Keep the Writing Going

To Keep the Writing going

just my two little cents on small ideas that can help in big ways to keep on writing

Lately quite a few people have asked what they can do to keep the writing going and complained that they keep losing interest in their projects after a while or, at least come to a dead end.

It is not unusual to lose interest in a project for a while. After all, writing a book from beginning to end is a lot of detailed and dedicated work. After you’ve wrote the entire manuscript you still have to edit everything over and over again.

Often it does depend on simple the project alone, is it fiction or non-fiction? After all, if you write non-fiction, you can stretch the facts only so far and the wording, even though it is important, should not be continued into clouds of boredom.

Often it is indeed the inspiration that is missing. To inspire yourself is not all that hard. A lot of times reading a book does wonders. Taking a walk, taking pictures, watching a movie or two, go fishing, all of this can feed you with new and creative ideas. Just sitting somewhere and watching people, animals or simply nature, can spark ideas and feed the muse to do the job.

In moments that you do feel inspired you should take notes, write down or talk into a little recorder all those great ideas and later you can sort them out.

So now you might have tons of great ideas for 20 different books and are still not half way done with one, but you have plenty tools now.

First of all, it will be your book, so you can use your imagination any way you see fit. Even on your characters.

Here it is always good to take little notes to describe the way you see your individual characters. Write down their names, what they look like, what they like and don’t like, what they do and read, develop the character, soon you might feel like they are a friend, like they have become more than just your imagination.

You still might not feel ready to write a book of several hundred pages. What you can do now is write it as a short story or a poem.

In the meantime a really great tool are Writing Exercises. Most writers practice their writing skills each day.

You don’t have to do it for hours. Here is a very easy way to "train" yourself with your writing: Chose a headline, something you see on the net or in a newspaper or the headline of a story someone once wrote. Then start typing about the subject for at least ten minutes straight, without stopping, without correcting any mistakes. Once your time is up or your fingers stop because you can’t think of anything else, go through what you just created and do your corrections. After a while you can go on to 15 minutes or more and writing will become rather easy.

Don’t feel bad if you have several manuscripts that are not finished. We always have about 5 or 6 ideas that we have started on and will finish later. A great help for a lot of writers is the "outline" of the story, you write it like an excerpt and it can help you not to lose your focus on the plot and characters.

Another trick you can use is this: You start the story that you want to write and share it. When you see that people are reading it and want to know what will happen next it will encourage you to continue.

Just like any artist, authors do need an audience.

Another way to ensure you keep writing, just to keep going is blogging. Here you don’t even have to stretch your imagination, you just write down whatever comes to your mind, it can be fiction or non-fiction, events of a day or week, things that rock your world and things that make you think or angry, or anything else.

A nice way to blog away and to get a lot of reading in is simply doing reviews. Of course you don’t have to concentrate on books alone, reviews can be done on movies as well or even on magazines.

I wish you lots of luck and many creative moments! (I will return to my X-Box now to find a creative moment myself, lol)

Why don’t you inspire yourself with one of our books:

The Conspiracy: The Black Sheep Squadron Strikes Back
R&B Pratcher

June Bear Adventures: The Missing Pies
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher

One Family’s Adventure: The Cheating Landlords
Roger Pratcher, Brigit Pratcher

Matt and Spencer in Their Great Adventure
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher

