifth book, The Sea Keeper’s Daughters, hitting shelves in the September, I can honestly say that my career has been filled with things I didn’t expect. That’s probably because I knew next to nothing about the business when I started.

If I could go back to the moment I sold my first mainstream novel, Tending Roses, to (then) Penguin Putnam, I’d tell myself a few things:

1. Write because you love it. 

I know everyone says that, but it’s true.  If you really want a long career, you must figure out how to produce book, after book, while managing promotion, production edits, multiple forms of communication, and life in general. Set a manageable daily page quota or daily writing hours, and hold yourself to it.  One of the hardest things about writing is time management.

2. Finish your first manuscript and write another. 

It’s almost impossible to sell on a partial in fiction if you’re unpublished.  Polish your manuscript and send it out, because as much as we’d like them to, editors won’t come looking in your desk drawer.  While you’re waiting for news, write another book.  If the first one sells, you’ll be set for a two-book deal.  If the first one doesn’t sell, you will have eggs in another basket.  Be tenacious, be a thick-skinned as possible, keep writing while you wait for news.

3. Rejection stinks, but it happens.

Rejection isn’t anything personal; it’s just part of the business, and it’s to be expected.  Your project isn’t bad just because it gets rejected.  It may not be that editor’s (or agent’s) cup of tea, the house might not be buying right then, they may have another author under contract whose work is similar to yours, and so on.  There are so many reasons a book can be rejected, and the real trick is to look at the rejections as a tool and then move on.  Don’t make sweeping changes based on one opinion unless there’s an imminent sale involved.  Conversely, if you receive the same criticism from several editors (or agents), consider pulling out the red pen and getting to work

4. You probably won’t hit the NYT immediately.

In fact, few writers ever reach this coveted level. Be careful how you measure success. Setting lofty goals is a good thing… right up until you feel like a failure for not achieving them. Myriad factors determine which books get the “perfect storm” of great cover, great market timing, and heavy publisher promotion. Some of it is just luck. Write the very best book you can. Do what you can to promote. Stop obsessing. Write another book.

5. Find your creative tribe.

On any given road, you’re never the only traveler.  Others walk in shoes like your own and shoes that are different.  Find them. Critique one another’s work, brainstorm together, give creative criticism, take creative criticism, and learn from one another. Give back more than you get.

6. Cheer for other people.

One of the best promotional avenues available to writers today, yesterday, and tomorrow remains cooperative promotion. Find authors whose work is similar to yours. Shout out for one another’s successes, awards, and new releases. Your readers will thank you for the tips and you’ll feel good about doing something positive for someone else. You’ll also have that warm feeling when others do the same for you.

Above all, while you’re walking the writer-road, be aware, be in the moment, don’t close your eyes even for an instant.  Wherever you go in life, there are nuggets of story along the trail.  Sometimes you’ll see them coming; sometimes you’ll stumble over them.  Pause long enough to pick them up and examine them.  Your writer's mind can take it from there.

Lisa

Read a free excerpt of The Sea Keeper’s Daughters: http://lisawingate.com/seakeepersdaughtersexcerpt.pdf

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Lisa’s website: www.Lisawingate.com

Lisa’s newsletter: Signup here

Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  

Lisa’s blog: The Untold Story

Group blog: www.SouthernBelleViewDaily.com

Again, many thanks to the awesome Lisa Wingate. In addition to sharing her wisdom, Lisa has gracious offered to give away an autographed copy of The Storyteller. To be entered to win, simply comment below. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced on August 1st's Monday Cuppa post.

Blessings,

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm SO excited to launch a new blog segment named Writerly Wednesday. Each Wednesday I, or a fabulous guest, will share answers to your writing questions (you can ask in the comments section below or email them to me at dani@danipettrey.com), along with writing lessons, writing quotes, and all things writerly. I hope you'll enjoy this new segment. It was born out of my readers' questions. I enjoy sharing my love of writing with you, but I know there are so many different ways to write and so many different approaches that I've also invited a number of dear writer friends to share their wisdom here with you. Next week's guest is the fabulous Lisa Wingate. Lisa will be sharing What I Wish I’d Known When My First Novel Was Published and will be giving away a copy of her fantastic novel The Story Keeper so be sure to come back next week.

Now on to today's topic--How to Create a Story Premise.

First, let's start with what a premise is. Writer's Magazine defines a story premise as:

A story's premise is more than a quick synopsis, or a simple thesis statement defining the theme or argument of a story. It is your canary in the storytelling coal mine and your lifeline as a writer."

While Writer's Digest says:

This premise is the underlying idea of your story-the foundation that supports your entire plot. If you can establish what your premise is at the beginning of your project, you will have an easier time writing your story."

I love the first quote.  LOVE. However, the second is true as well. To me, the story premise is simply an idea. The spark that gets your creative juices flowing, that makes you say 'what if?' That's how I start my stories. Each begins with prayer and two simple words. What. If. 

From there I follow the imagination God has created in me, and my brain tracks through a myriad of ideas. These ideas can come from anywhere--a newspaper article, a quote, even a picture. Something sparks and I've got my what if.

In an attempt to not to ruin the ending of my novels or any other novels for those who may not have read them, I'll give examples of what if story premises from films.

• Groundhog Day: What if you lived the same day over and over again?
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: What if an archaeologist is hired by the U.S. government to find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis?
• Die Hard: What if terrorists take an entire office hostage during their Christmas party?

Now these are very basic nuggets of their full story ideas, but it's a start. And, it's where I start--with a nugget, with a spark of an idea that I can play with. It's how I create my story premise and how I start all of my novels. I take an idea, play with it, pray over it, and then sit down and start writing.

How about you? How do you come up with your story premise? For readers and writers alike: share your favorite story premises from novels or movies that just captivate you in the comments below.

Thanks so much for joining me on this week's edition of Writerly Wednesday. Be sure to stop back by next week for the fabulous Lisa Wingate.

Blessings,