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
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
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
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 34: Social Media and the Writer
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made it easier than ever for us to communicate with our friends and family. Many writers are harnessing the power of social media to advance their writing careers. How does one do this? What are some first steps? Also, how does one protect his or her privacy when venturing into the realm of social media?
We discuss all of this and more on today’s episode of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast. Tune in and join the discussion.
See you there,
Jamie
Episode 28: Online Release Parties
During our podcast meetings, we have thrown around the idea of posting an out-takes video. Well, your wait is over because today we filmed a whole hour’s worth! Of course, this wasn’t intentional but we’re hoping that all of our goofs and silly mistakes are a good omen concerning Jen’s own online book launch party tonight; you know, similar to the old ‘break a leg’ adage.
Ecclesiastes 7:14a (NIV) reminds us of this:
“When times are good, be happy but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”
There was an important lesson in today’s crazy podcast. It showed me how nice it is to have a group of women whom I can be comfortable enough with to flub in front of them without too much embarrassment. I believe that this group is the type of the thing God blesses His children with when we trust Him during the good times and the bad. And I felt like it was a good bonding experience for our writing group. I hope they did too…because these women are my valentines 🙂
While I am praying for only the best for Jen tonight, if the avalanche of oopsies continues throughout the night, I know she will be thanking God for the results He has in mind for her. Regardless of our (my) performance today, we gave much valuable advice and plenty of tips to get you thinking about how to launch your own book.
Episode 26: Self-Editing: Planning Your Process
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11
This has always been one of my favorite verses. While it may not have anything to do with writing a novel directly, It still inspires us to use our best words when honoring God as Christian writers. Today’s episode is all about editing our works to polish them up like a golden apple.
Jenifer, Jamie and Tina discuss their individual editing processes. While all three of these ladies always end up with a wonderfully clean piece that is a pleasure to read, they all go about it in their own personalized way.
If you’re new to editing as I am, you are sure to come away from this video inspired; if you’ve been editing your books for years, we still think you’ll enjoy the camaraderie of our little think tank. If you have a tip to add, we’d love to hear from you!
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 25: Office Hours for Writers
During NaNoWriMo the ladies and I started discussing how to continue the momentum we had going. We were making it a point to get into a Google Hangout and sprint together most days, and our word counts were amazing.
It was decided that we would have what we are calling ‘office hours. We bookmarked a hangout and we meet there each weekday and some Saturdays at an agreed upon time. We have three timed sprints and then it’s water cooler time. We are each still working on something to advance our career, but this is the time to chat or ask for input.
I have personally gotten so much accomplished during office hours that I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop.
Check out our latest podcast where we discuss our ‘office hours’, how it has helped each of us be productive, and how you can do it too.
Don’t forget to check out our Patreon for our post casts, where the shenanigans really take off, as well as some serious critiques of our writing.
Episode 13: Story Structure
Hello Christian Indie Writers,
Welcome to another episode of our Podcast in which we discuss Story Structure. Whether you are writing a romance novel, a thriller, or a noir detective story your story will have a structure. The genre you choose may determine the one you use, or you may choose to stick with a basic 3 act or 4 act structure.
But how do you choose? That is just one of the questions we try to answer on todays podcast. For example, we talk about the dystopian novel that I am writing and how I chose to use a heroes journey type story structure. We will also discuss several other kinds of structures; what they look like and how they work.
I hope that you will find value in todays discussion. Please leave us a comment to let us know how you’re liking the podcast so far and what type of things you’d like us to discuss in the future. Speaking of the future, we are having a NaNoWriMo kick-off party on October 31st. It will be a live-stream broadcast starting at 11 pm Eastern time concluding with a word sprint at midnight. You won’t want to miss it. It’s going to be a blast.
Subscribe to our newsletter or Youtube channel for more information, or to get access to our free resources which include; the “Critique Cheat Sheet”, the “Romance Plot Sheet”, the Creating “Captivating Characters” worksheet, and the “It’s a Wonderful World Building Worksheet”.
