ISWG-Knowing Your Characters

It's the first Wednesday of the month and it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group posts. If you haven't heard of the group, pop over to the blog and check it out, then check out the Facebook group. It's a great group full of supportive people including our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh. Who continues to motivate us even in his busy published life.

So I'm super insecure on a few things...like sending query letters and talking to agents and editors at conferences, but I'm pretty confident about knowing my characters are "realistic." So I'd like to share one of my techniques with you I'm using for my current WIP.

The main character, Brittney, has runaway from home and is going to survive on a trail until things get too tough. As an adult, my life has been pretty blessed. So now a days roughing it would be a Motel 6. To immerse myself into Brittney's life I had to become (kind of) her. I spent a lot of time on the trail she would be hiding on, looking for resources, places and ways to build shelter, how to avoid being seen and how to get to small communities if she (I typed I there, LOL) needed to. I also needed to know what tools she would need to build a shelter, to protect herself and to capture or catch food.

Shelter is pretty darn important, so that was my first focus. I thought about the surroundings and how I could use the leaning trees and the cliff faces to make a lean to with some smaller branches. I didn't have a hatchet, but I had a bow saw, so I cut down a smallish tree with it and cut it into pieces.

Then I thought maybe Brittany would chop down a tree with a hatchet. She might want to use bigger trees for shelter.

Let me tell you...know one though I could chop down a tree with a hatchet, but I did and I learned a lot.

The main thing I leaned is Brittany would not chop down a tree with a hatchet. There would be no reason to cut down a tree this big unless she was planning to build a log cabin, and she is not physically well enough to do that...so I learned a big lesson about my character that day. Plus I showed my husband, daughter and in-laws I would chop down a tree with a hatchet.

I knew Brittany would need fire, so I collected some tinder from the scrapping the bark off the first tree I sawed down and let it dry in an Altoids tin. It's a good survival tool to keep a little dry tinder in or other small items, like fishing gear. (I'll be trying that theory out later.) Plus, if you get a fire started you can save a hot coal in it and move it from one location to another. (From what I've read.)

 My good friend Lenny Lee send me a survival bracelet for Christmas and it has a fire-starter on it. So one night I worked and worked trying to get my box of tinder to ignite. Finally, my husband said go get some dryer lint and add it to the tinder. Wham O! I MADE FIRE!!!!!! It was so exciting! 

Sorry for the long post...I have been dying to tell you about how I get into my character's head/life for a long time. I hope it helps some of you get into your character's head a bit more.

Have a wonderful month! Thanks for stopping in!

HAPPY WRITING!!!

ISWG--Looking For Love? Looking For Fiscal Responsibility? (I've got some answers to help you find a happier you in 2016.)

 Yay! It's the first Wednesday of the month and it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group posts. If you haven't heard of the group, pop over to the blog and check it out, then check out the Facebook group. It's a great group full of supportive people including our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh. Who continues to motivate us even in his busy published life.

My IWSG post today will hopefully help you become more happy and loved and financially stable in 2016.

I don't often rant about a particular book, BUT this is the best life changing book I've read EVER! The title makes you think it's only for people in love, but it can help you understand all the people you know better. I've been married for almost 30 years and reading this book showed me how to communicate and express love better to my husband and my adult daughter. If you are in a relationship, any kind of relationship....husbands & wives...husbands & husbands...wives & wives...boyfriend & girlfriend...parent & child...best friends... boss & employee....any relationship can benefit from reading and studying this book. I had so many OMG moments as I read it.

Basically, we all have a language of love. Some people need quality time, others need gifts, others need their loved one to do things for them, and others need to have a physical relationship, and others need words of affirmation to feel loved.

If you were driving a car and the gas tank was empty, the car would not run. Well, relationships are the same...If your love "tank" is empty you won't work and your relationship will go stale and possibly end. So you need to find a way to fill up your "loved one's" love tank. This book will show you how to do it. (I did want to edit it because there are a lot of technical things that made me cringe.) 

I think this book is so amazing I bought two extra copies to give as Christmas presents. It's an easy read, it probably only took me three hours to read it. But I'm going to read it again and work on finding out what love language other people who are important to me have. It will make me a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend and more. 

I HIGHLY recommend you read The Five Love Languages this year it will help you improve all your relationships, if you put in the time and attention.

I've been listening to Dave Ramsey for years. If you want to get your finances in order you might want to start listening to his FREE podcasts. We've been living by his philosophies for many years, even before we knew about his programs or podcasts. When you grow up poor you want stuff, right? When you are intelligent you want to further your education, right? So you do things...borrowing money, buying things on credit because you want them, because you deserve them...you are working hard at school...It's hard to see your friends who didn't go to school working and making money...so you buy on credit.  Then you graduate with credit card debt and student loans that have to be paid back. (This is my story.) But even before we heard of Dave we set a goal of paying off all our debts as fast as possible. We started with the small bills, once they were gone we went to the next biggest bill until all of our student debt was gone. (We did all of that without Dave.)

Dave teaches you to become debt free....YOU HEARD ME...Debt free. Living in your own means is hard (unless you are wealthy), but when you do that and become debt free you will start to acquire wealth, if you make good choices.

Once you are debt free, you can be more generous than you ever thought possible and you will sleep  without worries.

I URGE you to download and listen to a few of Dave's podcasts. If you are ready to listen and to become debt free he can guide you.

In 2016, I want you to learn how to have a full tank of love and a big pile of money saved up because you are listening to Dave and getting debt free.

Happy New Year My Friends!

What Is Holding You Back---IWSG

Insecure Writer's Support Group...What is holding you back?

Yay! It's the first Wednesday of the month and it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group posts. If you haven't heard of the group, pop over to the blog and check it out, then check out the Facebook group. It's a great group full of supportive people including our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh. Who continues to motivate us even in his busy published life.

We've even put together an anthology packed full of helpful hints about the publishing industry. It's available on Amazonfor the amazingly low price... of free! All you have to do is download it on your kindle app. (I'm in there, talking about editing.)

So..... on with my post!

I love writing! I love researching! I love editing and critiquing (check out my website), but something is holding me back...I'm terrified of the querying process. What if I blow my chances by saying something goofy in my letter. (I often say goofy things.) What if I spend so much time researching agents and editors that by the time I send the letters they have changed jobs? What if I trust the wrong person? (I've done that before.) Yes, I'm feeling a bit insecure today.  :( 

Any advice??? 

Are you looking for some inner peace too?