How to Tell Your Story

There are so many options these days on how to tell your story. The newest form of first-person writing is writing in the present tense. At first, I found it difficult to identify with, yet after I got used to it, I think I actually enjoy it now. The present tense has a tendency to put the reader directly into the action without looking back. I have quite a few books under my belt, and they are all written in the past tense. If you read novels by such quality authors as Stephen King, Nora Roberts, or JK Rowling, you will see that they all write in the past tense, and that is where most of us get our cue. I have to wonder who started the present tense writing in the first place.

I remember when my novel, Ivy Vines, Visions was still in the “on the shelf” phase. An agent asked me to rewrite it in the present tense. I couldn’t imagine the work doing something like that might entail and the inconsistencies that might arise from trying to change the point of view throughout the entire novel. Although that agent is no longer working in our exciting industry, I see now why she proposed such an idea. It is becoming more popular among independent authors, and she thought it might behoove me to jump on board. I have two novels in the making as we speak, and although both of them are in the first-person, only one is in the present tense.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the challenges of how to tell your story. What tense do you prefer and why? Personally, it gives me great pleasure to read books from all different points of view. If we all wrote in the same manner, reading wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

                                                 Reading: Music to the Eyes

        Although I will admit to knowing writers who do not read, I do not recommend it in practice. If you are a musician, you must practice your instrument, if you are a runner, you must exercise your body, and if you are a writer, you must read. It seems like a no-brainer that if you want to be an exceptional wordsmith, you must know what that means. You must see success in order to know what works and to learn proper skills, you must learn from the professionals. I have noticed that quite a few of the writers I know are teachers. One thing about teachers that you may not know is that we have no time for ourselves. When we are "off," we are planning, writing lesson plans, creating syllabi, and making copies. Educators, as a profession, have very little personal time. When do we have time to read, you may wonder? Well, that is a very good question. 

        One thing that I am very diligent about is my workout routine. While I was finishing my master's degree, I was still working full-time teaching high school, English. I stopped working out completely, and I gained a lot of weight. After I graduated, I began to take my personal health more seriously and lost 30 pounds. Exercise takes up a lot of time, so I got a little advice on what to do to be able to utilize my time wisely. I saw a friend of mine's post on Facebook about the new books she has read. I asked her where she finds the time. She told me that she reads while she is on her treadmill. Interesting... I thought to myself. I downloaded a new book onto my Kindle and took it to the gym. I discovered that I can put my Kindle or even my phone on my cardio machine of choice and run, run, run! I have finally become a Kindle Unlimited subscriber because I knock out so many books in a month. It really helps me with the cost. I love to read, and I love to write, and I am grateful for the writers out there who spend quality time on their craft. I highly recommend that if you are a writer, you find a way to fit reading into your schedule. Don't be that bird who doesn't sing in the trees. Play music with your fingertips, and write quality material so that others can be blessed by your songs. 

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The Escape

So, I’m standing in front of my sweet little students … okay, so maybe they are not little, and not always sweet, but they are mine just the same. I am talking about Macbeth, as I normally do this time of year, and one of my sweet little babies, remember what I said about them - yawns. Yes, I said it. She yawned.

I teach 12^th graders. Although you would think that all of my 35 students may be sitting there before me, waiting with baited breath for my next words, that is not the case. Truth be told, only five make it on time in the mornings, and only three of them really like me. One by one, the class arrives, late, later, and latest, and the last one carries in on her back an ENORMOUS attitude. Like, it’s my fault she is so late.

Now, I’m sure that you are wondering why I write what I write. I mean, my life is so fulfilling, what more could I want? The answer is simple. I travel in my books. I live in exotic mansions with beautiful men feeding me on a daily basis.  They cook, housekeepers clean, and I have a Chauffeur most of the time. I am tall and thin with radiant hair and eyes, and my life is full of drama as the men continuously fight over my virtue. Writing is my escape from the life I live to a life of wealth and fortitude. And if I don’t have time to write, my soul gets squishy, and I feel stifled. As a teacher, I often don’t have time to write, and as a result, my sunny disposition may possibly suffer a bit. Perhaps I might not get as upset if the whole class is late as I did today, or maybe I might have a little more tolerance as “senioritis” kicks in. Even so, my adorable little chitlins are counting on me to make a difference in their lives, and that is what I plan to do. 

