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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 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 33: Camp Nano…Should You Participate?

There were several title suggestions for today’s episode: Rhonda’s Inquisition, Three Tarts on the Spot, Convince Me…I could go on. The fitting title was “Convince Me” because I put them to the task today and they did convince me I should participate in Camp Nano for the first time.

If you’re on the fence about committing your valuable time to Nano for the second time in the last five months, watch our discussion and see if it will help you decide.

Episode 31: Reading in Your Genre

When I was about 12 years old, my grandmother bought me my first Janette Oke book. I devoured it, and she bought me another. And another. I didn’t know it at the time, but my grandmother was not only influencing my taste in literature, she was influencing my spiritual life by exposing me to stories of love that were greatly influenced by faith in God and His hand in these characters’ lives. And, incidentally, she was also preparing me for my future as a Christian romance author.

It’s really no surprise to learn that most writers are avid readers. However, the types of books we choose to read varies greatly. Some, like me, seldom stray from their favorite genre. Others, like Tina, read across many genres. It should come as no surprise, I suppose, that I only write romance, yet Tina writes across multiple genres.

In today’s episode, the ladies and I have a chat about reading within (and outside of) our chosen genres. So, grab a cup of coffee, put on your fuzzy slippers and give a listen to our discussion. And let us know your thoughts! We really want to hear what you think about reading and genre writing in the comments of our YouTube webcast HERE or on the iTunes podcast episode HERE.

Until next week, keep writing the stories God has given you!

For Him alone,

Jen

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!

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.
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