The Myth of Writer's Block by Author S. Dionne Moore

        I hate to say this, but writer’s block might just be another way of saying “undisciplined.” It’s hard to write when the words aren’t flowing. I’ve been to that store and shopped in their gift store. Those days feel like walking through heavy, wet snow, at least 12” inches deep in the blowing, frigid wind, with a wind chill factor of 0 degrees. Getting the picture?             
       The point is no one likes hard days. We want everyday to be a 2500 word count goal accomplished-within-3-hours type of day. But life just doesn’t work like that, and as creatures prone to emotion, we often find ourselves unproductive not because we can’t be productive, but because it’s easier not to be. 

Ask anyone who writes for a living, with multiple deadlines, and they will tell you that they don’t have time for writer’s block. These are the people who will be productive and make progress consistently. They are also those who new or young writers will hold in awe. “You do 2500 words a day? I wish I could do that.” Well, you can. There is no secret to breaking through writer’s block except just doing it. Sitting your soft spot in a chair, focusing on your story, and tapping out the words, one sentence at a time. 

The process of writing a marketable product doesn’t come magically but only with experience. The more you write and participate in classes on writing--absorbing the subject as a whole--the more honed your storytelling will become. You begin to understand the connection between backstory and characterization, as well as the power of defining goal, motivation and conflict before you start. Does this do away with seat-of-the-pants writing? No, absolutely not, but it is much easier to stay within the parameters of your story when you have built the framework for the character’s journey ahead of time.

Many times a writer becomes discouraged one-third of the way into writing the story and claims writer’s block, but those are the times your subconscious is probably turning you back toward your GMC and synopsis. Exploring these outlines often hold the key to the reason why the story has become derailed. This is why you need this backbone--a synopsis--pounded out before you begin writing. It will save you from deleting a lot of words. And it will become the map you use to write your story and avoid becoming mired in the myth that is writer’s block.

Moore enjoys life in the historically rich Cumberland Valley where traffic jams are a thing of the past and there are only two stoplights in the whole town. 

A three time Carol Award finalist, Moore is celebrating the release of her tenth historical romance, A Heartbeat Away, part of the Quilts of Love series by Abingdon Press. Visit her at her site: http://www.sdionnemoore.com

Historical Romance Book Review ~ Roses Have Thorns

To read a description of Roses Have Thorns, learn about the author, and more - check out the previously posted book spotlight!

And now...

Amber's Review

Sandra Byrd's "Ladies in Waiting" series is a three-course banquet of historical delicacies. The research is rich and the scope is solid. Roses Have Thorns, the conclusion to the series, is similar in flavor to its two predecessors but is also a well-written tale in its own right.

Part of that similar "flavor," if you will, made it a little difficult for me to be completely swept away by these stories. I admire them and I enjoyed them, but the determination to cover so much time and so many events made the books feel more like documentaries with extended anecdotes than, say, Saturday-night movies. Certainly interesting, but not quite as personally captivating as it might be if the reader had more focused time with the characters in one place vs. always being on the move from one place to the next and from one year to the next.

But that's the nature of these books and these characters - there's just so much to tell in such a short amount of time! And Byrd tells it well. Roses Have Thorns covers about twenty-five years of Queen Elizabeth's reign (close to forty if you count the epilogue). And yet, while that may seem rushed, the flow of the story actually feels a little slow - not really in a slow-paced way, but in the sense that it's so epic and feels so long. At least for me, it took a while to finish the book.

The journey is certainly rich, though. Recurring themes, admirable sacrifices contrasted with very human emotions and tendencies, interesting myths and fables, uncertain loyalties, mystery, romance...it's all mixed in there, with the religious divisions and confusion of a kingdom serving as a suspenseful and fitting backdrop to personal divisions and confusion.

Elin's/Helena's love life kept me intrigued and often took surprising turns. The men in her life didn't always do right by her, in my opinion, but then, Helena wasn't always perfect, either. Byrd does a great job of showing how all of those in such high positions were truly human. (Although I must add that I don't know if I could handle the workings of high society and court life back then! So much to remember...so much to watch out for and to hold back...)

Roses Have Thorns is a long but beautiful glimpse into the end of the Tudor era. It uses lofty language and grand imagery to convey a story of flawed characters who don't get things perfectly, but who try to do the best that they are able as they seek faith and love and duty.

*With much gratitude to the author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

[This review was also posted on Amber's personal blog, Seasons of Humility.]

Sunday Devotional: I'll not forget you

There’s an old song by Bryan Duncan that speaks of the long years of waiting by Abraham and Sarah. Through all that has come this time of year—school wrapping up, graduations, wedding—there’s still a place of waiting inside me for something I’ve dreamed of since I was fifteen.