I joke about my students from time to time, but I really do adore them all. Well, most of them. But my lesson learned is to always find your joy. Do not deprive yourself of gladness because you become too busy, and remember that when you are unhappy it spreads like a disease to those around you. So write the right story for you, and you will be surprised at how many people want to take the journey along with you.

The Writer’s Group: To Join or Not To Join? That Is The Question

 

I have many friends who are involved in writers’ groups that they love. I have not had a similar experience. I have heard that you learn so much from the feedback you get, and it makes you a better writer. Well, what am I doing wrong?

I started with a nationally known writers’ group. It was too far away for starters, and the members were of the elite. By elite I mean that they were not very welcoming to strangers, and I lived too far to get more involved with the group and their activities. I live in a small town, which I realize is part of the challenge. Next, I joined another group, but it was still far from home, and I found the content to be a bit dull. So, I stopped attending that one as well. Finally, I found a Christian group somewhere near by, but I don’t write “Christian” books, per say. They said that they are a group of Christians who write, so I thought, “Sounds great!” Before I actually found my way out there, they disbanded.

So, what is a lonely writer to do? Being educated, ambitious, and usually a pretty smart cookie, I decided to start my own. I can hear you all laughing as soon as I said that. Yes, I decided to get a group of people together and form a group. Well, I had a friend (notice the word “had”) who I used to have lunch with once a month. We will call her Angel. (Because she is really very sweet). Angel had a book idea, and she and I decided to start the group. We started it twice, because the first time it was a huge mess. We had two members who really wanted it to be an online thing, which no one else wanted, and one guy who spent every day with a pen in hand tearing our manuscripts apart. Group two consisted of Angel, her best friend, her best friend’s boyfriend, me and my good friend from college. I know, sounds like a great idea, right? So, this is what I learned about what NOT to do when forming your own writers’ group.

1)   Make sure you are a committed group of writers. Make sure everyone is there for the right reason, and they are motivated achievers. 

2)   Have the meetings in a neutral location. Make sure you don’t, for example, have it in a restaurant. What “could happen” is the members may be more interested in eating, and socializing, than actually talking about task at hand.

3)   Have some rules and stick to them. At first, I had rules and had everyone sign them, but I let it go after a while. There should be a rule about people who show up without reading the material, and a rule about not giving any feedback. Every member should participate or there should be consequences. Now, this is if you have a small group, mind you. In a large group, everyone can’t participate due to a time limit. Also, in a small group, attendance should be important.

4)   Finally, Genre may be something to consider. When I joined the national group, they all had one genre, and that is what made it fun for them. In our small group, the young people were writing young adult fantasy, while my friend and I were writing more adult novels. I think part of our problem was that we weren’t all interested in the material.

So, like I said, I think writers’ groups can be very beneficial for those who find the right fit. For me, I think the best idea is to write with simply my Mac and me. So far, we’ve been doing pretty well together.

The Writing Mom

There should be a special award for the writing mom. As we strive to use our craft to take our readers on journeys far, far away, reality sometimes gets in the way. Often balancing the daily routine with getting something out of our heads and onto the blank page can be a bit of a conundrum.  If you are like me, you have perfected the act of carrying on a conversation with your children and typing without missing a beat. However, sometimes a little peace and quiet would be most helpful.

If you're a writing mom there is also a chance that you work outside of the home. Notice that I said "work outside of the home" and not simply "work." Being a stay at home mom is one of the most difficult yet rewarding job anyone can ever do. I loved my time as a "working inside the home" mom and wife, and if I am honest with myself, will admit to missing those times with great sincerity. So, what do you do if you have a job, kids, and other commitments, but the voices inside your brain are beating their angry fists on the inside of your head, begging to get out? It's time to make time. Here are a few suggestions for the writing mom.

• Have a family meeting. Communicate with your family about what is going on with you. Communication is the key to any successful relationship. Explain that you are going to need some time alone. It doesn't have to be a lot of time, but mommy usually takes care of mommy last. Make sure they understand that this is just something that you need to do to be happy. And we all know that if mommy isn't happy, no one is happy.

