I have been to all of the US FaithWriters’ conferences, and can tell you that it is a WONDERFUL experience. And, of course, the question usually comes up about this time of year: “Are we having a conference this year?”

The answer: We’re not sure. Right now, the FaithWriters’ folks are trying to gauge interest, to determine, especially in this economy, if it would be feasible.

There’s a poll on the FaithWriters boards (click here) – we’d appreciate you letting us know if you’ll be attending – even if you can’t. There are more details on the post, but here are some basics.

A FaithWriters Conference is a special time of inspiration, encouragement, challenge and friendship. Every year it gets a little better, but the fellowship remains the same.

If held in 2012, the conference will be held from Friday, August 10 to Saturday, August 11, at the Holiday Inn, Livonia, Michigan (our usual stomping ground – just outside Detroit).

It will follow much the same format, with the addition of a market/resource area, one on one appointments with me throughout the entire event, an intensive all morning (or afternoon) specialized workshop (limited numbers), and (hopefully) a book launch event for members with newly published books on Friday night.

The price will be kept as low as possible, probably the same as last year (around $80 to $90 for registration). That includes all selected workshops/sessions, together with breakfast, lunch and afternoon break (death by chocolate, which has to be experienced to believe!)

Please stop by the boards and vote! Are YOU planning to go?

Today is the 103rd birthday of George Beverly Shea, the Grammy-award winning Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn writer.  Shea has often been described as “America’s beloved Gospel singer” and is considered “the first international singing ’star’ of the gospel world,” as a consequence of his solos at Billy Graham Crusades and his exposure on radio, records, and television. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Shea holds the world record for singing in person to the most people ever, with an estimated cumulative live audience of 220 million people.

Shea, of course, is a writer – of hymns, many of which, I’m certain, we know by heart. He has inspired many.

And for many, music is an inspiration in writing. Whether it’s gospel music like Mr. Shea’s, contemporary Christian, classical, or anything else, many write better when they have music on in the background. Others, however, like complete silence. And yet others get story ideas from music.

Happy birthday, Mr. Shea – you’ve inspired many of us. Some to write – and some in other ways.

Do you write with music in the background? If  so, what type? Have you ever gotten a story idea from a song?

Writing Suspense (part 2 of 2)
By Lillian Duncan

Click here for the first part of this article.

OVERWRITING

There’s a fine line between excellent writing and overwriting. Overwriting tends to take a good plot and turn it into melodrama. Unfortunately, many unpublished suspense/mystery writers (and some published) mistake melodrama for good writing.

Sometimes the more emotional the scene the better it is to keep your “flowery” writing to a minimum. Here’s a checklist of things to be careful about.

Word choices. I’m sure a lot of my fellow writers might disagree but I think simple is better—especially in suspense. In suspense, it’s all about the action.

Exclamation points. Most writing experts don’t like exclamation points. They say it’s a mark of an inexperienced writer. Use them, but don’t overuse them.

Too many adverbs and adjectives. This is good advice for any genre. I have no problem with an adverb or an adjective, but it gets to be too much when you use two or three or four in every sentence or even every paragraph.

Too much emotion for the situation. Suspense is supposed to be well…suspenseful and that means lots of emotional situations. A writer would be remiss if they didn’t include emotional reactions, but be careful of keeping the emotional reaction equal to the event.

Don’t use ten words when you only need five. We are writers and we love words—a lot. Unfortunately when you consistently use more words than you need, it makes the story drag. Look at this: The huge black dog looked at her, then barked at her, and finally ran toward her. Let’s look at it rewritten. The Rottweiler charged toward her.

Bottom line when it comes to overwriting, write your story and then cut every word you don’t need!!

CREATING TENSION

Every writer knows you must create tension in your story or it becomes…boring. And we never want that, especially in mystery/suspense.

Let me start by listing what tension isn’t (in my opinion.)

1. Tension isn’t having an argument in every scene. For some reason many writers think this is the only way to create tension. It’s not. Use it by all means but use it sparingly.

2. Tension isn’t having angry and bitter internal thoughts in every scene. A little of this goes a long way. Too much and it becomes tiring and makes the character unlikable.

3. Tension isn’t using a trumped up excuse why the heroine doesn’t like the hero.

Now that you know what tension isn’t, let’s talk about what it is. Tension is creating scenes that will make the reader want to know what happens next. Every scene in your story should have tension in one form or another. Some scenes will have “big” tension and others not so big. It may be internal or external. It may be real or imagined, but there should be a sense of unpredictability in every scene to some extent.

Here are some ways to add tension into your story:

1. Unpredictability.

2. Have chapters end with a cliffhanger.

3. Ticking clock. Adding a time limit can create tension. Hunting for a bomb is good, but hunting for a bomb that you know will detonate in fifteen minutes is even better.