The Angel-Faced Boy

The Angel-Faced Boy

When I was a teenager I knew this guy, just a little older than myself at the time, who seemed to be so very sweet, such a caring guy. He had the looks of an angel, golden locks, reaching down to his shoulders. Such a clear face, downright beautiful with such beautiful, mysterious green eyes. His name was Tom.
He always was in a hurry to get home after school so he could check on his sick mother. A very loving and caring son!
Since his mother was so sick he never liked to invite his friends over, he rather met them at their homes or in the usual hang-outs.
Even his best friend, his name was Mike, had not been invited over for years. Tom did not only have the burden of an ill mother, he also had a father who, in sorrow over his wife’s illness, was constantly drowning his worries in a bottle. Tom often complained about his father being gone bar-hopping for weeks.
To make matters worse, any pet Tom ever had died in a terrible accident.
With all the worries poor Tom had to put up with, it was no surprise that he often could not keep up in school. His very understanding teacher gave him tutoring after school, twice a week, three times if a test was coming up. Mrs. Johnston was really great. She invested a lot of time in the angel-faced boy, we all could see that she liked him a lot and tried to make up for what he was missing out on at home.
One day she called Tom’s mother to tell her what a wonderful son she had and how he was working so hard to keep up in class.
Tom’s mother did not pick up the phone, so Mrs. Johnston got worried, knowing that the poor woman was very sick. In panic she rushed to her car and to Tom’s home. She was very much afraid that something had happened to the mother of her favorite student and wanted to make sure the child would not come home to a terrible tragedy.
When she arrived at Tom’s house nobody answered the door to let her in. Worried sick she peek through the window. In a dark corner, across the room, she saw something so strange that she called the police for help.
They came, followed by an ambulance, and broke down the door. Tom’s mother must have been surprised by a burglar, who bound her to a chair, after she had been viscously beaten.
Barely conscious the woman was rushed to the hospital.
Mrs. Johnston went back to school to inform Tom about his mother’s condition and to encourage him to get his father to meet him at the hospital, where she offered to take the teenager to be with his mother.
Pale and obviously in shock, Tom got in the car with her.
They never arrived at the hospital. Mrs. Johnston was found in her car in the woods, beaten badly, within an inch of her life.
In the hospital it was discovered that Tom’s mother had been beaten by her son for years. Every day before he left for school he tied her to a chair, gagging her to make sure she would not call for help. His alcoholic father never existed. He lived alone with his mother who was receiving a disability check for an injury she had received during the rape that had fathered the child.
In the yard that was behind the house they found the bones of many small animals, tortured to death.
Tom was arrested when he came to the hospital at night in an attempt to kidnap his mother.
The angel-faced boy was a devilish young man with no regard for life and no compassion for his victims.

© R&B Pratcher 2008

www.wonderfulstories.net

Buy our books right here:

The Conspiracy: The Black Sheep Squadron Strikes Back
R&B Pratcher
$13.95

June Bear Adventures: The Missing Pies
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher
$11.95

Matt and Spencer in Their Great Adventure
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher
$19.95

One Family's Adventure: The Cheating Landlords
Roger Pratcher, Brigit Pratcher
$16.95

Featured Author Susie Honeycutt

What better time to introduce Featured Christian Romance/Fiction Author Susie Honeycutt then now, when spring is just around the corner and romance is blooming! And, honestly, if it comes accompanied by mystery, even better!
Susie is not only an incredible woman, a wonderful friend, a loved and honored mother and wife, but also a very talented writer. She is the mother of two and proud grandmother to four grandchildren.
She loves the Lord and has an unquenchable thirst for the Bible, she loves to write about it as well! She also loves nature and animals, loves to look in their eyes and connect with their soul. Living  by the woods she has many occasions to do so and has several animals at home. 
Currently Susie is working on a Bible Trivia, which promises to be very interesting.
Susie Honeycutt is working as a 911 operator, police, fire and EMS dispatch. Some of her experiences are used in her novel Alfaland.

 

      Visit Susan Honeycut on myspace:  www.myspace.com/alfaland

                                                                                                www.myspace.com/rainingtruth    

Alfaland, paperback 189 pages, $  19.95    

ISBN 978-1424135394

Buy at Amazon

 

Excerpt:

The words spoken by Aaron Marshall to his lovely wife Kendra were expressions that would haunt her mind countless times throughout the years that followed. “Isn’t this place peaceful?” Aaron had whispered softly in her ear. “It makes a person just wish time could stand still right here.” Kendra never forgot those words. Perhaps the words on the small weathered tombstone at Hammer Cemetery would have been more accurate. “I once was as you, and you shall be as I.” After a fabulous weekend getaway, Kendra and Aaron joined Kendra’s parents and younger sister Aimee at Alfaland, a prestigious country farm that held abundant cherished memories for Kendra and her family. What a difference a phone call and five minutes made for Kendra and her entire family when a huge whirling black cloud dropped from the sky and altered their lives forever.

