I am sitting in a different coffee shop this morning¸ in Oregon, missing Sally, but happy to be with my co-writer, Rachel Hauck as we teach at the Oregon Christian Writer’s Conference this week. My flight over reminded me of meeting that occurred a few years ago. I was sitting in the O’Hare Airport when a woman walked into the gate area. She was in her early twenties, and carried a backpack, which she held with a whitened fist. She sat down and began to fidget in her seat, checking her watch, looking at the gate, pawing through her bag. She pulled out a book, and clutched it to her chest a moment before opening it, and pulling out a highlighter. The books said, in large black ominous letters – […]
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Interview with a Hero
I was working on the hero of my next book and found I couldn’t get anything real out of him. He was a bit two-dimensional. Flat. Too single purposed. I went through my standard exercises – dark wound, lie, fear, secret desire, true destiny… You can see that here: Dark Moment: Being yanked from his school, his family, his home to go to another boarding school. Lie: Don’t get close. Don’t open your heart too wide. Fear: Love involves pain. He’s even assigned that to God. Look what He did to His own son. But Tanner knows God is real and true, and he must seek Him. But is standoffish Secret desire/true identity: ?? What can he do in the end he can’t do in the beginning? Be honest about […]
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Conversations: The powerful use of Internal Monologue
“I’d thought she’d never get here.” Sally shot me a look as she sat down on the Adirondack chair next to me. She eyed me warily. “Were you talking to me?” “No. Why would you think that?” I paused, looked away. “She’s so paranoid.” “Are you schizophrenic?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sitting right here.” “Sheesh, touchy,” I said softly. Then, “What are you talking about? How are you?” I smiled. She stared at me like I’d turned purple. I laughed. “I was internal monologueing.” “Out loud?” “So you could hear it.” “Please tell me that’s not what you really think. I don’t mean to be late –“ “Calm down, Sally, it was just for teaching purposes. But if you were reading that, it would certainly add a bit of […]
Read the RestConversations: How to make your dialogue pop!
“It’s so hot, I think I’m melting. I haven’t been able to write for three days.” Sally held a blended mocha, sweat glistening on her forehead as she plunked down on the Adirondack chair next to me. “Really? What, has your brain turned to mush? Are you fingers slipping off the keyboard?” She stared at me, frowning. “Ouch.” “If you want to be a writer, Sally, you have to press on. Do you want to be a writer? Or just a wannabe?” “I think I’m going to take my mocha elsewhere.” “There’s no crying in writing, bay-bee. I once wrote a book while living in a garage without plumbing, heat or electricity. Believe me, I had reasons not to write. You have to press on, like a mailman, through sleet […]
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