Why Am I Watching Survivor??

Well, admittedly, it is kind of fun to shock people and tell them, "Yes, I actually am watching Survivor. Crazy, right?"

Yeah, probably crazy. But is there something there that has kept me watching - something to learn from the show that can remind us of some good story-telling/writing tips?

 

1. I want to know what happens! This season of Survivor ("One World") was full of conflict, relational issues, and physical challenges. To be honest, I don't know how much of that can be chalked up to editing (hmmm...probably a lot!), but even if the people participating in the game presented a "fictional" facade, we still can note that throwing challenges our characters' ways and presenting them with real relationship issues generally holds the viewer's/reader's interest. Who will go next? Who will make it to the end? What will people do when they're threatened or mistreated or hurt? What are these characters made of?  

2. Give me interesting characters! One thing's for sure - for better or for worse the people on the show this season were really...interesting! And quite diverse... This is a great reminder that characters count. I don't want to belittle anyone on the show by saying they were "secondary" characters, but in a loose parallel to writing novels, the person who wins would generally be the hero/heroine (or the person who "wins" the reader's affections, ultimately) and the other characters would mostly be "secondary." And every one counts. Obviously some characters are going to have more depth than others, and I know I'm guilty of bringing in flat characters to simply complete a task and then escape out the back door unnoticed, but in the end the main characters should be ones with "layers" (like ogres or onions or parfaits - for all you Shrek fans out there!).

3. Surprise me! Maybe I just haven't seen enough Survivor to be familiar with how the show works all the time, but I was surprised by some twists and turns along the way. Yes, I teared up at some of the moments when the Survivors got to hear from and/or see a loved one. (Don't laugh!) And even though some blindsides probably were rather obvious... There's always that uncertainty. Is it going the way it seems to be going? Is someone going to get voted off sooner than I thought/hoped? Is someone going to last longer than it first seems likely? Throw a curve ball at your readers. Make them do a double-take. Keep them guessing and keep them reading! 

Well, now this season of Survivor is over. Am I going to watch another one? Ehhh... I don't know. But hey, I kept coming back to see what happened in this season, and I actually made it through the finale and reunion! 

Are there any TV shows you've been watching recently that you can glean some writing tips from?

(Survivor logo is from the show's Twitter page.)

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Winners!!

Happy Saturday, BB fans! Thanks to everyone who participated in our "puzzling" Friday giveaway! Keep all those facebook and Twitter notifications, coming! This week's winner is:

Aizess - Rainbow's End by Cara Putman!

Congratulations, Aizess! Please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your email address. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive. Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book!

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Weekly Drawing

It's fun Friday at The Borrowed Book!

To enter:

Follow Us! Followers are automatically entered. Or...

Leave the time it took you to complete the puzzle in the comments section. Winners will be drawn from ALL of the times, so the person with the fastest time may not be the actual winner, but by leaving your time, you double your chances.

Want another entry? Tweet your puzzle time and mention The Borrowed Book, get another entry. RETWEET our Tweet, get two entries!

Post your puzzle time on BB's Facebook wall and...you guessed it...get another entry!

Post it on your OWN Facebook wall and you could get as many as FIVE entries.

It's all a way to spread the word about the great giveaways on BB. So c'mon! Help us spread the word, and have a little fun at the same time. :-)

This week's puzzle feature is brought to you by Cara Putman and her newest release, Rainbow's End.

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Author Interview ~ Cara Putman

Hi, Cara! Welcome to The Borrowed Book. We are featuring your new book, Rainbow's End. One of your collaborators on this project, Valerie Comer, was a guest with us not too long ago. From Valerie’s interview, I know that one of the central themes involves a treasure hunt. Have you ever participated in something similar in real life?

You know, I haven’t participated in a geo-caching adventure. Though after doing the research, this is exactly the kind of weekend adventure my husband and kids would love. I hope to try it this summer.

How did your story for the collection come about?

I was actually invited to become part of the collection after my co-authors Valerie Comer and Nicole O’Dell had the essential bones of the idea: a church located in the Ozarks hosts a geo-caching contest. Then I got to play with that idea and create my characters and their dilemmas to fit within that framework. Because most of my stories have an attorney in them somewhere, I made the hero an older student who’s getting ready to start law school. And the heroine has a stalker that is the impetus for her to leave her home for a couple months and join the treasure hunt.

How did collaborating with this team impact you? Did you know any of the other authors before you worked together on this collection?

Nicole and I were already very good friends and prayer partners. I knew but Valerie was a newcomer to me. It was such fun to work with these ladies. We had a great time brainstorming, working on each other’s stories, and finding ways to make the pieces fit together as a cohesive whole.

What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a novella collection?

Making sure that my story intertwines well with the setting and characters that the other authors create. It’s a challenge, but fun, too.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

What a good question. Reagan, the heroine, just seemed to beg for her name. The hero went through several iterations. By the time I landed on Colton Ryan, I realized that’s one of my nephew’s names. Guess I’ll have to get busy naming heroes after my other nephews.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading Tricia Goyer’s next Amish novel The Memory Jar for endorsement. And then I’m on to Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert, The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller, and My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade.

