Wednesday, April 02, 2008

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:

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

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

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Friday, March 07, 2008

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
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    Saturday, January 19, 2008

    Special Events for January

    Here are some great specials we have found for you! Check them out, you might find the deal on books that you have been waiting for or a contest that is just made for you!


    Tracy B. Evans, the author of the mystery thriller Fatal Kidnapping has a LOT going on right now!


    Join her group Fatal Kidnapping  at Facebook. Not only will you enjoy being there and networking with other authors and readers, you can also win a prize! As soon as 100 members have signed up a contest will be held to win a free copy of her (very compelling) thriller Fatal Kidnapping!!!! (And yes, we are there too!)
    Also you can enter her ongoing contest: Submit your work, a short story, poetry, article, art, whatever you see fit, and win a prize! Follow the link to Fatal Kidnapping and check it out.
    Visit Tracy on
    MySpace or visit her Website!


     


     


    Betty Sullivan La Piere, author of the renowned "Hawkman Series' has one great deal going on during her Valentine Special!
    If you have not read any of her Hawkman books yet, now is the time to snatch 'em up by the bundle! 


    Check out this Valentine Special..just click on the banner and visit Betty's site



    Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

    Click here to check out Betty Sullivan La Pierre on MySpace!   
     



    Brieanna Robertson, fantasy and serndipity author, has a great contest going on, visit her
    WEBSITE to enter and win one of many cool prizes! Her titles include Better Than Chocolate, Dark Leads to Light Then Comes The Night, Dark Masterpiece.


          


    Visit Brieanna on MySpace! 

    Gemma Halliday, author of the High Heels Mysteries came up with something new and special and promising to be lots of fun and it is for a REALLY GREAT CAUSE!!!



    In conjunction with the release of the Dreams & Desires Vol. 2 anthology (available February 1st!!), she is bringing you some of the hottest hunks around. And, if you bid well, one of them could be your virtual Valentine!

    All proceeds from the auction will go directly to benefit victims of domestic violence, so please help support an amazing cause while winning yourself a handsome hunk!

    The Prize:
    Each bachelor has put together a prize pack of personalized items to send to the winner, plus, if you win the auction, you will be invited to an exclusive online Valentine’s chat party, February 16th (Sat) at 1pm PST/3pm EST, where your bachelor will accompany you as your virtual date!

    Here’s how the bidding works:
    1. Go to Gemma's auction page:
    http://www.gemmahalliday.com/contests and pick the perfect bachelor for you
    2. send an email to
    gemmahalliday@gmail.com with the word “Bachelor Auction Bid” in the subject line
    3. In the body of the email tell her a) which bachelor you’re bidding on and b) how much your bid is
    4. check back often to make sure you haven’t been outbid!!


    Bidding will run from Jan.15th - Jan.31st
    Happy bidding and good luck!!!

    Visit Gemma Halliday on MySpace!


      


     


     


    Horror Author Michael Laimo has one great special deal going on for the pre-release of his newest collection of short stories: DARK RIDE !
    If you preorder his book by Friday, via this link:
    www.borderlandspress.com , you could win a free hardcover copy of The Demonologist!


    Find out more on all the details at  his Myspace Site! You will have to e-mail Michael to be entered in the drawing.



     


     


    Last, but not least, for helpful advice on writing and publishing please visit Elizabeth Lucas -Taylor, author of Unfinished Business, Sourdough and More Cookbook, Desert Spirits and 'Tis the Season,  blog right here on MySpace or her site on BlogSpot! There you can find a lot of answers to just about all your questions about writing and publishing. Her knowledge on writing and publishing is amazing and so are her blogs.   


     


     


     


    Like always you can find previous Featured Authors and other details on our website www.wonderfulstories.net!  And our books are for sale at Amazon worldwide and other bookstores!


    If you have a special event going on, feel free to send us a message, we will put it on our blog here and on our websites.


    Birgit and Roger

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    Sunday, December 16, 2007

    The Best Christmas Gift!

    The Best Christmas Gift!


     


    I have received the best Christmas gift today, it came very unexpected and it is the most beautiful thing. When I logged on to my profile on myspace (www.myspace.com/pratchersmattandspencer) I had new comments, all of them very beautiful, no doubt. One comment however took my breath away, it was the comment of my friend "Buddy" the dog. He had sent me a row of pictures, showing him with his favorite book: Matt and Spencer in Their Great Adventure, written by Birgit Pratcher (that's me!) and Roger Pratcher (that's my hubby).


    Those pictures were so sweet, I just had to share them with you.


    Thanks Buddy, Rusty and Janet, you've giving me a really, really great Christmas gift, which will be cherished for ever!











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