Let’s Talk About My Writing/Stories

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may have read my novella and short story that I posted here.  These were sort of experiments for me for several reasons:  1)  I never wrote mystery/suspense stories before, though those are my favorite types of stories to read; 2) I never posted stories online before; 3) I wrote these stories on my blog right off the top of my head, and the only editing I did was to read back over what I had written to correct spelling, grammar and maybe some wording here or there, right after writing, before hitting the “Publish Post” button; 4) I wanted to see if I could attract readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed these two exercises and attracted quite a few readers.  I had a couple of friends and relatives absolutely glued to my novella, anxiously looking for a new post each and every day.  That made writing it, so much more fun.  I didn’t seem to have that same response with my short story, though I still attracted a fair amount of readers.

Now, let’s talk about what I think is right and what I think is wrong with these two pieces of writing.  Let’s start with the novella, Dangerous Secrets.  I enjoyed writing this story and receiving everyone’s encouragement to keep going, but in the end, I was more disappointed with this story than I was with the short story I posted later.  Here’s why:  I could have continued the story into a full-length novel with the number of characters I introduced and the situations I put them in.  The good thing about this story, is that I did a good job at holding my readers’ attention and seemed to always leave them wanting more at the end of a day’s post.  But, in the end, I had both a friend and a relative tell me that I could have done so much more with the story, and I was well aware of that, but I did not want to put a full-length novel on the blog for everyone to read for free.  (If I am going to write a full-length novel, I hope to have it published or put it in an E-Book and earn some money from it.  I don’t think that’s selfish.  I think it’s realistic, and writing a full-length novel is a lot of hard work.)  Because of all of this, I ended the story too soon.  Yes, I tied up the loose ends and I believe the ending gave closure, but it definitely has the potential for me to re-visit it and turn it into a full-length novel someday, if I choose to.

Now, about the short story, Out of the Pit.  I didn’t get as much feedback from friends and relatives on this story, but I really liked this story.  I was pleased to keep my cast of characters at a number that was very workable in a short story, so by the time I ended the story, it felt more like the story was over and not like I could do a lot more with it.  I liked my characters in this story better, felt that I had developed them better and that I knew them better.  So, where did I go wrong with this story?  In the “point-of-view”.  I have never written a story in the first-person.  It isn’t comfortable for me.  I find it too confining.  However, I stretched the third-person point-of-view beyond the limits in Out of the Pit.  You see, it is best to write third-person “limited”, which means stick to telling the story from the main character’s point-of-view, or at the most, from your main character’s and one other important character’s points-of-view, by using a page-break or writing every other chapter from the other character’s point-of-view.  What did I do wrong?  I wrote from many characters’ points-of-view.  I let them share their thoughts, and this caused the story to jump or bounce around too much.  It gave the readers a jolt each time a change in point-of-view came, and this can cause readers to not get as involved because they don’t get to really know and care about the main character or two main characters, because they are getting too much information from minor characters.  I may go back and edit this story sometime, because I still really like it.

So, be aware of whose point-of-view you are telling your story from.  Limit whose thoughts and feelings you choose to share and be sure to create characters that your readers will really care about.

I learned of my point-of-view problem from a publishing consultant, who was gracious enough to look at my short story and offer me feedback.  So, I would like to take a minute here and let you know that WinePress Publishing has a great opportunity for writers.  You can work with a professional writer or editor for six months, and they will help you write a novel, and then you can publish your completed novel with WinePress Publishing.   It is a self-publishing publishing company.  Visit their website for more information at:  http://www.winepresspublishing.com/.

You may also be interested in The Story Cartel Writing Course.  Visit:  http://course.storycartel.com/.

Why Do I Write?

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I have loved books ever since I learned to read.  I have always been a voracious reader and just love good stories.  When I was in school, a couple of my teachers encouraged my writing, after I handed in writing assignments.  I remember my seventh grade English teacher telling my mother to encourage my writing.  She said I had a talent.  So, I began writing stories.

I have written many stories that I have not shared with many people.  I have also taken two correspondence writing courses in the past and continue to read about writing, as well as continually reading the type of books that I would like to write.

