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Jenifer Carll-Tong

Episode 95: 12 Things We Wish We Had Known as New Writers

Hey Christian Indies,

This week, I am going to break a rule.

Not just any rule,  mind you, but a longstanding rule of mine. 

Jen, Rhonda, and Tina have also been persuaded to become complicit in my rule breaking.

What is this rule, you may wonder? 

Well, this week, on the podcast, we hosts are going to…

 (drumroll, please!)

…hand out unsolicited advice.

This shall be an act of rebellion against my long standing beliefs against meddling in someone else’s business. However, I believe it is an infraction necessary for the betterment of those I care about, namely you, dear reader.

This week, I am going to tell you what I wish someone had told me at the beginning of my journey toward publication, advice which would have saved me hours of agony and a puddles-worth of frustrated tears.

Tune in this week, dear reader.

Help me, help you.

Love,

Jamie

Episode 92: Art Imitates Life #3: Characterization

Hey Christian Indies,

Just recently, a woman caught my eye. She was walking down the sidewalk in a fifties get-up, complete with a poodle skirt, sweater,  and scarf around her neck. In moments, my mind created details of this woman’s life, based solely upon her outfit. I imagined her a sold-out member of a sock-hop reenactment group, who had assembled her outfit with painstaking attention to detail. She’d done a remarkable job; every piece appeared accurate, save for one bright white exception – her shoes, which were athletic sneakers.

I gestured toward the tote the woman carried and remarked to my husband, “I bet she has a cute little pair of patent leather mary janes to put on once she gets where she is going.” 

He responded, “maybe not,” and immediately, I could see the possibility that she might be a different sort of person altogether, someone too sensible to bother with shoes that would grow uncomfortable as the evening drew on, someone who’s smuggling Cool Ranch Doritos in that bag because she can’t trust anyone there to show up with a decent snack. In other words, someone a little more like me.

The fact that we can never know the truth about this woman’s motivations illustrates the point that human behavior is a response to human experience, which is not universal. Today on the podcast, we will discuss how these acts of human behavior which make us stand up and take notice can help us develop characters that come alive for the reader.

See you there,

Jamie

Penning Perfect Protagonists

I remember the nightmare that was learning the difference between “protagonist” and “antagonist” in school. It puzzled me to think the “protagonist” was, according to my teacher, at least, “responsible for all the action or a story,” when it seemed to me the antagonist, aka, “the bad guy,” was the one always making things happen, at least in the books I was reading!

I finally remembered the difference between the two because of my mom’s repeated admonition to, “stop antagonizing your sister.” My brain finally made the connection; antagonist is short for, “bad guy.”

Over the next couple of weeks on the podcast, we’re going to be covering these differences in character types, and discussing how to best handle their development, starting off with the Protagonist, or the “hero” of your story. 

Of course, as a writer, you want your protagonists to be the best that they can be. But, what does that look like? What is a protagonist? What is the formula for penning the perfect protagonist? Does such a thing exist?

Find out this week on the podcast.

See you there!

Episode 80: Allegory? That’s What I’m Tolkein About!

The world has changed in the past couple of weeks. As a writer and reader of dystopian fiction, it has been difficult for me not to allow my imagination to project a bleak future upon our present reality. 

When I am tempted to worry, I find myself reflecting upon the many ways the Bible uses allegory to comfort and encourage us. I am reminded of God depicted as the good shepherd, the picture of the faithful caretaker who will not leave even one of his sheep behind. I am reminded how he is compared to a good and gracious father, and referred to as a comforter. 


(It is extra fun for me that the word “comforter,” in modern parlance, means a snuggly blanket on your bed. LOL)


But seriously, it can be frightening to imagine some of the things we are told to prepare for eventually coming to pass. I hear these terrible things on the news, and the next thing you know, I’ve injected myself or my loved ones into those situations, and suddenly I have a case of the worries on my hands like nobody’s business.

Been there. Like, uber-recently. LOL.

If you find yourself beset with worry, I want to encourage you, sister (or brother!), If you can, the next time you come up for air, please try – though it be difficult, try – to imagine the Lord of creation, wrapping those protecting, comforting arms around you. Don’t worry if you feel you aren’t doing it right.” Don’t worry if you don’t feel like doing anything at all! It’s hardest to believe when the storm is raging. Thank God, he is strong when we are weak.

Rest, my dear friend, as much as you are able, in the promises of the Lord. 

Yours in Christ,

Jamie

Episode 79: Putting Your Writing Out There

Did you ever have a dream where you are underdressed for an occasion? Like, you show up naked at school, or you are the only one who thought the big shindig was a “costume” party?


That is the feeling I used to have when I thought about another person looking at my writing. I mean, there is a lot of vulnerability in the writing process – you feel emotions, then you write them down. Even if they are “spun” to fit a character or a situation that has nothing to do with your reality, there is still a piece of you in that art. You might say that your artistic “fingerprint” is all over your work.


I believe that is what makes us feel vulnerable. After all, what do we know about fingerprints? They are individually created for each of us. There are no two humans who share them. Therefore, you are putting YOURSELF on display when you share your art.

I still struggle with this, but one thing that helps is to try to recognize that the greatest artist of all time has also left his fingerprint upon everything he created. He is an open book. All of what and who he is is on display for us to judge. Some of it is oh so easy to love; a newborn creature. A hug. Birdsong.

But he has also put himself out there for criticism; granting his very creation the liberty to shake its collective fist at him and ask him what the heck he was thinking when he wrote chapter 2020.

Our God is an awesome God. He is brave and bold and fearless. We serve him. He is our King. 
Resting in this can give you what you need to overcome any feelings of fear or self-doubt. He’s got you, in good times and bad.

And, frankly, why is the assumption that the experience is going to be bad? Why not just decide that, no matter what the outcome, sharing your work will be exactly what you need in order to become the writer you were called to be from the foundation of the world.

And isn’t that really what it’s all about?

See you soon,

Jamie

Episode 75: Genre Matters

Imagine:

You sit down to write a sci-fi space opera. You are typing away merrily when your main character meets a love interest.

You feel you are at a crossroads – should you focus on the romance, or the plot of the space opera?

You decide (wisely), not to worry about such pesky details and just keep writing. You figure, you’ll just tell your story, and the genre problem will sort itself out in the end.

When the dust settles, you find you have written a romance/sci fi mash-up that doesn’t fit squarely into either genre.

What’s a writer to do?

Come join us this week as we discuss Genre Matters.

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