Archive | Rachel Hauck RSS feed for this section

Rachel Hauck

Being At The Top Of Your Game

By on July 10, 2014 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck

As I write to you from my turret tower, my friend Carrie sitting on the floor with my dog Lola, I gaze out my window at my farm…

Wait, there’s no farm. Pardon me, I’m a bit punchy. I lapsed into Christmas in Connecticut.

I finishing a rewrite, How To Catch A Prince. It’s been a little over a month now. I know some people, who shall be nameless, Susan May Warren, write whole books from scratch in that amount of time, but I am not such a writer.

I’m getting fast but I’m like to mull. Chew. Think. I’m the kind of person who comes up with a fabulous retort or brilliant response to a conversation three days later.

But then no one cares to hear my amazing insight.

I process. Or iProcess. Whichever. I am a Macophile.

Anyway.

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 1 }
Rachel Hauck

The Great Debate! Story vs Structure

By on June 26, 2014 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck

So, here we are, Susie May and me, after the Christy Awards sitting in the Marriott Hotel with greats Ted Dekker and Steven James, fellow Christy Award nominees.

(Congratulations to Susie for her second Christy win! And to Ted!)

Among our company that night was Ted’s daughter, who is also a new, contracted author with Tyndale.

As talk goes among writers, we edged our way to talking craft. Steven James just came out with a book Story Trumps Structure.

I get what he’s saying. Books are about stories, people doing amazing things.

No one ever came up to me and said, “Rachel, I just thought of a great structure!”

All writers are dreamers of story.

But James contends too many writers get wrapped around the axel on structure and forget about story.

As you know, here at MBT, we are all about BOTH.

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 5 }

Yet Another Tip On How to Write A Great Novel

By on June 12, 2014 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck

It’s throwback Thursday. I’m out of town and thought I’d blog a blast from the past.

***
Do you ever weary of all the do’s and don’ts of writing a novel? I do. Sometimes I get so bogged down with the “rules” and guidelines I end up writing something that doesn’t work.

But in the end, it all forms together to create the novel I do end up sending to my editor. Nothing written for a novel is never wasted.

Every word becomes a layer and texture of the ultimate story.

On my latest novel, I learned a valuable lesson. Reading. Shocker, right? Y’all are rolling your eyes, moaning, “Gee whiz, Rachel, and you have fifteen novels published!? Where’s the justice?”

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 0 }
Rachel Hauck, Princess Ever After

The “I’s” Don’t Have It!

By on May 22, 2014 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck

Sit down. I want to talk about writing in First Person.

How many of you are writing in first? Yeah, I love First Person, too.

I long to write in First again. But the structure and texture of my stories, and the fact I’ve chosen to write in the romance genre (and I’ve already broken a few rules there) doesn’t lend to First Person these days.

I started out writing Third, then went to chick lit where first was part of the genre voice, and I “found” my-writer-self.

I think keeping diaries for 17 years helped me tap a deeper emotional layer when I hit the First Person trails.

Early on, I stumbled upon a truth while writing in First. Use dialog!

I’m not a great prose, expository type of writer, so I automatically go to “people talking.” Even in my diaries, I wrote dialog.

It’s the drama part of me. When I was a kid I’d walk around having pretend conversations with people. Mainly Donny Osmond but that’s for another post.

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 0 }
MBT Menu