That's quite a list! I'm surprised you find time, what with your busy schedule. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

This is my 14th novel. This spring I participated in another novella collection Cherry Blossom Capers, set in D.C. and released in January. Then in April a full-length novel A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island released. While these are contemporary romances with mystery elements, I’ve also written seven novels set during World War II plus four other contemporary romances with either strong suspense or mystery threads.

What did you want the reader to take away from your story?

That sometimes we need to confront our past to be set free from it. And we have to trust God with our futures or we might miss the prize standing in front of us.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an author?

To join American Christian Fiction Writers (www.acfw.com). I am convinced I would not be published and have written 15 books since 2006 without ACFW.

Thanks so much for having me!

About the Author...

Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a teacher at her church as well as lecturer at Purdue. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. She loves bringing history and romance to life.

An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara left small town Nebraska and headed to Washington, D.C., to launch her career in public policy.

Cara is an author chasing hard after God as she lives a crazy life. She invites you to join her on that journey. Find her at:

Website: http://www.caraputman.com/
Blog: http://blog.caraputman.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caraputman
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cara_putman
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caraputman

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Write Right~Clean Your Basement--Avoid Effluvia!

Do you think you have problems in your basement? Is it messy? Too many boxes? Tools? Spiders or centipedes? Leaks? The bogeyman? 

Well, how about effluvia?  Effluvium (a term no longer in technical use) was the exhalation or emanation of bad odors that were of an injurious and noxious nature. Effluvia is related to miasmas, the topic I discussed last week. Both were bad air thought to cause disease when inhaled.

Here’s an excerpt from The Young Housewife’s Counsellor and Friend (1871):

Examine your cellars frequently at all seasons, especially in the spring, when vegetables are sprouting and decaying. The effluvia from decomposing vegetable matter will engender disease. Have everything of the kind removed, with all mouldy articles, boxes, barrels, tubs, especially such as have contained vegetables, pickles, either of meats or vegetables, fish or spirits, vinegar, wines, or decaying matter of any kind. Leave the doors and window open frequently for airing; whitewash at least once a year, and fumigate, if any disagreeable odors be present, with chloride of lime. Attention to such matters may save the lives of your family. Surely worth the pains. Typhoid fevers, cholera, etc. are engendered in this way.

Based on this, I think I’d rather take on the bogeyman than a basement full of effluvia.

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Upcoming Release Spotlight: Love in Disguise (Historical Romance)

Description:


When costume-maker Ellie Moore suddenly finds herself out of a job in the middle of a bleak Chicago winter, she uses her knowledge of theatrical disguise to secure a position as an undercover operative with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her assignment: find the culprit behind the theft of silver shipped from the mines near Pickford, Arizona.

Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie begins her investigation. Soon she finds she must also pose as the dazzling young Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is about to lose his business after the theft of several bullion shipments--until hope arrives in the unlikely form of Lavinia Stewart, who offers to invest in Steven's mine. In his wildest dreams, Steven never expected to be rescued by an inquisitive gray-haired widow... or to fall head over heels for Lavinia's captivating niece, Jessie.

But then the thieves come after both Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn't safe no matter which character she plays! Will she be forced to reveal her true identity before the criminals are caught? What will Steven do when he discovers the woman he loves doesn't exist?


Preorder now:
Amazon
Fiction Finder
Barnes and Noble

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Profundity from a College Graduate

As a college graduate, I think I am qualified to offer some profound words of wisdom. ;) As a quite recent college graduate (think graduation ceremony on Saturday, traveling home on Sunday, trying to write a blog post late Sunday night), I think I should be allowed to keep the profundity short. (I do so hope you agree!)

Going to college - particularly going to Corban University - was a true blessing!

I was challenged to think critically about the works that surround me (from literature to T.V. programs) and to dig deep to examine the heart of a work rather than get caught up on surface matters.

I was encouraged to explore different subjects. As an English major, I had plenty of elective hours that allowed me to take history and psychology and theology classes (and even a birds & botany class!) - talk about a wealth of research opportunities for novel-writing!

I was reminded to be creative and yet to still communicate effectively. There are times to be succinct and times to wax eloquent. There are times to be a bit formulaic in following instructions, and there are times to tackle new ideas with enthusiasm and confidence.

I was inspired to build relationships - to really see the big picture. From friends to faculty to family, I have been moved by the relationships I have either begun or developed over the last three years, and I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and love I have been shown. Rough times came, and tears fell. But God's love never disappoints, and His love working through human relationships is incredible and powerful.

This is such a small glimpse of what I have learned over the past three years. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in English now - but I really have so much more than that. I have dear friends. I have wonderful memories. I have a cultivated mind eager to learn more and to put what I already have learned into practice, and I have an encouraged heart eager to see where God will lead next, despite the sorrow of finishing my undergraduate college experience.

If you'd like to hear more about my recent graduation and my college experience in general, tune into my personal blog sometime in the next few days. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up soon over there and some updates to share with my dear blogging friends!

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