• Create a feasible routine. Find a time in the day where you will have time to yourself and write a little bit every day. Start with fifteen minutes if you have to, but don't just not write. Make sure that this time of day is when your children are either asleep, not at home, or know to leave you alone until you have completed your task.

• Ask for a little help. If your children are old enough, ask them to help around the house a little so that you can get some work done. Reward them with ice cream, or some special mommy time, but let them do a little bit of the heavy lifting for you. Sit them down and explain how important it is for you to have a little bit of time each day to write, and you might be surprised at how accommodating they will be.

If any of you have any other tips or tidbits to share, please feel free to post in the comments. This works for me, but I will admit to getting off track from time to time. So, here's to you, writing moms out there. I can't wait to sit down and read some of the wonderful things that are waiting in the wings to be published.

Trevor Brunsink, author of The Twelve Coins says, "Don't limit yourself!"

Tell us a little about your new book. What was your inspiration? 

The Twelve Coins is a coming-of-age story about a young prince who was raised by one of two opposing kings on an island. In need of redemption, the young prince embarks on a journey to seek out twelve gold coins that will actually find him when he has shown love to others out of a pure motive. He must gather these twelve coins before he can face his destiny. 

Per my inspiration, I found a disconnect between what the Bible teaches about how Jesus' disciples will be known by their love (see John 13:35) and what I saw in the lives of other so-called Christians, including my own. I wondered what it would be like to go on an adventure in which one’s very survival is dependent upon one’s will to love others authentically. The Twelve Coins is my answer to this question. The twelve lessons in love come from 1 Corinthians 13. 

Is there a book 2 on the way? 

No other story involving these characters is planned. However, if The Twelve Coins sells well, then I will admit that I do have the beginnings of a second book in mind.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

I think I’m a bit of both. Per writing contests, I’ve done better writing as a pantser. However, I wrote The Twelve Coins more as a plotter, and I’m very happy with the result, as are many others. If I’m not mistaken, J.R.R. Tolkien was writing as a pantser when he wrote “The Hobbit,” which has become one of the most beloved books of all time. So, no matter your style, you may just be doing it right, for you ... just don’t limit yourself, and try writing in both styles. You may just surprise yourself. 

Do you have any writing rituals? 

I’ll try to wake up with the first thing I do being saying a prayer and reading something from the Bible, hoping to seek God’s writing-favor by putting Him first for the day. I then eat breakfast and take time to both breathe and slowly stretch, releasing any distractions that might hinder my writing process. I then get cozy in front of my laptop and start writing. I need a very quiet space to write, although music can be playing in the background so long as it doesn’t have lyrics. I prefer to write in the morning, since evening-writing keeps my mind too busy to sleep. Short breaks, whenever I feel one coming on, are important. I’m satisfied to consider a total of four hours of writing a full day’s work, as a writer needs time and space to continue to live, through which comes inspiration. 

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.

I try to always have a bag with me to collect any cans or bottles that need recycling, as in California we can make .05 cents off each of them. My first goal was to collect enough within one calendar year to buy an ounce of pure 24 karat gold, turning it into a sort of family heirloom, which I accomplished. I now put the income towards other goals, some practical and some just playful. Within the last two years, I’ve probably recycled around 50,000 cans and bottles. 

When you are not writing what are you doing? 

I came out to Hollywood from Ohio in 2006 to pursue acting and writing. I had a small speaking role in the Season 2 Halloween episode of the hit show “Community,” opposite Chevy Chase, and I’ve had three other speaking roles on major Hollywood productions, which sadly, were cut from the final releases. When not auditioning, I’m happy to stand-in for principal actors (including Alexander Skarsgard, Armie Hammer, Paul Bettany, Joel McHale, etc) and body-double for some of them. I’ve also silently acted in the background of many other major Hollywood productions. I've co-written a short-film as well. When not working, I enjoy exercising at the gym, watching movies with my island-raised girlfriend (from Hawai'i), and catching up with old buddies over a blended mint mocha. And, if there's ever a convenient opportunity to travel internationally, I'm there. 

Please tell my readers how they can get more information about you and your books. 

The Twelve Coins has a fan Facebook page which can be found at... 

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