I catch myself wondering often, does anything I do make any difference? In this season of busyness, where it feels that so much is still undone, am I accomplishing something of worth, or just running myself in circles?

Others I know are in seasons of rest, or waiting. Some feel that God has just put them on the shelf for no apparent reason. Which begs another question: For all that I’ve done, all I’ve worked for ... does God Himself notice?

The answer is, emphatically, yes.

Motives matter, of course. “...which you have shown toward His name.” Can we say we do what we do because it’s good and right? Or because we just really want people to tell us how wonderful we are?

Not that there’s anything wrong with the desire to know we’ve done a good job. Even the famed virtuous woman knew that what she produced with her hands was of good quality. (Proverbs 31:18) And there’s nothing to be gained by false modesty.

But once we’ve examined our hearts, prayed for God to purify us, and gone beyond all that until we’re just bone weary...that’s when we often wonder, has God just forgotten me? Are dreams just something we have to learn to give up, because they get swallowed up in real life?

Those are the moments in which the chorus of the song haunts me most.

I’ll not forget you ...

God sees. He remembers. He does not forget the things He planted in us, the things we long to see to come to fruition. Most of all, even though His word is clear that we can do nothing to earn His favor, He doesn’t overlook what we do for His sake.

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6:10, NKJV)

Win a “Date Night” Prize Pack from Deborah Raney and RSVP for her 5/30 Facebook Party!

Deborah is celebrating with a fun "Date Night" Giveaway (win a $200 Visa Cash Card!) and an Author Chat Party on Facebook! {5/30}

   One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one – your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)
• The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 29th. Winner will be announced at the "The Face of the Earth" Facebook Author Chat Party on May 30th. Connect with Deborah for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Deborah will also be sharing a sneak peek of her next book and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Face of the Earth and join Deborah on the evening of May 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

Visit Mama Isa's Grocery With Angela Hunt

The protagonist in Angela Hunt’s latest book, THE OFFERING, works in a Cuban grocery store. To add an air of veracity to her story, and to help her visualize her character’s surroundings, she visited a Cuban grocery in Tampa and took a few photographs. 

Welcome to Mama Isa’s Grocery!

We hope you enjoyed your browsing (and didn't spend too many pesos)!

With nearly four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is
the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Tale of
Three Trees, Don't Bet Against Me, and The Nativity Story. Her biggest
bestseller, The Note, sold over 141,000 copies. Hunt is one of the most
sought-after collaborators in the publishing industry. Her nonfiction book
Don't Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the
New York Times bestseller list. Angela's novel The Note (with sales of over
141,000) was filmed as the Hallmark Channel's Christmas movie for 2007 and
proved to be the highest rated television movie in the channel's history.
Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry
awards, including the RITA, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book
Award, and the Holt Medallion. She often travels to teach writing workshops
at schools and writers' conferences, and she served as the keynote speaker
at the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writers' national conference. She and
her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs. In 2001, one of her
dogs was featured on "Live with Regis and Kelly" as the second-largest dog in
America.
 


Learn more about Angela at http://www.angelahuntbooks.com 

Make sure to drop by tomorrow and enter our drawing for a free copy of her new release!

Did You Know?~Pearlash

Last week I blogged about syllabub recipes from my First American Cook Book 1796 reprint. Today I’m going to continue my recipe theme with another recipe, plus some interesting commentary.

(In the following recipe, please note that the spellings as well as divisions of words are exactly as written in the book.)

Molasses Gingerbread.

 

One table spoon of cinnamon, one spoonful ginger, some coriander or allspice, put to four tea spoons pearlash, dissolved in half pint of water, four pounds flour, one quart molasses, six ounces butter, (if in summer rub in the butter, if in the winter, warm the butter and molasses, and pour to the spaced flour) knead well till stiff, the more the better, the lighter and whiter it will be; bake brisk fifteen minutes; don’t scorch; before it is put in, wash it with whites and sugar beat together.

I love gingerbread, which is why I was drawn to this recipe. What first impressed me were the amounts of ingredients. Who has a bowl big enough for four pounds of flour and one quart of molasses? And what does it mean to bake brisk fifteen minutes? And I'm not sure if these are cookies or bars or cake. I'm assuming cookies becaue of the brisk fifteen minutes.

But what confused me the most was the ingredient, pearlash. Pear lash? I thought, what’s a pear lash?

Silly me. You see, in my mind I pronounced the word wrong. I thought: P-e-a-r   L-a-s-h. But then I looked it up and felt really stupid. It’s P-e-a-r-l   A-s-h.