As a homeschool mom, I teach my children the importance of writing well and encourage them to read and write.  My oldest son has a strong love of reading and writing and has had his writing praised by many people.  He has even done some writing for others and has done a couple of public speaking events, and he wrote his own speeches.  He has encouraged me to return to my writing because he said, “Mom, you taught me to write, so my writing talent has grown and flourished because of what you taught me, so you have a talent as well.”

I enjoy writing, and sometimes I just feel that if I don’t write, I will burst.  Therefore, I write because I enjoy it and because I feel a need to write.  Now, I also write because I want to share my writing with others and hope they will find enjoyment, adventure and/or excitement in my writing.  I hope that readers can relate to my characters or that my characters can teach, inspire or give hope to my readers.  I write for my own pleasure, and hope that others will find pleasure in reading my writing too.  I write in hopes of providing clean entertainment filled with hope in a world where so much of what is out there is filled with inappropriate language, indecent scenes, hopelessness and despair.  I think we have enough of that stuff in the real world and see it or hear it daily in the news, so I think we need a respite from all of that and hope that my readers will find that respite in my writing.

Why do you write?

What is Your Worldview and How Does it Affect Your Writing?

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What is your worldview?  Your worldview consists of five major items:  1) Your concept of the most real thing in existence (your notion of God or of ultimate reality); 2) Your view of the essential nature of the external world (ordered or chaotic, material or spiritual); 3) Your idea of who we and others really are (your concept of human nature); this includes your idea of how you know and your notion of what happens to us after we die; 4) Your understanding of the good (ethics); and 5) Your understanding of the meaning of humanity’s sojourn on earth (the meaning of history).

Your worldview is like a map in that it may fit what is really there or it may be grossly misleading.  The map isn’t of the world itself, only an image of it, more or less accurate in some places, distorted in others.

*Note:  the information in the above two paragraphs come from How to Read Slowly by James Sire, part of the Starting Points world view study.

How does your world view affect your writing?  Some people will say they can write a story without a specific message, to which I would respond that you may not consciously intend to include a message in your writing, but whatever your belief system is, it will show in your writing.  You cannot turn off your belief system to write, or to do anything else.  Your belief system is part of who you are and you can change it, and, therefore, change the message that comes through your writing, but you cannot be void of a belief system.  Even if you say you believe in nothing, that is your belief system, and it will show through your writing.  You cannot completely separate yourself from your characters or your story.

Therefore it is important to know what your belief system is.  As a Christian, I do not believe that every story I write has to have a message of salvation that is blatant and loud and clear.  A story may have a need for that, but I believe most stories will be more appealing if the message is subtle and not in-your-face.  I do not sit down and decide what message to put into a story before I begin to write.  As a matter of fact, most times I do not think about the message at all.  I concentrate on my characters.  I want to create characters that create emotions within the reader; characters that the reader can identify with, relate to, sympathize or empathize with.  At some point, I stop being the creator of the characters and the characters begin to tell me the story.  They let me know their thoughts, feelings, emotions, desires and the things they are going to do and say and where they are going to go.  And, there is always a message:  a message about relationships or about a character realizing who they really are or what they are meant to do, a message of hope or of despair or of love or of family or community, or loss, etc.

Your world view comes out in the words you choose to use to tell the story and in the actions, thoughts and dialogue of your characters.

Who Do You Write For?

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One of the first things I was taught, as a writer, is that you have to determine who your audience is — who do you write for?

Recently, I have read quite a couple of blogs and participated in a writers’ discussion group which now teach that, as a writer, you should write for yourself.

Who is right?

As I see it, it needs to be both:  1) You have to write for yourself, in so far as, you won’t want to share your writing with anyone if you don’t like it, and 2) You have to determine a larger audience if your goal is to sell your writing.

To determine your audience, you need to be able to answer some basic, simple questions:

1)  What age range do you feel your writing is best suited for?

2)  Will your writing include themes, language or scenes that are acceptable                      for and appealing to that age group?

That’s really all you need to determine to decide upon your audience.  However, because you will be writing from your personal worldview, (this will be expanded upon in my next post), there are some things you will also have to determine and realize.  My next post will explain this better, as I discuss worldview and what that means for your writing.

