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Episode 46: Passive Voice

 

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Whatever.”

“Hotdogs okay?”

“Fine.”

Chances are, you read aggression in the voice of one or more of the above characters, and chances are, also, that you’ve been a party to such a conversation  yourself, and in that moment thought, “(S)he is obviously upset, and not saying so. I wish (s)he would just tell me what the problem is, already!”

Just like no one likes passive aggressive behavior, very few readers can get down with a work that is loaded up with passive voice. Often, the trick to eliminating passive voice from your writing is identifying it in the first place, because it isn’t always as obvious as an attitude being flung at you by your spouse or your teenager.

Join us on the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast this week as we discuss how to identify passive voice in your writing, how to fix it, and if it is ever a good idea to just leave it alone.

See you there,

Jamie

 

Episode 45: Improve Your Craft: Show don’t Tell

Hey Christian Indie Writers,
Have you ever heard the advice; you need to show not tell? Have you ever wondered what in the world that actually means? I know I have.
It reminds me of when my dad was teaching me to drive. We had a stick shift and I kept popping the clutch. I just couldn’t understand what my Dad was trying to tell me. It wasn’t until he showed me a transmission taken apart and how the teeth of the wheels fit together that I was able to picture it in my mind and then I never popped the clutch again.
In this podcast we discuss ‘show don’t tell’, what does it mean, how do you recognize it, and how do you fix it in your writing. Hopefully when we’re done you will have a clearer picture of the subject and a game plan on how to go about fixing it.
If you’d like to participate in the writing exercise just set a timer for fifteen minutes. No cheating by trying to think of an idea before you start the timer. Then write a story using the prompt; “Your peeking through a neighbor’s window, what do you see?” Post your finished exercise to social media and tag us in it and we will share it or retweet it. We can’t wait to read what you’ve come up with.
We would like to invite you to check out our Patreon page. We always post our podcast there for anyone to watch, including links to our writing exercises for you to read and see that we aren’t worrying much about punctuation, capitalization, and spelling in that 15 minutes.
For just $2 dollars a month you can be our Patron and watch our postcast, which is our writing group meeting. We each submit something we want critiqued or need feedback on. This is where we move from simple encouragement like we do in the podcast to actually giving it to each other straight. There is a complete Postcast available for free if you’d like to get a peek at what it’s like before deciding.
We really hope you enjoy this week’s episode and would love to hear your feedback.

Episode 43: Writing the Blurb

Proverbs 15:22 New International Version (NIV) 

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. ~ Proverbs 15:22 

I spent quite a while working on the blurb for my upcoming release, Avoiding Esther, the second book in my Love in Lansing series. But, no matter how many tweaks I made on it, I just wasn’t happy. There was something off, yet I couldn’t put my finger on the problem. Fortunately, I have the ladies of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast to turn to. 

In this week’s episode, not only do you get to hear the ladies critique, and ultimately improve, my book synopsis, you get a sneak peek into what our Postcast looks like. You can watch on YouTube or listen on iTunes. If you like what you see and would like to see more Postcasts, as well as support our ministry for as little as $2 a month, you can become a patron of our Patreon page. We would be so grateful for your support. 

One final note…next week’s podcast will air LIVE on Monday (rather than our usual Thursday.) All four of the ladies will be together podcasting from Blondies, a coffee shop in Lapeer, Michigan, the inspiration town for our upcoming Christmas project we are working on. If you are in the area, come by and say hello. It’s sure to be a lot of laughs! 

May you have a blessed week, 

Jen 

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7AqxuXGPEE 

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christian-indie-writers-podcast/id1434482933 

Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/christianindiewriters 

 

Episode 40: Collaboration

Hi Christian Indie Writers,  

In today’s podcast we are discussing collaborations. We here at the Christian Indie Writers Podcast recently decided to do a collaboration and thought we would let you all in on the process we went through to get that rolling. You’ll want to tune in for a special announcement regarding that very thing, as well as a chance to chime in on it.
As usual we will catch you up with what’s going on in our lives; check in to the accountability corner; and do a writing exercise. It was wonderful to have Jenifer back with us after her softball injury kept her off the air last week. We thank the Lord for her swift healing.  

