QUOTABLE QUOTES

Book launch party tomorrow night for 90% Right can be 100% Wrong at Eagle Nazarene from 7-9. I've enjoyed working with Dr. Todd Bennett and learned a lot from the many lines that stand out in my memory. Here are a few:

The easy path will always take us away from the right path.

People don't change when they see the light, they wait until they feel the heat.

Ego stands for "Erasing God Out."

Now look at your own writing. What are some lines that readers will remember from your book? Whatever you do, make sure your manuscript is hard to forget. Do you have any lines people might want to use as their status on facebook? Anything that people would repeat like "Here's looking at you, kid" or "There's no place like home"? If not, your story can be stronger.

MAKE IT MATTER

I am in the stage of getting ready for an intense writing workshop in Portland next weekend. Had to fill out a survey for the manuscript I have due to my publisher May 1. This is the question that stumped me at first:

Why does your story matter?

Ooh, can't it just be a fun story? Can't it simply be entertainment? An escape? It's a silly romance, for Pete's sake. But as the author, I should want it to matter.

So I dug deep. And I found a meaning that is connected to my very core. It's a theme that runs through everything I write. It's a lesson I have to remind myself of repeatedly. And I do want it to affect my readers.

Can you find the deep meaning in your writing? Try this...

Write down what your book is about. Then write: "So what?"

Answer the question. Then write: "So what?" again.

Repeat until you find the reason your book matters.

WEBSITE DESIGN

As an author, it's imperative to have a website. There are lots of options for doing this, but I'll just rave on my website designer Gabe Heter for a second. He's economical and creative. If you're not sure which way to go, he can help give you direction. He's been great to work with.

I'm in the middle of a site update right now, but you can visit me at www.angelameuser.com. Having your name as your web address is really the best way to go. It doesn't have to be anything fancy at first. Just start with your homepage along with a bio page and a page for your book. You can always add to it later. Things to add include a blog and a way to sign up for your mailing list. Then keep these pages current.

So that's your writing prompt for the day. Not exactly writing, but it still takes creative energy. And it will make you and your work more markteable.

ROCKIN' RESEARCH

I could never write a historical novel--too much research. Just check out the filing system my friend Deeanne Gist needs to create her award winning historical romances. Intenational suspense also takes a lot of research, but author/editor Jeanette Windle knows her subject so well that she was interrogated by the FBI because of all the classified information she had. I admire that. But I would never want to do it. Here's my kind of research...

I wrote a book about a white water rafting guide in Sun Valley, Idaho. So I found a rafting company in Sun Valley and sent them an email to see if they could help me out. They offered to let me interview their guides and tell me their history. Plus they invited me rafting!

This experience will make my story more authentic. I've rafted the Rogue and the Deschutes in Oregon and the Icicle in Washinton, but never the Salmon--which is supposed to be one of America's most sought after rafting locations.

So here is your challenge for the day: Find something new to research for your writing. Interview a cop, follow a doctor around for day, or try riding a mechanical bull. As for me, I think I'm going to set my next book in Hawaii.

GET IN THEIR HEADS

Yesterday I got Borderline author T.A. Smith invited to speak and sign books at a national Christian skateboarding convention this September in Fort Lauderdale. His book series The Boardunders Club is action/adventure revolving around four fifth-graders who love skateboarding. It's a great hook--so great it snagged the attention of Random House. But until they take over, I get the honor of working on this project.

Tweens can't get enough of this series, and one of the reasons why is for the quirky characters. For example, you know what kind of person Aunt Jane is by the dinner she makes--she microwaves pancake mix on a paper plate. I love it. (The characterization, not the dinner, so don't worry kids.) Then there's the mentally handicapped guy who lives with his parents and works as a pizza delivery man. As well as a scrawny kid who would do anything to keep the title of Ninja Man.

How do you bring your characters to life? I like to do a character profile sheet--taking the questions way beyond height and hair color. You could even "interview" them. What kind of New Year's resolutions do they make? What would they say if they smacked their thumb with a hammer? What are they a sucker for? And once you get that all done, maybe even try a personality test. Take it as if you are the character. Get inside their heads so that they read as if they're real.

Update: Just got an email from skateboard evangelist Tim Byrne's agent. He's interested in endorsing PUZZLE BONES--Book 1 of The Boardunders Club.

BREAKUP WITH WRITER'S BLOCK

Dear Writer's Block,

It's not you, it's me. I'm moving on. And it won't be easy to get over you, but actually there's another man in my life now. His name is Muse. And he understands my big dreams. He wants to take me places I've never been able to imagine before. He believes in me and helps me believe in myself. He makes me want to be a better person.

