The Gift Guide for Readers & Writers

Christmas is just around the corner and time is running out to pick up a gift for that special someone! Lucky for you, I compiled a few ideas for that special person who loves to read or write.

For the Writer:

Scrivener ($50): Scrivener is the best writing software out there for Mac or PC. The capabilities are endless for scrivener and I now use Scrivener for almost all my writing. There are templates to use for novels, screenplays, nonfiction and more. The organization is fabulous. Writers can break down their work into scenes and chapters. Plus, scrivener compiles your documents into many different formats so you can print, email, or even put into e-book format. There is a bit of learning curve, but it's worth the time and money.

Moleskine Notebooks ($10-$20): Even if with the digital age, I still carry notebooks with me to jot down notes and ideas throughout the day. You pay a little more for the Moleskines due to their higher quality paper and binding, but they feel great to hold and the paper is great for note taking. There are a variety of sizes and options in the Moleskine Catalog.

Mind/Word Mapping Software: When I'm outlining a concept for a story, I love using mind maps to plot my ideas. I use Ithoughts HD on my iPad for mind maps, but there are a variety of apps out there depending on your gadget or computer of choice.

For the Reader:

Kindle Paperwhite ($139): I love my kindle even though it's a few years old. I love taking my kindle outside and reading in the sunlight (something you can't do with a tablet). The latest kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite, is the best eReader available. Amazon updated the contrast and the font options, making the kindle reading experience even more like reading a paperback book.

Library Card & the Overdrive App: The e-book revolution is growing and libraries are catching on. If you have a library card for your locality, chances are the library is now checking out ebooks. Overdrive is an app to manage the e-book and audiobook checkout process. The Overdrive App is available on all major mobile devices including Android and iOS, along with PC and Mac.

Books: You can't go wrong with buying books. Check out my book review posts the past few months or stay tuned early next week when I post my favorite books of 2012.

I hope everyone is having a joyful December!

Peace & Love,

Kristen

The What If Questions: The Thanksgiving Edition

Several weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about story concepts. Every story starts out as a concept which can be a what if question. The answer to the question becomes the story. Here's an example of a story concept: What if a boy didn’t know he was a wizard?

The answer is the story of Harry Potter.

In the post, I extended the story concept to our lives. When we start asking what if questions in our lives, the answers lead us into a more exciting life story. Here's a few examples:

What if I went back to school? 

What if I stopped complaining?

What if I quit my job?

At the end of the post, I challenged my readers to ask what if questions for their lives and to explore the answers. In my Live Your Best Story Workshop, we flesh out the what if questions so participants know the next steps to answer the questions for their lives.

But, this week, I'm thinking about what if questions in a different light. I'm thinking in the past tense.

What if I never contacted Brian to speak at the youth retreat several years ago?

What if we didn't drive to London, Ohio to adopt a pug we hadn't seen or met?

What if I didn't move back to Ohio a few years ago?

These what if questions are tough. I don't have good answers for most of them. But, for all three of these questions, there is a common theme. I can't imagine my life if those things didn't happen. I don't want to think of a life without Brian or without Zelda the pug (go ahead and laugh at me). I can't imagine a life where I don't have the freedom and ability to pursue writing.

These past tense what if questions put me in a mood of gratefulness and of thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the life I have- my husband, my family, my crazy pug, my friends, my job(s), and my faith. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week in the United States, I challenge you to think of the past tense what if questions. I challenge to be grateful for where you are in your life right now, even if you are in a rough stretch.

What are you grateful for this week?

NaNoWriMo November

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November writers across the world set a goal- to write a novel of 50,000 words during the month of November.

NaNoWriMo started in 1999 with 21 people who set a goal to write a novel in a month. Since then, NaNoWriMo has grown by leaps and bounds, but its goal remains the same- to encourage amateur writers to start writing. The concept is to write everyday during the month without worrying about structure, edits, or revisions. Just get the words down. When you hit a stumbling block or tough day of writing, you are encouraged by thousands of experienced and amateur writers who are on the same novel writing journey.

I love the idea of NaNoWriMo. It's a great motivator to know you are not alone in your quest to write a novel. I love that NanoWriMo forces you to put time in your schedule to write. I love the point is to simply write.

But, I do not love the timing of NaNoWriMo. November is a terrible month for me personally. Basketball season starts the first week of November. My normal writing time in the afternoon is taken up by basketball practice. Plus, I'm away from home for several days with family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. There are a bunch of children (and adults acting like children) running around. It's a blast, but not the best writing atmosphere. With that said, I know many other writers completed the 50,000 word challenge with tougher distractions.

Last November, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and had a great first week. I wrote over 10,000 words. But, I couldn't keep up after the first week and I finished the month of November somewhere around 20,000 words. This year, I'm not going to attempt NaNoWriMo, mostly because my short-term goals revolve around more revisions of my novel, writing short stories, and building my platform. In November, my goal is to write a short story each week.