A Documentary

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This post is not simply about writing, although there is a lot of writing that is going into the work of this project.  I simply wanted to share about a great documentary that is in the making.  My son is working on this project and the young man heading it up is a friend, and as my family has listened to more than half of the wonderful family-oriented radio broadcasts that are mentioned here, I believe this will be a very enjoyable documentary when it is finished.

LAMPLIGHTER THEATRE FANS
 
Reserve your copy today of the feature length documentary film that honors the creators of your favorite dramatic audio stories, including…  
 
LAMPLIGHTER THEATRE                               FOCUS ON THE FAMILY RADIO THEATRE
JONATHAN PARK                                               JUNGLE JAM AND FRIENDS!
ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY                            RIVERCROSS
DOWN GILEAD LANE                                       THE LEFT BEHIND SERIES   
NORTHERN LIGHTS MEDIA                           PAWS & TALES
ILIAD HOUSE                                                      THE LAST CHANCE DETECTIVES                                 
  
                                                                 S U P P O R T
 
BREAK THE SILENCE: Echoing the Voice of God Through Dramatic Audio                                    
A Peter James Johnson Film
 
OUR DOCUMENTARY FILM TEAM IS COMPRISED ENTIRELY OF LAMPLIGHTER GUILD MASTER TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
 
PRODUCER: Peter James Johnson
CO-PRODUCER: Colleen Johnson
DIRECTOR: John-Clay Burnett
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John-Clay Burnett
CO-DIRECTOR: Peter James Johnson
WRITER: Peter James Johnson
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Beecher Proch
RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT: Anthony Barr
RESEARCH ASSISTANT: Heidi Olson
FILM CONSULTANT: John Fornof
MUSIC COMPOSER: Aaron Fullan
MUSIC COMPOSER: Grace Coleman
ARTIST: Laura Byler
CARTOONIST: Jeffrey Dixon
VOICE ACTOR: Caleb Blanchet
VOICE ACTOR: Laura Leigh Hicks
Step into the world of these interviewees; the creators of these redeeming audio stories…
 
Mark Hamby – John Fornof – John Campbell – Todd Busteed – Pat Roy – Nathan Hoobler – Kathy Buchanan – Marshal Younger – Paul McCusker – Torry Martin – Steve Harris – Phil Lollar – Philip Glassborow – Phillip Telfer – Dan Wanchura – Bill Heid – Aaron Fullan – Curt Morse – Audio Theatre Central Team
 
Meet the Audio Theatre Central Team…
 
Experience a behind the scenes video tour of Todd Busteed’s Gap Digital Studio Complex…
 
Send out dramatic audio stories into national and international mission fields where people desperately need a touch from the LORD… 
 
Be inspired to use your God-given talents to help us create new audio dramas with Break The Silence Productions…
 
 
and
take an audio tour of their website:  http://www.breakthesilenceproductions.com/
so YOU too can break the silence . . .

How Do You Decide What Genre to Write?

/ kellyfbarr / 1 Comment

Most authors write in only one genre, though some may write the same genre for two different age groups, such as adults and teens (otherwise known as young adults).

It is best to write in the genre you know best and are most familiar with.  In other words, in the genre you READ the most.  When you read, you become familiar with the way an author writes that genre of story.  You become familiar with how they create their characters and what style they write in, how they structure their story. You become familiar with the way their story flows, how they write the conflicts and the resolutions of the story.  You really get to know how that particular genre is written because of the books you read.

What if you like to read more than one type of genre?  Say you like two particular genres better than the rest, though you may occasionally read from other genres.  So maybe you read a lot of books in these two different genres.  You could try writing both genres and see which one works best for you.

When you are starting out, you should really focus on writing one particular genre and really getting good at it before you attempt to write another genre.  Once you have established yourself in a particular genre, you may want to see if you can then write something good enough to publish in the other genre.  There are published authors who have successfully written in more than one type of genre, but for the most part, an author typically sticks with one genre.

Where do my Ideas and Inspiration Come From?

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I love to watch people and have enjoyed doing this for as long as I can remember.  Some of my ideas come from things I see people do or simply just from a person I see.  Sometimes as I am people watching, I catch bits and pieces of conversations, not because I am deliberately eavesdropping, but just because of the close proximity, and some of my ideas come from overheard pieces of conversation.

