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 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
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 30: Reader Reviews; The Good, The Bad, and The Totally Awesome
This weeks Podcast topic is focused on reader reviews. (stay tuned for future episodes focused on third party reviews) In this episode we discuss the importance of reviews to an author in order to sell books, where and how to get them, and how NOT to get them.
Reader reviews were never on my radar before I started this whole process. Honestly, I didn’t really think about the marketing, selling books, publishing side of things at all. I just thought, I’ll write this book, it will be my magnum opus, people will read it and hopefully I will make lots of money. It wasn’t until the F.L.A.W.S. writing group got together that anything other than that even crossed my mind.
If you’re where I was, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and watch our podcast. We are by no means claiming to be experts. We are working through these things right there with you. With each step each of us take towards publication we learn something new, and we will pass it on to you. We are in this together.
If you have an experience on your journey toward publication you want to share with us, please reach out and let us know. If you’ve learned something invaluable pass it on for others to benefit from your experience. We are better together. We can do this.
In Him, Christina Cattane
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 24: Bullet Journals for Authors
This week our encouragement for writers is all about time management. We take on the task in a fun and creative way. Tune in to the podcast each week for more encouragement for writers and self-publishing tips!
Bujo…not just for the Boujee
I’ll be honest. When I first heard the term “Bujo,” I thought it must be something trendy and frivolous, like branding irons for your steak, or bat poop coffee. I can tell you now that I was so totally wrong. A “Bujo,” cutesy as it sounds, is actually an extremely practical, endlessly adaptable, and completely personalize-able way to manage and organize your life. What writer couldn’t use a giant helping of THAT? Am I right?!
The word “Bujo” is simply a mashup of the words “bullet” and “journal”. The idea originated as journaling via bulleted lists, instead of in the traditional longform paragraph style. Early versions were basic, black and white, ink on paper, practical tools. Now they can be simply that, or so much more, depending on the owner’s tastes and needs.
Join us this week as Rhonda and Tina cover the basics of Bujo, and then we discuss ways to make your Bujo as Boujee (or not) as you like.
–
Jamie
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”.