I'd love to have a successful NaNoWriMo sometime in the future. Maybe I'll start a petition to move it to February. Or maybe I'll get over my excuses and just get it done next November.

What are your thoughts on NaNoWriMo?

Have you participated in NaNoWriMo? How did it go?

The Giveaway

Thanks to all who entered my book giveaway. This month's winner was Gretchen Streiff. Here's her entry : My book entry is Half the Sky. I haven't read it yet, but have it on my shelf. I'm excited to read it because it talks about the ways in which women work in community to overcome issues of oppression in all areas of the world.

We will have another giveaway towards the end of this month so you'll have another chance to win something fun! Until then, happy reading and writing!

The Concept of Your Story

Every story starts out as a concept, usually in the form of a what if question. The answer to the question, to your concept, becomes the story. The concept is the platform from which the story can enfold. Let me give some examples of concepts. What if a boy didn’t know he was a wizard?

What if a band of super heroes worked together?

What if there was competition where teenagers fought to the death to survive?

What if a girl fell in love with a vampire?

The concept for my novel is what if a teenage girl wanted to find her lost mother? From this initial concept, the story took shape. I developed the character of this girl and created characters to surround her. I formed a setting for the novel and created scenes to move the concept forward. But, the novel started with a simple what if question.

As a writer, new concepts for stories pop into my head constantly. I walk my dog and she attacks a leaf pile. I go home and write down the idea. What if Zelda the Pug attacked a leaf pile? Later, I revisit the idea and decide if it’s worth pursuing further. Many times they aren’t. But, sometimes, an idea pops in my brain and I know the idea can become a great story.

For the non-writers out there, the concept of a story can be translated to your life. You can create a new, better story for your life when you start asking the what if questions.

What if I ran a marathon?

What if I wrote a book?

What if I started a business?

What if I went back to school?

What if I eliminated complaining from my life?

I encourage you to list ten what if questions for your life. Put them away and return to them a week later. Read over the questions again and reflect. Maybe one or two or three resonate with you. And maybe it’s time to develop the concept further by establishing the setting, the plot, and the characters needed to answer the question. But, once again, the story starts with a what if question.

What questions are you exploring for new story concepts in your writing and your life?

Bonus question: What are the books/movies associated with the story concepts I listed?

My blog is a resource for readers and writers. I post articles on reading, writing, and publishing, along with book reviews and an occasional pug lover's post. My email newsletter includes exclusive articles, giveaways, and stories in addition to my blog posts. If you are not an email subscriber, I invite you to sign up here and to invite a friend to sign up so our community can grow. Thanks for your support! Peace & Love, Kristen

The Challenge and Freedom of Writing Fiction

Last week, I finished reading and editing the first draft of my novel. I was worried after I read through the book, I would hate it or realize my idea didn't work. The good news is I still love the book, the concept, and characters. However, the bad news is my book is nowhere close to being published at this stage. My novel needs work. Lots of it. I need to fix plot holes, develop characters, add in more detail along with the typical line edits. My first book, When Light Hits the Path, also needed work after its first draft, but mostly grammatical and line edits. The contrast between the revision process for these two books got me thinking about the differences between writing fiction and nonfiction. I came to the conclusion that I love the freedom of writing fiction, even though writing fiction is more challenging than nonfiction for me.

The Freedom of Fiction

The beauty of fiction is the freedom. An author creates characters, setting, plot, and all the details for the story. As a fiction writer, there is something wonderful and freeing about creating something new, to take an idea in your head and flesh it out into a story. Often, ideas for characters, short stories or novels will strike me while I'm driving my car, walking the pug or going for a run. Later, I sit down with the idea and decide if it's worth pursuing. Many times it may not be, but other times the idea sticks. That's the freedom of fiction, the ability to pick and choose, try something new, and create whatever characters and story you want. I love that freedom.

The Challenge of Fiction

On the other hand, fiction writing is complex. An author needs to create a story where a sequence of events line up to create conflict, climax, and resolution. The plot must flow together without holes or discrepancies.

Let me give an example. The main character in my novel is named Rachel. She is sixteen, a high school sophomore who is raised by her grandparents because her parents are out of the picture. However, Rachel is close to her aunt Kate who is the younger sister to Rachel's father. This family dynamic sounded simple to me in my head. But when I wrote the novel, I realized I needed to know ages and dates to make sure the plot and timeline made sense. Some questions I asked were:

How old was Kate when Rachel was born? Did they live together? For how many years?

What is the age difference between Rachel and Kate? Between Kate and her brother?

With fiction, the author has complete freedom to create the story, but the challenge is ensuring the story lines up in a cohesive manner.

Obviously, there is much more to writing fiction (and nonfiction) then the challenges and freedoms I listed above. These are just my thoughts as I work through my novel and contemplate future work.

What do you think are the challenges of writing fiction compared to nonfiction? Is there more freedom in writing fiction?