Sometimes I get ideas from songs I hear, books I read (no, I don’t plagiarize), but I can get an idea from something I have read.  Sometimes I get an idea from a movie I see or a character I like or from what I hear or read about someone famous.

Sometimes I get ideas from conversations I have with people.  Many ideas come from people around me, the area I live in, and my life experiences.  Ideas are all around me.

Inspiration is a bit more difficult, and no, I don’t think that ideas and inspiration are the same thing.  Ideas are quick, simple and can be found anywhere, whereas, inspiration is something that stimulates my thinking or makes me feel something or sparks my creativity.  Inspiration is stronger and harder to find than an idea, and though an idea can start me writing, inspiration compels me to write.  Inspiration comes from something or someone who sparks a passion in me.

A good story can be written from either an idea or inspiration, but I believe that it is easier to write a good story from inspiration.  I also believe the story will flow, keep me writing and be finished faster than a story that starts from an idea because something I am passionate about holds my attention longer than a mere idea.

Writing from either an idea or inspiration is still hard work.  It requires time, commitment and dedication.  It requires re-reading and re-writing to get to my best possible finished story.

What’s Next?

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Thank you to all of you who have been reading my short stories and poetry here.  I am glad that you visit here.  I will continue to post poetry frequently, as I write it.  But, I must confess that I don’t write poetry very much.  I really prefer to write stories.

I won’t be posting any short stories on here for a while either because it is impossible for me to write more than one story at a time, and believe me, I have tried.  I am working on my first full-length novel, which I hope to have published, and therefore, I cannot write any short stories or novellas to post here because I get completely wrapped up in the characters and their circumstances when I write a story, and if I try to write more than one at a time, the writing suffers because I can’t focus on more than one story at a time.

But, please, don’t let this news stop you from visiting here.  I will continue to post things on my blog.  I will write about the writing process as I work on my novel.  I will write about any struggles I may have with my writing as well as any progress or exciting news as I am connecting with some wonderful people in the writing and publishing world, and finally, as a Christian writer, I will write posts on Christian topics.

Therefore, I hope you will continue to read here and to follow me here on my weblog, and feel free to leave comments and/or questions in the comment box.  I read each and every one, and will do my best to answer any question you have.   

Out of the Pit (Short Story — Day 12)

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Bruce returned to Lexie’s apartment around ten that night.

“Bruce, what happened?”

“We got him, Lexie.  He’s in jail for now.”

“For now?”

“Until the arraignment where the judge will set the bail, and then Bigler may or may not get out on bail until the trial.  It depends on whether or not he is determined a flight risk or whether or not he can afford bail.  I’m sure after trial he’ll be going away for a long time with the evidence we have against him.”

Bruce didn’t want to tell Lexie about Candy.  He was sure she’d feel responsible.  “Can we talk about more pleasant things than my job now?”

Lexie smiled and Brad and Patty took that as their cue to leave.  Brad thanked Bruce for protecting Lexie and making the bust, and he and Patty both hugged Lexie and promised to talk to her early next week.

Bruce and Lexie sat on the sofa.  Bruce put his arm around Lexie and she snuggled into his side.

“I could get used to this,” said Bruce.

“What do you mean?”

“Coming home from a long day at work to the woman I love instead of to an empty apartment.”

“Oh, I don’t know.  I like coming home to peace and quiet and just Bo, who loves me without saying a word.”

“What?”  Bruce turned and saw the impish grin on Lexie’s face and then she began to giggle.

“You little tease.”  Bruce said, and then he was kissing her.

“What are we going to do this weekend?”

Lexie looked up at him questioningly.

“Since we wrapped up this case, I have the weekend off.”

“Can we go to the beach tomorrow and ride bike on the boardwalk, lay in the sun and swim in the waves?  And then walk hand-in-hand on the beach as we watch the sunset and wind it all up with a seafood dinner?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

——————————————————————————————————————-

Everything went as expected with the Kurt Bigler case, and when the trial ended, he was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.

