Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Jesus' Only Birthday Wish



What is one thing that you want each year for your birthday? I'm not talking about a present. What is the one thing that every little girl wants for her birthday? To be treated like a princess, right? No matter how old we are, we still use the fact that it’s our birthday as an excuse to expect our friends and family to do what we want, go where we want, and treat us as if we are important. Face it – on our birthdays, the whole day is all about us.

The other day I was wondering about what ways that we could celebrate Jesus’ birthday besides giving him thanks and putting up the nativity scene. I mean, you can’t give him tangible items. He doesn’t care about those. They have no value to Him. So, what does he want? Well, when it’s our birthdays, we want everyone around us to do what we want. So why don’t we do what God wants this Christmas? No, scratch that. Why don’t we do what he wants all year round? It’s the season of our Savior’s birthday. We should serve him instead of worrying about which presents we receive or don't receive.

If Jesus was still a human on earth, imagine how many gifts he would receive on his birthday! I’m sure that his birthday party would be huge. Why wouldn’t it? He’s Jesus – the Savior of the World! However, there’s no need to go out and buy him expensive items. He’s worth way more than any item we could possibly spend money to buy.

Look for ways to serve Jesus the remainder of this month. Spend more time with him than usual. Show love to the less fortunate. Treat others as you want to be treated. Surrender your entire life to him. Put him first in everything you do - a very inexpensive gift, but one of much value.

No, he doesn’t just deserve the song “Happy Birthday, Jesus” – he deserves your whole heart. That’s His only birthday wish this year.



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PS- I will be on a blogging break starting tomorrow until the first Monday in January. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday's Thought: What's Your Opinion On Critique Groups?



Joining a critique group can be a big step in a writer's life. It forces you to step out of your writing den, ready to receive feedback on your manuscript from people other than your loved ones. By doing this, you as a writer are honing your craft while helping to strengthen the writing flaws of others as well.



I have yet to join a critique group myself, but I think critique groups are a great way to step out of your comfort zone, meet other writers, etc. By editing other manuscripts, you'll be able to look at your own manuscript with a critical eye also. The only con that I have been warned about isthat of 'critique group dependency'. By depending on your critique group too much, you are in risk of losing your voice and possibly the essence of the entire story. There is also possible danger when a writer is told wrong advice from a member of the critique group -the blind leading the blind. However, I believe that critique groups can be very beneficial and fun if a writer is aware of the cons and careful about which advice they will accept.


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What is your opinion of critique groups?
Have you ever joined one, or are you currently a part of one?
What are your favorite things and least favorite things about critique groups?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thursday's Thought: Writing What You Do Know or Don't Know?



"Write what you know" is a saying for writers that means we should write what we already have knowledge about or have experienced. For example, someone who may have had to put their child up for adoption before obviously could write about the topic, since they have lived through the emotions themselves. Or if you have a degree in history, then the historical fiction genre would probably best suit you.

I believe writing what you know is not a bad idea. That's what I am doing by writing fiction in the young adult genre, since I'm able to see clearly from the perspective of a teen today (because, well, I am one). But what about the freedom of writing to learn - not just writing from experienced situations, but writing to learn about a certain topic or situation? Writing is an adventure - you can explore places you have never been before, learn about things you've never quite understood, and put yourselves in someone else's shoes for a change.


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What is your opinion of the advice "write what you know"?
Do you write to explore, or write to share what you already know?
Do you think fiction seems more real if the author writes what he/she has experienced?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Taking A Field Trip To Your Setting



Field trips are always an adventure to kids and teens. Whether the location of the trip is a local farm or New York City, there is always new and interesting information that is learned by the student.



Fortunately for writers, we don't need a car in order to take a field trip to our setting. Of course, that would be nice. But why waste valuable time and money when you can be transported to your setting with only the tap of a few keys? With the technology available today, you shouldn't have to visit your library in order to research your setting. However, you can if you'd like. But the internet is a valuable source with tons of information, and it might have almost everything you need to know about where your story takes place.


Research is vital for a writer. Before you begin writing your novel, and during the process, you should constantly be gathering information based on where your story takes place. Even if this place is only fictional, there are a several things that you should take note of during your research or creation of the setting:
  • The population. Does your setting have a large population, or is it small?
  • The climate. Does it rain often, or is it too dry? Is it constantly snowing during the winter, or does it only get a few drops of snow every couple of years?
  • The historic background of your setting. Are there any important details that would be nice to include in your story explaining how this place came to be what it is today?
  • If your setting is in a small town, but near a big city, jot the name of that city down and and do a quick research on that city.
  • Places to eat and shop. Where can your characters hang out?
  • Are there certain landmarks at this place that could make your story unique? For example, is there a popular bridge or a waterfall that attracts tourists to the area?
  • Lastly, explore your setting on Google Earth. What is the layout of this town? View the satellite images and travel down the roads. Take note of any of the houses that you may pass by. Are there mostly mansions, cottages, or just average-sized houses? You could even do a Google search of the houses for sell in that area, and take a quick little tour inside those homes.
After gathering this information, ask yourself these questions:
  1. How can I bring out the unique elements of my setting?
  2. What made me choose this place my setting?
  3. Are my characters interacting with the setting, or is the setting only part of the background?
  4. How has the setting affected my main character, making them who he/she is today? (Example: A setting in Arizona would be more likely to have a cowboy live there than an Eskimo.)
  5. Finally, what is the MC's attitude towards this place? Does he/she want to escape as soon as possible, or are they in love with it and never want to leave? How can I tie this into the plot of the story?

Play around with your setting. There are many ways that you can use your setting to be part of the plot, and not just in the background. It should be just as realistic to your reader as the main character.

After you have taken a field trip to your setting, how do you begin to weave in the details to your story? Click here for a post I wrote a few months ago explaining ways to do this.

Remember, your setting shouldn't only be where your story takes place, but a part of the story itself. Don't push it away, but bring it out.

Have fun on your field trip adventure!

"Any settings can potentially acquire this vividness.
It slowly arrives during the period of research,
until it is as immediate to me as my own real surroundings."
~Rose Tremain


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What are some other things that writers should take note of during the process of research?
How long do your "field trips" usually take?
Why do you think gathering all of this information is so crucial for a writer?

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The $25 B&N Gift Card Giveaway Winner!


Thanks to all who participated in this giveaway!

I had way more entries than I thought I would have. I wish that there could be more than one winner, but there is only one gift card, so the winner of the $25 Barnes & Noble gift card giveaway is...

Congratulations! Make sure to respond to my email so that I can get your mailing address. If you do not respond within three days then I will have to choose another winner.

I hope that everyone has a nice weekend!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thursday's Thought: What Did You Think About NaNoWriMo?

During the month of November, writers everywhere shelter themselves inside their houses (or Starbucks) and do not come up for air until 50,000 words have been written for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). They must do everything they can, even if that means shutting off the "real word" in order to focus on their imaginary one so that their goal can be met by the end of the month.

Since I have yet to participate in NaNoWriMo, I am not able to give an opinion of this based on personal experience. It does seem exciting, though - having an excuse to drink coffee and write until your fingers bleed. This is also a pretty tough challenge, because it forces writers not to procrastinate and gives them a deadline to meet. However, I am still not sure if it would be worth risking the essence of my novel by participating in the NaNoWriMo race.



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What is your opinion of NaNoWriMo?
Did you participate in it this year, or any other year?
If you did, do you think that you would have been able to write better if you had spent more time with it?