I don't blame you for anything. You offered so many distractions that felt really good. And you enabled me to make excuses. You were also easy to get along with. And somewhat addicting, to be honest. It was my choice entirely to stay with you for so long, and I have learned a lot through the experience. So thank you.

I'm sure you'll find someone else. You're very attractive. Which is why you shouldn't take it personally when I avoid you. There's more out there for both of us.

Best wishes,
Angela Meuser

Now it's time for you and Writer's Block to part ways. Write your own letter breaking up with Writer's Block, starting out with: "Dear Writer's Block, It's not you, it's me..."

SIMIL-EASE

You wanna make your writing fresh? You wanna find your voice? You wanna delight your readers? Then stay away from similes that are cliche. Don't say:

It was as hard as a rock.
or
He smokes like a chimney.

Here's an exercise to help you think outside the box. Make two columns on a piece of paper. On the left list random adjetives. On the right list nouns. Then mix and match to find new creative ways to describe your stories.

We tried this at one writer's group I taught, and everyone loved the outcome--lots of analogies that weren't as old as dirt...

She wore whimsey like a tutu.
and
It was as if he had a toybox full of humor.

Your turn to be creative. Then share the wealth of your words with us.

DARN DESCRIPTION

One of the weakest points in my writing is description. I always wanna get to the good stuff. And I get impatient. Even when I read a book, I tend to think of description as speed bumps.

But good description can really make your work stand out. It pulls the reader into your story. There are two rules I use to help guide me through the process of writing description. The first one I got from Bethany House editor Karen Schurrer and the second from author Sherrie Lord.

1. Describe things from your character's perspective. I once heard of a place being described as so cold your nose hairs froze and felt like a toothbrush was jammed up each nostril. Now that is an interesting perspective, and it tells you about the character as well as the cold.

2. Pick only the three most insteresting features of a character or a setting that will give the reader a good idea on how to fill in the rest. Sherrie used the example of describing a kitchen as having a formica table, Felix the cat clock, and a bottle of dishsoap wearing an apron. Enough said.

Your turn. Pick a character and a setting then describe the setting from the experiences of your character.

GOT CHARACTER?

I love meeting quirky people in life. They give me such great ideas for creating characters in my writing. Like my friend who ate nothing but beef jerky for months after her husband left her. Or the two guys in my high school who literally looked like cavemen but carried their guitar cases filled with poetry to calligraphy class. Or my boss who uses the language of a trucker but talks baby talk to the office cat. (Love you, Martin.) These are the kinds of characters that bring a story to life. You can't make this stuff up. Or can you?

Here's an exercise you can try to help you get away from cliched characters. Start in the middle of a piece of paper by writing down your character's occupation: ballerina, doctor, bartender, etc. Circle the word then draw six to eight lines out from it leading to ideas typically associated with that kind of career. Some examples of ideas linked to a ballerina would be graceful, hair worn in a bun, strong, and healthy. Then link more ideas to each of those words. In the end, you have a cookie cutter character. This is not someone you want to base your story on.

So...cross out one of the links and make the exact opposite true for your character. What do you have now? A clumsy dancer? Maybe a ballerina that has short spiky hair she likes to dye funky colors? Or maybe she's weak from a disease that affects her performance. Or she loves junk food and loses her role in a ballet because the male ballerina can't lift her overhead anymore. You could go a million different directions here, and each one would each make a good story.

Whatever you do, don't leave your characters flat. Make them unique. Have them do things the readers won't expect while those who "know" them would just be like, "Yeah, that sounds like Natalie." These personality traints won't be easily forgotten. They will make your work stand out.

In one of my books I have a health food addict who dumps hot fudge on her cereal one morning, creating instant panic in those around her. As word spreads that she must be upset about something, a pregnant woman responds, "Hot fudge is actually good on Honey Nut Cheerios." It catches the reader by surprise, but those who know the pregnant woman don't even think twice. It's something they would have expected her to say.

Bringing your characters to life is not easy, but it can be fun. Why write about a pediatric doctor who loves kids when you could write about one who dispises anyone under four feet tall? Or a lifeguard who has nightmares of drowning? Or a comedian with anger issues? Let your imagination run wild, and share your ideas here.

THEMES

List your top five movies. Mine are...

The Counte of Monte Cristo
You've Got Mail
Hitch
Everafter
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Then find the theme.

Do you see mine? (Helps if you've seen the movies.) My theme here is hidden identities. A little disturbing but fun to write about--which I started doing before I even realized my fascination with this theme. My manuscript FIGHT OR FLIGHT is about a woman who went into the witness protection program at the age of twelve, and sixteen years later ends up working with one of her childhood friends who has no idea who she really is.

So now that you've found your theme, share it with us and see if it fits into what you are writing or what you want to write. You might discover a little something about yourself in the process.

MEMOIR MANIA

If you were to write a book about your life, what would the title be?