Alfaland Song, first verse:

Whenever I pass a group of pines it sparks my memoryMy thoughts go back to Alfaland, the place I long to be.Wherever on earth I find myself and feel a gentle breezeMy mind wanders back to Alfaland the place I long to see.Alfaland, sweet Alfaland, my soul cries out for thee.To see the one I love once more and hold her tenderly.                           Written by Alfaland character Joey Dubois

 

Read what author Geraldine Ahearn had to say about Alfaland:


A Great Read!
REVIEW Is Also Posted on: http://www.amazon.com/
And... http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

*****REVIEW
Kendra Patton, and her younger sister Aimee Sue, grew up at Alfaland, a
prestigious country farm in Indiana. The Patton home consisted of one-
hundred and eighty-eight acres of pure beauty, with blooming gardens,
pools and ponds, and horses that Kendra and Aimee deeply admired.
Childhood for the Patton girls was a family album of cherished, loving
memories that shined through Alfaland from their parents and relatives,
friends, and Amish neighbors. Their religion constituted high morals and
values, respect, and love for others. Everyone in the town they lived in
admired and respected the Patton family. The abundance of love that
Kendra's parents, Byron and Leigh gave to their daughters could be felt
through Kendra, Aimee, and Alfaland. At twenty-two years old, Kendra
married Aaron, and was expecting her first child. Aimee Sue was in her
second year of college, during which time she met the love of her life at a
party. Kendra and Aimee were invited to dinner at Alfaland, a day that was
supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. The anticipation of Kendra
announcing that she was three months pregnant to her first child was
overwhelming. The thought of her parents becoming grandparents,
and Aimee becoming an Aunt, filled her with an abundance of joy that she
could no longer keep a secret. The girls had arrived at Alfaland, and Kendra
and Aimee were sharing secrets. Byron and Leigh were preparing dinner,
and had just found out that they would soon be grandparents. Aaron was
taking in the scenery, so much admiring the love and beauty of Alfaland,
smiling at his dog Buster, who also loved the farm. George, who was the
Patton's hired helper, was tending to the barn as he always did. Bryon and
Leigh were shouting to the girls from their outdoor patio to hurry up,
so they all could eat dinner, before it begins to rain. Kendra was inside the
house, listening intently to Aimee Sue's secret. Aimee had just told Kendra
that she was in love with someone. During this time, Aunt Jane called to
warn them about a storm coming their way. Within a split-second, a raging
tornado attacked Alfaland, changing the lives of the Patton family forever.
In the first few chapters of Alfaland, the reader can sense love, happiness,
and horror. In a clever way, the author describes beauty to its utmost level,
and terror from mother nature in its devastating behavior. The strength of
Kendra as described by Susie Honeycutt is a remarkable portrait of
inspiration to all readers. The reader can detect love as described in the
movie "Ghost." The reader can feel the happiness, and sadness as described
in the movie "Love Story." As one reads through the lives of the Patton
family, after the impact of the horrific affects of the tornado, pain and
remorse can also be felt. I would recommend this novel to teens as well as
adults. The story reveals a crucial fact of how our strength through an
unexpected crisis in our lives can not only help us, but others as well.
The author paints an incredible picture of determination through the
lives of the Patton family, after they battle grief from death, and sadness
from loss. The moral of the story lies in the truth that many of us have
lived through, and the "Beatles" made a hit song of it, titled "All you Need
Is Love."

Geraldine Ahearn, I.O.M.
Author of 6 books
Author Geri Ahearn, INC.


  Alfaland by Susie Honeycutt

The Book Children Love

June Bear Adventures - The Missing Pies is an exceptional children's fantasy book, promised to keep the kids and tweens turning pages all the way to the very end. Even some adults can't help themselves and have to read it from beginning to end, enjoying every word of the fantastic adventure.

paperback, 236 pages, ISBN:  978-1432703523     $11.95 

Here are the opinions of some readers:

Francis Lynn, author of teen/young adult novels:

Kids and their parents should appreciate "June Bear Adventures - The Missing Pies". Birgit and Roger Pratcher are a husband and wife team, whose books are always on the original and humorous side. Their new children's book is no exception. It's a tantalising story, and like most detective stories will make readers want to carry onto the end. It might be too lively for bedtime stories though!