Bruce and Lexie spent every possible minute together.  Then one Friday evening Bruce took Lexie to a beautiful, romantic ocean front restaurant for dinner.  After dinner, they walked hand-in-hand on the beach.  As the sun began to set, Bruce took a tiny box from his pocket and handed it to Lexie.

When she opened the box and saw the beautiful diamond with a brilliant yellow beryl gem shining on the diamond like the sun, her eyes filled with tears.  Bruce got down on one knee before her.

“Lexie, I am deeply in love with you and have been for a long time.  You are the sunshine of my life, and if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife, I will love you, take care of you and protect you for as long as I live.  Lexie, will you marry me?”

Lexie smiled as tears streamed down her face, and she said, “Nothing would make me happier.”

Bruce place the ring on Lexie’s finger and let out a whoop of happiness.  He picked Lexie up and spun her around, and then, he kissed her.

Out of the Pit (Short Story — Day 11)

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Bruce, Officer Watts, Officer Burke and one other officer arrived at apartment C without blaring sirens.  Bruce didn’t want Kurt Bigler to have a chance to run.  Bruce sent Officer Watts and the other officer around the back of the apartment building, while he and Officer Burke went to the front door.  Bruce rang the doorbell and pounded on the door with his fist while yelling, “Police, open up!”

After a few minutes with no response, Bruce nodded to Officer Burke, who tried the doorknob and found it locked, so he gave the door a good kick at the latch area, and the door burst open.  They proceeded up the stairs, one behind the other, one against the left wall and one against the right, guns drawn.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they found themselves in the living room.  They could see the kitchen and the hallway.  No one was in sight, but they heard whimpering coming from one of the rooms off of the hall.

Bruce made a couple of motions with his hand.  Officer Burke nodded and led the way into the hall.  They passed the first door on the right.  It was empty.  The whimpering was coming from the first door on the left.  Officer Burke opened the door quietly.  He moved to the right so that Bruce could enter, and Officer Burke held his gun on Kurt Bigler, whose back was to them.

“Kurt Bigler, you are under arrest.”

Kurt turned around, a shocked expression on his face and his pants hanging open.  It was obvious that they had caught him in the act of raping this young lady.  Officer Burke moved toward Kurt Bigler, ordered him to close his pants and then get down on the floor with his hands behind his head.

Bruce spotted a blanket on a chair near the doorway and grabbed it.  He opened the blanket and tossed it over the young lady, whose blouse was torn and there were the beginning discolorations of bruises forming on her breasts.  There was dried blood at the right corner of her mouth.

Bruce spoke softly and gently, “Miss, I’m Detective Bruce Rivers.  I’m with the local police department.”

The young lady began to cry and talk at the same time.  “He grabbed me outside the college library and forced me into his car.  He brought me here and he was . . . was forcing himself on me when you came in.  He hurt me.”

“I’m so sorry, but he won’t hurt you anymore.  What’s your name?”

“Candy Jamison.”

Just then, the only female officer on the force, Officer Tina Johnson, came into the room.

“Well, Candy Jamison, I’d like you to meet Officer Tina Johnson.  She’ll ride with you to the hospital and stay with you during the exam.  She’ll also ask you for details about what happened.  I know it will be hard to talk about, but we need you to try because we want to be sure this guy goes to jail for a long time, so he can’t hurt anyone else.”

“Okay.  Thank you for saving me.  I thought he was going to kill me.”

“You’re welcome, Candy.”  Bruce squeezed her hand gently as he helped her down from the table Kurt Bigler had forced her upon.  Officer Johnson put her arm across Candy’s neck and shoulders and led her out to the waiting ambulance.

“Officer Burke already took Bigler to the station.”  Officer Watts informed Bruce.  “Take a look at what I found in a desk drawer in the living room.”

Bruce looked as Officer Watts held up a large plastic bag that held a spiral bound notebook.  “What is it?”

“It’s Kevin’s journal.  There’s a little information about the relationships he had with the six girls he killed, but there’s a lot about him and Lexie.  That’s how Bigler knew so much.”

“How did Kurt Bigler get his hands on that?”

“I figure he must have found it hidden somewhere in this apartment.”

“Looks like we’ve got enough for a good prosecuting attorney to use to get a conviction on this guy.  Let’s wrap it up.”