I dare you to open this post.

(sorry for the drama in the subject title. Wasn't sure what else to title it. LOL)


Anyway, I found this link of quotes of writing advice from fiction authors. Pretty good stuff...check it out! :)


http://www.iuniverse.com/ExpertAdvice/20WritingTipsfrom12FictionAuthors.aspx


Here are some of my favs...


"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov


"Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet." — Zadie Smith


"Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money." — Jonathan Franzen  




What were your favs?


Were there any tips you actually didn't agree with on this list?

Lessons from Maleficent

http://writergetsreal.blogspot.com/2014/07/something-you-didnt-notice-in-maleficent.html


The above post is one I put on my personal blog the other day, but it's partially writing related in regards to characterization and the analysis of characters. You might check it out :)  Would love your feedback. Hope it encourages you, as well.

I'm Still Here!

Hey y'all---I'm on vacation in Alaska, so I'm not going to be saying much for the next couple of weeks (that's where I was last week too). But I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you and I hope writing is going well for everyone.

Random questions of the day, just for fun.

1. What's your favorite place to write?

2. What's the weirdest place you've ever written? (ex. bathroom floor? a moving vehicle?)

3. What's the strangest thing you ever took notes on? (ex. candy bar wrapper anyone?)

4. Do you have any weird pen preferences? (color, brand, etc)

5. Do you only use your computer, only use paper, or both for different reasons?


I'll try to remember to come back and answer for myself in the comments in a day or two, but I don't want to steal anyone else's creativity by answering first. ;)

Have a good weekend!

When Dreams are Delayed... or Dead.

It's been really hard lately.

Dreams that have nothing to do with writing have seemed so far away.

I've been praying for something very specific and dear to me for almost three years now... something that has been so, so elusive...

So lately I've been soaking up this book {again} by Holley Gerth.

And I'm reminded... sometimes dreams don't look like I imagined them. But the Dream Giver is still good. He is still working it all together for good.

So... how can we pray for you today?

What's YOUR story??

Sometimes as writers I think we get so caught up in writing other people's stories that we forget to draw from our own experiences as well. And I totally and completely believe that God has given us our individual stories to use for His glory - often as writers, that means using what He's done in our lives to minister to others.

Anyone up for a little writing exercise?? :)

Grab your computer, stretch out your fingers and spend a few minutes remembering what has happened to you!

1. Describe your favorite memory with one of your family members. Be sure to mention sights, sounds, tastes, etc. How did it make you feel??

2. Describe the funniest thing that has ever happened to you. Why was it funny? Who was there to witness it? How did it make you feel??

3. Describe the saddest thing that has ever happened to you. Who was there with you? What sights, sounds, colors, words do you remember from that moment? How did it make you feel??

When we learn to describe our own feelings in a way that shows and doesn't tell, we get better at describing our character's feelings in a way that shows and doesn't tell. Do you keep a journal or a blog? If not, I highly challenge you to do so!! The best writers are the ones who feel.

I'd love if you'd share one of your writing exercises in the comments!! Let's encourage each other in this! :)

Have a happy Monday!

Long time coming!!

Hello friends!!

I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to get back into the groove of things over here! Here's what has been happening in the past three months for me:

* We were so excited and blessed to welcome our second son, Parker, into our lives!! He turned three months old on the 16th (WHERE does the time go???!!) and we could not be more in love.

* Both of my brothers got married! Wedding season was such a crazy, wonderful time - and made even crazier with trying to corral a very active ring bearer and a newborn. ;)

* I released my newest e-novella...which was also on my to-do list from before Parker's birth. ;)

Now that we are sleeping through the night again and operating on a little more rest, I'm finally feeling a little less foggy.  I'm so looking forward to getting back into the swing of things on this blog! What have you all been up to?? I have missed you!!

-Erynn :)

Multi-Tasking

Anyone a big multi-tasker?

I multi-task a lot. Sometimes to the point of seeming kind of ADD...Clean a little of this, clean a little of that, write a blog post, think about dinner, finish putting laundry away...

It's a little crazy as far as any kind of cleaning "schedule" goes. But I've discovered after however-many-years of adulthood that order only works for me if it's a little unordered.

Totally clear as mud, right?

It occurred to me just now (as I'm in the middle of one of those ADD cleaning phases--and am now standing at my half-clean kitchen island to write this) that I do this with stories too. I rarely ever have one story going that has 1000% of my focus. If I'm under contract, then it has ALMOST that much of my focus, because that's what fair to my publisher. But if I'm not contracted on a story at the moment, I have to have several projects going at once.


Here's a little peak into my brain right now.

1. Another Love Inspired Suspense story. I'm writing this one currently.

2. A full length Romantic Suspense set in the Alaskan wilderness. I'm writing this one currently.

3. More LIS stories--at least two in the I-have-a-synopsis-done stage.

4. Another full length RS--this one is a list of story "clues" right now. Nothing solid.

5. Several series ideas (or at least story ideas/setting ideas) for the future.


This is how my brain works--while it looks crazy to some, I'm sure (but seriously? I'm a writer. Crazy is normal, yes?), I do better if I can multi-task, if I can have a lot of stories in my brain so that I have options. Ways to get my mind occupied when it's stuck on another story.

What about y'all? Are you one-at-a-time people? Some variation? And if you get a shiny new story idea, do you abandon your old story for a few days? Or are you one of the super-commited who won't even touch the new idea until the old one is done?