Ah ha! Seeing the word "ash" made the pieces start falling together.

Pearlash

Pearlash is a purified version of potash. It’s an alkaline compound that reacts with an acidic ingredient such as sour milk, buttermilk or molasses to produce carbon dioxide bubbles, just like yeast. (But you may have noticed that that in this recipe there are no acidic ingredients, so I'm not sure how the pearlash worked making the gingerbread.)

At any rate, Pearlash was used in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Although it was successful as a leavening agent, it left a bitter aftertaste. Eventually pearlash was replaced by saleratus, which is sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda.

To make pearlash, you have to have potash, which is made from lye. To make lye, you pass water through a barrel of hardwood ashes over and over until an egg can float on the residue. To make potash, you evaporate lye water until you have a solid. (Or you can make soap by boiling the “lye water” with lard or another fat until it’s thick and harden it into cakes.)

So, there you go. If you're ever in the backwoods somewhere without baking powder, you can make your own leavening agent out of the ashes from the campfire, not to mention soap.

Author Interview with Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt

With nearly four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Tale of
Three Trees, Don't Bet Against Me, and The Nativity Story. Her biggest bestseller, The Note, sold over 141,000 copies. 

Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, including the RITA, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the Holt Medallion. She often travels to teach writing workshops

at schools and writers' conferences, and she served as the keynote speaker at the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writers' national conference. She and her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs. 

In 2001, one of her dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest dog in America.

Learn more about Angela at http://www.angelahuntbooks.com 


Borrowed Book readers, come back on Friday for a chance to win a copy of The Offering, Angie's newest book. And now, the interview. . .


Welcome, Angie. Writers often complain about writer's block. What do you do to get past writer’s block?

Writers’ block cannot co-exist alongside a responsibility to pay the mortgage. 

Have you always wanted to be an author? If not, what made you decide to write, and how long have you been at it?

I never dreamed of being a writer. Never fantasized about writing the Great American Novel; never dreamed of living in a garret and suffering for the sake of my Art. I’m a practical person, more focused on the nuts and bolts of things than the whys and wherefores.
But apparently I’ve always had a natural aptitude for words and I’ve always been a reader. So when a friend suggested that I change my college major from music to English, the idea of working with words appealed more than singing on the road for the rest of my life. I’d been doing that, you see, and my voice was tired and my suitcase worn out. Duct tape could only patch things up for so long . . .

So I graduated from college with a degree in English Lit, taught high school English for a year, then worked at a large church writing curriculum. I kept telling myself that when the time was right, I’d quit my job and actually become a writer.

I finally decided that the time would be right when I plunged ahead and did it.

I quit the day job (and I’m NOT recommending you do this!) and had stationary and business cards printed up–freelance writer for hire. I mailed those cards and a brief letter to every advertising agency and magazine in my mid-sized town, then I was amazed at the responses. A great many business people, apparently, were happy to hire someone else to write their letters, brochures, advertising copy, etc. I bought and studied books on how to write effective letters, brochures, advertising copy, etc., and set about establishing a reputation for being fast and dependable. I figured I might not be the most talented fish in the sea, but at least I could be prompt, professional, and diligent. And I learned . . . from my employers and from my mistakes. 

For five years I worked for magazines and businesses, and I learned as I went along. I read and relentlessly studied books on the craft of writing. I rewrote and polished and rewrote again.
In 1988, an artist friend and I entered a contest for unpublished children’s book authors. I wrote a manuscript after studying a book on how to write children’s picture books (what else?) and then forgot about it. A few months later, I learned that out of 500 entries, our manuscript won first place–and first prize was publication. If I Had Long, Long Hair was therefore my first book. At the same time, I was writing about my family’s experience with adoption and sold a nonfiction manuscript to a book publisher. Those first books gradually moved me out of periodical work and into the publishing field–after years of learning and writing and reading and studying.  I am still learning and reading and studying, for each genre requires that a writer master certain requirements.

So when aspiring writers ask me for advice, I tell them to go to the library and find a copy of Writer’s Market. Study the periodicals market; study book publishers. Find out what they want to buy and concentrate on writing that–if you want to sell your writing. If you want to write for yourself or for your loved ones, go ahead, write what is on your heart. But if you want to write to sell, you have to learn how to write and behave professionally. Another wonderful place to learn is at a writer’s conference. There are many wonderful conferences around the country and throughout the year. Find one, go, and learn before you try to submit something to a publisher.

My philosophy is that a writer is like a builder–if you know how to use the construction tools and if you are familiar with the blueprints for various jobs/genres, you can master the work. But it requires study and basic know-how.

As to how long I’ve been doing this, I hung out my shingle in 1983. You can do the math.