Brooke, singer and songwriter:

I Love Your June Bear Book!!!
I LOVE YOUR JUNE BEAR BOOK!!!!!! I had the most wonderful time reading your book during my long plane ride! I feel like I have been on a delightful adventure!! I am looking forward to sharing your book with my KWAV listeners . . . I am thinking about spreading the contest over 3 weeks . . . just to add more time to have fun!! I shall thoroughly enjoy sharing your book with others . . . it's a treat for me to be able to share something I believe in so much!! I truly think your book would make an enchanting movie!! I can envision magical sequels / episodes to come!! I look forward to when I can read another June Bear adventure book of yours!!!

Comment by Brooke Singer and Radiohost on KWAV.biz, California

V.G. Greene, a reader

VG. Greene, a true bookworm and a mom, 09/12/2007

This childrens book does remind of the wonderful tales the Grimms brothers brought to us in our childhood. Elves, witches, magic dragons and in the middle children with an innocent and brave heart, ready to save the world! This is one book I will cherish and read to my children over and over again!

You should not let your child, niece, nephew or grandchild miss out on this beautiful fantasy novel. Buy it right now, at AMAZON world wide!

Amazon.com    Amazon Germany     Amazon. France   Amazon Canada   Amazon UK

The History Behind Valentines Day

The History Behind Valentine's Day
By Birgit and Roger Pratcher

 

A few historical facts on Saint Valentine's Day

 

On 14 February we celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, usually by the way of exchanging cards, sweets, lingerie, flowers or jewelry.

But, what exactly are we celebrating, is it just a holiday the retail stores invented to get our money? One could think so, but no, we are actually celebrating a Christian Holiday, Saint Valentine's.

We are following a Christian and ancient Roman tradition. By now the Catholic Church recognizes three Saints by the name of Valentine, or Valentinus.

The first legend to the background of the celebration of Valentine's Day is this:

During the 3^rd century a priest by the name of Valentine, under Claudius II in Rome, secretly disobeyed the law.

Claudius had come to believe that a single soldier was a better soldier than a married young man and so decided to outlaw marriage in order to have plenty young strong men with no wives at his disposal.

Valentine, the priest, did not obey this law and continued to celebrate the holy bond of marriage for young couples in secrecy.

Of course, the way it always works with secret clauses, he was caught and sent to his death.

The second legend believes that Valentine was a prisoner who fell in love with a young woman, who came to see him often. It is believed that she was his jailors daughter. Before his untimely death he wrote her a love letter, signed with 'Your Valentine'. There fore the phrase 'Be my Valentine'.

Some believe he was beheaded, others thought that he died of sickness.

No one is even sure if 14 February was the day of his birth or his death or if it had indeed anything to do with Saint Valentine at all. The only thing that is for sure, is that the Romans had a tradition in the middle of February, which would mark the 14^th, called the Love Lottery. It was believed that spring and with it the renewal of life came along in the middle of February, therefore the love lottery was held, coupling young men and women for one year, often leading to marriage.

Valentine's Day is celebrated in the USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The oldest known Valentine's card can be viewed in the British museum.

Valentine's day became an official Catholic Holiday in the year 496 or 498 AD. Pope Gelasius declared the 14 February to be Saint Valentine's Day.

The oldest known and remembered Valentine's poem is from Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife, in 1415, while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. It is part of a manuscript collection of the British Library in London.

Years later King Henry V is supposed to have hired the writer John Lydgate to compose a Valentine's letter to Catherine of Kalois.

In Great Britain it was around the 17^th century that Valentine's Day became a celebrated Holiday. By the middle of the 18^th century it was common for all social classes to exchange small gifts or handwritten notes with lovers, loved ones and friends.

By the end of the 18^th century printed Valentine's cards were available.

In the United States people started celebrating Valentine's Day in the early 1700's by exchanging Valentine's notes.

The Greeting Card Association announced that Valentine's Day is the second best selling card-sending day with one billion cards sold per year. The leader in the card industry is with 2.6 billion, Christmas.

In the year 1835 Pope Gregory XVI was so impressed by the Irish Priest Father John Spratt that he gave him the black and golden casket, which is believed to house the remains of Saint Valentine. This gift from Rome, the black and golden casket, can actually be viewed on Valentine's Day every year at Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, Ireland.

We hope that you did enjoy this little background on Valentine's Day and we wish you a very happy Valentine's Day, with lots of lasting love and Friendship!