4. Surprise yourself—surprise your readers. All that work on that wonderful outline—but that’s all it is an outline—not the story!

5. Foreshadowing. This is a tried and true technique. It means to add some subtle clues in about what might happen.And remember not all foreshadowing clues have to come true.

6. A red herring. This is used most often in mysteries but can be effective in suspense, too.

7. Make things more difficult for your main characters. I’ve been told I’m really mean to my characters.. That’s what creates tension. If life is good for them, who cares?

8. Keep the stakes high.

9. Add a new character

Thanks for the opportunity to share my ideas with you.

God Bless and Good Writing!

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Lillian Duncan lives in Ohio with her husband, four parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She’s been a Speech Pathologist for over thirty years.

She writes the types of books she loves to read, suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net.

Her blog—Tiaras & Tennis Shoes can be found at www.lillianduncan.wordpress.com. Her most recent releases are PURSUED and DECEPTION.

It’s time to give a cheer for these awesome FaithWriters’ members and their writing accomplishments!

STEVE W. FITSCHEN had an op-ed piece published in the Washington Times. CONGRATULATIONS!

ANNIE KEYS had a story chosen for publication in Write Integrity Press’s upcoming book, “Lessons From The Heart.” WOOWOO!!

LAURIE GLASS was interviewed on The Christian Authors Show about her book, “Journey to Freedom from Eating Disorders.” SUPER!!

RACHEL BURKUM’s latest book, “Smatterings of an Analytical Loner” – a collection of short stories, poems, and devotional-style pieces, some of which began as Writing Challenge pieces, is now available. WONDERFUL!!

I so love hearing about your accomplishments. Would LOVE for you to share them with me so I can post them here. Either drop me an email at joannesher@faithwriters.net, or post it in the cheering section on the FaithWriters boards – otherwise, I may not find out!

If you missed them, be sure to stop by and read the interviews with winner Dee Yoder and other runner up Sydney Avey.

Ann Grover is a wonderful writer (one of my personal favorites at FaithWriters!). A Writing Challenge regular, she has received many ECs, and was 2010’s Best of the Best, as well as placing second and third in earlier years in that contest. And NOW, her novel, “Prairie” is highly commended in the 2011 Page Turner contest.

Read on, and get to know Ann a bit better.

JOANNE: When do you first remember developing a passion/love for writing?

ANN: When I was in Grade 3, my teacher had a little list of prompts on the blackboard for those students who’d finished their work early. Every day, I raced through my assigned work so I could “write a story.” (I still have a few of those stories, as well as the first “story” I ever wrote in Grade 1.) My Grade 3 teacher “promised” I’d be a writer one day.

JOANNE: Is writing a hobby or potential career for you?

ANN: I think, at this point, it’s a hobby, in that it’s relaxing and satisfying, exactly what a hobby should be, filling in spare time and leisurely hours. But like every other writer, I do dream of a day when my creations would develop into a lucrative career, and hopefully without losing its relaxing and satisfying aspects.

JOANNE: Congratulations on placing as a runner-up in the Page Turner contest. Tell us about your reaction when you found out.

ANN: I went online, with my morning coffee, to check my emails, and perhaps mosey over to FW for a look-see. Before I could get to FW, my inbox exploded with a barrage of messages, the first from Dee Yoder. I have to admit I was momentarily confused–I won what? Where?–even though I’d gone online purposely to check. Then I was “gobsmacked.” I love that word.

Continue Reading…

Writing Suspense (part 1 of 2)

by Lillian Duncan

I love reading and writing suspense. No matter how hard I try to write something else, it always turns into a mystery or suspense. One agent suggested I write an Amish story since I live in Amish country but before the end of the first chapter, I had a dead body. What can I say?

First, let’s look at some definitions. These are my working definitions, and so you’re allowed to disagree.

MYSTERY is a story where the MCs are trying to discover who the murderer is. Somewhat slower paced than suspense but not by much (unless it’s a cozy mystery.)

SUSPENSE is a story where the MCs are trying to stop a murder. Often times the story starts with a murder, but it’s not necessary.

THRILLERS are a subgenre of suspense and usually include a conspiracy of some sort that will affect more than just the MCs. Political and Medical thrillers are common.

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE is a story where the romance between two MCs is as important as the mystery/suspense plot. Romantic suspense follows the same rules as romances, such as using the hero and heroine’s point of view.

There’s obviously a lot of overlap between these genres and sometimes it might be hard to figure out. One of my working definitions is when the main characters can keep their normal schedule as the story proceeds while they search for the killer, then it’s probably a mystery. When the main characters lives are interrupted because someone’s trying to kill them to stop them from exposing the truth throughout most of the story, it’s probably suspense.