If you’d like to participate in the writing exercise just set a timer for fifteen minutes. No cheating by trying to think of an idea before you start the timer. Then write a story using the words twilight, council, polite, embox, and constraint. We would love it if you shared what you wrote with us on social media.  

We would like to invite you to check out our Patreon page. We always post our podcast there for anyone to watch, including links to our writing exercises for you to read and see that we aren’t worrying much about punctuation, capitalization, and spelling in that 15 minutes.  

For just $2 dollars a month you can be our Patron and watch our postcast, which is our writing group meeting. We each submit something we want critiqued or need feedback on. This is where we move from simple encouragement like we do in the podcast and actually give it to each other straight.  

Until next time; 

Christina 

Episode 42: Online Writing Groups

“I just don’t understand you kids today and your obsession with technology,” Norma Jean said, shaking her head and grabbing another ear of corn. “All these newfangled computers and
interwebs and things.”
“Grandma, technology isn’t all bad,” Betty Sue said, tearing the long green leaves from the ear she was holding then breaking the thick stump off the end.
“I can’t think of a single way technology has benefited me.”
“Grandma, you have a telephone. And a radio. And a television.”
“Well, that’s different.”
Betty Sue rolled her eyes at the familiar expression. She knew better than to argue when her grandma used it. Still, she was not about to surrender the point. She chose her next words
carefully.
“Remember when you told me about the writing group you had back when you lived in Maple Pointe?”
Norma Jean set her corn in her lap and looked wistfully away. “I do remember. Golly how I miss those gals.”
Betty knew her words had hit their target. She carried on with gusto. “Imagine, Gram, if there was a way for you to re-start your writing group.”
“Impossible,” Norma Jean said, “Hyacinth’s gone to Florida for half the year, Brenda’s moved in with her son in Vegas, and Laura Sue, who’s only the next town over, doesn’t drive.”
“It’s not impossible, Gram. There is a way for your writing group to start meetings again, thanks to the miracle that is modern technology.”
Tune in to today’s episode of The Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast to learn how Norma Jean, and YOU, can put together an online writing group!
See you there,
Jamie

Episode 41: Back On Track

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

I think I’m a pretty encouraging person. Others might call me critical or blunt. They are probably right. But, understand, no matter how poorly I may at times articulate my ‘encouragment,’ it always comes from a place of wanting what’s best for others. My heart is to encourage you. Truly. I think it’s important to say that before continuing.

While perusing Twitter lately (yes, I realize the irony,) I have noticed a number of writers spending A LOT of time playing twitter games (i.e. autocomplete the following sentence, or, what’s your character’s favorite pie flavor.) I’ve also noticed a lot of Author Instagram posts with pictures of their workspaces…their immaculate, nothing out of place workplaces. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of these activities, but I have noticed it so often with some writers that it makes me wonder…are you actually getting any writing accomplished? I’m not posting any pictures of my workspace. It is a wreck…because I am writing there, not positioning my pencils properly.

So, here is my loving ‘encouragement’… stop wasting time! Sit down and actually write the words! (Was that too harsh? Reread first paragraph, please.)

In today’s episode, titled “Back on Track,” the ladies and I discuss the topic of distractions. We all have them, but if we are going advance our writing careers, we need to acknowledge those things that we allow to pull us away from our writing and learn how to avoid those traps.

If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the replay HERE, or listen on iTunes HERE. But not if you haven’t written yet today. Go write first, then tune in!

Lovingly submitted,

Jen

Episode 39: Short Story Guidelines

This 100 word story (aka a “Drabble”) was written in honor of today’s episode. We started out sending out thoughts and prayers to Jen, who was absent due to an incident on the ball field.
(Way to put your heart, and face, into the game, Jen!) Honestly, though, we missed her and hope she is feeling better. We then discussed the benefits of writing short stories. Finally, we
listened to 8 pieces of short story writing advice from Kurt Vonnegut. If you’d like to take a stab at writing your own Drabble using our prompts, we’d love to read it!
–
Jamie

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