 

By Birgit and Roger Pratcher
Copyright © February 2008

                                                          

Happy Valentines Day  

 A special day to bond as one

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Boys and Girls,

Sweethearts and Darlings

One for all and all for one

I really hope you have a blast

For the one that you love I hope it will last

Thinking positive in every way

Don't let your loved one go a-stray

Let them know just how you feel

Give them a kiss, let them know that it's for real

Happy valentines' day everyone

I hope each and everyone of you

will have some fun things to do!

We too...

 

By Roger and Birgit Pratcher

Copyright © February 2008

An Ancient Love Tale

 

An Ancient Love Tale

Aphrodite was her name,

Men and love were her favorite game

Gave birth to many children of love

Received by lovers many

Could not recall them all, if any

One of the children was her favorite one

Cupid was his name; he was the most handsome son

Aphrodite was a Goddess with many emotions

Which she seldom controlled in all her motions

When a King's daughter was worshipped and loved

For her beauty so fair,

Aphrodite decided with a snare

To punish the child so innocent and humble

By having her married to the land's worst dumble

Psyche was the name of the child, so beautiful and humble indeed,

Never understood for all the attention the need.

The goddess sent out her son Cupid with the task

He knew better than for her motives to ask

When he laid his eyes on the beautiful girl

His conscious stirred, his heart began to swirl

He could not punish the beauty he saw there

He decided to keep her to himself forever

As his secretly devoted wife in a hideout

Deep in the woods, no one knew about,

He built her a palace and only visited after dark

Making her think that he was ugly as an old tree's bark

For years they lived happy in the dark and by night

Never one of them started a quarrel or fight

Until one day psyche the beauty was sick and longing for

Her sisters and family and friends and more

So Cupid allowed for her sisters to come and see

That she loved this life on her own will, free

His beloved while he was gone out

Jealous they were and therefore did shout

He is a danger, you need to get out!

The next night they met, she waited for him to sleep

So undisturbed, happy and deep

And turned on the light to see

What kind of ugly danger he could be

But then she could tell by his gentle face

Full of beauty and grace

That he was a god, the king of her heart

But the word was out, she had not been smart

Aphrodite had her abducted and the very next day

Held her a prisoner, like a slave I dare say

While Cupid was searching high and low and under

The shrub, trees and blunder

For his beloved wife who he missed

The one who so dearly he always had kissed

In the end he asked the Godfather Zeus to help out

Which he did because the young God was so distraught

Aphrodite gave in and decided at last

She should just love young Psyche and cast

A spell of everlasting love for her son

And his beautiful bride, whose happiness now begun

Forgiven the sin of her beauty and the attention it will draw

A devoted wife and daughter in law

Psyche became and lived happy without shame

As a God's wife, like a Goddess the same.

 

By Birgit and Roger Pratcher

Copyright © February 2006

Have a happy Valentine's Day!

The Conspiracy: The Black Sheep Squadron Strikes Back
R&B Pratcher

 

June Bear Adventures: The Missing Pies
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher

 

One Family's Adventure: The Cheating Landlords
Roger Pratcher, Brigit Pratcher

 

Matt and Spencer in Their Great Adventure
Birgit Pratcher, Roger Pratcher

Win a Copy of June Bear Adventures on Brooke's Radio Show!

Win a copy of June Bear Adventures-The Missing Pies on KWAV.biz radio with Babbling Brooke and her little buddy Bruce!

       

 Listen in to KWAV.biz radio and enter for a chance to win a copy of our magical book June Bear Adventures-The Missing Pies!
Lovely singer and Radio-Host Brooke will read excerpts from this magical book and give her audience a chance to win a copy.

     Visit Brooke on MySpace!
 Her own words on the book, after reading it:

I LOVE YOUR JUNE BEAR BOOK!!!!!! I had the most wonderful time reading your book during my long plane ride! I feel like I have been on a delightful adventure!! I am looking forward to sharing your book with my KWAV listeners . . . I am thinking about spreading the contest over 3 weeks . . . just to add more time to have fun!! I shall thoroughly enjoy sharing your book with others . . . it's a treat for me to be able to share something I believe in so much!! I truly think your book would make an enchanting movie!! I can envision magical sequels / episodes to come!! I look forward to when I can read another June Bear adventure book of yours!!!
Comment by Brooke Singer and Radiohost on KWAV.biz, California

Good Luck to all!

For signed copies, in case you are not a winner, please contact us right here with a short message.