My advice, don’t worry about it too much. Write your story then pick the genre you believe is closest. My stories are usually a mixture of mystery and suspense with a romantic subplot (different than romantic suspense.)

Now, let’s take a look at some of the elements of suspense writing.

PACING

Getting the right pacing in your suspense novel is crucial. Too slow and you’ll lose most of your readers. Too fast and you won’t get the depth and layering that makes for a better story.

1. Continue Reading…

I’m sure most of us have more than one copy of the Bible in our home – many of us in more than one translation. It’s a common thing these days.

But in the scale of things, it wasn’t so long ago that this would have been impossible. That changed, at least partly, because of a man who died 443 years ago today. In 1535, Bible Translator Myles Coverdale produced the first complete printed Bible into English. The Coverdale Bible made use of other translations of portions of the His Word, including that of Tyndale. It was, however, the first English translation of the entire Bible.

As you likely know, people didn’t have copies of His Word in their homes at that time. Many had never seen His Word (can  you even imagine?). Henry VIII had a Coverdale Bible put into every English Church, chained to a bookstand, so that every citizen would have access to a Bible. Of course, there are still countries, and people, on earth who are not allowed to have God’s Word – and/or where having even one translation is not yet a reality. But we English speakers have Coverdale to thank.

Myles Coverdale died on January 20, 1569, at the age of 80. But his legacy lived on. Whenever you pull out your Bible to add a verse to the devotional you’re writing, for inspiration for your writing, or just to study and/or read, thank the Lord – and Myles Coverdale.

How much of a role does the Bible play in your writing? What if it had never been translated into English?

Check out Page Turner winner Dee Yoder’s interview here.

I hope you enjoyed Dee’s interview last week (link above). Well, she was not the only person recognized in the 2011 Page Turner Fiction contest. Read below as you learn a bit more about one of two highly commended winners – Sydney Avey. And heeere’s Sydney!

JOANNE: When do you first remember developing a passion/love for writing?

SYDNEY: I began writing poetry in the third grade. My teacher sent my poems into the Palo Alto Times and several of them were published.

JOANNE: Is writing a hobby or potential career for you?

SYDNEY: My writing life has some of the qualities of a hobby. It entertains me, but it’s not what I do in my spare time. It has some qualities of a career. It requires knowledge, discipline and growth but it likely won’t support me in the financial sense. It is more like a monastic calling.

Continue Reading…

Strategies for Effective Marketing

by Jennifer Slattery

Finally! After a decade of rewrites, you’ve signed your first contract. Now you can bask in your fame while large royalty checks roll in, right?

Perhaps in a Hollywood movie, but in today’s fight-or-die industry, selling your book to a publisher is only part of the battle. The real work comes long before your baby hits the stores because effective marketing begins and ends with you. Yet, with over 275,000 American titles released each year, what will make readers choose yours?

Obviously, you need a fabulous cover that targets readers of your particular genre and the back cover blurb has to grab them. But that’s not enough, especially in today’s economy. To generate sales, you need to create and sustain a buzz for you and your book. Ultimately, effective marketing increases your online presence and saturates the print media with relevant and well written articles.

Find Ways to Increase Your Name Recognition
According to marketing experts, name recognition increases credibility and helps the product or author to stand out among similar items. Politicians are aware of this. According to experts, voters often vote based on name recognition. This logic applies to consumers as well. If a reader’s never heard of you before, it’ll be more difficult to earn the sale. The converse is also true. If a reader recognizes your name, they’re more likely to give your novel a second glance.

Find Ways to Saturate the Internet
Increasing your online presence is a great way to introduce yourself to potential readers. There are numerous ways to do this, but blogging may be the most economical and effective.

Writers who are serious about their craft will start and maintain a personal blog long before their first novel goes to print. This accomplishes two things: it increases your name recognition and develops a loyal fan base. Terry Burns from Hartline Literary Agency says, “Don’t wait until you have a book out to build your website. By the time the book comes off the shelf, you’re behind the curve.”

Continue Reading…

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone?

No – not an email. Not jotted a couple words in a card. Sat down, with a pen and paper, and WROTE a letter?

That long, eh?

I’m guilty too – the art of letter-writing has diminished, if not disappeared, over the past years – and decades.

Well, this week (January 8-14) is Universal Letter Writing Week. People are encouraged to put down their electronic devices and hand write letters to folks.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE getting letters in the mail – especially if they’re handwritten. It makes me feel treasured that someone would take the time to do that, when an email or text would be much easier. You too?

Of course, it has been a LONG time since I actually hand-wrote a letter to anyone. But that is going to change. Before the next week is up, I plan to handwrite a letter to someone (who? I dunno. But watch your mailbox LOL). I’m a writer, after all.

How about you? Are you joining me?